Edenbridge, Kent

Edenbridge
The old town
Edenbridge  Edenbridge shown within Kent
Population	7,808
OS grid reference	TQ445465
- London	38 mi (61 km)
Civil parish	Edenbridge
District	Sevenoaks
Shire county	Kent
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	EDENBRIDGE
Postcode district	TN8
Dialling code	01732
Police	Kent
Fire	Kent
Ambulance	South East Coast
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Tonbridge and Malling
List of places: UK • England • Kent

Edenbridge is a town and civil parish in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. The town's name derives from Old English language "Eadhelmsbrigge" ("Eadhelm's Bridge" in Modern English). It is located on the Kent/Surrey border on the upper floodplain of the River Medway and gives its name to the latter's tributary, the River Eden. Edenbridge has a population of around 8,000.

History

The old part of the town grew along a section of the otherwise disused Roman road, the London to Lewes Way at the point where it crossed the river. Iron slag from iron smelting in the surrounding area was used in building the road. In the Middle Ages, it became a centre of the Wealden iron industry. There are many mediaeval timber buildings in the town, one of which houses the Eden Valley Museum.

With the coming of the railways the town expanded and the community of Marlpit Hill, north of the original settlement, is now part of the town.

Mills

Edenbridge has had four mills over the centuries, Haxted Mill and Honour's Mill on the River Eden, Christmas Mill on a tributary of the Eden, and a windmill to the south of the town. All four mill buildings survive, but now converted to other uses.

Railways

There are two railway stations serving Edenbridge. The earliest, on the South Eastern Railway (SER) route from Redhill to Tonbridge, was opened on 26 May 1842. The station, simply named Edenbridge, is located in Marlpit Hill. To the west of that station the route crosses what was once the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway main line from London to Eastbourne, opened on 2 January 1888. The crossing of the two lines takes place at a mid-break in the Edenbridge Tunnel on the SER line. Here lies the second station, named Edenbridge Town. The line serving it is now truncated at Uckfield. There is no connection here between the two routes: Edenbridge is not a junction; one existed four miles (6 km) to the west of Edenbridge Town at Crowhurst, but that junction no longer exists.

The town

Church of St. Peter and St. Paul

The 13th century church dedicated to St Peter and St Paul contains a set of windows in the east wall by Sir Edward Burne-Jones. Edenbridge is twinned with Mont-Saint-Aignan in France. The bypass that was built in the early 2000s to relieve traffic pressure on the old, narrow High Street is named Mont St Aignan Way. There are Lloyds, Barclays, Natwest and HSBC banks in the town. There is a post office, which is next to the church. Major retailers that are present in Edenbridge include Boots, Tesco, Co-op and Londis. Boots, Tesco and Co-op are located in the town centre. Londis Supermarket also referred to as the VG is located in Spitals Cross Estate.

The parish

Within the parish boundary is the hamlet of Marsh Green.

People

• Walter Galpin Alcock (1861–1947), organist and composer, was born in Edenbridge
• David Henry Bartleet (1929–2001), was vicar of Edenbridge
• Tony Burns (b 1944), football player and manager, was born in Edenbridge.
• Anthony Catt (b 1933) was born in Edenbridge.
• Henry Surtees (1991–2009), racing driver, lived in Edenbridge.
• William Taillour (1406–83), Lord Mayor Of London in 1468 lived in Edenbridge

External links

• Marlpit Hill community website