Elephas antiquus molar tooth, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum. This now extinct species was twice the size of a modern African elephant, a relative of the woolly mammoth.

Our stone age ancestors

Ancestors of modern humans share the land with large mammals which they learn to hunt for food.

Britain is still attached to the continent.

Flint hand axe, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

Modern humans

Homo sapiens have dispersed into Europe from Africa. They live in large groups, and make increasingly sophisticated tools and weapons from wood and stone.

Coldrum Longbarrow (2020). This ancient burial site was built around 4000 BC, and is one of the 'Medway Megaliths'.

New Stone Age

People begin farming and producing pottery, and take part in rituals that signify complex spiritual beliefs.

Britain has become an island after millennia of rising sea levels.

Bronze Age

Bronze and copper replace stone as the preferred material for making tools and weapons.

The adoption of agriculture becomes widespread.

Iron Age

Oldbury camp is built by Celtic British tribes on a hill west of Ightham, in a strategic location overlooking routes through the Kentish Weald...

Roman samian ware cup, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

Roman settlements

Roman settlers occupy areas along the River Darent, north of Sevenoaks. These include Lullingstone villa, and, later, a larger villa in Otford.

Christian symbol on wall fresco from Lullingstone villa

Christianity

One of Britain's earliest Christian chapels is built at Lullingstone Roman villa.

Battle for Kent

Otford is the scene of a battle between Offa, King of Mercia and Alric, King of Kent. Offa is victorious.

Saint Edith

Saint Edith, daughter of King Edgar the Peaceful, is born in Kemsing.

The well in Kemsing is dedicated to her, as it was believed she gave the water healing properties.

King Canute

After a failed Danish siege on London, a battle takes place in Otford between King Canute and English King Edmund Ironside...

Battle of Hastings

Saxon King Harold marches through Sevenoaks on the way to the Hastings, where he is killed in battle.

William the Conqueror then camps at Seal en route to London, and becomes the first Norman King of England.

Domesday book

The Domesday book is produced. It shows that Otford is the largest manor in the area, covering 20 square miles, encompassing modern Sevenoaks. With 159 households, it is in the largest 20% of settlements in the country.

Eynsford Castle is built

Textus Roffensis c.1120. A page from this thousand-year-old document showing the entry for ‘Seouenaca’, the earliest record of a parish church at Sevenoaks. © Rochester Cathedral

Parish of Sevenoaks

The earliest record of St Nicholas Church is made in the Textus Roffensis, a list made for the Diocese of Rochester.

Illustration of the murder of Thomas Becket (1860s)

Saint Thomas Becket

Thomas Becket is murdered in Canterbury Cathedral...

Engraving of Hever Castle (1700s), © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

Hever Castle is built

Map drawn for Hasted’s History of Kent, 1778

Sevenoaks market

First mention of a market in Sevenoaks...

Hospital for travellers

The earliest record of a hospital in Sevenoaks.

St John the Baptist hospital was run by clergymen and located in what was then dense forest, home to wild boar and wolves.

Ightham Mote, attributed to Charles Landsdeer (1799-1879), © Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council

Ightham Mote manor house is built

Black Death

The plague reaches England, transmitted to people by fleas on rats.

This deadly outbreak reduces the population by around 40%, with major social and economic consequences. In Sevenoaks, rents from shops and stalls in the market falls by two-thirds, and local trade declines.

William Sevenoke

According to legend, an abandoned baby is found in Sevenoaks by local tradesman and landowner William Rumstead. He adopts the child and names him William Sevenoke.

Brewing

Court records show that 63 houses in Sevenoaks are brewing ale at this time.

Market house

The first wooden market house is erected in Sevenoaks.

Casts from the seals of William Sevenoke, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

From rags to riches

Former foundling child William Sevenoke becomes Mayor of London.

Romance writer Richard Johnson pays tribute to William Sevenoke in the book Nine Worthies of London.

more ...

Sevenoaks School

William Sevenoke dies, leaving an endowment for a grammar school for poor boys, and almshouses for the two men and women 'in greatest want'...

Jack Cade's Rabblement by Keeley Halswelle (1832-1891), © Bury Art Museum

Cade's rebels battle at Sevenoaks

Jack Cade's rebellion takes place in Kent, fuelled by anger against high taxes and prices...

Knole House

Archbishop Bourchier buys 100 acres of land for £266 to build Knole House, replacing an older manor house on the site.

William Caxton pub sign in Tenterden © Oast House Archive

Introduction of the printing press

William Caxton, born in the Weald of Kent, introduces the printing press to England.

Anne Boleyn

The Boleyn family move to Hever Castle, including the child Anne.

Otford Palace

Otford Palace is built by Archbishop Warham. The grand Tudor brick building replaces an older manor on the site, to rival Cardinal Wolsey's Hampton Court.

Field of the Cloth of Gold by John Gilbert (1817-1897), © Parliamentary Art Collection

Henry VIII

Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon camp at Otford with their army of 5,000 men on their way to the Field of the Cloth of Gold, a grand event held in northern France (at this time part of England) to strengthen the bond between King Henry and King Francis I of France.

Hops introduced to Kent

Around this time, hop plants start being grown for use in making beer.

It is believed that the first hop garden was set up near Canterbury.

Victorian embroidery commemorating John Frith, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

John Frith becomes a martyr

John Frith of Westerham becomes the first English martyr to be executed for publishing Reformation doctrines ...

Knole handed over to Henry VIII

Henry VIII takes Knole from Archbishop Cranmer.

Wyatt's rebels executed in Sevenoaks

Sir Thomas Wyatt leads a rebellion against Queen Mary I to prevent her marriage to Philip II of Spain, worried it will result in Spanish domination.

There is also concern at this time that England might revert to Catholicism...

Lambarde's history of Kent

William Lambarde publishes A Perambulation of the County of Kent, which includes the first historical writing about Sevenoaks.

The River Darent in literature

Edmund Spenser writes about the River Darent in his epic poem Faerie Queene, '… And the still Darent, in whose Waters clean, Ten thousand Fishes play, and deck his pleasant Stream.'

Poor Law

Relief for the poor, sick, orphaned and widowed becomes the responsibility of Sevenoaks parish.

Portrait engraving of Thomas Sackville, Earl of Dorset, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

Knole and the Sackvilles

Queen Elizabeth I dies and Knole House is left to her cousin, Thomas Sackville...

Tunbridge Wells in the time of Charles II, © Wellcome Collection

Curative wells discovered

Mineral water springs containing iron salts are discovered in the parish of Tonbridge...

John Morocco and Grace Robinson

The earliest record of Black people living in Sevenoaks. John Morocco and Grace Robinson are listed on the Knole inventory of house servants. John was a page and Grace was a laundress.

John Donne

John Donne is appointed as the Rector of St Nicholas Church, though he is only recorded as preaching there on one occasion...

Chevening House

The first Chevening House is built to a design by Inigo Jones, the founder of English classical architecture.

Postal service

The first public letter carrying service is established and Sevenoaks is one of the towns to benefit, with a staging post at the Bull Inn, Chipstead.

Knole House raided by Cromwell's troops

Sevenoaks stands out as a Royalist stronghold during the Civil Wars, being a town dominated by a few wealthy aristocrats.

In August, Knole House is raided by Oliver Cromwell's troops. Weapons and armour in the house are seized.

By winter, the Parliamentarian London military impose an armed block between Kentish Royalists and their comrades in the Midlands and the West.

Royalists and Parliamentarians battle in Sevenoaks

Royal supporters led by William Lone of Sevenoaks Park and Thomas Farnaby of Kippington fight Colonel Browne's soldiers at Hildenbrook. Browne is victorious.

After this event, Parliament sets up a local committee of men to look after the county of Kent.

Token issued by Sevenoaks merchant Thomas Greene (c.1660), © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

Trade tokens

Merchants of Sevenoaks issue their own low value trade tokens because the government has failed to mint enough new coins. Unofficial currency like this is produced across the country.

Printing block used for H.L. Somers-Cocks and V.F. Boyson’s book, Edenbridge

Trade tokens suppressed by royal proclamation

Lady Margaret Boswell

Lady Margaret Boswell leaves money in her will for the education of the poorest 15 children of the parish, and to provide two scholarships of £12 per year to Jesus College, Cambridge.

Engraving of Dr Thomas Fuller (1739), © The Trustees of the British Museum

Dr Fuller at the Red House

The distinctive building on Sevenoaks High Street becomes the home...

Population

The population of Sevenoaks parish at this time is 1,572, as estimated by Gregory King.

Watercolour sketch of Shoreham mill before it was demolished in 1936, by Vincent New, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

Shoreham paper mill

The first reference is made to a paper mill in Shoreham. The clean, hard water of the Darent chalk stream was...

Wildernesse House c. 1820, drawing by J.P. Neale

Wildernesse house is built

A storm hits Kent

A great storm hits the south of England on 26th November. Brenchley Church near Tonbridge loses its steeple and Penshurst Park loses over 500 trees.

Turnpike toll post, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

Turnpike road

Turnpike built from Tonbridge to Sevenoaks. The introduction of turnpike roads indicates Parliament's increasing responsibility...

Souvenir programme for the bicenentary of the first cricket match on the Vine (1934), © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

Cricket on the Vine

The first cricket match recorded in Sevenoaks takes place on the Vine...

Jos Burchetts add 80 stitches to the outer cover of a cricket ball at the Wisden Factory in Chiddingstone Causeway, 1970, © Eden Valley Museum Trust

Cricket ball manufacture

The craft of cricket ball making is established by the Duke Family in Penshurst. They become the first...

Painting of Lord Amherst in Montreal Park, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

Jeffrey Amherst

Sir Jeffrey Amherst is recalled from war and rebuilds his family home in Sevenoaks, naming it Montreal House...

Peter Nouaille of Greatness in 1809, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

Silk production

The Nouaille silk mills at Greatness are at peak production. 100 people are employed at the busy factory, including children.

18th century Pett cricket bat on loan from the Vine Cricket Club, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum. It is the second oldest cricket bat on display in a museum.

Cricket bat production

John Frederick Sackville purchases 11 cricket bats from William Pett of Sevenoaks, one of the earliest known makers of cricket bats. Each costs two shillings and sixpence.

First ever cricket century scored

John Minshull, playing for Duke of Dorset's XI against Wrotham on 31 August at Sevenoaks Vine, scores the first known century in any form of cricket. A partial scorecard from the match records that Minshull made a score of 107. This is the first scorecard to record an innings on a stroke-by-stroke basis.

Kippington House

Sir Charles Farnaby, a descendant of Thomas Farnaby, builds Kippington House. It will later become home to Jane Austen's uncle Francis Motley Austen.

Early abolitionists

A group of Evangelical activists known as the Teston circle begin campaigning to end the slave trade...

Jane Austen

A 12 year old Jane Austen visits her great uncle Francis Austen who lives at the Red House on Sevenoaks high street...

'The Mail Coach in a Thunder Storm on Newmarket Heath' (1827), © Royal Mail Group Ltd, courtesy of The Postal Museum

Mail robbery

A letter from the Sevenoaks Postmaster dated 2nd July describes a 'dramatic event', when the mail coach is robbed on its way from London...

The first census

The first official census records the population of Sevenoaks as 2640.

Illustration of the Stanhope printing press

Stanhope's printing press invented at Chevening

Charles Mahon, 3rd Earl Stanhope, makes a significant breakthrough in printing...

Lady Boswell's School

A new, purpose built, Lady Boswell's School opens in London Road.

The Harvest Moon by Samuel Palmer (1805–1881), © Yale Center for British Art

The Shoreham Ancients

Samuel Palmer invites fellow artists to stay at his cottage in Shoreham, including John Linnell and Edward Calvert. Inspired by the work of William Blake, also a guest at the cottage, they formed a group called The Ancients.

Beechmont House in the late 19th century

Beechmont House is built

The first fire engine

Sevenoaks Fire Engine Association is formed, paid for by local residents and operated by volunteers using a horse drawn fire engine.

Satirical print of Captain Swing (1930), © The Trustees of the British Museum

Swing Riots

Farm workers protest against mechanisation, harsh working conditions and low pay...

Reform Act

Sevenoaks town is lit up when news arrives of the passing of the Reform Act.

This parliamentary reform was a step toward democracy.

The fight against Slavery continues

Sevenoaks Anti-Slavery Society is formed, which pressures Parliament to end slavery in the Empire. The 1807 Act had prohibited slave trading, but not slave ownership...

George Cruikshank's illustration of 'Oliver asking for more' (1911)

Workhouses and the new Poor Law

Central government takes over management of poor relief from the parish...

Street lighting introduced

Sevenoaks gets its first street lighting when gas lanterns on metal standards are installed along the High Street.

Hartsland

Local builder Daniel Grover buys and begins to transform the Hartsland area into a working-class village.

It becomes the most densely inhabited area of Sevenoaks.

First local newspaper printed

The Sevenoaks Advertiser is the first newspaper published in the district, sold for a penny.

Hospital, formerly the workhouse (1990s)

New workhouse

A new workhouse is built in Sundridge, which will provide local poor relief for the next century.

Oil painting of Charles Hardinge, son of Henry Hardinge © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

The Hardinges and Colonial India

Former Sevenoaks School boy, Henry...

Two police officers on Sevenoaks High Street (late 1800s), © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

Kent County Police Constabulary established

Darwin's Origin of Species

Charles Darwin publishes his breakthrough work on his theory of evolution, which he wrote at Down House, his home near Orpington.

Oil painting of Benjamin Harrison by C. Chitty (1921), © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

Neolithic site discovered

Benjamin Harrison and Flinders Petrie conduct analysis of the Coldrum Stones, a Neolithic site in Wrotham...

The railway comes to Sevenoaks

Responsible for the new, steam powered, Swanley to Bat and Ball line is the distinguished engineer Thomas Crampton.

Dunton Green brick and brick mould, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

Brick making

Local brick making develops into a major industry, with demand for millions of bricks for railway construction and later for house building.

Telegraph communications introduced

The electric telegraph system comes to Sevenoaks, the first electrical telecommunications system.

Water supply

Excavation of Sevenoaks railway tunnel hits an underground stream, flooding the works. This event financially ruins the contractor, John Jay.

Eventually a shaft is sunk and pumps installed, taking the water from Oak Lane to a reservoir south of the town which becomes the water supply for the people of Sevenoaks.

Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria visits Sevenoaks, arriving by train to Bat and Ball Station.

Sevenoaks railway tunnel

Sevenoaks railway tunnel is completed and becomes the fifth longest railway tunnel in the country...

A faster rail service

A new railway line is built, providing an alternative service into London from Sevenoaks Tubs Hill station.

One of Crawshay's monoliths in Bradbourne park (2020)

Francis Crawshay's druid monuments

The eccentric iron baron from South Wales moves to Bradbourne...

Swimming pool

The main mill pond at Greatness is turned into an open air swimming pool.

Edith Nesbit, portrait photograph from the book 'The Lives and Loves of Edith Nesbit'

The Railway Children

A teenage Edith Nesbit, author of 'The Railway Children', lives at Halstead Hall near Sevenoaks...

Scuppet used for moving hops in the oast house, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

Hop picking and harvesting

Hop farming reaches its peak...

Portrait medallion of Emily Jackson, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

Emily Jackson's hospital

Emily Jackson starts a hospital for the care of children with tubercular hip disease, working from her cottage on the Vine...

Sevenoaks Fair

Traditionally held annually for three days in October, the Sevenoaks Fair ends under the Fairs Act 1871. Working class people oppose the closure which had been pushed through by shopkeepers who saw it as unwelcome competition.

Lieutenant Cameron's Welcome Home by Charles West Cope (1877), © Shoreham Church. Cameron and Jacko can be seen in a carriage being pulled by the people of the village.

Verney Lovett Cameron returns from Africa

Verney Lovett Cameron returns home to Shoreham with his servant John Stanboul, known as 'Jacko', from central Africa...

School for the working classes

Cobden Road School is built for the children living in the Hartsland area, one of several Board Schools built in the area after the 1870 Education Act. These were the first state run schools.

Lime Tree Walk

Architect Thomas Jackson and his father buy land in the town centre to build Lime Tree Walk, a small working class community of 24 cottages.

J. Salmon Printers

Salmon printers is established at 85 High Street in Sevenoaks by London bookseller Joseph Salmon...

Charles Essenhigh Corke

Sevenoaks painter and photographer Charles Essenhigh Corke establishes his photography studio...

Sevenoaks Chronicle

The first issue of the Sevenoaks Chronicle newspaper is printed.

Progress for public health

A main drainage system for waste removal is introduced in Sevenoaks.

This was thanks to the tireless efforts of James German. He successfully argued the benefits of a modern sanitation system, despite the difficulty in getting support from rate paying landowners who already had their own private drainage systems...

Kent Band of Hope Union certificate (1934), © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

Temperance and the Salvation Army

The Salvation Army is established in Sevenoaks. A mob greets the officers at Tub's Hill Station...

Walthamstow Hall

The largest single structure in Sevenoaks is built, a red brick building to house a school for the daughters of missionaries...

Fire brigade helmet, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Library

The Sevenoaks Readies

The Fire Engine Association buys a new horse drawn engine called 'The Ready' ...

Sevenoaks Football Club in 1901, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

Sevenoaks Football Club founded

Cartoon of obstructions being removed at Knole Park, Penny Pictorial News 28 June 1884

The townspeople vs Lord Sackville

Lord Mortimer Sackville imposes new regulations on public access...

Painting of Westerham Mill by E. Featherstone, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

Westerham Mill shuts down

Elm View Mill in Westerham ceases operations as a flour mill.

Forts constructed

Fort Halstead and Fort Westerham are built as part of a defence plan against a possible French invasion.

Telephone lines installed

The telephone is introduced to Sevenoaks. The first subscriber to the service is Alfred Laurie of Rockdale.

Photograph of Sevenoaks Town Band under the bandstand, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

Brass band

Sevenoaks Town Band is formed and a bandstand is built on The Vine, gifted to the town by Henry Swaffield.

Sevenoaks Cycling Club with penny farthing bicycles (1886), taken by C. Essenhigh Corke, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

Cyclists

Cycling becomes a popular means of transport and leisure.

Lord Lister by unknown artist, © Wellcome Collection

Lord Lister and Sevenoaks Hospital

Lord Lister, pioneer of antiseptic surgery.....

Sevenoaks vs Arsenal

Sevenoaks Football Club plays against Royal Arsenal, the only professional team in South England at the time.

A crowd of 1,000 people attend the match, which was organised to raise money for local hospitals.

Sevenoaks lose 11-0.

Sevenoaks District Councils

Sevenoaks Urban and Rural District Councils are formed. Amongst other responsibilities, the SUDC takes over the fire service and begins...

The Time Machine

H.G. Wells finishes writing his science fiction novel 'The Time Machine' whilst staying at 23 Eardley Road in Sevenoaks.

Portrait of Octavia Hill, © Wellcome Collection

Octavia Hill and The National Trust

The National Trust is founded...

Early car parked on London Road, opposite a motor garage

Motor cars

The first motor car in Sevenoaks is registered.

Well dressing (a rural tradition) in Toys Hill, 1998, © Eden Valley Museum Trust

Toys Hill Well

Octavia Hill sinks a well for the residents of Toys Hill to use...

Lloyds Bank

Lloyds Bank opens in Market Place in Sevenoaks, in the former house of the Salmon family.

South African War

Meeting and demonstrations are held in Sevenoaks to oppose the South African War ...

Beer flagon from Bligh's brewery (late 1800s), © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

Breweries and pubs

At this time there are around 60 pubs and 3 breweries in Sevenoaks, and more in the surrounding villages.

Commuters

The population of Sevenoaks has doubled since the coming of the railways, with a wave of middle class commuters attracted to the area.

Nurse and patient at Emily Jackson Hospital (1920s), Courtesy of Barchester Health Care

New hip hospital

Emily Jackson raises money to buy ...

'Spring cleaning at the Lime Street Studios' by Elsie Druce, © Rye Art Gallery

Sevenoaks Art Club

Sevenoaks Art Club is founded by Elsie Druce. Its meetings are held in Lime Tree Studio.

Seven oaks planted

Seven oak trees are planted at The Vine cricket ground to commemorate the coronation of Edward VII.

Memorial plaque in Penshurst Parish Church

Jane Escombe

Artist and councillor for Penshurst...

Scaffolding at Hever Castle (1903), © Hever Castle & Gardens

Hever Castle restoration

William Waldorf Astor, the richest man in America, purchases Hever Castle...

Sevenoaks Artisans' Dwellings Company

The company builds a terrace of 20 houses in Cramptons Road (named after railway engineer Thomas Crampton), the start of a scheme to provide more working-class housing.

Membership application for Sevenoaks Library, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

First public library opens

The first free public library opens in Sevenoaks on The Drive, thanks to Henry Swaffield and Andrew Carnegie. It was designed by Edwyn Evans Cronk.

Cricket champions

A great celebration ball is held at the Royal Crown Hotel in Sevenoaks as Kent becomes champion cricket county...

Crowds gather around Moisant's Bleriot aircraft

Plane crash at Kemsing

American aviator John Moisant crash lands in Kemsing. This is only a year after the very first cross channel flight was made...

Coldrum Stones burial site discovered

A new investigation of the Neolithic site reveals human remains and grave markers, indicating use as a burial site.

Early motor bus used on Sevenoaks route (pre-1920s), © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Library

Motor bus service begins

The first motor bus service runs in Sevenoaks, run by Mr George Humphreys, the owner of Humphrey Forge...

Cinema

The Palace picture house opens, the first purpose built cinema in Sevenoaks.

Boots Chemists

Boots Cash Chemists opens in Sevenoaks High Street.

Nevill cricket pavillion after arson attack

Women's suffrage

Though the campaign for women's votes had been largely peaceful, this year sees a rise in violence and arson attacks carried out by militant suffragettes...

Electricity comes to Sevenoaks

Sevenoaks Electricity Company builds a power station to provide the first public supply of electricity for the area. Several large private homes had their own generators before this.

First council houses

Sevenoaks Urban District Council buys land on the Greatness estate for the building of the first council houses in Sevenoaks town.

Sevenoaks swimming baths (early 1900s), © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

Eardley Road Swimming Baths

Money for an indoor swimming pool in Sevenoaks is gifted by Edward Kraftmeier, resident at Ashgrove House...

Photograph of Alfred Steer, cavalry solider, on horseback, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

First World War

On 4th August, Britain declares war on Germany.

Kent VAD certificate for Ethel Glasier, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

Voluntary Aid Detachment

Several VAD hospitals are managed by prominent women in the area. Vita Sackville-West directs a team of nurses at Hollybush Lane Hall VAD hospital ...

Women handling hides at the Whitmore Tannery during the First World War, © Eden Valley Museum Trust

Women in the workplace

Many women taken on jobs previously done by men to keep the country going during the war...

Hand painted poster for Sevenoaks WI event (1930) by Felix Tomlin, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

The WI

Sevenoaks Women's Institute begins with 15 members. The WI was established to give women a voice and...

Siegfried Sassoon

The decorated war hero, famous poet and former Sevenoaks school boy makes a public protest against the continuation of the war...

First World War memorial in Sevenoaks, erected in 1920 (2020)

War ends

St Nicholas Church bells ring out to celebrate the end of the war...

Representation of the People Act

Women who are over 30 and meet property qualifications gain the right to vote for the first time, as do millions of working class men who were previously denied the vote.

Greatness House blown up

Greatness house is purchased by a film company and blown up in a dramatic explosion for a scene in a movie about the First World War.

Lucy Deane Streatfeild

Lucy Deane Streatfeild is one of the first women appointed as a Justice of the Peace...

Dredging begins at Riverhead

Gravel and sand for building materials is extracted from what will become Chipstead Lake.

Housing development

Large estates in the Sevenoaks area are sold off for housing developments, indicating a growing middle class and an upper class in need of income. Wildernesse land is bought by Percy Harvey and the Bradbourne estate is sold.

Churchill and Chartwell

Winston Churchill purchases Chartwell in Westerham as his family home...

Sevenoaks Players

The Sevenoaks Players perform their first show.

more ...

Sevenoaks Liberal Party membership card, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

Politics

Ronald Williams of the Liberal party becomes the first and only non Conservative Member of Parliament to represent Sevenoaks, just for one year.

Sam King playing at Knole Park Golf Club as an adult

Knole Park Golf Club opens

A 14 year old named Sam King works as a caddie on the day of the first tee at Knole...

Speed limit

Protestors in Riverhead demand the enforcement of a speed limit. At this time an uncomfortable mix of motor vehicles and horse drawn carriages are using the A21 road.

Maud Grieve and her employees in her herb drying shed, © Buckinghamshire Council

Seal Herb Farm

Dorothy Hewer establishes a herb farm in Seal, with the assistance of herbalist and writer Maud Grieve...

Rail crash

A serious railway accident occurs when an express passenger train is derailed just south of the bridge across Shoreham Road at Riverhead. 13 people are killed...

Commemorative carving with tulip design, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

Passenger plane crash

A Dutch aircraft crashes at Underriver near Sevenoaks on its way from Croydon to Rotterdam. The mechanic is killed. The pilot and seven passengers are injured.

The first Woodlands Holiday Camp brochure, illustrated by Greves Mellor (1929), © Barbara Benedict

Woodlands Holiday Camp opens

Greves and Winifred Mellor start a holiday campsite on the outskirts of Sevenoaks.

Equal Franchise Act

Women gain equal voting rights to men.

Paper production ends

Shoreham mill closes down.

Postcard of the Venetian Bedroom in Knole House, illustrated by Charles Essenhigh Corke and printed by Salmon (1898)

Virginia Woolf

Virginia Woolf publishes 'Orlando', a novel inspired by the family history of her friend and lover Vita Sackville-West...

George Bennett in the library (1923), © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Local Studies Library

Sevenoaks Museum

Librarian George Bennett and local historian Doctor Gordon Ward establish a museum in Sevenoaks Library.

more ..

Vita Sackville-West

Vita Sackville-West publishes her novel 'The Edwardians', a critique of aristocratic society inspired by...

Graham Sutherland

Artist Graham Sutherland lives at Willow Cottage, Eynsford...

Dr James Harrison in the bird room in 1950, © The Harrison Institute

Harrison Zoological Museum

Dr James Harrison sets up a zoological museum on St Botolph's Road, specialising in mammals and birds.

It is now the Harrison Institute, a biodiversity research centre.

Vincent New

Prolific local artist and printmaker, Vincent New, is commissioned to produce a series of drawings for the Sevenoaks Chronicle, showing locations across the district...

Royal Crown Hotel demolished

Once the social hub of Sevenoaks...

Alvan T. Marston in 1955 at Barnfield Pit, © Wymer Collection

Swanscombe skull discovered

400,000 year old human remains are discovered in Swanscombe ...

Southern Railway electric train stopping at Chelsfield from Sevenoaks

Electrification of the railway

The first electric train runs from Sevenoaks to London.

Young's department store

The Rose and Crown Inn is demolished and replaced with Young's department store ...

Wartime civilian radio (1944), © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

Second World War

Britain declares war against Nazi Germany.

Womens Land Army

The WLA, which was set up during the First World War, is reformed...

Second World War RAF uniform, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

RAF Biggin Hill

A decoy airfield is constructed at Lullingstone to protect the Royal Air Force fighter station at Biggin Hill...

Gas works bombed

In August, the gasworks is hit by several high explosive bombs.

Second World War incendiary bomb, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

Sevenoaks under attack

Sevenoaks suffers its first serious bomb attacks on 17th October. Shops on the High Street are hit, as well as houses in Buckhurst Lane and Lime Tree Walk.

The Man in White

Famous singing conductor, T.P. Ratcliff, becomes the temporary singing master at Sevenoaks School. Known as 'the man in white', he led mass singing occasions such as Wembley Cup Finals.

Beechmont House destroyed

Beechmont House is destroyed by flying bombs.

Wickenden Road hit

In March, V2 rockets hit Wickenden Road, destroying several houses.

Victory Celebrations Guidebook from the following year, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

War ends

St Nicholas Church bells ring out to celebrate the end of the war on the 2nd September...

Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott

Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott is buried in Edenbridge cemetery. The gravestone reads, 'Nature he loved and next to nature art'...

Seven oaks planted

Seven trees, the 'American Oaks' are planted near Vine Tavern to commemorate the town's gratitude to American forces during the war.

Crockham Hill Youth Hostel, 1958 © Eden Valley Museum Trust

Crockham Hill Youth Hostel opens

Youth Hostels offer affordable accommodation to young working people on a scale never seen before, providing access to leisure pursuits and the countryside.

Knole given to the National Trust

Charles Sackville gives Knole House to the National Trust, though the family is granted a 200 year lease on private apartments to continue living in their ancestral home.

Beatrice Wilson

Beatrice Wilson sets up the Sevenoaks and District Old People's Housing Association.

In her life she set up the first physiotherapy centre in Sevenoaks, and was dedicated to improving the lives of older people. A block of flats on Rockdale Road is named after her.

Sevenoaks Bookshop

The Sevenoaks Bookshop is established at 147 High Street when Basil and Frances Krish buy what was John Richardson’s secondhand bookshop...

Hilda and Nina Wilks place green briquettes onto a barrow for transfer to the hackyard, 1960, © Eden Valley Museum Trust

Chiddingstone Causeway Brickyard

The brickyard established by Owen Wilks in 1924 is now run by two women, his daughters Hilda and Nina.

Secondary Modern education for all

Wildernesse Boys' School and Hatton Girls' School open, following the Education Act 1944 which made education for all to the age of 15 a legal requirement.

Sevenoaks Society

The Sevenoaks Society is founded, under its original name of the Sevenoaks Preservation Society.

Illustrated colour postcard of the Seven Oaks, published by Salmon, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

Seven oaks re-planted

The oak trees on Tonbridge Road dating from the 18th century are felled, due to suspected disease...

Last woman hanged

Ruth Ellis, who lived in Westerham, is the last woman in the United Kingdom to receive capital punishment, after being convicted of murder.

There was much controversy about the highly publicised case. The film 'Dance with a Stranger' was made about her story.

Wildlife reserve created

A wildlife reserve is created at Bradbourne, the first example in Britain of a former commercial gravel pit being developed for the benefit of conservation...

John working on the case of harpsichord F2 in 1958, © Emily Feldberg

Feldberg's harpsichord workshop

John and Ann Feldberg rent premises on London Road in Sevenoaks and convert it into a harpsichord workshop...

Memorial plaque in Emily Jackson House, now a nursing home

Hip hospital closes

The children's hospital on Eardley Road closes and becomes a geriatric wing for Sevenoaks Hospital.

Chevening House given to the Prime Minister

Ownership of Chevening House is passed to a Trust and it becomes a country residence for a nominee of the Prime Minister. Only cabinet members and royals can be nominated.

Electric street lights introduced in Sevenoaks town

Gas production ends in Sevenoaks

Digging out the swimming pool at Croft lane School, © Eden Valley Museum Trust

School Swimming Pool

Edenbridge is the first primary school in Kent to have a swimming pool.

Telegram communications between Winston Churchill and Sevenoaks Urban District Council on his 80th birthday, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

Churchill's final years

Due to ill health, Winston Churchill moves out of Chartwell to his flat in London...

The Beatles in Knole Park (1967), © The Jane Bown Estate

The Beatles in Sevenoaks

Renowned portrait photographer Jane Bown is walking her dog in Knole Park when she comes across the biggest band in the world...

Postcard for Woodlands Holiday Camp (1950s), © Barbara Benedict

Woodlands Holiday Camp closes

Greves and Winifred Mellor retire after 40 years...

Hever Castle and Tudor Village under water, © Eden Valley Museum Trust

Floods

Heavy autumn rain causes flooding. The ragstone wall of Knole Park acts as a dam until it breaks and sends water down Seal Hollow Road in Sevenoaks. In Edenbridge, Hever Castle and Tudor Village are flooded.

Crampton Road brewery building is demolished

Princess Diana

Diana Spencer attends West Heath School in Sevenoaks for her teenage years.

Kathleen Blow retires

Blow's grocery shop in Sevenoaks reaches the end of 93 years as a family business. The shop was established by Joseph Blow in 1881, later taken over by his daughter Kathleen.

Sevenoaks District Council created

Sevenoaks Urban and Rural District Councils are replaced by Sevenoaks District and Town Councils.

Youngs department store closes

Gordon Anckorn

Gordon Anckorn, photographer and journalist for the Sevenoaks Chronicle, retires after 50 years...

Harpsichord workshop closes

After 20 years, during which they had upgraded to premises in Bradbourne Road, shop manager Ann Feldberg and master craftsman Peter Whale start to wind down business...

The Stag

The Stag Theatre opens in the building previously used as a cinema, located where the Royal Crown Hotel once stood.

New library

A new library is built at Buckhurst Lane, including tourist information, citizens advice, a museum and art gallery.

M25 protest t-shirt, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

M25

The M25 or London Orbital Motorway is completed...

Painting by local artist Diana Atkinson, 'Knole After the Storm', © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

The great storm

In October, six of the seven oak trees on the vine cricket ground are blown down in the great storm. Around half of the trees on Sevenoaks Common are also lost due to the extreme weather.

Orbital

The pioneering electronic music duo from Sevenoaks release their first record.

Paul and Phil Hartnoll named their act after the M25 motorway, which was central to the early rave scene.

The cattle market in Sevenoaks town centre before it was moved in 1918

Cattle market closes

Sevenoaks livestock market closes down. The general market continues and moves to the town centre.

Portrait of a woman by John Downton, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

John Downton Awards

The John Downton Awards for young artists in Kent is established, in memory of the artist from Erith who passed away in 1991...

New leisure centre

A new leisure centre with indoor swimming pool is built in the centre of Sevenoaks.

Kelly Holmes at Athens 2004, © Russell Garner

Dame Kelly Holmes

Kelly Holmes from Hildenborough becomes the first athlete to win two gold medals...

Closing down sale poster from the Sevenoaks branch of Woolworths, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

Woolworths closes down

Woolworths, one of Britain's oldest chain stores, closes down in the midst of a global financial crisis...

Population

The official census records the population of Sevenoaks as 24,987.

Sarah's design is linked to her art installation at Gloucester Road station, inspired by the use of underground stations as air raid shelters in WWII. Big Ben, a survivor of the war, is a symbol of resilience.

Sarah Morris

Artists are commissioned to create posters for the upcoming Olympic Games ...

Route map for olympic torch relay through Sevenoaks district, © Kent County Council Sevenoaks Museum

Olympic and Paralympic Games

The London 2012 Olympic torch relay travels through Sevenoaks...

Invitation card to civil partnership ceremony for a lesbian couple in Maidstone. Civil partnerships were introduced in 2004 for same sex couples as an alternative to marriage. They can now be upgraded to marriage under the new law.

Same sex couples gain the right to marry

Same sex marriage becomes legal in the United Kingdom after 396 MPs vote to pass the bill...

Brexit

The government holds a referendum to let the public to decide whether the country should leave the European Union. Roughly 55% of voters in the Sevenoaks and Swanley constituency vote to leave, a slightly larger majority than the 51% overall result.

c.900,000 years ago

c.40,000 years ago

c.4000 - c.2500 BC

c.2500 - c.600 BC

c.100 BC

100-300 AD

c.350

776

961

1016

1066

1086