- Hucking
Hucking is a small hamlet and
civil parish in the Maidstone District ofKent ,England . The parish is governed by a parish meeting.The settlement sits atop the
North Downs in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB ) near the villages ofHollingbourne ,Detling ,Bicknor andWormshill and between the main A249 and B2163 roads connecting the towns ofSittingbourne andMaidstone . The parish church is dedicated to St Margaret.Local features
*Much of the local
woodland is owned and managed by theWoodland Trust in recognition of the area'srural heritage and significance.*The
North Downs Way (a long-distancefootpath that passes along the ridge of the North Downs) runs close by thevillage and parallel to the better-knownPilgrims' Way route, a popular local walk for tourists.*A small
radio transmitting station previously used by themilitary and more recently by mobile telephone companies is situated on farmland near the village on account of its clear, unobstructed position high on the North Downs. The facility now lies un-manned.*The local pub, the "Hook & Hatchet" is a traditional Kentish pub and, according to website of brewers and operators
Shepherd Neame , has been run as such for around 100 years after a local family applied for a "beer andcider " only licence in the late 19th century. [http://www.shepherd-neame.co.uk/pubs/pubs.php/hookandhatchet_hucking Hook & Hatchet page on Shepherd Neame's web-site] ] however a possibly earlier building of the same name was in use as a pub from, at least, the first half of the 19th CenturyFactKent|date=February 2007*
Racehorse trainer John Best trains his horses from Scragged Oak Farm in Hucking. His "Hucking Horses" syndicate is named for the village.Miscellaneous
*A
Parcelforce van allegedly used in theSecuritas depot robbery was recovered from the car park of the "Hook & Hatchet" on23 February 2006 . Metal cages and packaging material, that may have been used to transport the money, were recovered in a field in nearby Detling on Friday24 February 2006 [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/4748996.stm BBC News: "Money found after Securitas raid" 24 February 2006, 20:37 GMT] ]References
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