Farningham

infobox UK place
country= England
shire_county= Kent
official_name= Farningham
shire_district= Sevenoaks
region= South East England
latitude= 51.38
longitude= 0.22
constituency_westminster= Sevenoaks
dial_code= 01322
postcode_area= DA
postcode_district= DA4
post_town= Dartford
os_grid_reference= TQ5466

Farningham is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the River Darent, south of Dartford with a population of about 1250 people. The M20 motorway and the A20 road both pass through the parish.

Farningham is believed to be home to Neolithic history – flint and other tools have been discovered and can be found in the Dartford Museum. The Romans occupied the general area after their invasion in the first century and, along with large evidence of habitation down the road in Lullingstone, there is also evidence of Roman habitation in Farningham. Three farmhouses and three villas have been unearthed. Charles Dickens was a visitor during his time for the trout fishing that the Darent provided.

The parish church is dedicated to St Peter and St Paul.

Communications

Road

Farningham is situated upon the historic route of the A20, Kent's second major road between the capital and the channel ports. The village itself, with its narrow bridge over the River Darenth, and its narrow streets, was bypassed to the north east in the 1930s (?). The A225 runs along the Darenth valley and intersects the A20 at the village. The construction of the of first sections of the M25 motorway and M20 motorway in the late 1970s bypassed the village again.

Rail

The Chatham Main Line was built by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway roughly 2 km north of the village, where Farningham Road station is located. To the south in Eynsford, the Swanley to Ashford (via Maidstone East) Line runs (also built by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway), where there is Eynsford station. The two lines meet to the west in nearby Swanley at Swanley station. Regular train services operate to the London termini of Victoria and Blackfriars.

Mills

Farningham had a watermill, powered by the River Darent. The building of which survives. There was a windmill at Chimham's Farm, which was moved in 1880 to West Kingsdown, where it still stands.

See also

*Lullingstone
*Kent
*England

External links

* [http://www.activeoutdoors.info/village Farningham and Eynsford Community Website]
* [http://www.farninghampc.kentparishes.gov.uk/Parish+Views.htm Views of Farningham]
* [http://freespace.virgin.net/kent.communities/farningham/history.htm History of Farningham in detail]

region:GB_type:city