South Darenth
| South Darenth | |
|---|---|
 South Darenth
|
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| South Darenth shown within Kent | |
| Civil parish | |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | DARTFORD |
| Postcode district | DA4 |
| Dialling code | 01322 |
| Police | Kent |
| Fire | Kent |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
South Darenth is a village in the civil parish of Horton Kirby and South Darenth in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The village is located on the right bank of the Darent, south of Dartford and east of Swanley. According to the 2011 Census the population is included in the civil parish named above.
South Darenth boasts a supermarket, a bakery, a newsagent, a hairdresser and a post office/pharmacy, as well as three public houses: the Jolly Millers on East Hill, The Queen on New Road and The Bridges on the corner of Horton Road and Station Road, which is run by former wrestler Wayne Bridges. The small retained fire station has now closed. The village hosts a small brewery on St Margaret's Farm, called Millis, which supplies some of the pubs in the surrounding area. The South Darenth Village Society organises a number of events, often in conjunction with neighboring Horton Kirby. An Independent Travel Agency operates from Willow Cottage in the center of the village. The paper mill, which defines the village, was closed in February 2003 and is now a redevelopment of 210 homes and four new businesses: Chris Parry Handmade Jewellery, The Mill Osteopath Clinic, Bow Beauty Salon, and The Co-operative Food.
The village history is quite recent due to the fact of the Horton Kirby paper mill originally built in 1820 by Henry Hall. Before the mills there were only a few farms and some small cottages for workers including a forge. The mill was first a flour mill less than half of the size of the mill today and employed a handful of local people. Some years later the mill was converted into a paper making mill which took up a much larger area, and also gave way to a small tunnel which gave a diverted route for the river darent which runs through the site. The paper produced was said to be a good quality, used for magazines an copying plans. Towards the end of the 19th century the mill was expanding with a boiler house and the iconic chimney built in 1881. The chimney is Grade 2 listed, as well as 2 other listed buildings (workhouses) in the site, one now the local co-operative Food. In 1918 an extra 70 ft of circular Stock was added to the chimney made of mostly red brick to ensure that emissions escaped from the valley. Houses were needed for the workers, so small terraced houses were built (mill cottages and the bottom half of new road.) The mill later closed fully in February 2003.
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Wikipedia