Smarden
There is a good reason why many describe Smarden as one of the prettiest villages in Kent, and that is because it is.
- Population 1,301
- Parish website
- Wikipedia page
- Map
Smarden is a vibrant, caring community with plenty to offer. As a village there are many local organisations and activities which builds upon its already strong community spirit.
Thought by many to be the most beautiful village in Kent, Smarden was awarded Village of the Year for the South East of England in 2008 and prior to this won many awards as the Best Kept Village in Kent.
Much of the village centre is a designated conservation area and the parish has 155 listed buildings. Rich in 14th and 15th century buildings which were part of the weaving industry, Smarden has an interesting history. The 14th/15th century church is known as the “Barn of Kent” because of its wide scissor-beamed roof unsupported by pillars.
In 1576 Queen Elizabeth I confirmed a Charter granted by Edward III in 1332 for a weekly market to be held in Smarden each Monday and for an annual fair of 5 days at Michaelmas.
The village offers a Post Office, Butcher’s Shop, Gallery and Vintage Fusion bric-a-brac shop as well as 3 separate pubs – The Bell being a particular favourite haunt for the Young Farmers! There is a Primary School and Pre-school, a Toddler Group, and a Youth Club as well as offering a range of Adult Learning opportunities.
Smarden has a modern Charter Hall, opened in 2007 and a fantastic Sports Pavilion opened in June 2017, as well as playing fields. Sporting clubs in Smarden are popular and include a cricket club, a tennis club, an adult football club as well as a junior football club.
Other groups include the WI, St Michael’s Guild, Bell Ringers, Gardeners Society, the Smarden Players and an Over 60’s group.
- Population 1,301
- Parish website
- Wikipedia page
- Map
Smarden Directory
D.R. Luckhurst Butchers
D.R. Luckhurst Butchers
Local butchers sourcing lamb and beef from Bethersden. Select choices of meats, homemade sausages, burgers, pies and fantastic prepared meals ready to cook (vension encroute, rump puds, beef pinwheels, pork pastry, garlic kievs). Local bread […]
Find out more
Flower Arranging at St Michael's Church
Flower Arranging at St Michael's Church
A group of amateur flower arrangers who decorate St Michael’s Church on a weekly basis and come together to create beautiful displays for church festivals and weddings. A friendly team of flower fanatics, they would […]
Find out more
Smarden Computer Club
Smarden Computer Club
The Computer Club meet on the first Thursday of the month in the Smarden Charter Hall between 2.00 and 4.00 p.m. Although there is no tuition as such; the group try to help each other […]
Find out more
Smarden Cricket Club
Smarden Cricket Club
‘The Minnis’ was once the ground to the country house known as ‘Gilletts’, a large house located next to the club with connections to India and Ceylon along with other 15/16th Century Houses in the […]
Find out more
Smarden Drop in and Chat Group
Smarden Drop in and Chat Group
The Charter Hall and Good Neighbour Scheme provide the facilities for this weekly activity which is open every Monday including Bank Holidays from 9.30 until 11.30 a.m. You can also join a short footpath walk […]
Find out more
Smarden Gardeners' Society
Smarden Gardeners' Society
Having run for many years, the Smarden Gardeners’ Society is still going strong and currently has a membership of 60. An active group, the society run a varied programme of shows, talks and outings, between […]
Find out more
Smarden Runners
Smarden Runners
Sporting Smarden is keen to further expand and promote running in the village. This could be part of a keep fit regimen or training for a forthcoming event. Whether you are a beginner or the […]
Find out more
Smarden Short Mat Bowls
Smarden Short Mat Bowls
The club meets regularly once a week for a friendly social bowling session and always welcomed new members, both male and female, either experienced or totally new to bowls. As well as the regular social […]
Find out more
Smarden Society of Bell Ringers
Smarden Society of Bell Ringers
The Smarden Society of Bell Ringers have about 6 regular ringers on a Sunday with regular Wednesday practices attended by as many as 10 members, including visitors from other towers in neighbouring villages and they […]
Find out more
Smarden WI
Smarden WI
The WI plays a unique role in providing women with educational opportunities and the chance to build new skills, to take part in a wide variety of activities and to campaign on issues that matter […]
Find out more
Smarden Youth Drama Group
Smarden Youth Drama Group
The East Sutton Community Youth Theatre runs a drama workshop at the Charter Hall during school term on Tuesdays from 5.00 – 6.15 p.m and is open to children aged 6 to 11 years. No […]
Find out more
St Michael's Guild
St Michael's Guild
The Guild organises the rota for the brass cleaning in church and the annual Lent Lunches, money from which is donated to a local charity. The Guild also runs the Pew Cushion Project; a group […]
Find out more
The Bell
The Bell
Built in the 1500s during the reign of Henry VIII, The Bell Inn in Smarden is a popular dining destination promising food and drink fit for a King – with freshly prepared dishes served up […]
Find out more
The Big Cat Sanctuary
The Big Cat Sanctuary
The Big Cat Sanctuary is set in the heart of the countryside at Smarden, in Kent. The peace and tranquility of the site provides an ideal sanctuary and excellent conditions for the successful breeding of […]
Find out more
The Chequers Inn
The Chequers Inn
The Spalding Family are the hospitable Innkeepers ready to welcome you to their historic Inn and garden. Every corner is full of charm; from the warm, inviting dining areas and bar to the individually designed […]
Find out more
The Flying Horse
The Flying Horse
This charming little pub is full character, with its old oak beams and its rustic country interior – a cosy country pub, The Flying Horse is nestled in the picturesque village of Smarden in Kent. […]
Find out more
The Smarden Afternoon Club
The Smarden Afternoon Club
The Afternoon Club at Smarden meets at the Charter Hall at 2.00 p.m. on the first Friday of each month and includes a speaker followed by tea and a chat. When funds are available the […]
Find out more
West End House Gallery
West End House Gallery
West End House is a contemporary gallery in the beautiful village of Smarden showing a wide range of original artworks, including paintings, prints, ceramics, jewellery, glass and textiles. It is run by enthusiastic local artists Karen […]
Find out more
Wide Eyes Falconry and Kids Club
Wide Eyes Falconry and Kids Club
The Wide Eyes Falconry Kids Club was set up in 2015 is run by owner and enthusiast Luke and his team of volunteers. Luke has been involved in Falconry for over 20 years, as both […]
Find out moreFor Sale in Smarden
View all
Blog articles featuring Smarden
View all
Should I put my house on the market before Christmas?
We get asked this every year in the weeks leading up to Christmas. This year’s answer might surprise you.
Find out more
Gold award from our clients
Our estate agents team have been awarded Gold for the Best Agent in Ashford by allAgents.co.uk
Find out more
Should I buy a house in a Conservation Area?
There are some wonderful properties in the Conservation Areas in Kent and East Sussex but buyers need to make sure they understand the strict planning rules designed to preserve the character of these locations.
Find out more
Wye - Kent's Super Village
So what is it about the village of Wye that creates it’s extraordinary reputation? Unlike many villages in my part of Kent that are equally as pretty and have local facilities, it has a selection […]
Find out more
Very small ski chalet for sale!
It's tempting to take snowing photos of your home when selling it. But is this a good idea?
Find out more
The 50 Most Popular Villages
Our website is very busy — every day up to 6,000 people visit our website. Many are researching the ideal location for their next home and spend some time reading about the towns and villages […]
Find out more
Tips to help you establish a great Wild Garden
If you’ve been watching TV nature and gardening programmes lately, you’ll have seen a lot of interest in wild gardens. There are many advantages to wild gardens: they cover the ground in a beautiful mix […]
Find out more
Five Predictions for the Local Property Market in 2021
2020 was a tumultuous year for Hobbs Parker with our estate agency business up by 25% breaking all previous records. Despite the gloomy start to 2021, with further lockdown measures introduced, I anticipate sustained activity […]
Find out more
Tips for buyers and sellers when dealing with properties from a bygone era
The first clue upon arrival is the general look of neglect. Tired net curtains hanging at the windows, peeling paintwork, stains from a leaking gutter, a rusty gate opening on to an entrance path overgrown […]
Find out more
The 'Race for Space' and house price inflation in 2020
Are rising house prices about more than just the normal supply and demand? With so much talk of the Covid crisis, it’s almost possible to forget about the numerous economic hurdles that affect house prices. […]
Find out more
Why Rishi cannot claim all the credit!
What a strange world we live in when sales of houses are going through the roof against a background of a global pandemic. Whilst the Stamp Duty holiday is welcome, this was happening before the […]
Find out more
Stamp Duty cut has immediate impact!
The temporary cut is with immediate effect and therefore reduces the cost of a property purchase straight away saving an average of £4,500 for residential property buyers providing they take advantage of it before the holiday comes […]
Find out more
Will Netflix and Amazon affect property prices in Ashford?
There has been talk of an Ashford metamorphosis for almost as long as I can remember. The opening of the ‘Missing Link’ of the M20 motorway between Ashford and Maidstone in 1991 would surely bring […]
Find out more
Might Estate Agents open first to help rebuild the economy?
A recommendation is reported to have been made in a report written for the Government by Conservative peer Lord Gadhia and Sir Jonathan Symonds, chairman of GlaxoSmithKline. Along with coffee shops and restaurants, Estate Agents […]
Find out more
Post-Coronavirus property market predictions
Savills research team recently offered some interesting analysis of what a UK property market recovery could look like post-Coronavirus predicting transaction volumes could be down by up to 45% for 2020 with the greatest impact […]
Find out more
Bucking the national property 'downturn'
It is true that we agreed 35 sales during October which we think are good results by anyone’s standards but I can tell you it doesn’t come easily and not without a lot of hard […]
Find out more
Why 2019 is the right time to invest in Ashford
“If you have ever wished you’d invested somewhere that has regenerated, you will know that you are already too late.” These are the words of Alex Davies, Managing Director for Hobbs Parker Estate Agents, an […]
Find out more
How do you get the best price for your house?
How do you get the best price for your house? Answer: When you put your house on the market for the first time make sure it is at the correct market value — do not be tempted to ask for […]
Find out more
The Best Restaurants in Kent and East Sussex
The next best thing to eating good food, may be talking about it. Certainly asking in the Hobbs Parker offices about people’s favourite restaurants leads to a mouth-watering conversation about how spoilt for choice we […]
Find out more
Historic Property Auction Particulars -- Mersham 1878
These have been hanging on the wall in our boardroom for as long as I can remember. I recently happened to ‘bump into’ two of the current owners of the cottages when I gave a […]
Find out more
Listed Buildings Advice
The market for period property is booming and the older the house or cottage, the more likely it is to be listed. By listing a property, it celebrates a building’s special architectural and historic features […]
Find out more
The best pubs in and around Ashford and Tenterden
When I was young going to the pub generally meant me and my siblings sitting in the beer garden squabbling over a pack of Ready Salted whilst my parents nipped in for a pint and […]
Find out more
Will solar panels increase the value of my home?
As the weather gets colder and darker, and the heating and lights stay on longer, there’s one thing I can predict with even more certainty than the Queen’s Speech broadcasting on Christmas Day. The arrival […]
Find out more
Our recommended golf courses in Kent and East Sussex
As a golfing destination, Kent and East Sussex has a huge amount going for it. We’re blessed with a better than average climate (compared with other parts of the UK) which means we enjoy more […]
Find out more
The best beaches in Kent and East Sussex
We explore the best beaches in Kent and East Sussex — for your children, dogs and foodie friends — as we work our way round the South East’s beautiful coastline. It’s a funny thing that […]
Find out more
Why do kitchens sell houses?
The party is in the kitchen! When we have a party at our house my wife and I spend hours making our living room look nice and then most of the evening trying to get […]
Find out moreThinking of selling or letting your property?
Would you like to know what your house might be worth?
Arrange a valuationOur Specialist Valuers
Alex Davies
Managing Director Estate Agents Alex Davies's profile
Simon Godfrey
Director at our Tenterden Office Simon Godfrey's profile
Sarah Holgate
Associate Director Sarah Holgate's profile
James Hickman
Director James Hickman's profile
Greg Wood
Director Greg Wood's profile
Moya Bowerman
Associate Director - Lettings Moya Bowerman's profile