Rolvenden is located on the A28 Ashford to Hastings road, (3 miles) south of Tenterden. It is roughly (17 miles) from the centres of Ashford, Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone and Hastings. Rye is (11 miles) with its mainline station to Hastings and Ashford or further mainline railway stations are at Headcorn, (11 miles) and Staplehurst (10 miles). A Bus service is available to Tunbridge Wells, Hastings, and Ashford.
Rolvenden lies within the jurisdiction of Ashford Borough Council and is also within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and dates back to Saxon times and is listed in the Doomsday Book. It is a village with a wide main street enclosed by pretty weather boarded cottages. Its Parish church is Circa 1480 and the war memorial sited in front was designed by Sir Edward Lutyens. The parish church was commissioned and supervised by monks from Canterbury in around 1220, and is dedicated to St Mary the Virgin. Parts of the church date back from 1210, in 1819 Thomas Mears cast and rung a ring of eight bells in the tower. The High Street has a petrol station/garage repair, public house The Star, several antique shops, a well-known motor museum https://www.morganmuseum.org.uk .There is general store/post office called Linklaters half way down the main street.
Frances Hodgson Burnett rented Great Maytham Hall, down from the higher land towards Rolvenden Layne, in 1898 and a blocked-up door in the old walled garden inspired her to write the well-known children’s novel “The Secret Garden“. After her departure in 1907 the mansion was rebuilt in 1910 by Edwin Lutyens for the Rt Hon H.J. Tennant. The estate dates from Saxon times. The Lutyens hall has since been divided into apartments and is used a retirement home and wedding Venue.
The Hole Park on the Benenden Road opens its gardens to the public under the National Gardens Scheme. https:/www.holepark.com and is owned and farmed by the fourth generation Edward Barham, it provides the most wonderful walks in the spring amongst the bluebells;
The area is well served with state and Independent schools with Rolvenden having it own primary school https://www.rolvenden.kent.sch.uk, for senior education Homewood school and sixth form centre is in Tenterden https://www.homewood-school.co.uk. Independent schools nearby are Benenden https://www.benenden.kent.sch.uk/ Marlborough House https://www.marlboroughhouseschool.co.uk
©
