Plaxtol
Encyclopedia
Plaxtol is a small village
of about 1,000 inhabitants in Kent
. The River Bourne flows through the parish, and formerly powered three watermills in Plaxtol - Winfield Mill (corn), Longmill (corn) and Roughway Paper Mill.
Although there is no longer a bakery in the village, there is a local primary school, a Cromwellian church, a grocer
, a butcher
and a pub.
The name Plaxtol is rumoured to be derived from "Plax" meaning 'play' and "tol" meaning 'area'; there used to be a large green in the middle of the village where children would play after attending church on a Sunday.
It has the 300+ year old mansion, the 'Fairlawne Estate', which was originally owned by the 'Vain' family.
Approximately 63% of the land in Plaxtol is in fact 'Fairlawne Estate Land', now belonging to the Saudi-Arabian Prince, Al-Waleed bin Talal
. Many residents of Plaxtol believe the long lasting myth of 'The Haunting of Lady Vain', described by many as a tall, fair, middle aged lady, dressed in a white gown, galloping around on her white horse. Many residents of Plaxtol claim to have witnessed her in first person, galloping through the fields of which once belonged to her, which was of course the Fairlawns Estate. Others claim to have heard her high pitched song, piercing through the summer night air.
There is a Plaxtol cricket club, who play in the Kent County Village League against other local teams, as well as friendly matches on Sundays. The club has a thriving junior section as well as an active social scene.
Surrounding villages are Hadlow
, Shipbourne
, and Borough Green
. The nearest towns are Tonbridge
and Sevenoaks
.
Yopps Green
to the north is sometimes referred to as a hamlet in its own right is just by Boot Wood, on the way to Sheet Hill
.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
of about 1,000 inhabitants in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. The River Bourne flows through the parish, and formerly powered three watermills in Plaxtol - Winfield Mill (corn), Longmill (corn) and Roughway Paper Mill.
Although there is no longer a bakery in the village, there is a local primary school, a Cromwellian church, a grocer
Grocer
A grocer is a bulk seller of food. Beginning as early as the 14th century, a grocer was a dealer in comestible dry goods such as spices, pepper, sugar, and cocoa, tea and coffee...
, a butcher
Butcher
A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat or any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat, poultry, fish and shellfish for sale in retail or wholesale food establishments...
and a pub.
The name Plaxtol is rumoured to be derived from "Plax" meaning 'play' and "tol" meaning 'area'; there used to be a large green in the middle of the village where children would play after attending church on a Sunday.
It has the 300+ year old mansion, the 'Fairlawne Estate', which was originally owned by the 'Vain' family.
Approximately 63% of the land in Plaxtol is in fact 'Fairlawne Estate Land', now belonging to the Saudi-Arabian Prince, Al-Waleed bin Talal
Al-Waleed bin Talal
Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal is a Saudi Arabian billionaire and member of the Saudi royal family. He is the nephew of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. An entrepreneur and international investor he has amassed a fortune through investments in real estate and the stock market.He is founder and CEO of...
. Many residents of Plaxtol believe the long lasting myth of 'The Haunting of Lady Vain', described by many as a tall, fair, middle aged lady, dressed in a white gown, galloping around on her white horse. Many residents of Plaxtol claim to have witnessed her in first person, galloping through the fields of which once belonged to her, which was of course the Fairlawns Estate. Others claim to have heard her high pitched song, piercing through the summer night air.
There is a Plaxtol cricket club, who play in the Kent County Village League against other local teams, as well as friendly matches on Sundays. The club has a thriving junior section as well as an active social scene.
Surrounding villages are Hadlow
Hadlow
Hadlow is a village in the Medway valley, near Tonbridge, Kent; it is in the Tonbridge and Malling district. The Saxon name for the settlement was Haeselholte...
, Shipbourne
Shipbourne
Shipbourne lies in the English county of Kent, in an undulating landscape traversed by the small streams of the River Bourne, set in a clay vale at the foot of the wooded Sevenoaks Greensand Ridge....
, and Borough Green
Borough Green
Borough Green is a large village and civil parish in the Tonbridge and Malling District of Kent, England. The main village is situated on the A25 road between Maidstone and Sevenoaks in Kent.-History:...
. The nearest towns are Tonbridge
Tonbridge
Tonbridge is a market town in the English county of Kent, with a population of 30,340 in 2007. It is located on the River Medway, approximately 4 miles north of Tunbridge Wells, 12 miles south west of Maidstone and 29 miles south east of London...
and Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks is a commuter town situated on the London fringe of west Kent, England, some 20 miles south-east of Charing Cross, on one of the principal commuter rail lines from the capital...
.
Yopps Green
Yopps Green
Yopps Green is a hamlet in the Sevenoaks District, in the county of Kent, England. It is part of the small village of Plaxtol.- Location :Nearby settlements include the town of Sevenoaks, the villages of Borough Green and Ightham and the hamlet of Sheet Hill.- References :* A-Z Great Britain Road...
to the north is sometimes referred to as a hamlet in its own right is just by Boot Wood, on the way to Sheet Hill
Sheet Hill
Sheet Hill is a hamlet in the Sevenoaks District, in the English county of Kent.- Location :It is near the large town of Sevenoaks and the villages of Borough Green , Plaxtol and Ightham and the hamlets of Yopps Green and Claygate Cross.- References :* A-Z Great Britain Road Atlas...
.