Eynsford (pronounced Ainsfud) is a village located on the River Darent, six miles south of Dartford in Kent.
Eynsford is first mentioned in writing in 864, as Egenes homme. The derivation is unclear, but one possibility is that it represents ‘Ægen’s river-meadow’, from the Old English hamm ‘river-meadow, enclosure’. [BBC website]. In 1801 the village had the highest population in the Dartford area at 841 persons.
The village
In the centre of the village is a ford over the river, with a hump-back bridge alongside. There are many old buildings within the village, including the 16th century Plough Inn and the Old Mill. The church is dedicated to St Martin.
The village is situated on the Swanley to Sevenoaks railway line, opened on 2 June 1862.
Within the village are three impressive sites: Eynsford Castle, Lullingstone Castle and the Roman villa.
Eynsford Castle
This is one of the most complete Norman castles in England: it is in the care of English Heritage.
Lullingstone Castle
Not a true castle, but a manor house, built in the 15th century. It was here that the silk farm was situated which supplied Lady Diana Spencer with the silk for her wedding dress. Here there is the church of Saint Botolph, recently restored.
Lullingstone Roman Villa
This was discovered in 1939, and contains some of the finest excavated remains of a Roman villa in Britain, including a Romano-Christian chapel.
TV shows featuring Eynsford
20 Miles from Piccadilly Circus consisted of six half-hour episodes about various aspects of life in the village and was released in 1994. Initially aired only in the Carlton Television region, the first three episodes were later repeated on Channel 4.
External links
Books with local content include:
Eynsford - A Story Through The Ages, by W.I. Curnow. First published by the Eynsford Village Society in 1953.
