Local area guides
Kent
Kent has it all – beautiful unspoilt countryside, nearly 350 km of serene coastline, pretty
villages and bustling towns and cities. Its proximity to both London and the sea makes
it a highly desirable place to which to relocate when escaping London. From Strutt &
Parker’s offices in Canterbury and Sevenoaks, we cover the whole of Kent; from the
quaint seaside towns of Deal and Sandwich to the county town of Maidstone or
Westerham in the far West and everything in between.
Kent’s housing market is highly varied: from traditional fisherman’s cottages and classic
terraced houses on one hand to huge red brick family homes with extensive grounds
and stunning, super-modern seafront properties and barn conversions on the other.
Buyers who are attracted to the Kent property market are equally varied, with London
based cash buyers often competing against locals to capture the property. Commuter
towns such as Sevenoaks are especially popular for their convenient access to
London.
Key towns in Kent
Ashford is a market town offering all the high street favourites alongside a range of
independent stores. Since the opening of Ashford International Station, giving direct
access to Paris and Lille, Ashford has benefited from a high speed line into London.
Just 15 miles from the fishing town and seaside resort of Folkestone, it is a natural
choice for commuters. The surrounding villages are especially popular.
Canterbury is just a few miles South of the beautiful Kent coastline at Whitstable and
Herne Bay and is surrounded by unspoilt countryside. The city itself is crammed with
cultural attractions, many of them linked with the religious history of the town and St.
Thomas Becket; the most notable is of course the cathedral. The Goods Shed market,
food hall and restaurant is a gastronomic highlight. Canterbury is home to one of the
campuses of the University of Kent.
The Georgian town of Deal is a quiet and picturesque seaside resort with a fascinating
history, which can be explored in the local castles and museums. The twice weekly
markets complement the town’s excellent range of independent shops; highlights
include a well-regarded Italian patisserie and a café on the pier.
Located a stone’s throw from Kent’s coastal wetlands, Faversham is a historic port
town boasting beautiful buildings and tidal creeks. It is 3 miles from the glorious downs
and only 5 from the sea. Faversham also benefits from easy links into London and
beyond, by both road and rail.
Maidstone is Kent’s very well connected county town with excellent schools and some
beautiful historic parts. The town boasts two glorious open green spaces, used for a
variety of recreational activities, and also benefits from some unique cultural hotspots,
such as the community arts centre, Stepping Stones Studio.
Sevenoaks is a very pretty hilltop town with extremely convenient links into London, yet
only an hour to the coast. Sevenoaks is home to a number of impressive stately
homes, including Knole House which was built by a past Archbishop of Canterbury.
The town centre has typically local architecture and some interesting and independent
shops as well as a weekly market; a local shopping centre has all the chains you would
expect.
A historic market town, Tonbridge has an impressive Motte & Bailey castle dominating
its centre. The market, still popular with locals and tourists, sells a range of local
produce every Saturday. Tonbridge sits close to the M25 and has regular and efficient
trains into London, making it a popular commuter town.
Tunbridge Wells is a famous Spa town sitting close to the Kent/Sussex border. The
Georgian Pantiles attracts visitors from all over the world to its elegant colonnaded
walkways. The town is a haven for the independent retailer with a huge range of one-off
shops catering for all shopaholics!
Schools in Kent
Ashford has good grammar schools and both Ashford Friars prep school and Ashford
School come highly recommended. As for comprehensives, both Great Chart primary
and Norton Knatchbull secondary both have a very good reputation.
Canterbury has a wealth of good independent schools; the King’s School is particularly
well thought of. The Archbishop’s School is an ‘outstanding’ state school in the city.
Deal’s Castle Community school was graded as outstanding by Ofsted and the town is
also home to the independent Northbourne Park School.
Faversham’s Luddenham School is an exemplary academy and the town also benefits
from a good grammar school and a choice of primaries.
Maidstone is blessed with a number of ‘outstanding’ schools, including Allington
primary, Valley Park Community secondary school and the two grammar schools.
Sutton Valence prep school also has a good reputation.
Sevenoaks’ famous Sevenoaks School, offering the international baccalaureate, is
always ranked among the country’s top schools. The Walthamstow Hall schools and
the New Beacon School are also well regarded. Locals are currently campaigning for a
grammar school to be opened.
Tonbridge is home to a wealth of well-regarded independent schools, including
Tonbridge School (for boys) and the Schools at Somerhill. Tonbridge grammar school
has achieved ‘outstanding’ in consecutive Ofsted reports.
For a more comprehensive list of schools in the area we recommend the Good
Schools Guide.
Transport links
Kent has excellent rail connections to London from all the major towns in the county.
Trains from traditional commuter town and village stations go into various different
stations in South East London and provide excellent access to the West End and the
City in as little as 33 minutes from Sevenoaks; from most of Kent, it is possible to get
into London in an hour. Train links to the rest of the country largely involve a change in
London.
Kent is increasingly well known for High Speed One, the Eurostar line to the continent
which carries commuter services as well as direct services to Lille, Brussels and Paris.
Canterbury is now readily commutable, in 56 minutes, and Ashford is just 37 minutes
from St Pancras.
Kent is well blessed with motorways, with both the M20 and the M2 linking London
and the M25 to the channel ports, via Maidstone.
Lydd and Manston airports provide for limited international travel to Europe; London’s
International Airports including Gatwick (40 minutes from Sevenoaks) and Heathrow
(about an hour) offer an enormous choice of flight destinations. Stansted is also readily
accessible as is City Airport.
Kent is located on England’s closest corner to France and, as such, has a busy trade in
cross channel transport, whether by ferry from Dover or via the Channel Tunnel from
Folkestone in about half an hour.
Leisure
With beautiful countryside and extensive coastline, Kent is a dream location for those
who love the great outdoors.
Kent has all the benefits that a coastline should: the iconic white cliffs of Dover offer
breath-taking scenery; the Isle of Thanet (incorporating Margate, Broadstairs and
Ramsgate) offers family-friendly sandy beaches and Herne Bay, near Canterbury, has
extensive opportunities for those wishing to try their hand at sailing. There are further
beaches to the South, around Dungeness which together cater well for water sports
enthusiasts seeking favourable wind conditions from any direction.
Knole House, set in its own grounds, adjoins the town of Sevenoaks and is just one of
many beautiful locations accessible to the public. The National Trust has a number of
properties in the county and the area also benefits from open countryside, on the North
Downs, in The Weald and more, offering limitless opportunities for country pursuits
such as walking, riding and cycling. With nearly one hundred golf clubs, Kent is also
ideal for golf-lovers.
Why we love Kent
Kent has fabulous countryside, high speed trains to London and a huge cross section
of people. We also love:
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Its beautiful scenery – majestic downs and white cliffs
Its proximity to France – Canterbury to Calais in under an hour
Lovely oast houses and weather boarded cottages
Chaucer’s heritage – the Canterbury Tales
Cherry and apple blossom from the “Garden of England”
Our Canterbury and Sevenoaks teams recommend the following:
Best restaurants: The Vine in Sevenoaks and Deeson’s in Canterbury
Best pubs: The Blackboy as it is just next door to the Sevenoaks office or The Griffin’s
Head in Canterbury
Best annual event: The Canterbury Festival
Secret spot: Knole Park as it is countryside in the heart of the Sevenoaks.
Typical property prices
Through our Canterbury and Sevenoaks offices we cover the whole of Kent and sell a
wide range of properties in the area, from oast houses and cottages to manor houses.
Typical property prices for the area are:
3 bedroom cottage from £375,000
5 bedroom farmhouse from £895,000
Georgian manor house from £1.85m
Arable land from £7500
Pasture land from £6500