Aldington
12th Century St Martins Church
Village Store & Primary School
Aldington is a vibrant village that sits astride the Roman Road on the so called Aldington Ridge . This is the ancient Saxon Shore with the cliffs below now the steeply sloping fields to the Royal Military canal built as a defence in the Napoleonic era and beyond it, the richly agricultural area of Romney Marsh stretching out to the sea at Dymchurch and Dungeness.
Why Live in Aldington?
This is an area steeped in history, evident in many of its houses : Erasmus lived here in 1511, appointed to the Church of St Martin , a chapel when the adjacent Court Lodge Farm was a hunting lodge for the Archbishops of Canterbury. In the 1820s the Questeds and the Ransleys ran a famously brutal but successful smuggling business from the Walnut Tree Inn, signalling from the cliff top and landing spirits from France and having pitched battles with Customs police. Eventually Quested was hanged ; Ransley was deported to Tasmania where he became a successful farmer. Noel Coward made Goldenhurst his country home from 1926-56 , expanding it to welcome other famous theatre people . During WW2 Aldington’s position looking out over the English Channel made it a military hub : houses were requisitioned , including Cowards, and the saxon shore cliff was a look out station for incoming bombing raids.
The clear air and great views continue today, in a more tranquil, countryside environment . There is a large village green , tennis courts , a busy village hall , events including sometimes an open air cinema, a primary school, post office and village shop and a sought after local butcher. Aldington and Bonnington Parish Council works hard to create a strong community for the village and its surrounding area and hamlets at Aldington Frith and along Knoll Hill. Port Lympne Safari Park is only 3 miles east and Ashford is 7 miles west with secondary schools , excellent onward motorway and high speed train connections and a large outlet shopping centre.