Hadlow
A settlement has existed on this site since the Stone Age and the village is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Haslow. This name is believed to derive from an Anglo Saxon word meaning heather mound.
St Mary’s Church contains a memorial to 30 hop pickers, victims of the so called Hartlake disaster of 1853 when, due to a combination of heavy rain, local floods and a bridge in a poor state of repair, a horse drawn wagon carrying a group of workers plunged into the river. Although a rescue attempt was mounted, only 11 survivors were pulled to safety.
The tragedy was the subject of an inquest which noted that the bridge had been in bad condition for some years but despite this, a verdict of accidental death was recorded which meant that the Medway Navigation Company, as owners, did not have to pay compensation.
Public subscription paid for the memorial in the church and the incident was written about extensively at the time, even inspiring a poem entitled “The Rotten Bridge”.
In 2003 the 150th anniversary of the event was marked by a memorial service in the church.
Hadlow had a working brewery through the 18th century up to 1940. The original brewery has now been converted into luxury flats but was an important feature during the 19th century.
The main notable feature in Hadlow is Hadlow Castle and tower. It was built, replacing a manor house, by Walter May beginning in the 1780's. Known as Mays Folly, the 170 ft tower (now Grade I listed) was added later and is one of the largest towers in Britain. After being damaged in the great storms of 1987 the tower is currently in need of vital repairs and was purchased in order to conserve it by Tonbridge and Malling Council in 2008.
Today, the village is a thriving community and the site of the much attended Hadlow College.