Edenbridge

EDENBRIDGE has two stations, the other being Edenbridge Town on the Hurst Green to Uckfield line (see Uckfield line). The stations are a mile apart, and the two railway lines hold the worst bit of town in a pincer-grip between them. The area was known as a depository for factories and former council estates, but is improving. The best parts of town are in the north and south. First-time starter flats cost around £140,000; two-bedroom flats from £150,000 to £200,000. Large houses on the golf course built by Rydon Homes are popular and sell at £395,000 to £450,000 for four bedrooms or from £480,000 for five bedrooms.

Although Edenbridge is not one of the gems of Kent, it does have its attractions. It is under an hour from London and the same from the coast. Gatwick is only half-an-hour away, but not so close that aircraft noise is a worry. The town has its fair share of medieval buildings and antiques shops and a string of beautiful half-timbered houses by the River Eden. The Eden Valley Museum in the High Street is housed in a 14th-century farmhouse. The south-eastern portion of the town, towards Hever, is more pleasing, especially where it turns into the hamlet of Marsh Green. The south-west end of town, towards Haxted, is also inviting. Haxted has a large watermill and the stables next door have been turned into a restaurant, which serves organic salmon and locally reared beef by candlelight, or outside on the terrace by the millpond in summer. On the northern flank of Edenbridge is an industrial estate and a large housing estate, Spitals Cross, where most of the former council homes with thin slit windows and flat roofs are now in private ownership. There are a couple of new developments in this area. Wits say that Edenbridge is a tale of two towns, offering a spectrum of urban blight to rural delight within one-and-a-half miles. There are all the usual sports: cricket, football, tennis, badminton, rugby, hockey and golf.

The villages surrounding Edenbridge are much more scenic than the town itself. They have a number of fine timber-framed houses from the 16th century, built on the proceeds of the iron industry, which collapsed in about 1700. The magnificent half-timbered old houses of Chiddingstone, often used for film locations, are in the hands of the National Trust and are let to tenants. The Castle Inn is a popular eating place.