Eythorne Baptist Church

Eythorne is a civil parish and small village located 7.3 miles north-northwest of Dover in Kent, with a combined population of approximately 2,500 residents including nearby villages Barfrestone and Elvington. Although not classed as one of the former pit villages of Kent, it was only about a mile from Tilmanstone – which closed in 1986. Today many of its residents commute to work in Dover, Deal and Canterbury. Eythorne Baptist Church is more than 450 years old and one of the first Baptist churches in the United Kingdom. Esther Copley, wife of William Copley, who was a minister in Eythorne from about 1839 to 1843, was a prolific and successful writer of children's books and books on the domestic economy. She died in the village in 1851. Eythorne once had three pubs; The Crown is still trading, but the White Horse and the Palm Tree are long closed, both now being residential properties. Eythorne is historically divided into two halves: Lower Eythorne, where the Church of England and Roman Catholic churches are situated, and Upper Eythorne, where the village shop and the Crown public house are located, and where most of today's villagers live. Many reside in the small housing developments that sprang up in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Eythorne railway station is a station on the East Kent Railway. Originally a station on the East Kent Light Railway, It opened on 16 October 1916 but closed to passenger traffic after the last train on 30 October 1948. It served as the junction for the branch to Guilford Colliery, which was abandoned in 1921. The track on this branch was lifted in 1931 but relaid during World War II to accommodate a 9.2 inches (230 mm) rail mounted gun. The station served the village of Eythorne, it reopened as part of the East Kent Railway in 1993.

Tilmanstone Colliery Halt was a station on the East Kent Light Railway. It opened on 16 October 1916 and was renamed Elvington in 1925. It closed to passenger traffic after the last train on 30 October 1948. The station served the pit village of Elvington. Part of the platform is still in situ hidden in undergrowth.

Waldershare is a village near Dover in Kent, England. In 1086, the village was in the hundred of Eastry in the ancient Lathe of Eastry. By 1295 the ancient lathe had been merged into the Lathe of St. Augustine. In the 18th century, the noble family of Waldershare were lords of a manor in the parish of Shebbertswell. The population of the village is included in the civil parish of Shepherdswell with Coldred.

Elvington is a small pit village on a ridge in between Canterbury and Dover in the county of Kent in Southeast England. Located near Eythorne , Elvington was mostly built in the early 20th century to serve the nearby coal mine at Tilmanstone, as were other Kent Coalfield villages including Snowdown, Aylesham and Betteshanger.

The East Kent Railway (EKR) is a heritage railway in Kent, England. It is located at Shepherdswell station on the London and Chatham to Dover mainline. The line was constructed between 1911 and 1917 to serve the Kent Coalfields. See East Kent Light Railway for details of the original lines. The Kent Collieries were mostly a failure with only Tilmanstone on the line producing any viable commercial coal and commercial traffic over the line. The line is operated by heritage diesel locomotives. It is home to a collection of heritage diesel locomotives including a British Rail Class 08, DEMU and electric multiple units including an in service British Rail Class 404 built in the 1930s and a more modern British Rail Class 365, which is to be used as a restaurant and a major events venue. At Shepherdswell, there is a large cafe, a large 15-acre (6.1 ha) woodland area with walking routes, a 5 in (127 mm) gauge miniature railway, a 7+1⁄4 in (184 mm) gauge woodland miniature railway, a model railway and a small museum. Shepherdswell is where the railway undertakes it maintenance and overhaul works and is very much a working railway yard. At Eythorne, there is a Class 365 EMU that has been converted to a restaurant and bar. There is a General Utility Van built by BR that used to carry elephants which is in the process of being converted to a small holiday let. The old Selling Signal Box is also here with a history of the East Kent Railway both past and present inside along with the original Faversham signalling panel. Eythorne Station plays host to a variety of features on special event days. Eythorne is the picture of a pretty countryside station. The railway holds special events throughout the year, ranging from railway enthusiast events to beer festivals along with family fun weekends. On the line there is Golgotha Tunnel (situated between Shepherdswell and Eythorne), 477 yards (436 m) long, making it the eighth longest tunnel on a UK Heritage Railway in Preservation. The tunnel was built in typical Colonel Stephens style by building double track portals but only excavating a single track internally to save money.

Coldred is a settlement and former civil parish, now in the parish of Shepherdswell with Coldred, in the Dover district of Kent, England. The main part of the village is Coldred Street which lies 1⁄2 mile (0.80 km) to the south-west. In 1961 the parish had a population of 153.

All Saints Church is a redundant Anglican church in Waldershare, Kent, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. The church is located 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Dover on the west side of the A256 road. The North Downs Way passes through the churchyard. The church is notable for the memorials in its chapels.

Knowlton was a halt on the East Kent Light Railway. It opened on 16 October 1916 as Tilmanstone Village but was renamed the following year. It closed to passenger traffic after the last train on 30 October 1948. After closure the platform was demolished and the area landscaped into a field. As at December 2011 the shallow cutting along which the railway ran at this site is still visible.

Barfrestone is a village and (as Barfreston) a former civil parish, now in the parish of Eythorne, in the Dover district, in east Kent, England. It is between Shepherdswell, Eythorne and Nonington, close to the former pit villages of Elvington and Snowdown. In 1931 the parish had a population of 91. On 1 April 1935 the parish was abolished and merged with Eythorne.Alternative spellings are Barfreston and Barfreystone. The old pronunciation was "Barson" (before 1800) and the ancient name, "Barfriston".At the time of the Domesday Book, when the name was written 'Berfrestone', the manor was owned by Odo, Earl of Kent (as the Bishop of Bayeux). But after his trial (for fraud) in 1076, his assets were re-apportioned, including Barfrestone. The lands were then granted to Hugh de Port (an English feudal barony) for the defence of Dover Castle. The lands passed through the hands of many other owners including Sir Thomas Browne (during the reign of Henry VI of England).Landmarks include the Grade I listed Norman church, which contains significant carvings of human and animal figures on both the exterior and interior of the church, as well as a very early post-Roman example of the Greek key motif carved on the inside coving. Also of note is the church bell set in a yew tree adjacent to the church and "Little Ewell", a converted rectory which, until 2013, was the location of the centre (house, offices and workshops) of the L'Arche Kent Community which has since moved to Canterbury, though a L'Arche house remains in the nearby village of Eythorne. Another listed building in the village is Grade II listed Barfrestone Court,The village is on the Miner's Way Trail which links the coalfield parishes of East Kent.

Tilmanstone is a small village and civil parish in Kent, in the South East of England, near Eastry, a much bigger and more developed area. Tilmanstone no longer has a village school; however, the independent Northbourne Park School is close to the parish boundary. The name of Tilmanstone has historically been famous for its colliery, although it is located in the village of Eythorne, operated from 1906 to 1986 as one of the four main pits of the Kent coalfield. The population taken at the 2011 Census also included that of the nearby hamlet of Ashley.

Shepherdswell with Coldred is a civil parish in the Dover District of Kent, England. The parish contains the villages of Shepherdswell and Coldred, 1 mile (1.6 km) apart, and the hamlet of Coxhill just south-west of Shepherdswell. Shepherdswell with Coldred is approximately 30 miles (48 km) east from the county town of Maidstone. The south of the parish is approximately 5 miles (8 km) north-west from the channel port of Dover, and the north, 8 miles (13 km) south-east from Canterbury. A section of the major A2 London to Dover road runs 2 miles (3 km) through the parish at the south-west. Apart from this road, all others within the parish are minor and unnumbered. The National Rail mainline from London to Dover runs through the parish, partly by tunnel. Parishes surrounding Shepherdswell with Coldred are Womenswold at the north-west; Eythorne at the north; Tilmanstone at the north-east; Whitfield at the south-east; Lydden at the south; and Denton with Wootton at the south-west. There are two parish churches: St Andrew's in Shepherdswell, and St Pancras' in Coldred. Historically Shepherdswell with Coldred contained the manors of Popeshall, Coldred and Shebbertswell.The Grade I listed country house mansion of Waldershare Park, dating to 1705-12, is within Shepherdswell with Coldred at its eastern boundary.