Shoreham, Kent

The Shoreham Memorial Cross is a Christian cross hill figure carved into a chalk escarpment above the village of Shoreham, Kent. The concept of the cross was the idea of a Shoreham man, Samuel Cheeseman, two of whose sons had been killed on active duty during the First World War. It was carved between May and September 1920 on land donated by Francis Mildmay who had also served in the war. In October 2021 Historic England designated the cross a scheduled monument.

The Shoreham Aircraft Museum is located in the village of Shoreham near Sevenoaks in Kent, England, on the south-east edge of Greater London. It was founded by volunteers in 1978 and is dedicated to the airmen who fought in the skies over southern England during the Second World War. The museum houses aviation relics excavated by the Shoreham Aircraft Preservation Society over 30 years. These relics come from crashed RAF and Luftwaffe aircraft and are displayed alongside personal accounts of those involved. A particular focus is the Battle of Britain period. Many aircraft types are represented in the collection, including recovered engine examples from the following: Supermarine Spitfire Hawker Hurricane Bf 109 Dornier 17 Fw 190 Junkers 88The museum has collections of flying helmets, uniforms, insignia and Home Front memorabilia, along with photos and other items which have been donated by ex-pilots and private individuals. The museum also holds a collection of original paintings and prints by the aviation artist Geoff Nutkins. Other examples of his work can be seen at the RAF College in Cranwell, the Royal Air Force Museum at Hendon and The RAF Club in Piccadilly, London. There is also a tearoom and garden serving cream teas and homemade cakes. The museum is open from 10am to 5pm on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays from Easter until the end of October each year. The tearoom and garden only is also open on Saturdays and is free to enter. All current and ex-military service personnel can enter the museum free of charge.

On 29 September 1934, an Airspeed Courier of London, Scottish & Provincial Airways Ltd crashed just north of Shoreham, Kent. The aircraft was on a scheduled international passenger flight from Heston Aerodrome west of London to Le Bourget Airport, Paris. All four people on board were killed. Two people were injured by flying débris.

Sevenoaks is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Laura Trott, a Conservative.

Polhill Bank is a 4-hectare (9.9-acre) nature reserve south of Shoreham, which is north of Sevenoaks in Kent. It is managed by Kent Wildlife Trust. It is in Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.This chalk grassland site is on a south-east slope. There is also an area of scrub, which provides a habitat for birds such as blackcap and willow warbler. Flora include rock-rose.The site is open to the public.

Shoreham railway station serves Shoreham in Kent, England. It is 22 miles 52 chains (36.5 km) down the line from London Victoria and is situated between Eynsford and Otford. Train services are provided by Thameslink.

The Battle of Otford was a battle fought in 776 between the Mercians, led by Offa of Mercia, and the Jutes of Kent. The battle took place at Otford, in the modern English county of Kent.The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle recorded that the Mercians and the people of Kent fought at Otford, without giving the outcome, although it is considered significant that Kent was re-established as an independent kingdom after the battle. The kings of Kent continued to issue charters after 776, without any reference to Offa, so historians have deduced that Otford was a Kentish victory. The charters S 35 (dated 778), S 36 (dated 779) and S 37 (765 x 785) are in the name of Egbert, while S 38 (dated 784) is in the name of King Ealhmund. The changeover between Ecgberht and Ealhmund cannot be dated more precisely than 779–784.Kent was struggling to remain independent against the growing power of Mercia. In the 770s, the kings of Kent were resisting their demotion to subkings. According to the chronicler Henry of Huntingdon, the Mercians were victorious at the battle near Sevenoaks. The historian Frank Stenton argued that Egbert of Kent defeated Offa and that Kentish independence was restored for some years. Offa's victory over Wessex at Bensington, Mercian pressure resumed and Kent was absorbed into Mercia.

Fackenden Down is a 14-hectare (35-acre) nature reserve north of Sevenoaks in Kent. It is managed by the Kent Wildlife Trust. It is part of the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the Otford to Shoreham Downs Site of Special Scientific InterestThis site is mainly chalk grassland, with some woodland and scrub. There are a variety of orchids, and butterflies such as the brown argus, common blue and dark green fritillary.There is access from a road off Shoreham Road opposite Darenth Valley Golf Club.

Otford to Shoreham Downs is a 145.1-hectare (359-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Kemsing and Eynesford in Kent. It is part of Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and part it is Fackenden Down, a nature reserve managed by the Kent Wildlife TrustThese downs have woodland, scrub and species-rich chalk grassland, which has been traditionally managed by grazing. A decline in grazing has caused the chalk downland to become overgrown, but it is still very species diverse, with over a hundred plants recorded.

Otford is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It lies on the River Darent, 3 miles (5 km) north of Sevenoaks. Otford's four churches are the Anglican Church of St Bartholomew in the village centre, the Otford Methodist Church, the Most Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church, and the Otford Evangelical Church. By the village pond, also a roundabout, there are pubs, cafes and shops. The village has three schools, Otford Primary School, St Michael's Prep School, and Russell House.

Badgers Mount is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England It is located 3.6 miles south east of Orpington and 5.6 miles north west of Sevenoaks, adjacent to the Kent border with Greater London.

Preston Hill Country Park is in Eynsford, in Kent, England. It is a woodland and former military firing range. Within the site of the park and woodland, stood Preston Hill farmhouse. This was then damaged in 1944 after a 1000 kg parachute bomb or mine was dropped, in the early hours of 22 January 1944. Three of the farmhouse occupants were killed and 8 others were injured, later the ruined farmhouse was demolished. The site was then used as a Ministry of Defence firing range (up to the 1940s); the remnants of the range can still be seen.Since 1951 it has been a Site of Special Scientific Interest (part of 363.7 acres (1,472,000 m2) Otford To Shoreham Downs site).Preston Hill has extensive views across the countryside from the Darenth Valley (following the River Darent) to Lullingstone Country Park. The site has 232 acres (940,000 m2) of chalk grassland and woodland with many wild flowers and rare butterflies at this site of outstanding natural beauty located within the Kent Downs.On the grasslands, a variety of butterflies including chalkhill blues and dark green fritillaries can be seen. Since the site is relatively quiet, common adders and grass snakes can also be found. The grassland is grazed occasionally by a herd of feral goats, which came from the Great Orme, near Colwyn Bay in North Wales.These are used to further encourage the growth of wildflowers.There are paths through the woodland (called 'Preston Plantation') at the top of the hill although they are steep in places and some have become overgrown.The park also is acreddited with a Green Flag Award by Natural England (linked with Lullingstone Country Park).