Buying or selling a house in
Pembury
Pembury is a large village east of Royal Tunbridge Wells in west Kent, formed from five historic hamlets that merged during the twentieth century. Its Grade I old church has a Norman nave, and its conservation area, designated in 1976, covers the green and the High Street. It has no station; High Brooms is the nearest, about two miles away. Vine Estates handles a small number of sales here personally.
What it’s actually like
Pembury grew out of five old hamlets, which is why it has more variety than most villages its size — old cottages in one part, generous later houses in another. There's a Norman church, a proper village green first recorded in 1629, and High Brooms two miles away with the quickest London train in this part of Kent. The hospital at Pembury is a genuine asset for anyone with a young family.
“Five old hamlets that grew together. It gives Pembury far more character than the main road suggests.”
David Johnston
The houses
Because Pembury is a merger of Upper Green, Lower Green, Hawkwell, Bo-Peep and Romford, the listed stock is scattered rather than concentrated. Most of it sits around Lower Green, Henwood Green Road and Romford. Downingbury Farmhouse, Grade II\*, is early eighteenth-century Flemish-bond red brick with burnt headers and tile-clad framing above. The churches are sandstone rubble and coursed ashlar. Later private estates include Woodhill Park, Ridgeway and Beagleswood.
Getting to London
Pembury has no station. High Brooms is about two miles away, with two Southeastern trains an hour off-peak direct to London Charing Cross, fastest around 48 minutes. Tonbridge, about four miles, is the fastest at around 40 minutes.
Schools
Pembury Primary School on Lower Green Road serves the village. Kent College Pembury is an independent day and boarding school for children aged two to eighteen. There is no state secondary in the village; the nearest are in Royal Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge.
Common questions
Which station serves Pembury?
There is no station in the village. High Brooms is the nearest at about two miles, with a fastest journey of around 48 minutes to London Charing Cross. Royal Tunbridge Wells, Paddock Wood and Tonbridge are all within about four miles, and Tonbridge is the fastest into London.
Why is Pembury spread out?
Because it is five historic hamlets — Upper Green, Lower Green, Hawkwell, Bo-Peep and Romford — that merged during the twentieth century. That is why the listed buildings are scattered across the parish rather than lined up along a single high street, and why the village reads as several places.
What is Pembury's oldest building?
The Old Church of St Peter, the village's only Grade I listed building, with a Norman nave and chancel and a fourteenth-century tower, porch and nave roof. Historic England single out its fourteenth-century nave roof, with moulded tie-beams and spandrels carved with trefoils and quatrefoils.
Thinking of moving from Pembury
If you're weighing up a move here, a short conversation now costs nothing and commits you to nothing. I can tell you honestly what's realistic and when.