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Neighbouring Villages:

Eastling, Wichling, Milstead and Throwley

Position:

Newnham and Doddington are small and quiet picturesque villages in the Syndale Valley. They are positioned between two fast motorways (the M2 and M20) on either side of the North Downs.

History:

Newnham has existed as a community houses and work-units for at least 1,000 years, though it had a lord of the manor and the church of SS Peter and Paul at the beginning of the 12th century. Doddington’s earliest human presence can be traced back to earthworks at Sharsted Court, excavated in 1825 and 1880 and considered to be an Iron Age Belgic fort (100BC-43AD). Also found nearby were ashes, human bones, urns, remnants of swords and spurs, broken pottery and gold counts, which indicate subsequent Roman occupation. Anglo Saxon skeletons and iron spear heads were found in the earlyt 1890’s at Chapman’s Gravel Pits.

Interesting Facts:

James Pimm (1798-1866) was born in Newnham. As a young man James moved away to live and work in London. During the 1820s he opened his first restaurant – The Pimms Oyster Bar. Within 10 years he had a chain of five Pimm’s restaurants – of course his special product was the Pimm’s cup, invented by James, the recipe for which remains a secret to this day, known only to a handful of top people in the company. The name of Doddington village has changed many times during its history and there are two theories behind its origin. The main (and accepted) is that the original name was Dudda’s Tun meaning the farmstead (manor or dwelling place of a person or tribe called Dudda).

Road and Rail Links:

A2 to Canterbury, M2 to Medway and London, M20 to Ashford and Maidstone. The nearest rail stations are 3.5 miles away at Teynham, 4.8 miles away at Sittingbourne and 4.5 miles to Faversham which run to London and the coast. There are also bus services to Faversham and Sittingbourne and some surrounding villages.

Shops:

There is a family Butchers (run by the Doughty family since 1918 and is award winning) and service station with a small shop in Doddington. Faversham and Canterbury have a variety of shops for all.

Schools:

Newnham Toddler Group. Further schools can be found at Teynham, Faversham, Sittingbourne and Canterbury.

Doctors and Dentists:

Doctor’s Surgery Friday morning in Newnham Village Hall. Doddington Village Hall have a surgery on Monday 12.30-13.00pm and Friday 12.00-12.30pm. Other Doctors can be found in Teynham, Faversham and Sittingbounre. The nearest dentists are in Faversham, Teynham and Sittingbourne.

Clubs:

Folk Dance Group, Brownies, Guides, WI, Wine and Wisdom quiz nights (winter only), Darby and Joan, Keep Fit.

Leisure Facilities:

Newnham and Doddington village halls. Doddington playing fields. Other leisure facilities can be found in Teynham, Faversham, Sittingbourne and Canterbury.

Pubs/Restaurants:

The George and The Tapster, Newnham. The Chequers In Doddington

Surrounding Countryside:

Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. There are also many footpaths, bridal ways and cycle paths.