The town has cosy pubs and its own brewery
For Londoners looking for a real taste of countryside living without straying too far from the capital, Westerham is well worth a look. In this quaint market town you’ll find locally-crafted ales, gorgeous walking routes with views to match, and some of the most beautiful scenery Kent has to offer – all just a short commute from central London.
Tucked away in the Darent Valley, Westerham has a charming high street with pubs, cafes and independent shops to explore. The River Darent winds its way through the town centre, and the lush green countryside all around gives the place a real sense of calm.
However, when it’s time for the weekday commute, you won’t be left stranded. Westerham sits close to the M25, just six miles from Sevenoaks, near the Kent-Surrey border.
Junction 6 of the M25 is six miles to the west, putting both Gatwick and Heathrow well within reach. Junction 5, around five miles to the east, gets you onto the M20 and towards the Dartford Crossing and the Channel Tunnel.
Sevenoaks is a big draw for commuter buyers in the area, as is Tunbridge Wells, about 19 miles away. It’s worth knowing that Westerham is only a mile further from the A21/M25 junction than Sevenoaks, according to Kent Live.
The town doesn’t have its own station, but Oxted is just 3.5 miles to the west. The early bird service leaves at 5.55am and pulls into London Bridge at 6.28am — that’s just 33 minutes, no changes needed.
According to the 2021 Census, around 4,498 people call Westerham parish home.
For a genuine feel of village life, the annual Country Fayre and Horticultural Show is a must. This year it falls on September 12, organised by the Westerham Town Partnership and Westerham Horticultural Society. Expect country crafts, local produce, vintage finds, fashion stalls, a working farrier, live music and plenty more.
While you’re in town, The Grasshopper on the Green is well worth popping into. The pub bills itself as offering “Local ales and home-cooked food in an ancient village inn with low ceilings hung with antique jugs”, and it certainly delivers when it comes to rural charm.
Westerham is also home to its own award-winning brewery. Set up in 2004, the Westerham Brewery Company proudly brought “brewing back to the historic town”, using local water filtered through the Lower Greensand to the north, plus Kent hops grown by “valiant hop growers”, to craft some cracking beers.
According to Rightmove, the overall average house price in Westerham over the past year was £653,234, slightly less than the London average. The majority of homes sold were terraces for an average of £437,000.
Chartwell, where Sir Winston Churchill lived for over 40 years, is also a short distance from Westerham. More than 250,000 people visit each year to walk the grounds Churchill once strolled, the same gardens he tended throughout the Second World War right up until his death in 1965.
It’s one of the National Trust’s most-visited properties, with an estate stretching across nearly 20 acres of gardens and 59 acres of parkland. The property still boasts plenty of its original features, including a croquet lawn and a water garden.
From Chartwell, there are all sorts of walks and excursions to enjoy across the wider West Kent area. And there’s one rather lovely quirk to the place. When the Churchill family handed over ownership in 1966, they had just one request: that a marmalade cat called Jock – with a white bib and four white socks – should always have a comfortable home at Chartwell.
A six-month-old rescue kitten arrived in May 2020 and was duly named Jock VII to keep the tradition going.
Two more National Trust properties are close by. Quebec House might not have quite the name recognition of Chartwell, but it’s got a fascinating history of its own.
Built in the 1500s, it was the childhood home of General Wolfe, who made his name at the 1759 Battle of the Plains of Abraham in Quebec, where British forces defeated the French. The house has been beautifully preserved to reflect its 1700s appearance and is packed with portraits and paintings.
Not far away, Toys Hill draws a slightly different crowd. Sitting atop the Greensand Ridge, it’s a brilliant spot for wildlife lovers, with sweeping views across the Weald of Kent and a rich variety of flora and fauna that has earned the area Site of Special Scientific Interest status. It was social reformer Octavia Hill who helped protect it back in the 1800s.
Just nearby, Emmetts Garden on Ide Hill is another gem. Once owned by Frederic Lubbock, who clearly adored both the house and the grounds, the Edwardian estate dates back to the late 1800s. Sitting at one of the highest points in Kent, the views are genuinely breathtaking. With rose and rock gardens putting on a show of spring blooms before giving way to rich summer and autumn colour, it’s a lovely place to visit at almost any time of year.
Perched atop the Greensand Ridge, the hill boasts a remarkable variety of flora and fauna. Visitors can soak up the sweeping views across the Weald of Kent while discovering the rich and diverse wildlife that has earned this area its status as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
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