Marden, Kent

Marden ( or ) is a village about 8 miles (13 km) south of Maidstone and civil parish in the Maidstone District of Kent, England. As well as the village the civil parish includes the settlement of Chainhurst and the hamlet of Wanshurst Green. The parish is located on the flood plain of the River Beult (a tributary of the River Medway) near Maidstone. It is in an apple-growing area, and has a population of approximately 4000 persons.

Transport
Marden is 8 miles (13 km) from Maidstone and 14 miles (22 km) from Tonbridge. It is on the B2079 linking the A229 Maidstone with the A21 at Flimwell. It has its own railway station on the South Eastern Main Line.

Local amenities
The village has a parish church, dedicated to St Michael and All Angels, and was built at the end of the 12th century. In February 2007, Ann Widdecombe, the local MP, opened the Marden Heritage Centre in Marden Library. The Centre houses archives from Marden's 1000-year history. Starting in 2010, Marden residents are practising bartering. The scheme follows the trend of small communities looking for ways of reducing food miles and valuing the skills and time of older people. The system is enabled by the use of internet technology to allow members of the scheme to exchange goods and services for Barter Credits. Similar schemes are in place in Lewes and Totnes which is a transition town.

To the East of the village is Marden Meadows, three meadows (8.8 acre) which are cut annually for hay and then grazed. Since 1981, these have been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. They are managed by the Kent Trust for Nature Conservation(Kent Wildlife Trust). The meadows contain several scarce species inc; Ophioglossum (adder's-tongue), green winged orchid (Orchis morio), meadow saxifrage (Saxifraga granulata),Oxeye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare), yellow rattle (Rhinanthus minor) and within a pond in one of the meadows, two scarce plants, water violet (Hottonia palustris) and bladder-sedge (Carex vesicaria) are also found.

Education
There is one school: Marden Primary School. http://www.marden.kent.sch.uk/

Sport and leisure
Marden Cricket & Hockey Club (hockey also known as Marden Russets) are based at Days Sport Field. There is also a youth football side. There is a village club.

Notable people

 * Nicholas Amhurst (1697-1742), poet, was born in Marden.
 * Helen Grant (b 1961), MP for Maidstone and the Weald, lives in Marden
 * William Hartnell (1908–75), actor, lived in Marden.
 * Sidney Highwood (1896-1975 ), RAF officer, was born in Marden.
 * William Morley Punshon (1824–81), preacher, practiced at Marden 1845-49.
 * Stephen Southon, 19th Century cricketer, came from Marden.
 * Franz Von Werra, 1914-41 German fighter pilot crash landed here in 1941.

Notable events
On 10 February 1930, a Farman F.63 Goliath crashed at Marden Airfield whilst attempting an emergency landing following the structural failure of the starboard elevator. All of the six people on board were killed. On 4 January 1969, a passenger train from Charing Cross to Ramsgate overran a signal at danger in fog and crashed into the back of a parcels train. Four people were killed and 11 injured.

Local Media
Newspapers available in Marden are the free Maidstone extra owned by the KM Group and yourmaidstone by KOSMedia

Also the only free independent newspaper to serve the borough of Maidstone, the Downs Mail

The Local radio station is KMFM Maidstone. Marden is also served by the county-wide stations Heart Kent, Gold (radio) and BBC Radio Kent.