FROGHOLT

Frogholt  is a tiny hamlet that most people have never heard of, let alone seen. 

In days gone by, the main road from Folkestone to London went through it. Then later, the road now known as the Ashford Road was widened and by-passed it - you went in one end straight through the middle of the village and back out onto the main road.

The next move was when the junction of Ashford Road and Beachborough was improved, and you went in to Frogholt off Beachborough and came out at the other end onto Ashford Road. That's how I remember first seeing it.

Finally, as they improved the main road still further to accommodate an entrance to the Channel Tunnel works, a new roundabout was installed at the junction and the access from Frogholt onto Beachborough was closed. Now it is just a tiny dead-end with a turning circle where the exit onto Beachborough once was.

Located in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) it is largely unchanged since the C18th and maintains a distinct identity and sense of place, even with it’s close proximity to the M20 and Folkestone Eurotunnel Terminal. The hamlet is set in a valley and is well obscured from view by mature trees. Areas of ancient woodland lie directly to the north of the area. 

The hamlet is part of a conservation area and there are just 8 properties, mostly old, large and expensive. Most of them hide behind tall hedges, trees or walls, which means I can't photograph them without encroaching on private property - something I don't do without permission.

This one though, lies alongside the road, just across the charming Seabrook Stream that runs through the village - originating in the north west near Etchinghill - on it’s route to the south coast.

This house, now called Old Kent Cottage, possibly early C14. Timber framed with rendered infilling. Claims have been made that it is as much as one thousand years old, but since it is constructed as a medieval hall house with parlour and solar, this is unlikely to be the case. It is reputed to be the oldest thatched cottage in Kent and is said to have been a haven for Archbishop Thomas Becket during his feud with King Henry II although that claim is impossible to verify.  If he really did stay in all the places that are attributed to him in Kent, he would have had to have slept in a different bed every night!

Heritage Category: Grade: II List Entry Number: 1061087.

Another 3 houses in Frogholt are Grade II listed, so that's 50% of the hamlet.