The village of Yalding is situated 6 miles south west of Maidstone at a point where the Rivers Teise and Beult join the River Medway. The name is recorded in the Domesday book as the Saxon manor of Hallinges owned by Aldret, and that it was given to Richard de Tonbridge by William the Conqueror . The name had changed to Yaldinge by the time of the civil war (1642 - 1648).
Being at the confluence of 3 rivers, it is sadly prone to flooding. I've yet to explore and photograph it, but there are some attractive old buildings there, so I marked it for a visit another time.
There are three bridges in the village; the Twyford Bridge (meaning twin ford, where there was originally a double crossing of the two rivers) is one of the finest medieval bridges in the south-east of England. Yalding was one of the principal shipment points on the River Medway for cannon, from villages of the Wealden iron industry. One iron master was John Browne from Horsmonden.
The wharf was later used for transporting fruit from the many orchards in the area.
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