Chevening, Kent

Description
Chevening, a parish in Kent, on the river Darenth, 3 1/4miles NW of Sevenoaks, and 3 from Dunton Green station on the S.E.R. It has a post, money order, and telegraph office at Chipstead, under Sevenoaks. Acreage, 3893 ; population, 1050. There are two manors. The one belonged to the See of Canterbury till the Reformation, and then passed to the Crown. The other belonged early to the family of De Chevening, passed to the Lennards, afterwards Lords Dacre, was purchased in 1717 by General Stanhope, created Earl Stanhope. The mansion here was built in 1630 by Lord Dacre after designs by Inigo Jones, but has been greatly altered, both externally and internally, and it contains some interesting portraits. The grounds are crossed by the ancient British Way, called the Pilgrim's Road, include a fine lake and maze, and a mass of Roman monumental stones and altars, brought from abroad by the first Lord Stanhope, and command from their highest point a brilliant view. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Canterbury; net value, £450 with residence. Patron, the Archbishop of Canterbury. The church has some Early English masonry, but is chiefly Perpendicular, and it contains altar tombs of the Dacres and monuments of the Stanhopes. The church has commodious mission buildings at Chipstead. There are also three dissenting chapels. Bessels Green and Chipstead are two hamlets in this parish.