It was once named the best village in all of the south east
Kent is home to numerous iconic town and city centres, known far beyond our county’s borders and attracting visitors from all over. However, it’s not just the most famous destinations, such as Rochester, Canterbury and Dover, that boast unique and impressive claims to fame.
Even our cosy villages come packed full of fascinating history, including the scenic settlement of Bethersden. Found just a few miles outside of Ashford along the A28, this beautiful slice of Kent holds a population of just under 1,500 people according to the 2021 census, giving it a real tight-knit community feel.
Though not a village many outside of Kent will recognise on name alone, Bethersden does have an impressive claim to fame, and houses one property that is perhaps among television’s most iconic. The Darling Buds of May was a very popular comedy drama broadcast on ITV between 1991 and 1993 and was set in Bethersden.
Oast House, a four-bedroom period property in the village, was the setting for the hit comedy show which followed the life of the Larkin family in the 1950s. The show, which featured a star studded line-up including David Jason, Kent local Pam Ferris, and Catherine Zeta-Jones, was a success with the ratings.
Much of the show was filmed around Pluckley too, a town where executive producer Richard Bates had lived for a while. The Black Horse Pub and Pluckley Primary School both featured in the hit TV show.
Elsewhere in Kent, Tenterden and Folkestone both featured on the show as well. The programme was set in rural Kent in the 1950s and was an adaptation of a 1958 novel of the same name.
A revival of The Darling Buds of May, titled The Larkins, aired on ITV for two seasons between 2021 and 2022, returning to Kent once again for filming. It starred Bradley Walsh, Joanna Scanlan, Lydia Page, Davina Coleman, Joelle Bromidge and Sabrina Bartlett.
This is not the only unique attribute that Bethersden can claim either, as it has a wonderful literary connection too – being the home of poet Richard Lovelace. In terms of its other historic importance, Bethersden was once at the heart of the Kentish wool trade, while the area is known as well for Bethersden Marble, a very rare but beautiful kind of limestone.
As mentioned, the village houses two popular pubs, The Bull Inn and The George. The former of these sits right on the A28, making it an ideal spot to stop for refreshment while travelling between Tenterden and Ashford where you will find scrumptious meals crafted with local ingredients.
Meanwhile The George was named Pub of the Year by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) for Ashford, Folkestone and Romney Marsh in 2025, two years after reopening as a community venture. Before reopening, the pub had been closed for two-and-a-half years post Covid.
Thankfully the community swooped in to save the venue and The George has only gone from strength to strength since. It organises two beer festivals a year, featuring live music, while hosting other regular community events including the monthly quiz and music bingo nights, as well as a bi-weekly board games night and hosting Knit and Natter and Chatty Café meetings.
Impressively, Bethersden was once named the best village in all of the south east by The Times. Awarding the impressive title back in 2021, the publication remarked: “With its two ancient pubs, proper traditional butcher, cricket pitch, Kent peg tiles and oast houses, it’s Bethersden that has everything you need for a Darling Buds of May lifestyle.”
For families looking to settle down in a piece of TV history, the village has its own school, Bethersden Primary, which picked up a ‘good’ rating at its last Ofsted inspection. In terms of property values, homes in the village sold for an average of £494,500 over the past year, according to Rightmove.
Most of these sales were for detached properties, selling for an average price of £615,000. Semi-detached properties sold for an average of £670,000 in the same period, with terraced properties fetching £260,000.
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