As the northern half of England was sliding about in snow yesterday, we decided to make the most of the spring weather in the south and took a drive through the lesser known lanes in the heart of Kent. There are many villages in this area with the suffix 'den', the most famous of which is probably Tenterden. The Old English word 'Denn' is a woodland pasture, especially a pasture for pigs. The first part of the village name generally refers to the early settlers that lived there.
Biddenden is most famous for the conjoined twins, Mary and Eliza Chulkhurst, who were supposed to have been born in the village in 1100, joined at the hips and the shoulder. When one of them died aged 34, the other refused to be separated and died 6 hours later. The Biddenden Maids are still celebrated in the village sign.
At one end of the village is the magnificent 13th-century church of All Saints Biddenden. A lot of wealth in the village came from the lucrative textile industry that started with Flemish workers during the reign of Edward III. Nowadays, there are numerous vineyards and orchards in the area that produce excellent wines, ciders and juices.
We stumbled across the Red Lion public house by accident. It was originally 3 private houses but has functioned as a pub since 1735. The current landlord and his wife have been there since December 1989 and do a great job. Bob made us feel most welcomed as we stepped through the door and invited us to sit next to the roaring fire. The pub's atmosphere was amazing and we can't wait to make a return visit to sample some more of the delicious food. The homemade beef and stilton pudding is highly recommended if you can't decide what to go for. We often take our visitors for lunch to the Red Lion, as Biddenden is only a hop, step and a jump from Sissinghurst Castle, one of our favourite gardens and places to visit.