IChurch · listed 1967Church of St LaurencePhoto: Oast House Archive · CC BY-SA 2.0
Marlborough House School · Photo: David Anstiss · CC BY-SA 2.0A+History Grade
History of Hawkhurst · Historic England
105 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I
On the Historic England list, all of them stand inside Hawkhurst’s built-up area, 285 for every 10,000 residents. Grade II covers 101 of Hawkhurst’s listed buildings. 34% of its homes were built before 1919. We have photos of 6 of its listed buildings and 2 old views of the town. Hawkhurst grades A+ for history: #3 of 87 in Kent.
Listed buildings
105
285 per 10,000 residents
Grade I
1
exceptional interest
Grade II*
3
more than special interest
Scheduled monuments
0
nationally important sites
Homes built before 1919
34%
typical UK town 15%
In pictures
Hawkhurst in 8 photos and old views
Nearly every Grade I and II* building, photographed, and the town before 1950. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Church of St LaurenceGrade I listed
Wetheringhope and Wall AttachedGrade II* listed
Royal Oak InnGrade II listed
Dunk's School and AlmshousesGrade II listed
War MemorialGrade II listed+3See all photosPhotos from Wikimedia Commons and Geograph, copied to our own server, each credited to its photographer with its licence; names open the building’s page or its official list entry.
Through time
Hawkhurst from 1852 to 1905
2 old photos and postcards, in date order. All public domain, made before 1950.
1852
c. 1905Public domain, from Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server. Each credit opens the image’s page with its full description and history.
The map
Where Hawkhurst’s history is
Every Grade I and II* building, monument and historic park.
Grade IGrade II*
Hover a dot for its name; tap one with a photo to open it.
105 listed buildings by grade
1 Grade I3 Grade II*101 Grade II
Historic England lists buildings in three grades: Grade I for buildings of exceptional interest (about 2.5% of all listed buildings), Grade II* for particularly important buildings of more than special interest (about 5.8%), and Grade II for buildings of special interest (about 91.7%). Listing protects the whole building, inside and out.
Every entry on the National Heritage List for England whose point lies inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary. One list entry can cover a terrace or a group of buildings.
Grade I
The Grade I listed building in Hawkhurst
Buildings of exceptional interest, about 2.5% of all listed buildings. Every one is photographed. Each opens its own page, with the official list entry.
Grade II*
The 3 Grade II* listed buildings in Hawkhurst
Particularly important buildings of more than special interest. 2 are photographed.
II*Public · listed 1952Marlborough House SchoolPhoto: David Anstiss · CC BY-SA 2.0
II*Walls & gates · listed 1967Wetheringhope and Wall AttachedPhoto: N Chadwick · CC BY-SA 2.0
Walls & gates · listed 1967Bedgebury Lower School Collingwood House And Wall AttachedOn the list as Bedgebury Lower School, Collingwood House, And Wall Attached
What’s protected
Most of Hawkhurst’s listed buildings are homes
Every listed building sorted by what its list name says it is.
Houses, terraces & villas59
Churches, chapels & priories18
Public & civic buildings10
Walls, gates & bridges10
Inns, shops & warehouses5
Street furniture2
Memorials, crosses & tombs1
59 entries (56%) are houses, terraces and villas. 18 are churches, chapels and priories, including 1 of the 1 Grade I buildings.
Buildings are sorted by words in each entry’s name (church, gate, inn, memorial…): the list’s open data has no building type. An entry named only by its address counts as a house.
Grade II
101 Grade II listed buildings
Most listed buildings are in this grade, which covers buildings of special interest. Open any building to read its official list entry.
All 101 Grade II listed buildings, A to Z
Ashfield CottagesBarnfield Cottage and Barn AttachedBarnfield FarmhouseBarretts Green FarmhouseBedgebury Lower School Lillesden with TerracesChest Tomb to George West, About 15 Metres West of Church of St LaurenceChest Tomb to John Colletson, About 30 Metres North of Church of St LawrenceChest Tomb to William Durrant, About 15 Metres East of Church of St LawrenceChittendenChittenden CottageChittenden LodgeChurch Court the Chantry the CloseChurch of All SaintsCockshot CottageCockshott FarmhouseCrane House and Rear Garden WallCranford FarmhouseDragonsDunk's School and AlmshousesElford LodgeElfordsFir CottagesFloral CottageFowlers Park HouseGalimorph Queens MewsGarden Court and Attached WallsGate Lodge to LillesdenGeering and Colyer Estate Agents Stone RockGreat Pix HallGunther Tomb, About 50 Metres West of Church of St LawrenceHawkhurst PlaceHawkhurst Primary SchoolHazel Cottage the Old Bakehouse the Old Bakehouse and Hazel Cottage and Rear YardHerschels DairyHighgate HouseHorns CottageHousefield Cottage Little OckleyHowes CottagesIddendenIddenden CottagesIddenden CottagesJasmine CottagesLodge CottageLorendenMarket CrossMilestone at 753 307Milestone at 765 304Miss Margarets Zan RestaurantMoor HouseMoor LodgeNational Westminster BankNorth RidgeNorthgrove CottagesNos 1 to 3 Northgrove Terrace, With Railed Basement AreasOak CottageOakfield House and Wellington HousePair of Chest Tombs 1 to 2 Metres South of West Tower of Church of St LawrencePair of Headstones About 10 to 12 Metres West of Church of St LaurencePair of Mid C19 Monuments About 25 Metres South West of Church of St LawrenceRose CottageRow of 5 Headstones to Chittenden Family, 2 to 10 Metres North of Church of St LawrenceRoyal Oak InnSouthgate and EastgateSt Margarets Cross and wall to gardenStable Block About 20 Metres North West of Moor LodgeStable Block Adjoining Marlborough House School to the WestStable Courtyard About 25 Metres North West of Gate Lodge, LillesdenStables, Walled Gardens and Outhouses Adjoining Collingwood House to the South and WestThe ChestnutsThe ClearingThe Coach HousesThe ColonnadeThe Eight Bells HotelThe InglesThe Little Manor, Wall and Water Pump AttachedThe Lodge, Fir TreesThe Lodge, Fowlers ParkThe Moor Brewery, House and Courtyards with OutbuildingsThe Moor Post Office and House AttachedThe Old Bazaar and Weald HouseThe Old VicarageThe Queen's HotelThe RockeryThe Victorian Hall and Railed ForecourtThree Chest Tombs About 10-15 Metres North of Church of St LawrenceThree Chest Tombs About 2 Metres East of Church of St LawrenceThree Chest Tombs, 2 to 5 Metres North of Church of St LawrenceTickners Tickners EastTollgateTwo Chest Tombs 1 Metre North East of Church of St LawrenceTwo Chest Tombs About 1 Metre South of South Aisle of Church of St LawrenceTwo Headstones 10 and 12 Metres East of Church of St LawrenceTwo Headstones to Exeter Family, About 20 Metres North West of Church of St LawrenceTwo Railed Chest Tombs About 15 Metres South West of Church of St LawrenceVine CottageWalls and Gatepiers to North of Marlborough House SchoolWar MemorialWater Tower Adjoining Tower CottageWell and Housing in Churchyard Wall About 25 Metres North East of Church of All SaintsWych House7 and 8, Moor Hill
Conservation areas
1 conservation area covers 100% of Hawkhurst
Areas the council protects as a whole: demolition and changes to how buildings look need consent, and trees are protected.
No data available for publication by HE178 ha
178 hain conservation areas, of 178 ha inside the built-up area.
105 of the 105 listed buildings stand in one.
Historic England’s conservation areas layer, supplied by councils (incomplete in places, so a page fact, never graded). Hectares are the part of each area inside the built-up area.
How the list grew
More than half of Hawkhurst’s listed buildings were added in one year, 1989
The year each building now on the list was first listed.
1989 · 751967 · 19
19501960197019801990200020102020
The first 5 entries were listed in 1952. 75 came in 1989, in the national resurvey of the 1970s and 80s. Only 0 have been added in the last 15 years.
History Grade
Hawkhurst grades A+ for history
Protected heritage and the age of the town’s homes, against all UK towns.
Protected heritage, for its size and in all (110 points, 299 per 10,000 residents)More than 90% of UK towns
Homes built before 1919 (34%)More than 89% of UK towns
Two measures, each ranked against every UK town of 1,000 or more, with protected heritage counting twice as much as the age of homes. Protected heritage counts each listed building by its grade (Grade I three points, II* two, II one), each scheduled monument and battlefield two, and each registered park or garden by its grade; it is ranked both per 10,000 residents and as a total, so a village with one fine church doesn’t outrank a historic city. The second measure is the share of homes built before 1919, from the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax records. History is a character grade: it describes the town and isn’t part of the overall grade.
Homes by age
34% of Hawkhurst’s homes were built before 1919
Every home by when it was built, from council tax records, against England & Wales (the dark tick).
27%
Before 1900
7.3%
1900–18
5.7%
1919–29
1.3%
1930s
2.9%
1945–54
6.4%
1955–64
15%
1965–72
5%
1973–82
7.4%
1983–92
1.2%
1993–99
6.8%
2000–08
0.3%
2009–15
15%
2016–25
HawkhurstEngland & Wales
27% of homes are Victorian or older, against 16% across England and Wales. The busiest period since was 1965–72, which added 15% of today’s homes.
Valuation Office Agency, council tax stock of properties by build period, 31 March 2025, for the neighbourhoods (LSOAs) that make up the town, split by where their residents live. Homes with no recorded build period (34 here) are left out; 1939–44 is not a period in the data.
Towns its size
Hawkhurst has the 96th most Grade I buildings of 1,100 towns its size
Places of 2,000–6,000 people outside London, by Grade I listed buildings.
Hawkhurst1
#68 of 1,100for listed buildings per resident (285 per 10,000). Sandwich, Tenby and Dolgellau lead.
95 have more. The typical town its size has 0.
Neighbours
Listed buildings in the places around Hawkhurst
| Town | People | Listed | Grade I | History |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawkhurst | 3,683 | 105 | 1 | A+ |
| Hurst Green | 1,181 | 29 | 1 | A |
| Benenden | 1,409 | 56 | 0 | A+ |
| Cranbrook | 3,962 | 178 | 3 | A+ |
| Ticehurst | 1,464 | 65 | 0 | A |
| Robertsbridge | 1,439 | 54 | 0 | A+ |
| Goudhurst | 1,104 | 86 | 1 | A+ |
| Northiam | 1,910 | 82 | 2 | A+ |
In brief
Hawkhurst in brief
More of Hawkhurst’s homes are old than in most places: 34% were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town. In all there are 105 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I, including Church of St Laurence. Per resident, it has more listed heritage than 90% of UK towns. Only 95 of the 1,100 towns nearest its size have more Grade I buildings.
A conservation area protects part of it. Of the whole list, 56% are houses, terraces and villas. More than half went on the list in a single year, 1989: 75 of 105. Beyond that, Nathaniel Lardner (1684) and Berney Caldwell (1805) were born here before 1900.
Questions about Hawkhurst’s history
How many listed buildings are there in Hawkhurst?
Historic England lists 105 buildings inside Hawkhurst’s built-up area: 1 Grade I, 3 Grade II* and 101 Grade II.
What are the Grade I listed buildings in Hawkhurst?
One: Church of St Laurence.
How many conservation areas are there in Hawkhurst?
1, covering about 178 hectares of the town. The largest is No data available for publication by HE.
When were Hawkhurst’s buildings listed?
The first in 1952; the most, 75, in 1989.
Are there old photos of Hawkhurst?
Yes: 2 public-domain photos and postcards from 1852 to 1905, all on this page.
How old are the homes in Hawkhurst?
34% of homes were built before 1919 and 41% before 1940, from the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax records (March 2025).
© Historic England 2026. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. The National Heritage List for England is the official, up-to-date register of all nationally protected historic buildings and sites in England; check an entry on Historic England’s website before relying on it.
Sources: Historic England, National Heritage List for England (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties by build period (31 March 2025) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only · Historic England conservation areas (supplied by local planning authorities; October 2026). All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.