Appledore is a village and civil parish^[2] in the Ashford District of Kent, England. The village centre is on the northern edge of the Romney Marsh, 12 miles (19 km) south-west of Ashford town.^[3] The northerly part of this village is Appledore Heath.

Quick Facts Area, Population ...

Appledore
Appledore Location within Kent
Area	12.46 km2 (4.81 sq mi)
Population	832 (Civil Parish 2021)[1]
• Density	67/km2 (170/sq mi)
OS grid reference	TQ956295
Civil parish	Appledore
District	Ashford
Shire county	Kent
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ASHFORD
Postcode district	TN26
Dialling code	01233
Police	Kent
Fire	Kent
Ambulance	South East Coast
UK Parliament	Ashford
List of places UK England Kent 51.030°N 0.789°E / 51.030; 0.789

Close

The name Appledore comes from the Old English apuldre (meaning apple tree) and is first recorded in the 10th century.^[4] Although a Brythonic origin is more likely (given the widespread survival of Brythonic names in Kent) e.g. from or connected with "dwr/dor" meaning water.

Appledore was once a port on the estuary of the River Rother. Famously, the greater part of the Danish army (280 ships - 5000 men) wintered at Appledore in 892–93, before moving into Wessex and suffering defeat at the hands of the Saxons led by King Alfred's son Edward the Elder at Farnham in Surrey. The defeated Danes fell back to Benfleet in Essex where they were again defeated in battle. The importance of Appledore as a port diminished suddenly in the 13th-century when two great storms - the first on 4 February 1287 and again sometime the following December - caused the river Rother to change its course; the village street now leads down to the Royal Military Canal. A French raid in 1380 resulted in the burning of the church: it was later rebuilt. The village was permitted to hold a market in the main street by Edward II. In 1804, when there was threat of invasion by Napoleon the Royal Military Canal was built: Appledore stands on its northern bank.^[5] The Rhee Wall, a 13th-century waterway, was built to carry silt away from the eastern part of the Romney Marsh; it runs from Appledore to New Romney.

Appledore was the setting for A. A. Milne's famous verse poem, "The Knight Whose Armour Didn't Squeak". Milne lived 29 miles (47 km) west in Hartfield, Sussex.

The fictional village of Plummergen, in the "Miss Seeton" series of crime novels by Heron Carvic, is based on Appledore.^[6]

Appledore features in the series Darling Buds of May.

The medieval parish church is dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul.^[7]

The B2080 is a local road connecting Appledore with Tenterden and Brenzett, where it meets the A259 South Coast Trunk Road. The Royal Military Road follows the canal southwest from Appledore to Rye.^[8]

The Marshlink Line railway line runs between Ashford International and Hastings via Appledore railway station, which is around 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the village.^[9] The line reduces from dual to single track beyond the station towards Rye and Hastings.^[10]

St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Primary School is located in the area.

Park Wood shown within Kent (grid reference TQ96453158)

Parkwood is an 80-acre (320,000 m²) woodland 5 miles (8.0 km) east south east of Tenterden near Appledore.

A car park is along the Woodchurch Road, heading north from Appledore towards Brattle.

It is managed by Kent County Council's Country Parks service.^[11] It is noted for its bluebells in spring and for nightingales. There are woodland walks and panoramic views over Appledore and Romney Marshes.

The woodland is frequently coppiced for various timber uses. Including oak thinnings being used in Shorne Woods Country Park's new visitor centre, as the window and roof joinery.^[12]

The wood, is surrounded by three other woods, Great Heron Wood (to the North), Little Heron Wood (to the East) and Butness Wood (further to the East).