Historic towns

The county of Kent has one of the highest populations in England, and yet throughout history has only had a few major towns.

The pattern of settlement has been dispersed, with a large number of small towns and villages accommodating the majority of the population. These small towns have served a number of different functions as markets, civil and religious centres and as centres of trade, industry and communications.

Today, the small towns of Kent retain their importance and continue to grow, change and develop.

Within the modern centres, older historic cores remain.

The shape and street patterns of the towns, and the historic buildings and structures within them, remind us of their origins and development.

It is this history which provides so much of their appeal today.

Between 1998 and 2004, Kent County Council carried out a survey of 46 small towns in Kent, as part of English Heritage's Extensive Urban Survey initiative. Canterbury and Dover were not included and will be covered in a later project.

The reports based on the survey described the origins and development of each town and identified their surviving historic assets. The reports also considered the potential for the survival of further archaeological remains and suggested a number of important research questions.

The reports are being used as a planning advisory document, helping to conserve and sympathetically manage surviving historic buildings and archaeological remains.

To learn about the development of the towns, you can view the Kent Historic Towns Surveys online.