Brabourne


Brabourne is a village and civil parish in the Ashford district of Kent, England. The village centre is east of Ashford town centre. The population fell by 133 between 2001 and 2011.
The centre of the modern village of Brabourne is The Five Bells, a large pub, which overlooks the village green. The original village grew up some way to the east of this, around the ancient village church; this area is now sometimes referred to as East Brabourne. The original village has been outgrown by Brabourne Lees, in the civil parish a development of former pasture land to the south, near the A20 and M20 roads. The western part of the parish is a rural area with scattered farms.
The parish church is dedicated to St Mary the Blessed Virgin; there is also a Zion Strict Baptist Chapel in Brabourne Lees. The church of St. Mary is an ancient building of stone, in the Norman and Early English styles, and has a tower which was restored in 1923-4, containing 6 bells, augmented to 8 in 2002. There are numerous monuments to the Scott family, some brasses and several stained windows, one of which contains very early glass; the church affords seating for 200.