Sutton is a village and civil parish near Dover in Kent, England. In 1935 this village became a parish when the small settlements of Studdal, Sutton, Ashley, Little Mongeham and Maydensole joined to become the Parish of Sutton-by-Dover. Prior to this Sutton has had a vast history of agricultural practices, which has helped sustain the village into the parish it is today. The quoted population includes the villages of East and West Studdal plus Swingate and the hamlet of Little Mongeham.
Leisure and Recreation
The parish of Sutton has various recreational areas scattered throughout its settlements. For example, there is a sports field located on the north side of Downs Road, which consists of a large field divided into a children's playground area, and containing both a BMX track and a games pitch. The allotments and community orchard, which are situated north of Chapel Lane and accessible via a path along the roadside, have been planted with traditional English apples trees, and maintained by the parish council. The parish is also home to a number of footpaths and trails, including the North Downs Way, along with a number of picnic areas such as Jack's Bush. The latter, situated at the peak of Downs Road, has extensive views across the Downs and Pegwell Bay.
Settlements within the Parish
Ashley
Containing the only pub in the parish, the small settlement of Ashley contains a mixture of building styles, dating predominantly from the 1940s. Ashley's older properties are clustered in the centre of the hamlet at the intersection of the roads and paths, with one of the oldest of these being a thatched cottage. Expanding outwards from the centre, the development has grown along Waldershare Road to the West and Chapel Lane to the east, which is the main road running through this settlement.
The buildings along "Waldershare Road consist mainly of detached bungalows, which are built on both sides of the road". "The facade of the road comprises hedge and brick walls, with all the houses being located further back from the road, behind small front gardens". In comparison, the houses which run along "Chapel Lane are detached modern bungalows, which are divided with two short terraces dating from the early 1900s". In comparison to "Waldershare Road, development has only occurred on one side of the road".
Maydensole and Napchester
The small hamlets of Maydensole and Napchester were founded around the farms after which they are named. Great Napchester Farm, founded before 1583, was altered many times in the 18th and 19th century, and is now a residential farm in a rural setting. Maydensole Farm was altered and extended to its present size in 1790; there have been minimal alterations since then.
Studdal
East Studdal, which has developed around the junction of Skraters Hill, Downs Road, Stoenheap Road and Homestead lane, lies in the centre of the parish and contains a community centre, playground, sports field, church hall and a small shop. Over the years, East Studdal has expanded slowly. Small developments were constructed for specific purposes, such as colliery or council houses. There is little litter, graffiti or vandalism. The building materials vary throughout the settlement, from stock bricks, red and brown clay and pebble dash, to textured concrete tiles and slates for roofs.
Stoneheap Road consists of individually designed residences, ranging from barn conversions to small bungalows. Houses along Dowsn Road are semi-detached and were built in the 1930s for colliery workers. Homestead Lane, the oldest part of the settlement, contains mostlyl stock brick dwellings.
Little Mongeham
The small hamlet of Little Mongeham contains sixteen houses on approximately 1000 acres of land. Once containing a parish church which was lost to ruin in the 18th century, the hamlet still contains a number of historic landmarks, such as Little Mongeham House, a striking brick built dwelling, topped by an unusual viaduct-style abutment between its chimney stacks. In comparison, Manor Farm has a Kent peg roof and is half clad in hanging clay tiles. Away from the cluster of older dwellings there are several modern bungalows, some of which are chalet style, which have been built from yellow stock bricks, with roofs composed mainly of slate or in some cases red clay titles.