Shoreham, village and civil parish in Kent, England, UK
Shoreham is a small civil parish and village in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England, situated beside the river Darent. The village has simple brick houses along quiet lanes and is surrounded by the North Downs hills.
The village was settled during the Stone Age, as shown by ancient tools and bones, but was not recorded in the Domesday Book of the 11th century. During the Second World War, it became the most bombed rural parish in Britain, earning the BBC nickname 'Bomb Alley'.
The name Shoreham comes from the Saxon word 'scor' meaning steep slope, reflecting the hilly landscape around the village. The three traditional pubs - The Samuel Palmer, The King's Arms, and The Crown - serve as gathering places where locals and visitors meet and share conversation.
The village is accessible by train and buses that connect Shoreham to Sevenoaks, Swanley, and London. The best time to visit is during the annual duck race on the river Darent or local history society events held throughout the year.
During the Second World War, a damaged German fighter plane crashed in fields near the village, and its crew was brought to a local pub before being taken away. This unusual event shows how Shoreham became caught up in the larger events of the war.
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