Woodchurch, Kent

Woodchurch is a large civil parish in the Borough of Ashford, Kent, located six miles from Ashford and four miles from Tenterden. The village is notable for its Kentish smock windmill, known locally as The Twins, which offers extensive views over the Walland marshes towards the English Channel. The mill is open during summer and accessible via a footpath between the village pubs.

The parish stretches six miles north to south and four miles east to west, encompassing settlements such as Brattle and Townland Green. It lies on the edge of the Weald of Kent, with Shirley Moor and Romney Marsh to the south-west and wooded hills near Appledore to the south-east. The surrounding landscape is designated as a Kent Special Landscape Area.

At the heart of the village stands the 13th-century All Saints church, built from Kentish ragstone. It features a four-faced clock, an 18-inch-tilted spire, and a peal of six bells, some cast at the Whitechapel foundry. The church retains a 13th-century chancel and a 14th-century brass with a floriated cross design.

Community life centres around the village green, home to football and cricket clubs, a playground, tennis courts, and the Village Memorial Hall with a proscenium theatre used by the local Players organisation. Woodchurch also has a primary school dating back to 1844, a community centre hosting Scouts and Guides, and the Woodchurch Village Life Museum.

The village once had three pubs: The Bonny Cravat, The Six Bells, and The Stonebridge Inn. The Stonebridge Inn has since closed and been replaced by a care home. Woodchurch is also known for its Morris dancing side, the Woodchurch Morris Men, who continue the traditional dance since 1990.