LATEST NEWS: New floral arrangements outlet at former Chocolate Box - New 'gateways' installed at three village entrances - New station master appointed at Hamstreet station

The Kentish village of Hamstreet is affectionately known as ‘the gateway to the marsh’, being located six miles south of Ashford where the ridge of clay hills meets the flat expanses of Romney Marsh, an area once awash with smuggling. The village was bypassed in 1994, but remains an important junction and is twinned with the little town of Therouanne (link here) in France. Therouanne was once a city with a cathedral which was sacked by the troops of Henry V. The stone canonball near the flagpole in Hamstreet was a gift from the mayor of the twin town, presented with the words 'You can have your cannonball back!' More local history can be perused on the Forge Gardens noticeboard and at the station.

Traditional weather-board buildings and a generally unspoilt appearance make the place well worth a detour from the beaten track. Three long distance footpaths pass through the village; one follows the peaceful banks of the Royal Military Canal - the UK's third longest defensive structure, and two pass through the expansive deciduous woodland that is Hamstreet Woods. A walk incorporating both the canal and the woods was featured in the 'Top 50 best summer walks in Britain' in the Independent newspaper. A second area of public woodland is located northeast of the village at Orlestone Forest.

To get a reasonably accurate population for the village, add together the populations of Orlestone and Warehorne, for the ancient boundary runs through Hamstreet itself. This amounts to almost 2,000 people. Orlestone is the original location of the village - now just a hamlet, a mile to the north, centred around the eleventh century parish church of St Mary. The Church of the Good Shepherd is a more modern place of worship in the village's High Street and the ancient church of St Augustine's in Snave also comes under Hamstreet and holds one service annually at harvest festival. The church in Warehorne is dedicated to St Matthew.

Post Office/supermarket - open until 10pm daily - includes fresh butcher's meat and vegetables in its range (The Street)

Old Schoolhouse Indian restaurant - also provides a takeaway service (The Street)

Floral arrangements shop (The Street)

DIY/joinery store (The Street)

Beauty therapy centre (The Street)

Garage (Marsh Road)

Dog grooming centre (Marsh Road)

Garden centre - includes cafe (Marsh Road)

Hardware/cycle shop (Ruckinge Road)

Dancing school (Ruckinge Road)

Doctor’s surgery - declared the best surgery in Britain for customer care in 2005 (Ruckinge Road)

School (Ashford Road)

Hairdresser (Warehorne Road)

Estate agent (Warehorne Road)

Dentist (Warehorne Road)

Antiques dealership (Warehorne Road)

Meadow View Industrial Estate - contains several businesses - located half a mile out of the village towards Ruckinge.

Duke’s Head - serves take-away fish and chips 6pm-8pm Tues-Sat (The Street)

Woolpack Inn (Warehorne)

World’s Wonder Restaurant (Warehorne)

Blue Anchor (Ruckinge)

White Horse (Bilsington)

The village also has a tennis courts/games area, a bowling green and a hot-air-ballooning company which regularly launches from the football field, as well as a full range of Scout and Guide associations (shared with Ruckinge). Other local organisations include the Royal British Legion, village history society, children's football coaching (Sats - Pound Leas), bowls club (Fri in summer), short mat bowls (Tues & Fri - Hall), mother and toddler group (Weds - Hall), Margaret Morris exercise (Mons - Hall), Zumba fitness (Mons - School), Jo Jingles children's classes (Mons - Hall), dog training (Thurs - Hall), coffee mornings (Fri - Church), lunch club (Weds - Church), line dancing (Weds - Hall), table tennis (winter Fridays - Hall), over 60s (Fri - Hall), cell groups (Church), coffee mornings (Fri- church), WI (Mons - Hall), Tai Chi (Thurs - Hall) and much more.

The Victory Hall committee and sports and leisure association run many local events. A new pavilion augments the flood-lit 'multi-use games area' and football field as the result of many years of fundraising. The Festival of Transport takes place every June. This was featured in a Life TV (Sky) documentary programme.in 2009. There are also regular 'bikejumble' events on the same field for petrol heads.

A request for staffing of Hamstreet railway station after six months of closure in the late 1990s, suggestions for an annual village bonfire (made with many other villagers), a request for more trains to operate from Hamstreet during a review of the line in 2005, support for the Indian takeaway, support for increased pub licensing hours (in line with other local rural pubs), the suggestion of a plaque depicting points of interest on the village sign, support for Hamstreet Surgery to expand, support for proposed fish and chip shop to be given planning permission, campaign for a return to full staffing at Hamstreet railway station in 2012/13 and promotion of the village locally as a rural tourism destination.

A request for the authorities to act to save Hamstreet's final filling station from closure in 2001, a suggestion for brown 'local services' signs on the bypass to encourage greater use of amenities, a request for Hamstreet to be linked to the national cycle network with an official route to Ashford and along the canal to Ruckinge (currently in limbo), a request for tax discs to be made available at the village Post Office, a suggestion of improved road signage for the village, plus a suggestion of a questionaire seeking the views of the whole village to reduce opposition to new amenities (2007).