Toys Hill

Toys Hill
Viewpoint on Puddledock Lane
Toys Hill is located in Kent
Toys Hill
Toys Hill
Location within Kent
OS grid referenceTQ470513
Civil parish
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townWesterham
Postcode districtTN16
PoliceKent
FireKent
AmbulanceSouth East Coast
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Kent
51°14′31″N 0°06′14″E / 51.242°N 0.104°E / 51.242; 0.104

Toys Hill or Toy's Hill[1] is a hamlet in Brasted civil parish in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. It lies to the south of Brasted Chart, also in the parish.

The hamlet is on the steep scarp slope of the Greensand Ridge, a prominent escarpment principally formed of Lower Greensand sandstone. The escarpment here presents itself as a high, thickly wooded ridge running from west to east. It lies south of the North Downs, separated from the latter by the Vale of Holmesdale, and immediately north of the Weald of Kent, from which it is visible from many miles away, for example from Ashdown Forest in the High Weald. The summit of Toy's Hill, from which the hamlet takes its name, is 235 metres (771 ft) above mean sea level.

Within the hamlet there are outstanding views of the Weald from a terrace, which also includes a sunken well, on Puddledock Lane. The terrace was donated in 1898 by Octavia Hill, one of the founders of the National Trust, who lived at nearby Crockham Hill, and it was one of the National Trust's first properties.

The National Trust has since acquired considerably more land at Toys Hill through donations, culminating in 1981 with the acquisition of extensive woodlands through a special appeal, the final acquisition being called the Octavia Hill Woodland. The National Trust's Toys Hill estate now runs to more than 200 acres (81 ha) of woodland.[2]

The area has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of its abundant wildlife, and much of it is recognised as a Grade I site of national importance for nature conservation.

  1. ^ "Map of Toy's Hill". Streetmap.co.uk. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  2. ^ "Toys Hill | Kent". National Trust. Retrieved 27 March 2024.