Etchinghill Bench

Commissioned in 2018 in celebration of the Kent Downs AONB's 50th anniversary and the North Downs Way National Trail's 40th anniversary, this magnificent bench has been installed on Ministry of Defence land near the Tolsford Hill Radio mast on the outskirts of Etchinghill.

Measuring 2 metres long and crafted from English Oak from the Kent Downs AONB, it is inscribed with a quote from Shakespeare’s Richard II; “This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England."

With panoramic views across to Summerhouse Hill with its dry valleys and chalk grassland, the bench invites you to stop, ponder and to gaze across the English Channel; it's the perfect spot for The Bards’ words.

The bench creation and installation was made possible through working with the Ministry of Defence and The White Cliffs Countryside Partnership, and would have not been possible without funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and The North Downs Way National Trail.