Editing Hawkhurst (section)

== Notable buildings==

In 1886, the largest [[Barnardo's]] home for orphans under six years old was built in Hawkhurst, caring for hundreds of babies.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Higginbotham |first1=Peter |title=Babies' Castle, Hawkhurst, Kent |url=http://www.childrenshomes.org.uk/HawkhurstDB/ |website=childrenshomes.org.uk |access-date=11 September 2022}}</ref> It was known as Babies' Castle, and followed nine inspiring principles, known as "The Nine Nos":

:# No destitute child refused
:# No Race Barrier
:# No Creed Clause
:# No Physical Disability
:# No Age Limit
:# No Money Promise
:# No Voting
:# No Waiting
:# No Red Tape

Unfortunately, the building stood neglected for many years and was eventually redeveloped into a care home for the elderly, Hawkhurst House, in 2017.

In 1903 Gunther and his wife Leonie bought the Tongswood Estate. When he died in 1935, the house, dating from the 1860s, was sold and became [[St Ronan's School]]. Earlier owners of Tongswood were the Dunks family, who lived there from about 1500–1750. Sir Thomas Dunk, a wealthy clothier, who died in 1718, bequeathed enough money to build [[almshouses]] for six 'decayed housekeepers' (three men and three women) and a village school, plus enough money to buy lands to generate a steady income.

In 1875, the Victoria Lecture Hall was built by Henry Maynard "for the good of the village". It now houses Kino, a digital cinema.

===Churches===
Hawkhurst has several churches. The parish church of St Laurence stands at the south end of the village known as [[Hawkhurst Moor|The Moor]], which is the older part of Hawkhurst. It falls within the [[Diocese of Canterbury]], and has as patron the Dean and Chapter of [[Christ Church, Oxford]]. It is likely that a church has stood on this site since 1100, or even earlier. After the [[Battle of Hastings]] [[William the Conqueror|William I]] gave the Manor of Wye, with rights over a large part of the parish, to the [[Abbot of Battle]]. The first mention of the church is in the charter of 1285, and its first rector was Richard de Clyne in 1291. The Chancel and North Chapel are the oldest parts of the church. The Great East Window was built about 1350 and has been described as one of the finest pieces of architecture in the country. Most of the rest of the church dates from around 1450, when the nave was lengthened and raised, the aisles, porches and tower added, and it took on its present appearance. The room over the North porch was used by [[Battle Abbey]] officials for rent collecting, and used to be called "The Treasury". In 1574, [[Eucharist|communion]] rails were introduced at a cost of 53 shillings, to keep communicants from the altar, the first parish church in England to have done so.{{Citation needed|date=April 2019}}

In 1944 a German [[flying bomb]] fell in the churchyard, causing considerable damage, and the church was put out of action until 1957. Part of the flying bomb can be seen on the south side at the back of the church.

There is a Roman Catholic church in the High Street, dedicated to St Barnabas, but, apart from Sunday, services are now held at the sister church in [[Goudhurst]]. An active Baptist Church is in Cranbrook Road, built partly on the site of the original [[Rootes Group|Rootes]] cycle factory.  A Methodist church on Highgate Hill is now being converted to a domestic dwelling: the congregation now holds services in Dunk's Almshouses. 

All Saints' Church, Rye Road was a former chapel of ease for St Laurence's at Highgate.  Built in 1861 by Sir George Gilbert Scott, the Church sits on the Highgate ridge with its spire visible from some distance.  Grade II listed, the property is a local landmark that sat derelict for over two decades, but has now been sympathetically restored and converted into a number of private apartments.

===Hospital===
Hawkhurst Community Hospital (formerly the Cottage Hospital) provides 22 beds for patients who do not need to be in an acute hospital.<ref>https://www.nhs.uk/Services/hospitals/Overview/DefaultView.aspx?id=46263 "NHS Hawkhurst Hospital"</ref>