Benenden Village Trust

For those of you who are not aware of the nature of the two open structures which are situated on the crossroads at Benenden and at Iden Green, these are the Queen’s Wells built for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in 1887 (Benenden) and Diamond Jubilee (Iden Green) in 1897. They are each constructed using large oak timbers and built on moulded stone padstones and have a tiled roof. They were listed Grade II in 1993 by Historic England.

Unfortunately, they have deteriorated through beetle infestation and inclement weather over time, to such an extent that they now require major attention, in order to restore them to their former glory. They require specialist craftsmen to cut out any affected timber, replace any of the cracked stone padstones and the rusted steel pins which locate the timber columns to the padstones and which have caused the padstones to crack. The Parish Council has allocated £10,000 towards the cost of restoration, but there remains a significant shortfall between the restoration cost (around £30,000) and the sum available from council funds. The Parish Council has sought the possibility of grant application but the Wells did not satisfy the conditions of any of the grant bodies approached.

We are therefore seeking donations from anyone who is able to assist in and help the parish achieve its target.