top of page
Open for business

Having had a market, since possibly before the Domesday Book, Lenham has a long history of being open for business. Today, Lenham village boasts a good selection of shops, most of them food outlets.

Lenham is one of the very few villages which still has a bakery. 

Bakery.png
IMG_1477-2.jpg
No 10.jpg
IMG_1469-2.jpg
cloks.jpg
Post Office.png
IMG_1482.jpg
solicitirs.png
IMG_1485.jpg

Many local businesses relate to agriculture and forestry, whether a farming business,  sawmill,  timber yard or workshop which services agricultural machinery.

Farming businesses are facing many challenges in 2021. It is unclear what the future holds for farming outside the EU. The new Agriculture Bill puts conservation at the top of the agenda and farmers are concerned about income and food security in the face of climate change and the growing world population. 

In addition, there is pressure from governmental bodies for new land to be brought forward to build more houses. There is also pressure from the leisure demands of an  increasing population and the rapidly growing use of footpaths and roads.

Most agricultural  businesses are somewhat hidden away from the main thoroughfares, as they usually operate on the land surrounding the village, hamlets and settlements which make up Lenham. 

Farming produce has to be transported to a merchant or end user. It can be quite a shock to a newcomer when a tractor or trailer with seemingly precariously laden timber or straw comes towards their car on a narrow lane!

Sometimes, however, the encounters are more enchanting, as can be seen in this video.

All Videos
Watch Now

As farming practices change, some of the farm buildings are no longer suitable for modern farm use.  Current governmental planning policies allow these buildings to change use to housing or to  businesses such as offices or industrial units, while new, larger agricultural barns are erected somewhere else. This is a mixed blessing in many people’s eyes, as more and more cars are forced to take narrow country lanes, many unsuitable for two-way traffic. Even on a short trip, drivers often have to reverse into the nearest lay-by.

But once upon a time things were different.......

Grants advertisement.png
Im19551212PH-Marley.jpg

There are also several large companies in Lenham and some of them have been here for a long time, Lenham Storage and Marley for example. Other companies, like Grant’s Morello Cherry Factory and Brake Brothers, have relocated and new businesses have settled in the Ashmill Business Park along the A20.

All of these businesses make important contributions to our village, as they provide local jobs to local people.

Lenham Storage.jpg
bottom of page