Underriver Village

St Julian's Club

St Julians Club, Sevenoaks, Kent
Tel: 01732 458 261 Fax: 01732 465 788
E-Mail : info@stjulians.co.uk
Website

St Julians is an exclusive country club in Underriver. Boasting some of the most impressive views in Kent, extensive gardens and woodlands, swimming pools, tennis courts, art exhibitions, a restaurant, bar and conference rooms this is a very desirable place to be!

St Julians is a private members club surrounded by beautiful woodlands criss-crossed with walks. There is a bar, restaurant, heated outdoor swimming pools and tennis courts. Children are always welcome.

Facilities are available for family parties and functions, including wedding receptions, business meetings, exhibitions, training sessions, and conferences. For details please contact Nell Morgan (e-mail or Tel : 01732 458261 or Fax : 01732 465788).

There is also a lovely Day-Nursery for children aged from six months to school-age. For details please call Fran Bullen (e-mail or Tel : 01732 458261 or Fax : 01732 465788).

The view from the house is of the Kentish Weald, stretching beyond Hadlow as far as Pembury and Ashdown forest, is featured in a well-known Rowland Hilder painting.

St Julians History
St Julians was built in the early nineteenth century by the Herries family who lived in the house continuously until after the Second World War.

In 1951 it was extremely difficult for wives and mothers who were professionally trained to continue their careers, particularly before the advent of Play Groups, Mother & Baby Groups, etc. So St Julians was bought by a group of families and individuals with a view to providing nursery facilities to allow mothers to work part or full time if they wished to do so. The second important motive was to provide restaurant and leisure facilities for people living at St Julians and their friends.

A Members' Club was formed in 1956 with the provision of a bar. The Club developed rapidly when the main outdoor swimming pool was opened in 1963. The west field was acquired in 1967 and the woods, purchased in 1983, make a total of some 78 acres. It is now a Proprietor's Club and owned overall by a Trust.

Facilities are available for family parties and various functions, including wedding receptions, exhibitions and conferences. From 1984 to 1994 there was an indoor heated exercise pool with sauna which we hope to reinstate. The remainder of the house is converted into flats and many of the residents work within the organisation. A day nursery opens every weekday for three month to five year olds.

The White Rock Inn

The White Rock Inn, Underriver, Sevenoaks, Kent TN15 0SB (01732  833112)             

The White Rock is Underriver's excellent local and restaurant. It is a free house tenancy run by Frank and Maria.

The oldest part of the Inn dates back to 1820, although there has been a building on the site for many hundreds of years. No records now exist, but scholars believe this too was an Inn, as the village was close to the main trading routes between Dover, Canterbury and London.

The Restaurant has been enlarged over the years and enjoys a very good reputation for home cooked daily specials and a fine selection of traditional real ales. It is available for private parties of up to 30 people with a variety of special menus, while the large barbecue area is ideal for functions which can be catered for by arrangement.

Facilities at the White Rock include a full a-la-carte menu and bar meals in two dining areas. There is ample parking and children are welcome. Games and activities include a Bat and Trap pitch (available to private parties), pool table and darts.

The White Rock Inn supports the Sevenoaks and District Bat and Trap League. Find out more at www.batandtrap.org.uk.

About Underriver

The name of the hamlet of Underriver in Kent is derived from the original "sub le ryver", which translates to "under the hill" ... a very apt title given its situation at the base of One Tree Hill leading up to the nearby town of Sevenoaks.

Originally a part of the adjoining Seal Parish, Underriver became a Parish in its own right in 1867 after the building of its own Church, St Margaret’s.

Although there is evidence of Saxon field names, the earliest settlements were probably Romschedde Manor, and the manor of Shoads (replaced in the 18th century by Underriver House). Romschedde Manor was extant in the early 13th century and the name survives in today’s Romshed Farm. By the end of the 13th century, yeoman farmers had established several substantial farmsteads, probably attracted by the abundance of spring water. Evidence of the original dwellings is still visible in the houses today.

500 years of undisturbed agricultural activity followed with the development of crops, orchards and hop gardens. The hamlet was designated "The Golden Valley" by the 19th century visionary painter Samuel Palmer.

During the 19th and early 20th century, Underriver was a very active community centre in its own right. The village had a school, a forge, a post office, a pub and a church, all this based heavily on agriculture to support it.

Underriver Today

Sadly, with the advent of the motor car and the drive towards efficiency of the late 20th century, only the Pub and the Church remain today, the other buildings having been converted into housing.

However, the village’s long history has led to the presence of a large number of old buildings (many of them listed) which lends it a unique atmosphere. There are also still a number of active farms in the area. And of course, Underriver’s community spirit is far from gone, as you will be able to see from this web site!