Dunk's Green is a tranquil hamlet in the heart of rural Kent
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Mr Dunk was a local merchant who made his money in the early 16th Century, building his family home, now called the Roses, in about 1550. When the hamlet became “Dunk’s Green" is not clear, but the pub was built just a few years later, and, unusually, has been an ale-house and tavern from the outset.
It was called the Red Lion (still today the most popular pub name in the country) until 1867 when it was changed to the Kentish Rifleman, probably to boost its image as a militia recruitment post.
Dunk’s Green is in the parish of Shipbourne, and both are classified as areas of outstanding beauty; the walks and the views are both plentiful and exceptional. The famous Battle of Dunk's Green... if you want to find out more, you'll have to visit the pub!
Just down the road from the pub, on the River Bourne, is the site of the old paper mill, a substantial employer through the 19th and well into the 20th century. The other source of employment has been from the fields, with hop picking now a thing of the past, but soft fruit farming still thriving.