Bells Lane Tenterden
A medieval lane by the pelican crossing in the centre of Tenterden High Street leading out of Tenterden High Street, eventually reaching countryside - to Tenterden Cricket Ground and on to Smallhythe
As you enter the lane note the jetty overhanging the lane from the property to your right. This restaurant was formerly a coaching inn whose changing names (The Angel, Six Bells, Eight Bells) have over the centuries reflected its proximity and association with the church.
Bells Lane is bordered by 18th and 19th century cottages. Under one of these, Theatre Cottage, is a weatherboard-lined passage leading to Theatre Square, the site of the old Tenterden Theatre, built in 1794, and now divided into three cottages. Here, during the Napoleonic War, the officers from the Reading Street barracks socialised with the young ladies of the town. In later years the lane gained a reputation for drunkenness and immorality.
