Grange Lane

Info > Places > D-G

Grange Lane is one of Hartley's few true remaining country lanes. Starting from Hartley Court Cottage near the Church, it descends part way down the valley side between Foxborough Wood and Haley Shaw, before taking a sharp left turn to follow the edge of Foxborough Wood. The section by the wood has some of the finest views of the Hartley Bottom Valley. The road then takes a sharp right to go down to the valley floor and then up the opposite side to meet Hartley Bottom Road at Red Cow Farm.

Grange Lane - Section by Foxborough Wood

Grange Lane itself is a misnomer, caused by a misreading of the map. It is presumed the name they intended was Orange Lane after the name of the hill at the Red Cow Farm end of the road. I have not been able to find any early reference to the road being called this. Earlier references to the road have variously called it Red Cow Lane (1906), Red Cow Hill (1931, 1935), Foxborough Lane (1935) and Grange Hill (1939). It is not certain why the council settled on Grange Lane.

In 1929 the owner of Hillside House complained about the state of the road, Dartford Rural District Council said traffic on the road was too light to do anything about it then but they did conduct repairs in 1931. In 1935 the road was tarmaced for the first time. Kent County Council restricted heavy goods vehicles using Grange Lane in 1931 (following plans in 1929) but rescinded the order in 1965. However a weight limit of 7.5 tonnes was brought in by the council in 1996.

Grange Lane has only three properties built along it, the c19th Hartley Court Cottages and two built on Small Owners plots - Hillside House and Hartley Dell. Most of the land that borders the road is farmland or woodland.

Grange Lane: views

(L) Hartley Court Cottage (R) Hillside House from Goldsmiths Shaw

Statistics about the road

Subject	Notes
Length of Road	0.60 miles (959m)
Classification	U12965 Unclassified single carriageway (adopted)
Area	75.81 acres (30.68 ha)
Houses	2 detached houses 1 detached bungalow
Housing Density	0 houses per acre (0.1 houses / ha)
Population (2011)	7

Information about the houses

Last updated 29.6.2025

Explanation:

This is information collected from various sources about the houses, divided as follows:

(1) Description - this has mostly been drawn from sale adverts and observation from the road. Names of properties are included if the road is not numbered or the name appears as well as the number in the offical Royal Mail address. Changes of name and the date, where known, are also included here. Area measurements can be done in a number of ways, so may get differing results.

(2) Building History - the date of construction is sometimes approximate as it is based on the property appearing in the electoral register or the subject of a planning permission etc.

(3) Rates and Council Tax - the rates registers for 1956, 1963 and 1972 are held by Sevenoaks Council. I have included the gross rateable value, that is the amount it was thought the property could be rented out for. For some reason the 1956 valuation is actually what the rental would have been in 1939. The rateable value was then subject to certain statutory deductions and this figure is what people paid rates upon. Council tax was introduced in 1993, the value was (and still is) what it was believed the property would have sold for on 1 April 1991. However significant building works means it can be increased when the property is next sold and this is shown by "improvement indicator".

(4) Sales and Rents - mostly from property adverts and Land Registry records. Of course those based on adverts may not be the price it actually sold for. There are some cases of property valuations for mortgages from Dartford Rural District Council. House price data 1995 to date produced by Land Registry © Crown copyright 2023. To report an error, go to <a href="https://help.landregistry.gov.uk/app/contactus_changesales">Change a sales record form</a>.

(5) Site history - this contains a selection of records which demonstrate which farm and field the property stands upon.

I have tried to make sure the information is accurate, but no responsibility can be taken for any errors. If you plan to rely on the information, you should check the source data to be sure. If you spot an error, please let me know via the <a href="http://www.hartley-kent.org.uk/feedback.htm">contact form</a>.

Grange Lane

Hartley Court Cottage Grange Lane DA3 8LH

Building History

1858 First Built

1976 Planning Application: (GRANTED) 1976/676 Replacement Detached Domestic Double Garage And Utility Room

Rates and Council Tax

1956 Gross Rateable Value: £44

1963 Gross Rateable Value: £106

1972 Gross Rateable Value: £395

1993 Council Tax: G (£160-320K)

Sales and Rents

1917 Sale Price: £120 (1 Jul 1917)

1938 Sale Price: £1500 (1 Jun 1938) Annual percentage change since 1900: +13%

Site History

Hillside House Grange Lane DA3 8LH

Detached house

Former Name(s): Irene House (to 1956)

Building History

1921 First Built

1974 Planning Application: (GRANTED) 1974/404 ERECTION OF A KITCHEN AND STUDY EXTENSION AT FRONT OF DWELLING

1976 Planning Application: (GRANTED) 1976/993 Double Domestic Garage At Front Of Dwelling

1982 Planning Application: (GRANTED) 1982/955 Two Storey Extension To Dwelling

Rates and Council Tax

1956 Gross Rateable Value: £35

1963 Gross Rateable Value: £90

1972 Gross Rateable Value: £217

1993 Council Tax: G (£160-320K)

Sales and Rents

1905 Sale Price: £1150 (5 Apr 1905)

Site History

1392 Part of a 30 acre field called "Eyleye", part of Hartley Court Estate

The Dell Grange Lane DA3 8LH

Detached bungalow

Building History

1933 First Built

1933 Planning Application: (GRANTED) 1933/Meeting 1933-08-01 Brick Bungalow (Hartley Hill)

1973 Planning Application: (GRANTED) 1973/Meeting Jul 73 Construct bedrooms in roof space

Rates and Council Tax

1956 Gross Rateable Value: £28

1963 Gross Rateable Value: £72

1972 Gross Rateable Value: £432

1993 Council Tax: G (£160-320K)

Sales and Rents

Site History

1844 Part of a 17 acre field called "The Valley", part of the Hartley Court Estate