Preserving Bexon's heritage
Published
Tuesday 21 October, 2025
Updated
Tuesday 21 October, 2025
Have your say on how Swale Borough Council protects a historically important area in Sittingbourne.
The council is proposing to create a new conservation area surrounding the hamlet of Bexon, near Bredgar, to preserve its special character, and make sure any future changes are sympathetic to its past.
Despite the medieval village’s small size, it contains five well-preserved Grade II listed buildings - Bexon Court, The Malthouse, an ancient barn, Yew Tree Cottage and Bexon Manor - which the original farming settlement would have been built around.
There is a variety of traditional building styles which reflect the history and development of the areas, boasting a unique mix of thatched roofing, timber framing and red brick, and sits within the beautiful Kent Downs National Landscape.
The idyllic village is named after the manor’s fourteenth century owners the Bexon family, believed to originate from the word “Baxon”, or bakestone which is used for baking over an open fire.
Cllr Mike Baldock, Swale’s Heritage Champion, said:
“Bexon boasts beautiful rural surroundings, sitting within the Kent Downs, and has a great mix of historically important architecture all contributing to the charm of the hamlet.
“The listed buildings within the area are in fantastic condition, including the manor house, and offers a unique window into Swale’s incredible past, and we want to keep it this way.
“Bexon is also home to a number of non-designated, but equally important, historical assets that feature on our heritage list, which we are also currently looking to expand.
“These conservation areas give us additional tools to not only protect our cherished heritage from unsympathetic development but also improve and enhance their important character.
“Please let us know what you think about the new Bexon Conservation Area, with your help and local knowledge we can make sure the area encapsulates and protects what matters most to you.”
Conservation areas are deemed to be areas of architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance.
This designation includes special protections, such as:
- the council having authority over most building demolitions
- the council having additional control over householder development
- trees within conservation areas being safeguarded
- the need to consider importance of preserving or enhancing the character and appearance when reviewing planning applications
- implementing policies that actively promote development that preserves or enhances the character and appearance of the conservation area
Each conservation area has a character appraisal and management plan, which is used to inform planning decisions, planning policy making, and proposals that enhance or regenerate the conservation area.
You can have your say on the Bexon Aonservation Area here, by 10 December 2025.
