Shorne Common Rough is a triangular area of around 5 acres of natural woodland, bounded by The Ridgeway to the south, Woodlands Lane to the west, and footpath NS162 running between them. Originally part of the Earl of Darnley’s estate, it was then much more open than it is today, and footpath NS162 was then a cart track, known as Sand Pit Lane. There was also a pathway (known as Sandy Lane).
Shorne Common Rough was the site of a sand and gravel quarry. Rumour has it that the sand was used for the bunkers in the new Rochester & Cobham Park Golf Course. The sand pit was a great attraction for young children, and in 1929 tragedy struck when two children from Shorne died when the sand pit collapsed onto them.
During the Second World War, the army set up camp in Shorne Common Rough and surrounding areas, and the quarry was put into use as an assault course.
During the 1940s, the land was vested in a trust company set up by the Earl of Darnley and the Cobham Hall Estate Company, and in 1951 it was transferred to Childs Trustee Company, and then to Williams & Glyn’s Trust Company in 1970. Kent County Council had lost track of this and registered the land as a village green with no registered owner. In 1981, it was legally established that the Williams & Glyn’s Trust Company was lawful owner of the land, and in 1983 the land was sold to Shorne Parish Council for the princely sum of £500.
Set within Kent Downs National Landscape, Shorne Common Rough now has a small parking/turning entrance in Woodlands Lane, although the land is not fenced and can be accessed on foot from most parts of Woodlands Lane, The Ridgeway, or footpath NS162. There is a small grassed picnic area, but the woodland is mainly left in its natural state. The old sand pit/assault course is popular with off-road cyclists.
