N- Samuel Palmer

Shoreham Woods sits on the west side of the beautiful Darent Valley, overlooking Shoreham, a village that is rich in art history as it was the home of Victorian painter, Samuel Palmer. Samuel visited the area regularly with his father, who was invited to become a lay preacher at the Baptist Chapel in Otford in 1824. Palmer’s sketchbook from 1824 shows scenes of villages clustered in undulating landscapes, distant spires and sloping meadows, characteristic of the Darent Valley. He called this his “Valley of Vision” and “an earthly paradise”. Palmer purchased a run-down cottage, Water House, which he nicknamed "Rat Abbey", in 1826, and lived there until1835. This is where he produced two of his best known pastoral paintings: 'In a Shoreham Garden' and 'A Cornfield by Moonlight', both in watercolours. Palmer was often seen strolling around Shoreham’s hills and woods by day and night to paint and get inspiration. It is easy to imagine Sam wandering along this path, perhaps by moonlight, wearing his customary greatcoat with the oversized pockets for carrying his paints and brushes.