Source of the name "Pauls" Hill

The name derives from the de Polle family who were resident in the Tonbridge area in the 13th century, and recorded 1258 and 1280 documents.  In 1307 William de Polle and his wife Cecilia bought Pauls Farm, consisting of a house and 300 acres, from Ralph de Chaney of Hall Place.  By 1399 the de Polle family had acquired the Manorial Rights of East Leigh (sometimes called Pauls Leigh).                                   Source: Biddle, page 36

Pauls Hill during the war

The Doodlebugs (V1 rockets) were some of the most terrifying weapons used during the war.  They were first used against London during June 1944, as the D-day landings started. Leigh was on the route from some of the launching sites in France and London.  The first ones to pass over Leigh were on June 15, 1944, and are recorded in the ARP logbook.   Defence forms included barrage balloons (including in Leigh), anti aircraft guns along Powder Mill Lane  and fighters which either shot down the V1s or nudged the V1 to cause it to crash short of London.  On 4 August 1944 at 8:25pm a fighter pursued a flying bomb across the Medway, firing two cannon birsts that ripped the engine off the V1.  The warhead plunged into the Paul's Hill hop garden and exploded with tremendous force. The blast tore a 25 foot crater in the hop garden and Pauls Hill house was damaged; windows were smashed in the village high street.                     Source: Witzel, pages 54-61

Sources:

Leigh in Kent 1550 to 1900, Lawrence Biddle 1991

Leigh Rowley

Leigh in the War  1939-1945, Morgen Witzel 1993