2003, uses the Cricket Pavilion as its playing venue. The chess club has been national champions in two sections of the National Chess Club Championship. Notable people The postal pioneer Thomas Fletcher Waghorn (1800–50), shortened the mail route to India from three months to between 35 and 45 days by going through the Egyptian desert. He is buried in the churchyard. The white reggae singer Judge Dread (real name Alex Hughes, 1945–98) lived in Snodland. Alex Hughes Close is now named after him. Several Judge Dread songs refer to Snodland, such as "Belle of Snodland Town" and "Last Tango in Snodland". Cultural references Samuel Beckett referred to the town in his short play Play of 1963. It is believed that Beckett found Snodland while examining a local map of the area whilst staying in Kent. "Before I could do anything he disappeared. That meant she had won. That slut! I couldn't credit it. I lay stricken for weeks. Then I drove over to her place. It was all bolted and barred. All grey with frozen dew. On the way back by Ash and Snodland" The British jazz/rock band Soft Machine included a track titled Snodland on their 1973 album Seven. See also Dode, Kent – an extinct village in the hills above Snodland that was wiped out by the Black Death. References Further reading "A village sacrificed to industry", by Stephen Rayner, Memories page, Medway News, August 2003. External links Snodland Town Council Snodland Historical Society have far more detail on the town's history Kent Rail – history of the railway in Snodland Snodland Community Centre Towns in Kent Civil parishes in Kent Tonbridge and Malling