Taken from "A History of Sevenoaks" by Janet Davies:
The Seven Oaks
We know that Sevenoaks town was named after a group of oak trees...
... In 1902 seven oaks were planted on the north side of the Vine cricket ground to commemorate the coronation of King Edward VII. During the Great Storm of 1987, six of the Vine trees were blown down. Replacement trees were planted but were vandalised, leaving just one mature tree standing. The other six trees were again replaced and eight oak trees now grow along the ege of the Vine.
It was the town's position high up on the Greensand Ridge that led to so much damage taking place in Sevenoaks. One million trees blew down across the Sevenoaks district, including 70% of the trees in Knole Park. Power lines came down, houses were destroyed and 900 miles of road around the District were blocked by fallen trees.
The Vine Cricket Ground
The Vine cricket ground is one of the oldest cricket venues in the country. It's htough that i might once have been a small vineyard owned by the Archbishop of Canterbury. That's how this piece of land got its name.
By 1734, the land was very neglected. The owner, John Frederick Sackville, the third duke of Dorset, was a keen cricketer and he turned the Vine into a cricket pitch. He decided to give the land to the town of Sevenoaks. It was agreed tha tthe Vine Cricket Club would pay a rent of two peppercorns a year to the town - one for the ground and one for hte pavilion that had been built.
During the First World War, the Vine cricket pitch became a parade ground, and the Vine Pavilion was used as a canteen for the troops.