- published: 01 May 2010
- views: 1644
- author: RogerSheldonUK
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- A225 road
- A25 road
- Ash, Sevenoaks
- Ashford (borough)
- Ashford, Kent
- Badgers Mount
- Baron Sackville
- Basil Copper
- BBC London
- BBC Radio Kent
- Blue Bell Hill
- Blue Peter
- Borough Green
- Bough Beech
- BP
- Brasted
- Brasted Chart
- Broadstairs
- Bypass (road)
- Canterbury
- Caron Keating
- Charing Cross
- Chartwell
- Chatham, Kent
- Chevening, Kent
- Chiddingstone
- Chiddingstone Hoath
- Chipstead, Kent
- Church of England
- City of Canterbury
- Commuter town
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- Cowden
- Cranbrook, Kent
- Cricket
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- Dartford (borough)
- Deal, Kent
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- Dover (district)
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- Edenbridge, Kent
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A225 road
The A225 road runs in a north-south direction, connecting Dartford with Sevenoaks in Kent, England. For much of its journey it follows the valley of the River Darenth.
The road begins in Dartford, leading out of the town in a southerly direction from the A226 ring-road passing along Lowfield Street. It then crosses the Dartford bypass road at a major junction. Interestingly the road from this junction until its junction to the M25, Princes Road, is also called the A225. Next is the junction to Wilmington and the road now becomes Hawley Road; before reaching that village it passes under both the A2 and the M25; there are no junctions with either. 4 miles (6.4 km) from its start, the A225 passes Sutton-at-Hone village; most of the following villages are not on the main road, but are located to the east on the river itself. Here the railway line crosses the road by a high brick viaduct at Farningham Road railway station. Horton Kirby village is next; the M20 motorway crosses overhead, again with no junction to the A225; and the road enters a roundabout junction with the A20 road, to lose its identity for a short distance as it follows the latter in an easterly direction, before a turning off once more to the south.
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A25 road
The A25 road is one of the three cross-country two-digit numbered roads in the southeast of England, the others being the A26 from Newhaven to Maidstone and the A27 along the south coast. It carries traffic from Guildford in Surrey through Dorking, and thence eastward along the southern edge of the North Downs, to reach Maidstone in Kent. En route, the road passes through Reigate, Redhill, Nutfield, Bletchingley, Godstone, Oxted, Westerham, Brasted, Sevenoaks and Borough Green. A short distance beyond Borough Green, at Wrotham Heath, the A25 ends at a junction with the A20, which continues eastward towards Maidstone.
Most of the route, apart from those places where the modern road uses bypasses, follows the erstwhile turnpikes, brought into being in the 18th Century. Many of the inns along its path were one time staging inns. One of the earliest sections of the M25 motorway runs parallel and to the north of the A25: hence the London Orbital Road was numbered M25.
Its route lies just south of the ancient Pilgrims' Way.
wn.com/A25_road -
Ash, Sevenoaks
Coordinates: 51°21′01″N 0°18′56″E / 51.350250°N 0.315530°E / 51.350250; 0.315530
Ash is a small village located in the Sevenoaks district in Kent. It shares the parish of Ash-cum-Ridley with the nearby village of Ridley. The London Golf Club is located in the village, which hosted the European Open on the PGA European Tour in 2008 and 2009.
wn.com/Ash,_Sevenoaks -
Ashford (borough)
The Borough of Ashford is a local government district and borough in Kent, England. Its council is based in the town of Ashford.
The borough was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the borough of Tenterden with Ashford urban district, and the East Ashford, West Ashford and Tenterden Rural Districts. In size it is the largest council in Kent.
Although a large part of the Borough is still mainly rural, that around Ashford is undergoing a complete change, since it is fast becoming an industrial and commercial centre. The corridor caused by the M20 motorway and High Speed 1 and its railway station have led to much hitherto agricultural land being turned to other uses.
In 1801, the population of Ashford and Willesborough was 2,600; in 1861 this had more than tripled to 8,800; by 1901 12,808 and in 1961 the figure was 28,000. The census, for the wider Borough of Ashford, in 1991 showed the total number of persons as 92,331 and by 2001 it had risen to 102,661. Kent County Council's mid year estimated population, for 2004 is 107,700 showing substantial continued growth in the size of the town, the most growth in Kent. The County Council's population forecasts for 2011 and 2016 are 119,600 and 129,000 giving an increase of 25.2% since 2001. Ashford Borough Council predicts that the growth will continue to rise to 141,100 by the year 2021.
wn.com/Ashford_(borough) -
Ashford, Kent
Coordinates: 51°08′47″N 0°52′03″E / 51.1465°N 0.8676°E / 51.1465; 0.8676
Ashford is a town in the borough of Ashford in Kent, England. In 2005 it was voted the fourth-best place to live in the United Kingdom. It lies on the Great Stour river, the M20 motorway, and the South Eastern Main Line and High Speed 1 railways. Its agricultural market is one of the most important in the county. Ashford is a relatively common English placename: it goes back to Old English æscet, indicating a ford near a clump of ash-trees.
The motto of Ashford Borough Council is "With stronger faith", taken from, To Lucasta, Going to the Warres, a poem by the 17th century poet Richard Lovelace from the borough, the relevant verse being
As a market town, Ashford has for centuries been a local communications hub for surrounding villages and has stood at the centre of five railway lines, (Ashford to Ramsgate (via Canterbury West) line, Swanley to Ashford (via Maidstone East) Line, South Eastern Main Line, Kent Coast Line and the Marshlink Line) since the 19th century. With the opening of the international passenger station is now an important European communications centre, with new lines running between London and the Channel Tunnel (via High Speed 1).
wn.com/Ashford,_Kent -
Badgers Mount
Coordinates: 51°20′31″N 0°08′42″E / 51.341932°N 0.145026°E / 51.341932; 0.145026
Badgers Mount is a village in Kent, south-east England, situated approximately 4 miles (6 km) south-east of Orpington and 4 miles (6 km) north-northwest of Sevenoaks. It is part of the Sevenoaks district, and is also in the parish of St Margaret's Church and civil parish of Shoreham.
Knockholt railway station is approximately one mile north-west of the village.
Media related to Badgers Mount at Wikimedia Commons
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Blue Bell Hill
Blue Bell Hill is a chalk hill between Maidstone and Rochester in the English county of Kent. It overlooks the River Medway and is part of the North Downs. Settlements on the hill include Walderslade; and Blue Bell Hill and Kit's Coty villages. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries much of the hill was quarried for chalk.
The south west side of Blue Bell Hill is a Site of Special Scientific Interest as it harbours several rare plant species. A picnic area serves as a rest point for walkers on the North Downs Way which runs along the top of the hill whilst the prehistoric trackway of the Pilgrims' Way skirts its foot. A modern crematorium also surmounts the hill.
The A229 dual carriageway follows the route of a former Roman road and climbs the hill, today linking the M2 and M20 motorways. High Speed 1 also runs beneath the hill, via the North Downs Tunnel, and archaeological work in advance of it uncovered a Neolithic long house on its slopes.
The Bluebell Hill transmitting station is located on the hill.
wn.com/Blue_Bell_Hill -
Blue Peter
Blue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time. The show uses a studio for the main format of the presenting; there is also a garden, often referred to as 'The Blue Peter Garden', that is used during the summer months or used when they are showing any outside activities. The current presenters are Helen Skelton and Barney Harwood.
On 29 March 2011, Blue Peter became the first programme in the UK to broadcast an entire show in 360 degrees on the web. Viewers were able to watch the programme via their TVs and simultaneously interact with the television studio in front and behind the cameras on the website. Viewers were also challenged to play a game where they had to find particular crew members and staff dressed up in distinctive costumes. On 16 May 2012, the BBC announced that they would no longer broadcast children's TV on BBC one and the show would only be seen on CBBC.
wn.com/Blue_Peter -
Borough Green
Coordinates: 51°17′29″N 0°18′22″E / 51.291300°N 0.306200°E / 51.291300; 0.306200
Borough Green is a large village and civil parish in the Tonbridge and Malling District of Kent, England. The main village is situated on the A25 road between Maidstone and Sevenoaks in Kent.
The village's name describes what it originally was - the green to which the people of what was then the borough of Wrotham went for recreation. There is also a view that "borough", which predates any borough council in the area, relates to barrow, possibly referring to the Roman remains near the station site. Its location at a crossroads (the old route from Gravesend to Hastings crossed here) meant that inns were gradually opened:
Great Comp, an early 17th-century house, is located in the parish of St Mary's Platt, one mile to the east of the village. Its gardens, administered by a charitable trust, are open to the public.
The London, Chatham and Dover Railway opened its line to Maidstone on 1 June 1874, and a station named Wrotham and Borough Green was built. Later the names were reversed to Borough Green & Wrotham reflecting the fact that the station was in Borough Green, whereas Wrotham is some miles to the north. The reversal also reflected Borough Green's size, having now outgrown Wrotham.
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Bough Beech
Coordinates: 51°12′04″N 0°07′46″E / 51.201200°N 0.129320°E / 51.201200; 0.129320
Bough Beech is the location in the county of Kent, England, of Bough Beech Reservoir. It is located approximately three miles east of Edenbridge (of which it is part) and five miles south west of Sevenoaks. The reservoir is a nature reserve, in particular for bird watching; it is especially important for migrating osprey, though they are a rare sight now the reservoir is no longer stocked with trout.
wn.com/Bough_Beech -
Brasted Chart
Coordinates: 51°16′36″N 0°06′39″E / 51.276610°N 0.110790°E / 51.276610; 0.110790
Brasted (
/ˈbreɪstɛd/) is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located to the west of Sevenoaks town. The parish includes the settlements of Brasted Chart and Toys Hill, and had a population of 1321 persons (2001 census). The single slightly winding street of the village has a number of 18th-century houses, and several antique shops. The parish church is dedicated to St Martin.
The name is recorded as Briestede in 1086 and as Bradestede around 1100; it is from Old English brād + stede and means 'broad place.'
Napoleon III lived in Brasted Place (one of only two Robert Adam houses in Kent). Another famous resident was John Turton, physician to King George III.
During the Second World War the White Hart pub was popular with RAF fighter pilots stationed at nearby Biggin Hill.
Australian soft-drink manufacturer George Marchant was born here in 1857.
Brasted used to be served by a railway station on the branch line running between Westerham and Dunton Green that opened in 1881 and closed in 1961.
wn.com/Brasted_Chart -
Broadstairs
Coordinates: 51°21′32″N 1°26′22″E / 51.35888°N 1.43944°E / 51.35888; 1.43944
Broadstairs is a coastal town on the Isle of Thanet in the Thanet district of east Kent, England, about 80 miles (130 km) south-east of London. It is part of the civil parish of Broadstairs and St Peter's, which includes St. Peter's and had a population in 2001 of about 24,000. Situated between Margate and Ramsgate, Broadstairs is one of Thanet's seaside resorts, known as the "Jewel in Thanet's crown". The town's crest motto is Stella Maris ("Star of the Sea"). The name derives from a former flight of steps in the chalk cliff, which led from the sands up to the 11th-century shrine of St Mary on the cliff's summit.
The town spreads from Haine Road in the west to Kingsgate in the north (named after the landing of King Charles II in 1683) and to Dumpton in the south (named after the yeoman Dudeman who farmed there in the 13th century). The hamlet of Reading (formerly Reden or Redyng) Street was established by Flemish refugees in the 17th century.
wn.com/Broadstairs -
Canterbury
Coordinates: 51°16′30″N 1°05′13″E / 51.275°N 1.087°E / 51.275; 1.087
Canterbury (
i/ˈkæntərbᵊri/ or /ˈkæntərbɛri/) is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour.
Originally a Brythonic settlement, it was renamed Durovernum Cantiacorum by the Roman conquerors in the 1st century AD. After it became the chief Jutish settlement, it gained its English name Canterbury, itself derived from the Old English Cantwareburh ("Kent people's stronghold"). After the Kingdom of Kent's conversion to Christianity in 597, St Augustine founded an episcopal see in the city and became the first Archbishop of Canterbury, a position that now heads the Church of England and the worldwide Anglican Communion (though the modern-day Province of Canterbury covers the entire south of England). Thomas Becket's murder at Canterbury Cathedral in 1170 led to the cathedral becoming a place of pilgrimage for Christians worldwide. This pilgrimage provided the theme for Geoffrey Chaucer's 14th-century literary classic The Canterbury Tales. The literary heritage continued with the birth of the playwright Christopher Marlowe in the city in the 16th century.
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Charing Cross
Coordinates: 51°30′26″N 0°07′39″W / 51.5073°N 0.12755°W / 51.5073; -0.12755
Charing Cross denotes the junction of Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street, just south of Trafalgar Square in central London, England. It is named after the now demolished Eleanor cross that stood there, in what was once the hamlet of Charing. The site of the cross is now occupied by an equestrian statue of King Charles I. Since the second half of the 18th century Charing Cross has been seen as the centre of London. It is the primary of the central datum points for measuring distances from London along with the London Stone, Hicks Hall and the doors of St Mary-le-Bow church.
"Erect a rich and stately carved cross, Whereon her statue shall with glory shine; And henceforth see you call it Charing Cross." George Peele The Famous Chronicle of King Edward the First (1593)
The name of the hamlet of Charing is derived from the old English word "cierring", referring to the nearby bend in the River Thames.
The addition of the name "Cross" to the area's name originates from the Eleanor cross erected in 1291–94 by King Edward I as a memorial to his wife, Eleanor of Castile, and placed between the former hamlet of Charing and the entrance to the Royal Mews of the Palace of Whitehall (today the top of Whitehall on the south side of Trafalgar Square).
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Chartwell
Coordinates: 51°14′39″N 0°04′57″E / 51.244090°N 0.082450°E / 51.244090; 0.082450
Chartwell was the principal adult home of Sir Winston Churchill. Churchill and his wife Clementine bought the property, located two miles south of Westerham, Kent, England, in 1922. Extensive renovations simplifying and modernising the home were undertaken directly, completely transforming it when complete.
When it became clear to the Churchills in 1946 that they could not afford to run the property, a consortium of wealthy businessmen organized by Lord Camrose purchased the estate. The arrangement was that for payment of nominal rent both Sir Winston and Lady Churchill would have the right to live there until their deaths, when the property would be presented to the National Trust. When Sir Winston died in 1965, Clementine decided to present Chartwell to the National Trust immediately.
The site had been built upon at least as early as the 16th century, when the estate had been called 'Well Street'.Henry VIII is reputed to have stayed in the house during his courtship of Anne Boleyn at nearby Hever Castle. The original farmhouse was significantly enlarged and modified during the 19th century. It became, according to the National Trust, an example of 'Victorian architecture at its least attractive, a ponderous red-brick country mansion of tile-hung gables and poky oriel windows'.
wn.com/Chartwell -
Chatham, Kent
Coordinates: 51°21′40″N 0°32′10″E / 51.3610°N 0.5362°E / 51.3610; 0.5362
Chatham ( /ˈtʃætəm/ CHAT-əm) is one of the Medway towns located within the Medway unitary authority, in North Kent, in South East England.
Although the dockyard has long been closed and is now being redeveloped into a business and residential community as well as a museum featuring the famous submarine, HMS Ocelot, major naval buildings remain as the focus for a flourishing tourist industry. Chatham also has military connections; several Army barracks were located here, together with 19th-century forts which provided a defensive shield for the dockyard. Brompton Barracks, located in the town, remains the headquarters of the Corps of Royal Engineers.
The town has important road links and the railway and bus stations are the main interchanges for the area. It is the administrative headquarters of Medway unitary authority, as well as its principal shopping centre.
The name Chatham was first recorded as Cetham in 880. The Domesday Book records the place as Ceteham. Most books explain this name as a British root ceto (like Welsh coed) plus Old English ham, thus meaning a forest settlement. However, the river-valley situation of Chatham is more consistent with cet being an Old English survival of the element catu that was common in Roman-era names and meant 'basin' or 'valley'.
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Chevening, Kent
Coordinates: 51°17′34″N 0°08′23″E / 51.292760°N 0.139700°E / 51.292760; 0.139700
Chevening is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located to the north west of Sevenoaks on the southern slopes of the North Downs. The parish is a small one, being 6.5 miles (10.5 km) in length and 1 mile (1.6 km) wide. It has a population of 2,762. Apart from the village the remaining area is rural. Chevening House, looked after by the National Trust, is located here. The Pilgrims' Way crosses the parish. Close to Chevening, the path of Harold Godwinson's army en route to the Battle of Hastings in 1066, heading south along what is now Chipstead Lane, crosses William the Conqueror's route after the battle towards London along the Pilgrim's Way.
The village of Chevening is also small. It stands on the upper reaches of the River Darent. The village lies very close to the M25 motorway. Its parish church is dedicated to St Botolph.
Chevening was served by a railway station on the Westerham Valley Branch Line running between Westerham and Dunton Green: it opened in 1881 and closed in 1961.
wn.com/Chevening,_Kent -
Chiddingstone
Coordinates: 51°11′10″N 0°08′54″E / 51.186090°N 0.148450°E / 51.186090; 0.148450
Chiddingstone is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the River Eden between Tonbridge and Edenbridge. The village of Chiddingstone Causeway is included in the parish.
A popular theory is that the village takes its name from a large sandstone rock formation, situated on its outskirts, named the Chiding Stone. Chidingstone was a previous spelling used for the village. Tradition asserts that the stone was used as a seat of judgement, mainly to remonstrate overbearing local wives. It has also been wrongly described as a Druidical ritual site and more convincingly suggested as being a landmark used as a Saxon boundary marker. Chiddingstone means "the stone of Chidda's tribe" — Chidda presumably being a local Saxon leader.
Chiddingstone is unique in that, apart from the church and the Castle, the entire village is owned by the National Trust. It is described as being " the most perfect surviving example of a Tudor village in the county".
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Chiddingstone Hoath
Chiddingstone Hoath is a hamlet in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England.
Notable buildings include Hoath House, and Stonewall Park, for some time home of the Meade-Waldo family.
It was visited by Charles Rennie Mackintosh in 1910.
Coordinates: 51°09′43″N 0°08′28″E / 51.162°N 0.141°E / 51.162; 0.141
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Chipstead, Kent
Coordinates: 51°17′07″N 0°08′57″E / 51.285250°N 0.149050°E / 51.285250; 0.149050
Chipstead is a small village in the parish of Chevening, near Sevenoaks, Kent and just off the A21 and A25 roads. It is rapidly becoming part of the built up area of Sevenoaks. It is also within a short distance of the M25 motorway, though not visible from it.
Although small in size, it has various attractions and features, including traditional southern English village architecture and a large lake. The village has two public houses: the "George and Dragon", a 16th Century Coaching Inn on the High Street, and the "Bricklayers Arms" on Chevening Road opposite the lake.
Chipstead Lake (also known as Longford Lake) is man-made, the result of gravel extraction during the 20th century. It has an area of 30 hectares (74 acres) and is used for:
Chipstead was served by Chevening Halt railway station on the Westerham Valley Branch Line running between Westerham and Dunton Green; it opened in 1881 and closed in 1961. The closest railway station is now Sevenoaks. Chipstead village is now served by the 401 Sevenoaks-Westerham bus and the 452 Sevenoaks Station Circular commuter bus.
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Cowden
Coordinates: 51°08′41″N 0°05′36″E / 51.144765°N 0.093459°E / 51.144765; 0.093459
Cowden ( /kaʊˈdɛn/[1]) is a small village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the northern slopes of the Weald, south-west of Tonbridge. The old High Street has Grade II listed cottages and village houses, and there is an inn called The Fountain.
The Romans built the London to Lewes Way across what is now the garden of Waystrode Manor. The first owners of the manor received it from King John in 1208. Crippenden Manor, built in about 1607, was once the home of another ironmaster, Richard Tichbourne.
The village appears as Cudena in Textus Roffensis.
In 1649 Robert Tichborne petitioned the House of Commons in favour of the execution of Charles I. He was one of the Commissioners who, in 1651, prepared the way for the union with Scotland and he was knighted in 1655 by Cromwell and made a peer in 1657. After the Restoration he was arrested and sentenced to death, but he was reprieved, imprisoned in Dover Castle and died, in 1682, in the Tower of London. The family, however, did not die out in Cowden until 1708, when John Tichbourne was buried there.
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Cranbrook, Kent
Coordinates: 51°06′03″N 0°32′04″E / 51.1007°N 0.5345°E / 51.1007; 0.5345
Cranbrook is a small town in Kent in South East England which was granted a charter in 1290 by Archbishop Peckham, allowing it to hold a market in the high street. Located on the Maidstone to Hastings road, it is five miles north of Hawkhurst. The smaller settlements of Swattenden, Colliers Green and Hartley lie within the parish. Baker's Cross is on the outskirts of the town.
The place name Cranbrook derives from Old English cran broc, meaning Crane Marsh, marshy ground frequented by cranes (although more probably herons). Spelling of the place name has evolved over the centuries from Cranebroca (c. 1100); by 1226 it was recorded as Cranebroc, then Cranebrok. By 1610 the name had become Cranbrooke, which evolved into the current spelling.
In medieval times, Cranbrook was a centre of the Wealden cloth industry; and iron-making was carried on at Bedgebury on the River Teise. The church here was dedicated to St Dunstan. Called the "Cathedral of the Weald", its 74 feet-high tower, completed in 1425, has a wooden figure of Father Time and his scythe on the south face. It also contains the prototype for the Big Ben clock in London.
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Crockenhill
Coordinates: 51°22′59″N 0°09′43″E / 51.383°N 0.162°E / 51.383; 0.162
Crockenhill is a small village in Kent. In the first half of the twentieth century, it was an important area for growing peppermint. In the 1930s there were 420 acres (1.7 km²) under cultivation; the last crop was harvested in 1958.
There is also a village named Crockham Hill near Westerham. The village is home to a football club, Crockenhill F.C., and boasts former player Tony Cascarino.
Crockenhill is from Old English hyll "hill" with an unknown first element.
The village is currently creating a habitat for Badgers in harvest field which is on the southern edge of the village.
Crockenhill F.C. has a Non-League football club Crockenhill F.C. who play at Wested Meadow.
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Crockham Hill
Coordinates: 51°14′10″N 0°03′52″E / 51.235973°N 0.064405°E / 51.235973; 0.064405
Crockham Hill is a village in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. It is about 3 miles (5 km) south of Westerham, and Chartwell is nearby.
The village street is on the line of a Roman road, the London to Lewes Way.
It contains a 19th century pub and church as well as being home to many famous figures such as the Churchill and Gladstone families as well as Lord Harris (owner of Carpet Right) and former home of Financial Services wide boy Sean "Seany" Robertson.[citation needed]
Media related to Crockham Hill at Wikimedia Commons
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Dartford
Coordinates: 51°27′50″N 0°15′14″E / 51.464°N 0.254°E / 51.464; 0.254
Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, 16 miles (26 km) east south-east of central London.
The town centre is situated in a valley through which the River Darent flows, and where the old road from London to Dover crossed: hence the name, from Darent + ford. Dartford became a market town in medieval times and, although today it is principally a commuter town for Greater London, it has a long history of religious, industrial and cultural importance. It is an important rail hub; the main through-road now avoids the town itself.
In prehistory, the first people appeared in the Dartford area around 250,000 years ago: a tribe of prehistoric hunter-gatherers whose exemplar is called Swanscombe Man. Many other archaeological investigations have revealed a good picture of occupation of the district with important finds from the Stone Age, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age.
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Dartford (borough)
The Borough of Dartford is a local government district and borough in north west Kent, England, which takes its name from its administrative capital. It borders Thurrock, to the north across the River Thames; to the west lies the London Borough of Bexley; to the south Sevenoaks district; and the borough of Gravesham to the east. The population of the borough recorded in the 2001 census was 85,911.
The borough was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Dartford, Swanscombe Urban District, and part of Dartford Rural District. In the mid-1990s review of local government in Kent, consideration was given to merging the borough with that of adjoining Gravesham to form a new unitary authority. However the proposal proved unpopular amongst residents, and the two borough councils kept their identities.
Since 2010, Dartford's MP is Gareth Johnson (Conservative) who replaced the outgoing Howard Stoate (Labour). The Mayor for the year May 2010 to May 2011 is Councillor Pat Coleman. The Leader of the Council, from February 2006, is Councillor Jeremy Kite (Conservative). Councillors represent the following seventeen wards, as amended in 2001:
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Deal, Kent
Coordinates: 51°13′21″N 1°24′02″E / 51.2226°N 1.4006°E / 51.2226; 1.4006
Deal is a town in Kent, England, UK. It lies on the English Channel eight miles north-east of Dover and eight miles south of Ramsgate. It is a former fishing, mining and garrison town. Closely associated with Deal are the villages of Kingsdown, Sholden and Walmer, the latter being where Julius Caesar first arrived in Britain (according to the best guess by historians).
Deal was named as a 'limb port' of the Cinque Ports in 1278. Due to its position on the Downs, the town grew to become for a while the busiest port in England; today it enjoys the reputation of being a quiet seaside resort, its quaint streets and houses the only reminder of its fascinating history. The coast of France is approximately twenty-five miles from the town, and is visible on clear days.
Its finest building is the Tudor Deal Castle, commissioned by King Henry VIII and designed with an attractive rose floor plan.
The proximity of Deal's shoreline to the notorious Goodwin Sands has made its coastal waters a source of both shelter and danger through the history of sea travel in British waters. The Downs, the water between the town and the sands, provides a naturally sheltered anchorage. This allowed the town to become a significant shipping and military port in past centuries despite the absence of a harbour, with transit of goods and people from ship to shore conducted using smaller tender craft. Deal was, for example, visited by Nelson and was the first English soil on which James Cook set foot in 1771 on returning from first voyage to Australia. The anchorage is still used today by international and regional shipping, though on a scale far smaller than at other times in the past (some historical accounts report hundreds of ships being visible from the beach).
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Dover
Coordinates: 51°07′46″N 1°18′32″E / 51.1295°N 1.3089°E / 51.1295; 1.3089
Dover ( /ˈdoʊvər/; French: Douvres) is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings. The town is the administrative centre of the Dover District and home of the Dover Calais ferry through the Port of Dover. The surrounding chalk cliffs have become known as the White Cliffs of Dover, and the narrow sea passage nearby – the Strait of Dover. Its strategic position has been evident throughout its history: archaeological finds have revealed that the area has always been a focus for peoples entering and leaving Britain. The name of the town derives from the name of the river that flows through River Dour. The town has been inhabited since the Stone Age according to archeological finds, and Dover is one of only a few places in Britain – London and Cornwall being other examples – to have a corresponding name in the French language, Douvres.
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Dover (district)
Dover is a local government district in Kent, England. Dover is its administrative centre. It was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the boroughs of Deal, Dover, and Sandwich along with Dover Rural District and most of Eastry Rural District. There are three towns within the district: Dover, Deal and Sandwich; and the parishes below:
The northern boundary of the district is the River Stour; on its eastern side is the district of Canterbury; to the south the parish of Capel-le-Ferne; and to the east the Straits of Dover. The southern part of the latter is the point where the North Downs meets the sea, at the so-called ‘White cliffs of Dover’. Further north along the coast, from Deal onwards, the land is at sea level, where the River Stour enters the sea by a circuitous route. It is here, on the sand-dunes, that the Royal St George's Golf Club, founded in 1887, and of international repute, is situated.
In the district are industrial remains of the erstwhile Kent coalfield, situated around Tilmanstone and Betteshanger. Technically speaking, half of the underwater section of the Channel Tunnel is under British Sovereignty and thus part of the district.
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Dunton Green
Coordinates: 51°17′47″N 0°10′18″E / 51.29648°N 0.17160°E / 51.29648; 0.17160
Dunton Green is a small village (forming a northern suburb of Sevenoaks) and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England, lying in the valley of the River Darent, three miles north of Sevenoaks. The original ecclesiastical parish of Dunton Green was part of Otford parish. The parish church is dedicated to St John the Divine.
From at least the 17th century, Dunton Green was a centre for making bricks and tiles. In 1862 the Dunton Green Brick, Tile and Pottery Works was established: a large concern with clayholes or pits, kilns and an engine house. Whilst digging for clay many fossils were discovered. The village church (dedicated to St John) is built with local bricks. An independent Free church remains active within the village having been established in 1873 - Dunton Green Free Church in Station Road.
Dunton Green railway station provides frequent fast train services (25–40 minutes depending on time of day) to London Cannon Street, London Bridge, London Waterloo and London Charing Cross.
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Edenbridge, Kent
Coordinates: 51°11′57″N 0°04′09″E / 51.1993°N 0.0691°E / 51.1993; 0.0691
Edenbridge is a town and civil parish in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. The town's name derives from Old English language "Eadhelmsbrigge" ("Eadhelm's Bridge" in Modern English). It is located on the Kent/Surrey border on the upper floodplain of the River Medway and gives its name to the latter's tributary, the River Eden. Edenbridge has a population of around 8,000.
The old part of the town grew along a section of the otherwise disused Roman road, the London to Lewes Way at the point where it crossed the river. Iron slag from iron smelting in the surrounding area was used in building the road. In the Middle Ages, it became a centre of the Wealden iron industry. There are many mediaeval timber buildings in the town, one of which houses the Eden Valley Museum.
With the coming of the railways the town expanded and the community of Marlpit Hill, north of the original settlement, is now part of the town.
Edenbridge has had four mills over the centuries, Haxted Mill and Honour's Mill on the River Eden, Christmas Mill on a tributary of the Eden, and a windmill to the south of the town. All four mill buildings survive, but now converted to other uses.
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England
Englandi/ˈɪŋɡlənd/ is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, while the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separate it from continental Europe. Most of England comprises the central and southern part of the island of Great Britain in the North Atlantic. The country also includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.
The area now called England was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Palaeolithic period, but it takes its name from the Angles, one of the Germanic tribes who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries. England became a unified state in AD 927, and since the Age of Discovery, which began during the 15th century, has had a significant cultural and legal impact on the wider world. The English language, the Anglican Church, and English law—the basis for the common law legal systems of many other countries around the world—developed in England, and the country's parliamentary system of government has been widely adopted by other nations. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the world's first industrialised nation. England's Royal Society laid the foundations of modern experimental science.
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Eynsford
Coordinates: 51°22′04″N 0°12′41″E / 51.367680°N 0.211250°E / 51.367680; 0.211250
Eynsford ( /ˈeɪnsfəd/ AINS-fəd) is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It is located on the River Darent, south of Dartford in Kent.
Eynsford is first mentioned in writing in 864, as Egenes homme. The derivation is unclear, but one possibility is that it represents ‘Ægen’s river-meadow’, from the Old English hamm ‘river-meadow, enclosure’. In 1801 the village had the highest population in the Dartford area at 841 persons.
In the centre of the village, which is six miles (10 km) south of Dartford, is a ford over the river, with a picturesque hump-back bridge alongside. There are many old buildings including the 16th century Plough Inn and the Old Mill. The church is dedicated to St Martin. In about 1163, Thomas Becket is reputed to have excommunicated William de Eynsford, the owner of Eynsford castle. The excommunication was cancelled by King Henry II and the issue became part of the quarrel that led to Becket's murder in 1170.
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Farningham
Coordinates: 51°23′N 0°13′E / 51.38°N 0.22°E / 51.38; 0.22
Farningham is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent in England. It is located on the River Darent, south of Dartford, and has a population of 1,289. The M20 motorway and the A20 road both pass through the parish.
Farningham is believed to be home to Neolithic history – flint and other tools have been discovered and can be found in the Dartford Museum. The Romans occupied the general area after their invasion in the 1st century and, along with large evidence of habitation down the road in Lullingstone, there is also evidence of Roman habitation in Farningham. Three farmhouses and three villas have been unearthed. Charles Dickens was a visitor during his time for the trout fishing that the Darent provided.
The parish church is dedicated to St Peter and St Paul.
Farningham is situated upon the historic route of the A20, Kent's second major road between the capital and the channel ports. The village itself, with its narrow bridge over the River Darenth, and its narrow streets, was bypassed to the north east in the 1930s (?). The A225 runs along the Darenth valley and intersects the A20 at the village. The construction of the of first sections of the M25 motorway and M20 motorway in the late 1970s bypassed the village again.
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Faversham
Coordinates: 51°19′04″N 0°53′34″E / 51.3177°N 0.8928°E / 51.3177; 0.8928
Faversham ( /ˈfævərʃəm/) is a market town and civil parish in the Swale borough of Kent, England. The parish of Faversham (Feversham) grew up around an ancient sea port on Faversham Creek and was the birthplace of the explosives industry in England.
Faversham, established as a settlement before the Roman conquest[citation needed] was held in royal demesne in 811, and is further cited in a charter granted by Kenulf, the King of Mercia. It was recorded in the Domesday Book as Favreshant. The town has regularly throughout its history obtained curious royal privileges and charters[citation needed]
In 1148 Faversham Abbey was established in Faversham by King Stephen who with his consort Matilda of Boulogne, and his son, Eustace, the Earl of Boulogne was buried there. During Stephen's reign, Faversham was a very important settlement and even became the capital of England for a short period[citation needed] King John tried to give the church to Simon of Wells in 1201, but the church was owned by the monks of St Augustine's Abbey at Canterbury, who appealed to Rome and kept Simon from receiving the church. Sir Thomas Culpeper was granted Faversham Abbey by Henry VIII of England during the Dissolution of the Monasteries about 1536. The abbey was demolished directly after the dissolution and much of its masonry taken to Calais to reinforce that town's defences against French interests. In 1539, the ground upon which the abbey had stood, along with nearby land, passed to Sir Thomas Cheney, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports.
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Fawkham
Fawkham is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located to the north-east of Sevenoaks town. The main village in the parish is Fawkham Green. The railway station now called Longfield was originally called Fawkham.
The 12th century parish church is dedicated to St Mary; it is part of the united benefice of Fawkham and Hartley. The M20 motorway crosses the parish.
Coordinates: 51°22′N 0°17′E / 51.367°N 0.283°E / 51.367; 0.283
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Fawkham Green
Fawkham Green is the main village within the civil parish of Fawkham in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The village is located approximately ten miles (16km) northeast of Sevenoaks town.
The 12th century church, part of a united benefice with Hartley, is dedicated to St Mary.
It has a lovely pub called the Rising Sun
Coordinates: 51°22′N 0°17′E / 51.367°N 0.283°E / 51.367; 0.283
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Folkestone
Coordinates: 51°04′52″N 1°09′58″E / 51.081°N 1.166°E / 51.081; 1.166
Folkestone ( /ˈfoʊkstən/) is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its growing importance as a seaside resort all contributed to its growth. Folkestone has the only sandy beach and coastal park within an hour of north London by High Speed Train.
A Norman knight held a Barony of Folkestone, by which time the settlement had become a fishing village[citation needed]. That led to its entry as a part of the Cinque Ports in the thirteenth century and with that the privilege of being a wealthy trading port. At the start of the Tudor period it had become a town in its own right. Wars with France meant that defences had to be built here and soon plans for a Folkestone Harbour began. Folkestone, like most settlements on the south coast, became involved in smuggling during the eighteenth century[citation needed]. At the beginning of the 1800s a harbour was developed, but it was the coming of the railways in 1843 that would have the bigger impact. With it came the tourist trade, and the two industries contributed to its prosperity until changes in tourist opportunities in the mid twentieth century hollowed out its economy[citation needed].
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Fordcombe
Fordcombe is a village within the civil parish of Penshurst in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The village is located on the northern slopes of the Weald, five miles (8km) west of Tunbridge Wells.
The church, part of a united benefice with Penshurst, is dedicated to St Peter.
The charming Chafford Arms pub is at the heart of the village.
Media related to Fordcombe at Wikimedia Commons
Coordinates: 51°8′N 0°11′E / 51.133°N 0.183°E / 51.133; 0.183
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Fort Halstead
Fort Halstead is a research site of Dstl, an Executive Agency of the UK Ministry of Defence. It is situated on the crest of the Kentish North Downs, overlooking the town of Sevenoaks. Originally constructed in 1892 as one of a ring of fortresses around London, Fort Halstead was to be manned by volunteers in the event of a crisis.
The base went on to become home to the Ministry of Supply, from which it became the headquarters of the Royal Armament Research and Development Establishment (RARDE).
Two departments, the "Research Department" and the "Design Department", were established in 1922 at Woolwich Arsenal. During the Second World War, the Design Department moved to Fort Halstead, followed by the Research Department. It is believed that Britain's development of the atomic bomb, hidden under the name High Explosive Research ("HER") was initially based at Fort Halstead, where the first atomic bomb was developed under the directorship of William George Penney, who had been appointed Chief Superintendent Armament Research ("CSAR", called "Caesar") by C. P. Snow. Operation Hurricane saw the bomb conveyed by frigate to Australia and successfully exploded in the Montebello Islands. In 1950, it is thought that the "HER" research was moved to a new site at Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston in Berkshire.
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Four Elms
Four Elms is a village within the civil parish of Hever in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The village is located on a crossroads between Edenbridge and Sevenoaks, two miles (3.2km) northeast of the former place.
The church, part of a united benefice with Hever and Markbeech, is dedicated to St Paul.
The Oscar-winning film sound recordist Peter Handford was born here.
Coordinates: 51°13′N 0°6′E / 51.217°N 0.1°E / 51.217; 0.1
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France
France (Englishi/ˈfræns/ FRANSS or /ˈfrɑːns/ FRAHNSS; French: [fʁɑ̃s] (
listen)), officially the French Republic (French: République française [ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛz]), is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. It is often referred to as l’Hexagone ("The Hexagon") because of the geometric shape of its territory. It is the largest western European country and it possesses the second-largest exclusive economic zone in the world, covering 11,035,000 km2 (4,260,000 sq mi), just behind that of the United States (11,351,000 km2 / 4,383,000 sq mi).
Over the past 500 years, France has been a major power with strong cultural, economic, military and political influence in Europe and around the world. During the 17th and 18th centuries, France colonised great parts of North America and Southeast Asia; during the 19th and early 20th centuries, France built the second largest colonial empire of the time, including large portions of North, West and Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and many Caribbean and Pacific Islands.
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Germany
Germany (i/ˈdʒɜrməni/), officially the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland, pronounced [ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant] ( listen)), is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate. With 81.8 million inhabitants, it is the most populous member state and the largest economy in the European Union. It is one of the major political powers of the European continent and a technological leader in many fields.
A region named Germania, inhabited by several Germanic peoples, was documented before AD 100. During the Migration Period, the Germanic tribes expanded southward, and established successor kingdoms throughout much of Europe. Beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation while southern and western parts remained dominated by Roman Catholic denominations, with the two factions clashing in the Thirty Years' War, marking the beginning of the Catholic–Protestant divide that has characterized German society ever since. Occupied during the Napoleonic Wars, the rise of Pan-Germanism inside the German Confederation resulted in the unification of most of the German states into the German Empire in 1871 which was Prussian dominated. After the German Revolution of 1918–1919 and the subsequent military surrender in World War I, the Empire was replaced by the Weimar Republic in 1918, and partitioned in the Treaty of Versailles. Amidst the Great Depression, the Third Reich was proclaimed in 1933. The latter period was marked by Fascism and World War II. After 1945, Germany was divided by allied occupation, and evolved into two states, East Germany and West Germany. In 1990 Germany was reunified.
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Gillingham, Kent
Coordinates: 51°22′45″N 0°32′59″E / 51.3792°N 0.5498°E / 51.3792; 0.5498
Gillinghami/ˈdʒɪlɪŋəm/ is a town in the unitary authority of Medway in South East England. It is part of the ceremonial county of Kent. The town includes the settlements of Brompton, Hempstead, Wigmore, Parkwood ,Rainham, Rainham Mark and Twydall.
Gillingham means a homestead of Gylla's family, from Old English ham (village, homestead) and ingas (family, followers), and was first recorded in 10th century as Gyllingeham.
Also referred to in old texts as Jillyingham Water, hence the pronunciation being Gillingham (the G sounds as a "J" as in the girls' name Jill).
Gillingham became an urban district under the Local Government Act 1894, gaining municipal borough status in 1903. John Robert Featherby was the first mayor of the Borough of Gillingham. In 1928 Rainham was added to the Gillingham Borough. Under the Local Government Act 1972 it became a non-metropolitan district. It merged with the other Medway towns (in the City of Rochester-upon-Medway district) in 1998 under the 1990s UK local government reform, to become part of the Medway unitary authority.
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Godden Green
Coordinates: 51°16′21″N 0°13′24″E / 51.272400°N 0.223330°E / 51.272400; 0.223330
Godden Green is a hamlet 1 mile (2 km) east of Sevenoaks in Kent, England. It is within the parish of Seal, in Sevenoaks District, on the eastern edge of Knole Park. There is a large green, and a Shepherd Neame public house, the Buck's Head.
Historically, many local residents were employees of the Knole Estate.
Godden Green lies within the Kent county electoral division of Sevenoaks East, and the Sevenoaks district ward of Seal & Weald. It is represented by the councillors of Seal Parish Council.
Godden Green is the location of a private psychiatric hospital run by Cygnet Health Care.
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Gravesend, Kent
Coordinates: 51°26′29″N 0°22′07″E / 51.4415°N 0.3685°E / 51.4415; 0.3685
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. It is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of England. It still retains today a strong link with the river. The opening of the Eurostar railway station at Ebbsfleet, the arrival of the High Speed service at Gravesend station itself and the fact that it lies within the Thames Gateway, add to the town's importance.
The town was recorded as Gravesham in the Domesday Book in 1086 as belonging to Odo, Bishop of Bayeux: the name probably derived from "graaf-ham": the home of the Reeve, or Bailiff, of the Lord of the Manor. Another theory suggests that the name Gravesham may be a corruption of the words grafs-ham – a place "at the end of the grove". Frank Carr asserts that the name derives from the Saxon Gerevesend, the end of the authority of the Portreve, (originally Portgereve), the officer in charge of the town. The Domesday spelling is the only historical record; all other spellings – in the later (c1100) Domesday Monarchorum and in Textus Roffensis the town is Gravesend/Gravesende. Gravesham has however been adopted for the 1974 Borough title. Some of the locals believe, erroneously, that the name was born when the bodies of those who died from the plague in London were buried in the town in attempts to put an end to it. Hence the name Graves-end. This is clearly not the case as the plague was in 1665 – a full 500 years after the name Gravesend/Gravesende was referred to (see above).
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Gravesham
Gravesham ( /ˈɡreɪvʃəm/ GRAYV-shəm) is a local government district and borough in North West Kent, England. It has borders with Thurrock across the River Thames to the north; the former city of Rochester and Medway to the east; the borough of Tonbridge and Malling (to the south); and the boroughs of Sevenoaks and Dartford to the west.
Its council is based at the Town Hall in Gravesend, and the borough shares similar borders with the Gravesham constituency. As well as the parishes listed below, the area of the former urban district of Northfleet was also included in the borough when it was formed in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. It is the successor to the Gravesend Municipal Borough, Northfleet Urban District, and part of Strood Rural District. Gravesham is twinned with Cambrai.
Robert H Hiscock, Chairman of the Gravesend Historical Society, in the foreword to his book, 'A History of Gravesend' (Phillimore, 1976) wrote:
Gravesham Borough Council is elected every four years, with currently 44 councillors being elected at each election. From the first election in 1973 the council has alternated between Labour and Conservative control. Since 1995 Labour has controlled the council apart from 4 years between the 2007 and 2011 elections. As of the 2011 election the council is composed of the following councillors:-
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Greenhithe
Coordinates: 51°27′01″N 0°16′56″E / 51.4504°N 0.2823°E / 51.4504; 0.2823
Greenhithe is a town in Dartford District of Kent, England. It forms part of the civil parish of Swanscombe and Greenhithe.
Greenhithe is located where it was possible to build wharves for transshipping corn, wood and other commodities; its largest cargoes were of chalk and lime which were needed for agricultural purposes. This led in turn to the development of the cement industry at nearby Swanscombe, although Greenhithe itself enjoyed a brief period of popularity during Victorian times as a tourist resort; Greenhithe Pier was built in 1842 but does not survive.
The history of Greenhithe owes a great deal to its situation between the River Thames and Watling Street (the London, Dover Road) and it being a suitable landing place for ships. In Roman times known as Gretenrsce, and by 1363 Grenehuth, it appears in the 1778 'History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent' : "Here there are several wharves for the landing and shipping of corn, wood, and other commodities, but the greatest traffic arises from the chalk and lime, from the chalk pits, the range of which continues with small intermission from Stone to Gravesend, within a very short distance of the shore. Hence not only the City of London, but the adjacent counties, and even those of Suffolk and Norfolk are supplied with this commodity".
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Halstead, Kent
Halstead is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the North Downs, 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Orpington and 5 miles (8 km) north of Sevenoaks.
The name Halstead is derived from the Old English hald (refuge, shelter) and stede (site, place), meaning 'safe place' or 'place of refuge'. The parish church is dedicated to St Margaret.
Author Edith Nesbit spent some of her adolescence in Halstead during the 1870s and her book The Railway Children is thought to be based on her time living in a house, Halstead Hall, whose garden is about a mile and a half from the railway line.
The parish is adjacent to Fort Halstead, a government defence research centre that is thought to have developed Britain's first atomic bomb.
Coordinates: 51°20′N 0°8′E / 51.333°N 0.133°E / 51.333; 0.133
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Hambledon, Hampshire
Coordinates: 50°55′51″N 1°04′48″W / 50.9307°N 1.0799°W / 50.9307; -1.0799
Hambledon is a small village and civil parish in the county of Hampshire in England, situated about 15 miles (24 km) north of Portsmouth.
Hambledon is best known as the 'Cradle of Cricket'. It is thought that Hambledon Club, one of the oldest cricket clubs known, was formed about 1750. Hambledon was England's leading cricket club from about 1765 until the formation of MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) in 1787.
The famous Bat and Ball Inn in Hyden Farm Lane, Clanfield is next to the historic cricket ground near Broadhalfpenny Down where the Hambledon club originally played. The inn was run by Richard Nyren, who was also captain of the club. The modern Hambledon Cricket Club's ground is at Ridge Meadow, about 0.5 miles (800 m) away.
Hambledon is a rural village surrounded by fields and woods. There are about 400 households with just under 1,000 residents. The nearest villages are Clanfield, Chidden and Denmead.
There is a school, Hambledon Infant School, recently rated as 'Outstanding' by Ofsted, and a parish church, St Peter's and St Paul's.
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Hartley, Kent
Coordinates: 51°23′13″N 0°18′13″E / 51.386812°N 0.303691°E / 51.386812; 0.303691
This article is about the village in North Kent, England. For the South Kent village of the same name see Hartley, Cranbrook. For other uses, see Hartley (disambiguation).
Hartley is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located to the south of Gravesend. Its parish church, part of the united benefice of Fawkham and Hartley, is dedicated to All Saints.
Hartley has gained recognition in sport in the last few years with its cricket team excelling in league and cup. Hartley country club cricket section are the current Kent Premier League Champions 2011. This is a league that is fought at an extremely high level against well known and respected clubs such as Bromley and Bexley. 2011 was a very successful year-the years accolades include-1st XI champions, 2nd XI champions, 5th XI champions and 20/20 champions-a year that will be remembered for all those involved. Anyone wanting to see cricket played at a high standard then please see the Hartley Play-cricket website.
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Herne Bay, Kent
Coordinates: 51°22′14″N 1°07′37″E / 51.3706°N 1.1270°E / 51.3706; 1.1270
Herne Bay is a seaside town in Kent, South East England, with a population of 35,188. On the south coast of the Thames Estuary, it is 7 miles (11 km) north of Canterbury and 1 mile (2 km) east of Whitstable. It neighbours the ancient villages of Herne and Reculver and is part of the City of Canterbury local government district. Herne Bay's seafront is home to the world's first freestanding purpose-built clock tower, built in 1837; until 1978, the town had the second-longest pier in the United Kingdom.
The town began as a small shipping community, receiving goods and passengers from London en route to Canterbury and Dover. The town rose to prominence as a seaside resort during the early 19th century after the building of a pleasure pier and promenade by a group of London investors, and reached its heyday in the late Victorian era. Its popularity as a holiday destination has declined over the past decades, due to the increase in foreign travel and regular flooding that has prevented the town's redevelopment.
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Hever, Kent
Coordinates: 51°11′01″N 0°06′38″E / 51.183480°N 0.110550°E / 51.183480; 0.110550
Hever is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the River Eden, a tributary of the River Medway, east of Edenbridge. It is 5 miles (8 km) by 1-mile (1.6 km) in extent, and 3,062 acres (12.39 km2) in area. The parish includes the villages of Four Elms, Hever itself, and Markbeech, and has a population of 1,136.
The place-name 'Hever' is first attested in a Saxon charter of 814, where it appears as 'Heanyfre'; the name means 'high edge'.
Hever contains Hever Castle, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII.
There are three parish churches, one at each village. All are one united benefice. In the parish church of St Peter is the tomb of Thomas Boleyn, the father of Anne Boleyn and grandfather of Queen Elizabeth I.
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Hextable
Coordinates: 51°24′39″N 0°10′52″E / 51.410930°N 0.181150°E / 51.410930; 0.181150
Hextable is a leafy village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It lies to the north of the villages of Farningham, Otford and Eynsford, west of the villages of South Darenth and Horton Kirby and south of the village of Wilmington.
The village is home to many stables and equestrian centres, particularly on its more rural boundaries.
The origin of the village name goes back to Saxon times.
Its first documented appearance is in 1203 when the land is referred to as Hagestaple. Staple is from the Old English (O.E.) word "stapol," or boundary post. This makes perfect sense as the land was on the boundary of the Saxon settlements of Dartford, Bromley and Sutton at Hone. The word Hage is less clear. One theory is that it is descended from the O.E. word for high: "Hey." But the land on the Birchwood side of Hextable, where the post would have been, is not high, at least compared with nearby Rowhill and Swanley Village, and it is hard to see how Hage would have derived from Hey. The O.E. word "hage" meant a hedge, an enclosure or hawthorn, any of which could have been a means of uniquely delineating the boundary post in some way. The means by which Hagestaple became Hextable is in contrast well-documented:
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Hildenborough
Coordinates: 51°12′50″N 0°14′31″E / 51.214°N 0.242°E / 51.214; 0.242
Hildenborough is a village and rural parish in the District of Tonbridge and Malling, Kent. It is two miles (three kilometres) north-west of Tonbridge and five miles (eight kilometres) south-east of Sevenoaks. The village lies in the River Medway valley, near the North Downs in an area known as The Weald.
Hildenborough was originally just Hilden – or, in its 13th-century form, Hyldenn. The elements here are Old English hyll ‘hill’ and denn ‘woodland pasture’, so the sense is of a ‘pasture on or by a hill’. By 1349 the name had become Hildenborough, having acquired the affix from burh ‘manor, borough’.
In World War II a doodlebug (V1) fell near an oast house by Mill Lane and smashed its cowl.
In the fields along Stocks Green Road, by the old tea rooms, a German parachutist came down and a Captain from the Royal Artillery from Hildenborough had to take him to a POW camp. A woman in some neighbouring buildings offered the German a cup of tea. Mansers Farm and Fairview house in Nizels Lane were also houses where German soldiers landed.
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Hodsoll Street
Coordinates: 51°20′37″N 0°19′56″E / 51.343480°N 0.332360°E / 51.343480; 0.332360
Hodsoll Street is a village in Kent, England. It lies between Sevenoaks and Chatham and is within the Sevenoaks local government district. It is part of the Ash-cum-Ridley civil parish.
Media related to Hodsoll Street at Wikimedia Commons
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Horton Kirby
Coordinates: 51°23′24″N 0°15′07″E / 51.389980°N 0.252050°E / 51.389980; 0.252050
Horton Kirby is a village in the civil parish of Horton Kirby and South Darenth in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England.
The village is located on the right bank of the River Darent, south of Dartford. Its church is dedicated to St Mary. The nearest railway station is at Farningham Road. The A225 road between Dartford and Sevenoaks passes to the west of the village.
There is currently a development of 174 one to four-bedroom dwellings known as The Mill being completed there.
Horton Kirby Environmental Studies Centre provides nature and country life-related outdoor activities for schoolchildren from South London. There are the ruins of a Roman villa nearby.
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Hythe, Kent
Coordinates: 51°04′18″N 1°05′02″E / 51.0716°N 1.084°E / 51.0716; 1.084
Hythe ( /ˈhaɪð/), is a small coastal market town on the edge of Romney Marsh, in the District of Shepway (derived from Sheep Way) on the south coast of Kent. The word Hythe or Hithe is an Old English word meaning Haven or Landing Place.
The town has medieval and Georgian buildings, as well as a Saxon/Norman church on the hill and seafront promenade. Hythe was once defended by two castles, Saltwood and Lympne. The town hall, a former guildhall, was built in 1794, its fireplace designed by the Adam Brothers.
Hythe's market once took place in Market Square (now Red Lion Square) close to where there is now a Farmers' Market every second and fourth Saturday of the month. Hythe has gardening, horse riding, bowling, tennis, cricket, football, squash and sailing clubs. Lord Deedes was patron of Hythe Civic Society, and the hounds of The East Kent Hunt are kennelled in nearby Elham.
Hythe is one of the Cinque Ports, but although it is beside a broad bay on the English Channel, silting removed its harbour hundreds of years ago. Hythe was once the central Cinque Port, between Hastings and New Romney to the west and Dover and Sandwich to the east.
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Ide Hill
Coordinates: 51°14′46″N 0°07′37″E / 51.246°N 0.127°E / 51.246; 0.127
Ide Hill is a village within the civil parish of Sundridge with Ide Hill, in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It stands on one of the highest points of the sandstone ridge about five miles south-west of Sevenoaks. Its name first appears on record in 1250 as Edythehelle. It is an eponymic denoting 'Edith's hill', from the Old English hyll 'hill'.
The church is relatively modern. The village had a chapel in 1807, built by the then Bishop of London; St Mary's church was built in 1865 and "has the distinction of being the highest church in Kent" [The Kent Village Book], as well as boasting a beautiful lychgate, crafted by local builder Cecil 'Dusty' Boakes. There are several old buildings round the sloping village green, including the 18th-century Cock Inn and the Ide Hill Village School, built in 1856 it is the second home of the school which unusually for a church school predates the church building as the school was formed in 1809.
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Kemsing, Kent
Coordinates: 51°18′26″N 0°13′31″E / 51.307120°N 0.225180°E / 51.307120; 0.225180
Kemsing is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish lies on the scarp face of the North Downs, 20 miles south east of Central London, 4 miles (6 km) north east of Sevenoaks. Also in the parish are the hamlets of Heaverham, 1 mile (2 km) to the east, and Noah's Ark 0.5 miles (1 km) to the south. The population of the civil parish in 2001 was 4014 persons.
Kemsing was the birthplace, in AD961, of Saint Edith of Wilton, an illegitimate daughter of the Saxon King Edgar I. The well at the centre of the village is dedicated to her, a plaque on the wall recording the local legend that her saintly presence has given the water healing properties. The historic village centre area around the well includes the war memorial, a cluster of picturesque cottages and St. Edith's Hall, the front of which is adorned with a statue of the saint and a clock which chimes the hours and bears the inscription:
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Kent
Kent /ˈkɛnt/ is a county in South East England, and one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of Medway. Kent has a nominal border with France halfway through the Channel Tunnel. Maidstone is its county town and historically Rochester and Canterbury have been accorded city status, though only the latter still holds it.
Kent's location between London and the continental Europe has led to its being in the front line of several conflicts, including the Battle of Britain during World War II. East Kent was known as Hell Fire Corner during the conflict. England has relied on the county's ports to provide warships through much of the past 800 years; the Cinque Ports in the 12th–14th centuries and Chatham Dockyard in the 16th–20th centuries were of particular importance to the country's security. France can be seen clearly in fine weather from Folkestone, and the iconic White Cliffs of Dover.
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Knockholt
Coordinates: 51°18′36″N 0°06′18″E / 51.31°N 0.105°E / 51.31; 0.105
Knockholt is a village and civil parish in Kent, England, lying approximately 5 miles south of Orpington and 3 miles northwest of Sevenoaks. It is part of the Sevenoaks district and according to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,166. The village is located at 51°18'36" north 0°6'18" East.
The village is mostly a ribbon development, surrounded by fields that are a part of the Green Belt. There is mixed arable farming. It is in a hilly, rural location, on the top of the dip slope of the North Downs, and has views over London.
Knockholt was included in Orpington Urban District in 1934. [1]. When Greater London was created in 1965, as part of Orpington UD, Knockholt was included in the London Borough of Bromley. In 1969, it was removed from the Borough, and included in Sevenoaks Rural District. [2]
The Ivy Farm Communications Centre at Knockholt Pound was the Radio Intercept Station for the non-Morse radio traffic, known as Fish, decoded by Bletchley Park during World War II. The importance of the station is noted in Paul Gannon's book.
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Knole Academy
The Knole Academy is a secondary school in Sevenoaks, Kent, England that was opened in September 2010, as a result of the amalgamation of the Wildernesse School (for boys) and the Bradbourne school (for girls). The two sites for each of the previous schools will both be used for the construction of the new Academy buildings. When the two schools merged not all of the students from Wildernesse moved over, the merging of all students was only completed in September 2011. Since then the site at Knole East has only been used for administrative purposes and for Physical Education.
Coordinates: 51°17′13″N 0°11′2″E / 51.28694°N 0.18389°E / 51.28694; 0.18389
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Knole House
Knole is an English country house in the town of Sevenoaks in west Kent, surrounded by a 1,000-acre (4.0 km2) deer park. One of England's largest houses, it is reputed to be a calendar house, having 365 rooms, 52 staircases, 12 entrances and 7 courtyards. It is known for the degree to which its early 17th-century appearance is preserved, particularly in the case of the state rooms: the exteriors and interiors of many houses of this period, such as Clandon Park in Surrey, were dramatically altered later on. The surrounding deer park has also survived with little having changed over the past 400 years except for the loss of over 70% of its trees in the Great Storm of 1987.
The house was built by Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury, between 1456 and 1486, on the site of an earlier house belonging to James Fiennes, the Lord Say and Sele who was executed after the victory of Jack Cade's rebels at the Battle of Solefields. On Bourchier's death, the house was bequeathed to the See of Canterbury — Sir Thomas More appeared in revels there at the court of John Morton — and in subsequent years it continued to be enlarged, with the addition of a new large courtyard, now known as Green Court, and a new entrance tower. In 1538 the house was taken from Archbishop Thomas Cranmer by King Henry VIII along with Otford Palace.
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Leigh, Kent
Coordinates: 51°11′46″N 0°13′12″E / 51.196°N 0.220°E / 51.196; 0.220
Leigh ( /ˈlaɪ/), historically spelled Lyghe, is a village and a civil parish located in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. It is located six miles (10 km) south of Sevenoaks town and three miles (5 km) west of Tonbridge.
There is a large village green; nearby is Hall Place, once Leigh Hall, occasionally open to the public, built in 1876. The parish church (13th century) is dedicated to St Mary.
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Lydd
Coordinates: 50°57′08″N 0°54′26″E / 50.952330°N 0.907290°E / 50.952330; 0.907290
Lydd is a town in Kent, England, lying on the Romney Marsh. It is one of the larger villages on the marsh, and the most southerly village in Kent. Actually located on Denge Marsh, Lydd was one of the first sandy islands to form as the bay evolved into what is now called the Romney Marsh. The name Hlyda, which derives from the Latin word for "shore", was found in a Saxon charter dating from the 8th century.
The parish of Lydd comprises the town of Lydd, Dungeness, Lydd-on-Sea and parts of Greatstone.
Notable buildings in Lydd include a guildhall and a mediaeval courthouse. Chamberlains and churchwardens accounts of the 15th century survive alongside the town charters.
Lydd reached the height of its prosperity during the 13th century, when it was a corporate member of the Cinque Ports, a "limb" of Romney.
As with much of the marsh, the town was a base for smuggling in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Before World War I Lydd became an important artillery practice camp. Experiments with high explosives carried out on the shingle wastes around 1888 led to the invention of the explosive Lyddite. Lydd was at one time a garrison town and the area is still an important training ground for the armed forces, at one time having an extensive narrow gauge railway network.
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M25 motorway
The M25 motorway, London Ring Motorway, or London Orbital motorway is a 117-mile (188 km) motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it was completed in 1986. The M25 is one of the world's longest orbital roads and one of the busiest and most congested parts of the British motorway network. 196,000 vehicles were recorded in a single day near London Heathrow Airport. Plans to widen additional sections to eight lanes (four each way) were scaled back in 2009 in response to rising costs.
Originally built mainly as a dual three-lane motorway, much of the motorway has subsequently been widened to dual four-lanes in places and to a dual five-lane section between junctions 12 and 14 and a dual six-lane between junctions 14 and 15. Further widening is in progress with plans for managed motorways on other sections.
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Maidstone
Coordinates: 51°16′19″N 0°31′44″E / 51.272°N 0.529°E / 51.272; 0.529
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, 32 miles (51 km) south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural county of Kent, known as the Garden of England. There is evidence of a settlement in the area dating back to beyond the Stone Age.
The town is within the borough of Maidstone. In 2001, the town had a population of 75,070.
Maidstone's economy has changed over the years from being involved in heavy industry, to more light and service industries.
Saxon charters (c975) show the first recorded instances of the town's name; de maeides stana and maegdan stane with the possible meaning of either stone of the maidens, or possibly stone of the people. The latter meaning may refer to the nearby megalith around which gatherings would take place. The name evolved through medestan/meddestane as reported in the Domesday Book until, in 1610, the modern name appeared. It has also been suggested that the name derives from stones set into the river to allow clothes to be rinsed in the cleaner water away from the banks of the river.[citation needed]
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Maidstone (borough)
The Borough of Maidstone is a local government district with borough status in Kent, England. Its administrative centre is Maidstone which is also the County town of Kent. grid reference TQ760560
The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, and was a merger of the former municipal borough of Maidstone with the rural districts of Hollingbourne and Maidstone.
The Borough covers an area generally to the east and south of the town of Maidstone: as far north as the M2 motorway; east down the M20 to Lenham; south to a line including Staplehurst and Headcorn; and west towards Tonbridge. Generally speaking, it lies between the North Downs and the Weald, and covers the central part of the county. The M20 motorway crosses it from west to east, as does High Speed 1.
Geologically, the Greensand ridge lies to the south of the town. The very fine sand provides a good source for glass-making. The clay vale beyond, through which flow the three rivers which meet at Yalding; the Medway, the Beult and the Teise; and the chalk North Downs all provide raw materials for paper- and cement-making; which are also local industries.
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Markbeech
Markbeech is a village in the civil parish of Hever in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The village is located on the northern slopes of the Weald, nine miles (13 km) north-west of Tunbridge Wells.
The church, part of a united benefice with Hever and Four Elms, is dedicated to the Holy Trinity. There is a village hall, a pub - The Kentish Horse, and a thriving cricket club.
Coordinates: 51°09′55″N 0°06′29″E / 51.1652°N 0.1080°E / 51.1652; 0.1080
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Minster, Swale
Coordinates: 51°25′16″N 0°48′32″E / 51.421°N 0.809°E / 51.421; 0.809
Minster is a small town on the north coast of the Isle of Sheppey and in the Swale district of Kent, England.
The name of the town derives from the monastery founded in the area. There is some variation in the use of the name, with the local parish council being named Minster-on-Sea, while other sources, such as the local primary school, use Minster-in-Sheppey, in order to distinguish it from Minster-in-Thanet, also in the county of Kent. Both places are listed in the Ordnance Survey gazeteer is Minster. Royal Mail identifies a locality of Minster On Sea in the ME12 postcode district. Minster-on-Sea is a location mentioned in Dickens' The Old Curiosity Shop.
In about AD 670 the widowed Kentish queen, Seaxburh of Ely, built the monastery here - one of the first in Kent. In AD 835 the Danes overran Sheppey and made it their base camp. They remained there until the Norman conquest. In AD 670 another monarch - King Ecgberht of Kent gave land for his mother to establish a Benedictine nunnery at Minster. At the Reformation Sir Thomas Cheyney was given possession of the site.
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New Ash Green
New Ash Green is a village near the ancient village of Ash, in the parish of Ash-cum-Ridley, about 6 miles (10 km) south of Gravesend in Kent and 21 miles (34 km) south-east of London. Building of the village began in 1967, with Span as the developer and Eric Lyons as the designer. The architectural design of New Ash Green was extremely innovative for its time. The original concept was a prototype for a new way of living in the latter twentieth century. The first buildings were created to be airy, pleasant and modern. There was generous landscaping and cars were separated from pedestrians. The village is arranged in twenty four neighbourhoods.
The development soon ran into difficulties. Originally, the Greater London Council was going to buy 450 of the properties for renting. This idea was dropped when the leadership of the GLC went into Conservative hands. This reduced the financial viability of the development and of the planned social mix of residents. Another problem in the early years was that some lenders were sceptical about the unconventional design of the properties and would not give mortgages.
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New Romney
Coordinates: 50°59′06″N 0°56′28″E / 50.985°N 0.941°E / 50.985; 0.941
New Romney is a small town in Kent, England, on the edge of Romney Marsh, an area of flat, rich agricultural land reclaimed from the sea after the harbour began to be silted up. New Romney was once a sea port, with the harbour adjacent to the church, but is now more than a mile from the sea. It is the headquarters of the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway.
New Romney is not significantly different in age from the nearby village of Old Romney. However New Romney, now about a mile and a half from the seafront, was originally a harbour town at the mouth of the River Rother. The Rother estuary was always difficult to navigate, with many shallow channels and sandbanks. To make navigation easier two large rocks, one bigger than the other, were placed at the entrance to the main channel.[citation needed] The names of two local settlements, Greatstone and Littlestone, are a reminder of these aids. Another possible explanation for these place-names is a result of the effects of Longshore Drift, which disperses shingle and sand deposits, from west to east, with heavier stones accumulating in the area known as Greatstone, while far smaller shingle is to be found in great quantities at Littlestone. Very fine sand is found further east at neighbouring St Mary's Bay.
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North Downs
The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. The North Downs lie within two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs), the Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs. The North Downs Way National Trail runs along the North Downs from Farnham to Dover.
'Downs' is from Old English dun meaning, amongst other things, 'hill'. The word acquired the sense of 'elevated rolling grassland' around the fourteenth century. These hills are prefixed 'north' to distinguish them from the morphologically similar range of hills - the South Downs - which run roughly parallel to them but some 50 km (31 mi) to the south.
The narrow spine of the Hog's Back between Farnham and Guildford forms the western extremity of the North Downs whilst the cliffs between Folkestone and Deal terminate the ridge in the east. There are two distinct aspects, the steep south facing escarpment and the gentle north facing dip slope. The southern boundary is defined by the foot of the escarpment which gives way to the flat, broad clay lands between the Downs and Greensand Ridge known as the Vale of Holmesdale. The northern boundary is less apparent but occurs where the chalk submerges below the more recent Paleocene deposits.
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Northfleet
Coordinates: 51°26′51″N 0°19′29″E / 51.447588°N 0.324783°E / 51.447588; 0.324783
Northfleet is a town in the Borough of Gravesham in Kent, England. Its name is derived from being situated on the northern reach of what was once called the River Fleet (today known as the Ebbsfleet) there is a village at the other end of the river named Southfleet. It has been the site of a settlement on the shore of the River Thames adjacent to Gravesend since Roman times. It was known as Fleote by the Saxons c600 AD, Flyote c900 AD, Flete c1000 AD. It was recorded as Norfluet in the Domesday Book, and Northflet in 1201. By 1610 the name of Northfleet had become established. A battle took place during the civil war at the Stonebridge over the Ebbsfleet river. Northfleet became a town in 1874 with the Northfleet Urban District Council being established c1894. In 1974 it was forcibly mearged with the nextdoor Gravesend Borough Council. The first council offices were off the Hill, but the council then moved to Northfleet House (now a nursing home for the elderly). Northfleet House was once the home of Mr. Sturges a local landowner. Northfleet is in the lathe of Aylesford and the hundred of Toltingtrough.
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Otford
Coordinates: 51°18′35″N 0°11′12″E / 51.30969°N 0.18657°E / 51.30969; 0.18657
Otford is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent known for its classically English (Kentish) countryside. The village is located on the River Darent, flowing north down its valley from its source on the North Downs. The name is a contraction of Otterford, possibly derived from Offa, the King of Mercia who fought a battle at Otford against the Kentish Saxons in 776 at the Battle of Otford.
Notable landmarks are the Archbishop's Palace, the duck-pond roundabout, and the scale model of the Solar System which claims to be "the largest scale model in the world".
The parish church is dedicated to St Bartholomew.
According to the 2001 Census, the population of the Otford and Shoreham ward was 4,381, Otford's population being 3,528.
Otford lies on the A225, a main road between Dartford and Sevenoaks. The presence of the site of a Roman villa, in addition to the remains of an ancient trackway, suggests that this road has a long history. The M26 motorway uses the valley here as part of its route.
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Paddock Wood
Coordinates: 51°10′32″N 0°23′44″E / 51.1756°N 0.3955°E / 51.1756; 0.3955
Paddock Wood is a small town and civil parish in the Borough of Tunbridge Wells and county of Kent in England, about 8 miles (13 km) southwest of Maidstone. At the time of the 2001 census it had a population of 8,263, and is the centre for hop growing in Kent.
Paddock Wood formed part of the ancient parish of Brenchley. There are several theories for the origin of the name "Paddock Wood"; it may have been derived from the nearby Manor of Parrock, or from the nearby woodland and paddocks. A railway station was opened here on 31 May 1842, on the South Eastern Railway main line from London via Redhill to Dover.
In 1847 cottages had begun to appear, and by 1851 a fairly sizeable community had developed, and an Anglican church, St Andrew's, was built. In 1860 the area was separated ecclesiastically from Brenchley to form a Church of England parish. The area around Paddock Wood has always had a history of hop farming, and in the growth of the town is partly due to the seasonal influx of hop pickers, and at the height of the season up to 8,000 people would arrive to work on the farms.
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Pembury
Coordinates: 51°08′44″N 0°19′21″E / 51.1456°N 0.3224°E / 51.1456; 0.3224
Pembury is a large village in Kent, in the south east of England, with a population of around 6,000. It lies just to the north-east of Tunbridge Wells.
The village centre, including the village green and High Street area is a conservation area.
A settlement in Pembury almost certainly predates the Norman conquest, as the village church of St Peter is of Norman origin. It is thought to have been built in the early 12th or late 11th century, though the earliest it can be dated with certainty is to 1337, when John Culpeper of Bayhall carried out building work to the church.
The first recorded mention of Pembury is as "Peppingeberia" in the 12th century Textus Roffensis, though Edward Hasted states that it was also known in ancient deeds as "Pepenbery".
With the widespread introduction of the motor-vehicle in the early 20th century, Pembury Hospital hosted a centre of groundbreaking research and treatment for Hodophobia (fear of road travel). Ironically, some of the original test subjects settled in Pembury and many of their descendants still live in the village today.
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Penny Lane
Coordinates: 53°23′13″N 2°55′10″W / 53.38694°N 2.91944°W / 53.38694; -2.91944
"Penny Lane" is a song by The Beatles, written primarily by Paul McCartney. It was credited to Lennon–McCartney.
Recorded during the Sgt. Pepper sessions, "Penny Lane" was released in February 1967 as one side of a double A-sided single, along with "Strawberry Fields Forever". Both songs were later included on the Magical Mystery Tour LP (1967). The single was the result of the record company wanting a new release after several months of no new Beatles releases.
In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked "Penny Lane" at #456 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
The song's title is derived from the name of a street near Lennon's house, in the band's hometown, Liverpool. McCartney and Lennon would meet at Penny Lane junction in the Mossley Hill area to catch a bus into the centre of the city. The area that surrounds its junction with Smithdown Road is also commonly called Penny Lane. At the time, in the 1960s, this was a significant bus terminus for several routes, and buses with "Penny Lane" displayed were common throughout Liverpool.
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Penshurst
Coordinates: 51°10′13″N 0°10′48″E / 51.17041°N 0.17997°E / 51.17041; 0.17997
Penshurst is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. The parish is located on the northern slopes of the Weald, west of Tonbridge. Within the parish boundaries are the two villages of Penshurst and Fordcombe, with a combined population of some 1,479 persons. The majority of the parish is in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The parish church, dedicated to St John the Baptist is one of the two churches in the civil parish.
Penshurst village is located some 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Tonbridge and 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Sevenoaks. It lies in a valley near the confluence of two rivers, the Medway and the Eden.
The village grew up around Penshurst Place, the ancestral home of the Sidney family. There are many Tudor-looking buildings in the village, although some are Victorian. Henry Stafford the first Baron Stafford was born here in 1501. There is also a vineyard nearby.
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Queenborough
Coordinates: 51°25′06″N 0°44′42″E / 51.4183°N 0.7450°E / 51.4183; 0.7450
Queenborough is a small town on the Isle of Sheppey in the Swale borough of Kent in South East England.
Queenborough is two miles (3.2 km) south of Sheerness. It grew as a port near the Thames Estuary at the westward entrance to The Swale where it joins the River Medway. It is in the Sittingbourne and Sheppey parliamentary constituency.
Queenborough Harbour offers moorings between the Thames and Medway. It is possible to land at Queenborough on any tide and there are boat builders and chandlers in the marina. Admiral Lord Nelson, is reputed to have learnt much of his seafaring skills in these waters, and also shared a house near the small harbour with his mistress, the Lady Hamilton.
Queenborough today still reflects something of its original 18th century seafaring history, from which period most of its more prominent buildings survive. The church is the sole surviving feature from the medieval period. The town was first represented by two Members of Parliament in 1572.
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Ramsgate
Coordinates: 51°20′38″N 1°24′15″E / 51.343910°N 1.404030°E / 51.343910; 1.404030
Ramsgate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century and is a member of the ancient confederation of Cinque Ports. It has a population of around 40,000. Ramsgate's main attraction is its coastline and its main industries are tourism and fishing. The town has one of the largest marinas on the English south coast and Port of Ramsgate has provided cross channel ferries for many years.
Ramsgate began as a fishing and farming hamlet. Ramsgate as a name has its earliest reference as "Hraefn's gate", or "raven's cliff gap", later to be rendered 'Ramisgate' or 'Remmesgate' around 1225 and 'Ramesgate' from 1357. The legendary mercenaries Hengest and Horsa landed in the 5th century to herald the pagan Anglo-Saxon age in England. The Christian missionary St. Augustine landed in Ramsgate in 597 which re-established the link between England and the Christian church in Rome.
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Ridley, Kent
Coordinates: 51°21′01″N 0°18′56″E / 51.350250°N 0.315530°E / 51.350250; 0.315530
Ridley is a village in Kent, England. It lies between Sevenoaks and Chatham, and is within the Sevenoaks local government district. It is part of the Ash-cum-Ridley civil parish.
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Riverhead, Kent
Coordinates: 51°17′05″N 0°10′12″E / 51.284655°N 0.16998768°E / 51.284655; 0.16998768
Riverhead is a northern village part of the urban area of Sevenoaks in the district of the same name in Kent, England and is also a civil parish. The parish has a population of over 1821.
The parish stretches from Chipstead Lake and the River Darent in the north through the hamlet of Dibden and A21 to Mill Bank Wood in the south.
The origin of the name of the village may lie in the Saxon word ‘rither’ meaning hill or deriving from the word meaning ‘cattle landing place’. Riverhead was an early settlement, part of the Codsheath Hundred. The settlement grew in size during Saxon times as traffic on the pilgrim routes between Canterbury and Winchester increased. The prosperity of the village during Georgian times is indicated by the high proportion of households that had to pay Hearth Tax on their properties, and although the village was of modest size, it was surrounded by several major country estates such as Chipstead Place, Bradbourne and Montreal.
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Riverhill House
Riverhill House is a Grade II listed rag-stone Queen Anne manor house located on the southern edge of Sevenoaks in Kent, England. The house and estate, of 130 acres (53 ha), are located directly to the south of Knole Park, near to the villages of Sevenoaks Weald and Underriver. The gardens are occasionally open to the public, mainly in the spring.
Originally built on the site of a Tudor farmstead in 1714, John Rogers purchased Riverhill House and estate in 1840. A keen botanist and a contemporary of Charles Darwin, Rogers purchased the property because of its sheltered location and lime-free soil. Rogers was an early member of the Royal Horticultural Society and a patron of Victorian plant-hunters.
The house has been enlarged and improved since then, by subsequent generations of the Rogers family up until 1900. Today the house is still a family home in private ownership of the Rogers family.
The Riverhill estate include gardens first established by John Rogers in 1842. The house and gardens are periodically open to the public. The huge Turkey oak at the front of the house was brought back as an acorn by a previous owner returning from the Crimean War. The garden also has cedar trees plated in the 1840s.
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Rivers of Kent
There are four rivers draining the county of Kent, England.
This is the main river, whose catchment area covers almost 25% of the county. The detailed map has a diagram of that catchment area, which includes its main tributaries: the rivers Eden, Bourne (or Shode), Teise, Beult, Loose and Len.
The River Stour is also known as the Great Stour, especially above its confluence with the Little Stour at Plucks Gutter. Its catchment area covers the eastern part of Kent.
Its tributary is the River Cray.
A minor river from Temple Ewell to Dover
A Wealden river. It is included here since for part of its journey near Bodiam it forms the boundary between Kent and East Sussex.
Coordinates: 51°12′N 0°42′E / 51.2°N 0.7°E / 51.2; 0.7
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Rochester, Kent
Coordinates: 51°23′18″N 0°29′54″E / 51.3883°N 0.4982°E / 51.3883; 0.4982
Rochester is a town and former city in Kent, England. It is located within the unitary authority area of Medway and is at the lowest bridging point of the River Medway about 30 miles (48 km) from London. The town is known for its cathedral and castle, and for an epic siege in 1215. Rochester, together with neighbouring Chatham, Gillingham, Strood and a number of outlying villages, makes up the Medway unitary authority area.
The Romano-British name for Rochester was Durobrivae, later Durobrivis c.730 and Dorobrevis in 844.
The commonly cited origins of this are:
See the main History of Rochester, Kent for more details on the toponymy.
Durobrivis was pronounced 'Robrivis. Bede copied down this name, c730, mistaking its meaning as Hrofi's fortified camp (OE Hrofes cæster). From this we get c730 Hrofæscæstre, 811 Hrofescester, 1086 Rovescester, 1610 Rochester.
The Latinised adjective 'Roffensis' refers to Rochester.
Neolithic remains have been found in the vicinity of Rochester. Immediately prior to the Roman invasion it was one of the two administrative centres of the Cantiaci tribe. During the Roman invasion a fierce battle was fought over the river crossing. The first bridge was subsequently constructed early in the Roman period. During the later Roman period the settlement was walled in stone.
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Sandwich, Kent
Coordinates: 51°16′29″N 1°20′20″E / 51.27472°N 1.33889°E / 51.27472; 1.33889
Sandwich is a historic town and civil parish on the River Stour in the Non-metropolitan district of Dover, within the ceremonial county of Kent, south-east England. It has a population of 6,800.
It was one of the Cinque Ports and still has many original medieval buildings, including several listed public houses and gates in the old town walls, churches, almshouses and the White Mill. While once a major port, it is now two miles from the sea, its historic centre preserved.
Sandwich Bay is home to nature reserves and two world-class golf courses, Royal St George's and Prince's. The town is also home to educational and cultural events.
The name is of Danish origin, meaning a sand place or camp on a bay (vig, wich) or near the mouth of a river.
In 1028 King Canute granted a charter to the monks of Christ Church, Canterbury to operate a ferry across the river and collect tolls.
The Port of Sandwich is no stranger to odd events in English history. It was here in 1255 that the first captive elephant was landed in England, The prize beast arrived at Sandwich quayside, delivered as a gift to the English monarch Henry III, from the French king, and was then taken on foot to the king's zoo at the Tower of London. The journey through Kent is reported to have proceeded without incident, except when a bull in a field adjacent to the roadside took umbrage to the great beast passing and attacked it. In one move the animal was thrown by the elephant and killed outright.
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Seal Chart
Coordinates: 51°17′04″N 0°15′23″E / 51.284510°N 0.256260°E / 51.284510; 0.256260
Seal Chart is a village 2 miles (3 km) east of Sevenoaks in Kent, England. It is within the Sevenoaks local government district.
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Seal, Kent
Coordinates: 51°17′18″N 0°13′20″E / 51.2882°N 0.2223°E / 51.2882; 0.2223
Seal is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located in the valley between the North Downs and the Greensand ridge to the north east of Sevenoaks town.
The village, on the A25 road, although ancient, is fast becoming part of the built-up area of Sevenoaks.
In early documents the name of the village is often given as 'Sele', 'Sale', 'Zela' or 'La Sela'. Until recently it was supposed to come from the French word 'salle' meaning a hall but there is no evidence to support this. The etymology of place names suggests that the name of the village could have come from the Anglo-Saxon word 'sole' or 'sol' meaning a 'muddy slough, wallowing place' or a 'muddy pond that overflows'. Seal still has a pond at the fork at the bottom of Park Lane which tends to overflow at the present day. Another possibility is Anglo-Saxon sēale = "group of sallow trees".
'Seal: The History of a Parish' by Jean Fox, David Williams and Peter Mountfield, published by Philimores in 2007, gives comprehensive coverage of the village's history.
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Seven Oaks Community
Seven Oaks is a CDD community in Wesley Chapel, Florida, United States.
Seven Oaks is led by two boards that operate the community and regulate the homes and people inside it. The first board is the Home Owners Association, known as Seven Oaks Property Owners Association or SOPOA for short. The other governing body is the Seven Oaks Community Development District (CDD) Board of Supervisors. The CDD board is actually a special purpose tax district that encompasses the community and surrounding wetlands and forestry.
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Sevenoaks
Coordinates: 51°16′41″N 0°11′15″E / 51.2781°N 0.1874°E / 51.2781; 0.1874
Sevenoaks is a commuter town situated on the London fringe of west Kent, England, 24 miles (38.6 km) south-east of Charing Cross, on one of the principal commuter rail lines from the capital. The town gives its name to the Sevenoaks district, of which it is the principal town, followed by Swanley and Edenbridge.
The presence of Knole House, a large mansion, led to the earlier settlement becoming a village and in the 13th century a market was established.[citation needed] Sevenoaks became part of the modern communications network when one of the earlier turnpikes was opened in the 18th century; the railway was relatively late in reaching it. It has a large commuting population although the nearby Fort Halstead defence installation is a large local employer.
There are several independent educational establishments in the town, including the prestigious Sevenoaks School.
The town's name is derived from the Saxon word "Seouenaca", the name given to a small chapel near seven oak trees in Knole Park around AD 800.[citation needed]
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Sevenoaks (district)
Sevenoaks is a local government district covering the western most part of Kent in England. Its council is based in the town of Sevenoaks. It was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the Sevenoaks Urban District, Sevenoaks Rural District and part of Dartford Rural District.
The council consists of 54 elected councillors, representing wards in the district.
In 2009 the Audit Commission named Sevenoaks District Council one of the four best run and most efficient councils in the country.
The third tier of government within the District consists of the following town and parish councils:
Coordinates: 51°16′12″N 0°11′35″E / 51.270°N 0.193°E / 51.270; 0.193
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Sevenoaks School
Sevenoaks School is an English coeducational independent school located in the town of Sevenoaks, Kent. It is the oldest lay school in the United Kingdom, dating back to 1432. Almost 1,000 day pupils and boarders attend, ranging in age from 11 to 18 years. There are approximately equal numbers of boys and girls. The current Headteacher is Katy Ricks. The school was a pioneer in attracting international students during the 1960s. Today the pupils come from over 40 countries. The Good Schools Guide called it a "Trail-blazing co-ed day and boarding school...now riding high academically." The school encourages pupils to be involved in all the opportunities it offers. Despite its emphasis on internationalism and innovation the school maintains strong roots with the local community and maintains some of its historical traditions such as the Sevenoaks Festival and the lunchtime music recitals, which date back to the 1960s.
In 1999 it featured in the media by becoming the first major UK school to switch entirely from doing A level exams to the International Baccalaureate. The school is a member of the G20 Schools group.
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Sevenoaks Town F.C.
Sevenoaks Town F.C. is a football club based in Sevenoaks, Kent, England. They were established in 1883 and joined the Kent League in 2003. For the 2011–12 season, they are members of the Kent League Premier Division.
Sevenoaks F.C. was originally formed in 1883 and was amongst the founder members of the original Kent League, although they left the league after just one season. It is known that on 26 April 1893 they played Royal Arsenal, who were at the time the only professional team in the South of England, with over 1,000 spectators watching the game.
In 1906 the club, now known as Sevenoaks Town, became one of the founder members of the Sevenoaks League. In 1951 Town amalgamated with another local club, St. John’s United, and became members of the Kent Amateur League (Western Region), which they won on two occasions. In 1984 the Kent Amateur League was re-organised as the Kent County League, and Sevenoaks were the first Premier Division champions, a feat they repeated in seasons 1995–96 and 2002–03.
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Sevenoaks Weald
Coordinates: 51°14′16″N 0°11′29″E / 51.237892°N 0.191258°E / 51.237892; 0.191258
Sevenoaks Weald is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the Weald, immediately south of Sevenoaks town, with the village of Sevenoaks Weald at its centre. It was formed in 1894 from part of the ancient parish of Sevenoaks.
The village was originally named simply Weald.
The parish church is dedicated to St George. It was built in 1821 and was provided as a "chapel of ease" so that parishioners did not have the long climb to St. Nicholas, the parish church of Sevenoaks. Land and funds were given for the chapel and churchyards by the Lambarde family.
St. George's became a parish in its own right in 1861. A chancel was added in 1871; funds being provided by the Hodgson family and designed by T.G. Jackson.
Long Barn is a property with a historic garden, begun in 1915 by Harold Nicolson and Vita Sackville-West and further developed by Edwin Lutyens in 1925.
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Sheerness
Coordinates: 51°26′28″N 0°45′38″E / 51.4410°N 0.7605°E / 51.4410; 0.7605
Sheerness (
/ʃɪərˈnɛs/) is a town located beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 13,000 it is the largest town on the island.
Sheerness began as a fort built in the 16th century to protect the River Medway from naval invasion. In 1665, plans were first laid by the Navy Board for a Royal Navy dockyard where warships might be provisioned and repaired, a site favoured by Samuel Pepys, then Clerk of the Acts of the navy, for shipbuilding over Chatham. After the raid on the Medway in 1667, the older fortification was strengthened; in 1669 was established the Royal Navy dockyard the town, where warships were stocked and repaired until its closure in 1960.
Beginning with the construction of a pier and a promenade in the 19th century, Sheerness acquired the added attractions of a seaside resort. Industry retains its important place in the town and the port of Sheerness is one of the United Kingdom's leading car and fresh produce importers. The town is the site of one of the UK's first co-operative societies and also of the world's first multi-storey building with a rigid metal frame.
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Shoreham, Kent
Coordinates: 51°19′57″N 0°10′24″E / 51.33242°N 0.17329°E / 51.33242; 0.17329
Shoreham is a village and civil parish in the valley of the River Darent six miles north of Sevenoaks in Kent: it is in the District of Sevenoaks. The parish includes the settlements of Badgers Mount and Well Hill.
The probable derivation of the name is estate at the foot of a steep slope. Steep slope was from the Saxon word scor. pronounced shor, but written sore by Norman scribes.
The village of Shoreham contains four traditional independent pubs: Ye Olde George Inne, The King's Arms, The Two Brewers and the Crown; with another in nearby Twitton.
The Darent valley was one of the major areas of Stone Age settlement; and Shoreham is mentioned in the Domesday Book.
It was also known as a smuggling area. Moreover, Shoreham was the most bombed village in the United Kingdom during the Second World War due to the fact the Army took over several manor houses for operational use.
Papermaking was once a local industry; the mill closed finally in 1925.
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Sittingbourne
Coordinates: 51°20′N 0°44′E / 51.34°N 0.74°E / 51.34; 0.74
Sittingbourne is an industrial town about eight miles (12.9 km) east of Gillingham in England, beside the Roman Watling Street off a creek in the Swale, a channel separating the Isle of Sheppey from mainland Kent. The town is growing rapidly due to a number of large residential developments, and its train line links to London Victoria and HS1 to St Pancras International, the journey taking about an hour from Sittingbourne railway station.
Sittingbourne owes its name to a modernised version of an observation on its location. The town's name came from the fact that there is a small stream or "bourne" running underground in part of the town. Hasted writing in the 1790s in his History of Kent states that:
The Kent Hundred Rolls of 1274-5, preserved in the National Archives, record Sittingbourne as Sydingeburn in the following entries " Item dicunt quod Johannes Maresescall de Synele tenet unam parvam purpresturam in villa de Sydingeburn et solvit domino regi per annum 1d et dominus rex nichil perdit et quod Petrus de London tenet unam parvam purpresturam in villa de Sydingeburn et solvit inde per annum domino regi 1d et rex nichil perdit." Translated as, "Then they say John Marshall de Synele holds one small encroachment in the vill of Sittingbourne and he pays the lord king 1d. each year and the lord king loses nothing and that Peter of London holds one small encroachment in the vill of Sittingbourne and he pays 1d. each year to the lord king and the king loses nothing."
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Snodland
Coordinates: 51°19′41″N 0°26′48″E / 51.328°N 0.4467°E / 51.328; 0.4467
Snodland is a small town in the county of Kent, England, located on the River Medway between Rochester and Maidstone. It has a population of about 12,000 people.
The town is situated on the A228 road connecting the Medway Towns with Tonbridge. The M20 motorway junction 4 is 2 miles south of the town allowing good access to London and the Channel Ports. The Snodland by-pass takes heavy commercial traffic away from the town centre (an area commonly referred to as "the village" by residents). The Medway Valley Line between Strood and Maidstone passes through Snodland. There is a station; for London passengers change at Strood or Maidstone Barracks/Maidstone East.
The first Roman advance in the conquest of Britain may have crossed the River Medway near Snodland, although there are contending locations. The supposed crossing place is marked by a memorial on the opposite side of the river from Snodland, close to Burham. Near this spot, a ferry later carried pilgrims bound for Canterbury along the Pilgrims' Way.
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South Darenth
South Darenth is a village in the civil parish of Horton Kirby and South Darenth in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England.
The village is located on the right bank of the Darent, south of Dartford. The nearest railway station is at Farningham Road, with train services west-bound to Bromley and London Victoria and east to Gillingham and Faversham. The A225 road passes to the west of the village, connecting it to nearby Dartford.
The village boasts only one bakery, a newsagent, a hairdresser and a post office/pharmacy, as well as three public houses: the Jolly Millers on East Hill, The Queen on New Road and The Bridges on the corner of Horton Road and Station Road, which is run by former wrestler Wayne Bridges.There is also a small retained fire station which is being forced to close down soon.
It also hosts a small brewery on St Margaret's Farm, called Millis, which supplies some of the pubs in the surrounding area and contributes to events, such as the Dartford Beer Festival.
The South Darenth Village Society organises events in the village, often in partnership with the Horton Kirby Village Society in the neighbouring village.
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Southborough, Kent
Coordinates: 51°09′35″N 0°15′55″E / 51.1598°N 0.2652°E / 51.1598; 0.2652
Southborough civil parish, with the title of town in the District of Tunbridge Wells, in Kent, England. It lies immediately to the north of Tunbridge Wells itself, with the A26 London road passing through it. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 11,124. The town is within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
After the Norman Conquest, the area came within the domain of Tonbridge Castle, one of 4 boroughs to do so. This was the South Borough.
Southborough separated from Tonbridge in 1871 when its own board of health was formed[citation needed]. From then, until 1894, it was recreated to become an urban district, with its own elected council to manage its affairs. It retained that title until 1974, when local government reorganisation reverted its title to a civil parish. By historical accident, however, Southborough had a town council, which it has retained.
The Southborough Town Council consists of 18 members, from the three town wards: North (seven councillors); West (six); and East (five). The posts of mayor and deputy mayor are elected annually. As with a normal civil parish, its responsibilities are less than those of the borough. The town has its own grant of heraldry: they include reference to the cricket ball industry, and contain two sprigs of broom, alluding to High Brooms.
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Strood
Coordinates: 51°24′11″N 0°29′17″E / 51.403168°N 0.488033°E / 51.403168; 0.488033
Strood is a town in the unitary authority of Medway in South East England. It is part of the ceremonial county of Kent. It lies on the north west bank of the River Medway at its lowest bridging point, and is part of the Rochester post town.
Strood was part of Frindsbury until 1193, but now Frindsbury is considered part of Strood. Strood's history has been dominated by the river, the bridges and the road and rail links they carried. It is now a mainly residential suburb of Rochester, and a commuter town for London.
Strood was part of Frindsbury until 1193. It was named "Strodes" in the Textus Roffensis, though most early records use the spelling Stroud. The name Strõd or Strõþ refers to a marshy land overgrown with brushwood.
The Romans built a stone bridge and laid a road on a causeway across the marshy ground. The foundations were about 8 ft below the level of the 1856 road. The road went up Strood Hill, and was called Watling Street, as it still is today. This is the A2 road . There is further evidence of a causewayed road leading along the bank towards the Frindsbury Peninsula leading to a villa, was found in 1819. The present road and field pattern suggest that there was a substantial Roman agricultural settlement centred near Frindsbury.
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Sundridge, Kent
Sundridge is a village within the civil parish of Sundridge with Ide Hill, in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The village is located on the A25 road to the east of Westerham Its church is dedicated to St Mary.
Among the village's famous former residents are:
Anne Seymour Damer (1748–1828), the daughter of Field Marshal Henry Seymour Conway and Caroline Conway, who would become a noted sculptor and the owner of Horace Walpole's famous estate, Strawberry Hill.
Christopher Wordsworth (1807–1885), the youngest brother of the famous poet William Wordsworth. Christopher would later become Bishop of Lincoln.
Beilby Porteus (1731–1809), The Bishop of London, who spent the autumn of 1803 living in Bishop's Court, Sundridge.
In 1910 a small aircraft-construction factory was opened at Sundridge Aerodrome, Chevening Road, 51°16′55″N 0°07′40″E / 51.2820°N 0.1277°E / 51.2820; 0.1277, by Prince Serge de Bolotoff, a sales representative for Albatros Flugzeugwerke, Berlin, who had gained experience of aircraft design at the Voisin works, Billancourt, France. In 1927 the factory buildings became a bus depot, but during World War II they reverted to military use, providing storage for crash-damaged aircraft. Three hangars, now used as farm out-buildings, are grade II listed buildings.
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Swanley
Coordinates: 51°24′N 0°11′E / 51.4°N 0.18°E / 51.4; 0.18
Swanley is a town and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It is located on the south-eastern outskirts of London, north of Sevenoaks town. The town boundaries encompass the settlements of Swanley itself, Hextable (Hextable recently voted to become an independent parish council) and Swanley Village. Swanley has a population of 20,986
In 1066, Swanley only consisted of a few cattle farms, surrounded in oak, sycamore and ash (Fraxinus) woodland. Because Swanley only consisted of a few homesteads,so it was not mentioned in the Domesday Book.
There is a theory that the placename Swanley developed from the Saxon term 'Swine-ley', "Ley" meaning a clearing in the woods and "swine" meaning pigs. So it has been suggested that it was originally a Saxon pig farm. This later developed into what we now know as Swanley. There is however no clear evidence that the derivation of the placename Swanley is 'a clearing for pigs'. This fiction may have been invented by a history teacher at Swanley School sometime in the late 1960s as a backhanded insult towards the kids he or she was expected to teach. If Swanley was a Saxon name chances are it would have received mention in Domesday. It didn't. The name is just as likely to be derived from the personal name Sven, Svein or something similar.
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Swanley Village
Swanley Village is a small village to the east of the town of Swanley in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England.
Swanley Village was originally known as Swanley but with the arrival of the London, Chatham and Dover Railway line, specifically the junction between the Chatham Main Line and the Maidstone East Line to the west of the village, a new settlement grew up. This was called "Swanley Junction", but soon grew and became known as "Swanley", with the village thus becoming known as "Swanley Village".
Its church is dedicated to St Paul. The local pubs are "The Lamb" and "The RED Lion".
Coordinates: 51°24′22″N 0°11′52″E / 51.40620°N 0.19770°E / 51.40620; 0.19770
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Swanscombe
Coordinates: 51°26′57″N 0°17′57″E / 51.4491°N 0.2993°E / 51.4491; 0.2993
Swanscombe is a small town, part of the Borough of Dartford on the north Kent coast in England. It is part of the civil parish of Swanscombe and Greenhithe.
Bone fragments and tools, representing the earliest humans known to have lived in England, have been found from 1935 onwards at the Barnfield Pit about 2 km outside the village. This site is now the Swanscombe Heritage Park. Swanscombe Man (now thought to be female) was a late Homo erectus or an early Archaic Homo sapiens. The c. 400,000-year-old skull fragments are kept at the Natural History Museum in London with a replica on display at the Dartford Museum. Lower levels of the Barnfield Pit yielded evidence of an even earlier, more primitive human, dubbed Clactonian Man.
Nearby digs on land for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link revealed a c. 400,000-year-old site with human tools and the remains of a Straight-tusked Elephant (Palaeoloxodon antiquus), and evidence of water vole, pine vole, newts, frogs etc., indicating a site with standing water. (See below for discovery details).
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Thanet
Thanet is a local government district of Kent, England which was formed under the Local Government Act 1972, and came into being on 1 April 1974. The Isle of Thanet makes up the major part of the District.
The district, which is governed by Thanet District Council, is located on the north eastern tip of Kent, and is predominantly coastal, with north, east and southeast facing coastlines. It is bordered by the City of Canterbury district to the west, and the Dover district to the south. The main towns in the district are Margate, Ramsgate and Broadstairs.
The Isle of Thanet is the major part of the Thanet District. Formed over 7000 years ago and separated from the mainland by the Wantsum Channel, it has always borne the brunt of invasions from the Continent. An Isle of Thanet Rural District had existed from the Local Government Act 1894 until it was abolished in 1935 to form part of Eastry Rural District. The current District was formed in 1974, by the addition of the area over which was once the Wantsum Channel, including the settlement of Sarre.
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Tonbridge
Coordinates: 51°11′55″N 0°16′35″E / 51.1987°N 0.2764°E / 51.1987; 0.2764
Tonbridge (pronunciation and historic spelling Tunbridge) is a market town in the English county of Kent, with a population of 30,340 in 2007. It is located on the River Medway, approximately 4 miles north of Tunbridge Wells, 12 miles south west of Maidstone and 29 miles south east of London. It belongs to the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Malling (population 107,560 in 2001).
The town was recorded in the Domesday Book 1087 as Tonebrige, which may indicate a bridge belonging to the estate or manor (from the Old English tun), or alternatively a bridge belonging to Tunna, a common Anglo-Saxon man's name. Another theory suggests that the name is a contraction of "town of bridges", due to the large number of streams the High Street originally crossed.
Until 1870, the town's name was actually spelt Tunbridge, as shown on old maps including the 1871 Ordnance Survey map and contemporary issues of the Bradshaw railway guide. In 1870, this was changed to Tonbridge by the GPO due to confusion with nearby Tunbridge Wells, despite Tonbridge being a much older settlement. Tunbridge Wells has always maintained the same spelling.
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Toys Hill
Coordinates: 51°14′27″N 0°06′03″E / 51.2408°N 0.1007°E / 51.2408; 0.1007
Toys Hill is a hamlet which lies within Brasted civil parish in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. It lies to the south of Brasted Chart, also in the parish.
The hamlet is situated on the steep scarp slope of the Greensand Ridge, a prominent escarpment principally formed of Lower Greensand sandstone. The escarpment here presents itself as a high, thickly wooded ridge running from west to east. It lies south of the North Downs, separated from the latter by the Vale of Holmesdale, and immediately north of the Weald of Kent, from which it is visible from many miles away, for example from Ashdown Forest in the High Weald. The summit of Toys Hill, from which the hamlet takes its name, is 235 metres (771 ft) above mean sea level.
Within the hamlet, there are outstanding views of the Weald from a terrace, which also includes a sunken well, on Puddledock Lane. The terrace was donated in 1898 by Octavia Hill, one of the founders of the National Trust, who lived at nearby Crockham Hill, and it was one of the National Trust's first properties.
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Underriver
Coordinates: 51°15′00″N 0°13′42″E / 51.2499°N 0.2283°E / 51.2499; 0.2283
Underriver is a small affluent village about 3 miles (5 km) South-East of Sevenoaks, Kent.
The name "Underriver" is derived from the Old English sub le ryver which translates into modern English as "under the hill".
Until the early 20th century, Underriver had its own school, forge, post office, pub and church. Today only the pub (The White Rock) and the church (St Margaret's) remain. The other buildings have since been converted into housing.
On 22 August 1927, a Fokker F.VIII of KLM crashed at Underriver following structural failure of the tailfin, killing one of the eleven people on board.
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United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain) is a sovereign state located off the north-western coast of continental Europe. The country includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea.
The United Kingdom is a unitary state governed under a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system, with its seat of government in the capital city of London. It is a country in its own right and consists of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. There are three devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff, the capitals of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Associated with the UK, but not constitutionally part of it, are three Crown Dependencies. The United Kingdom has fourteen overseas territories. These are remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in 1922, encompassed almost a quarter of the world's land surface and was the largest empire in history. British influence can still be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former territories.
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Vine Cricket Ground
The Vine Cricket Ground (aka Sevenoaks Vine) is one of the oldest cricket venues in England. It was given to the town of Sevenoaks in 1773 by John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset (1745 – 1799) and owner of Knole House, where the ground is sited. The land was thought previously to have been used as a vineyard for the Archbishops of Canterbury (hence the name).
The weatherboard pavilion is 19th century. The Vine Cricket Club must pay Sevenoaks Town Council a rent of 2 peppercorns per year - one for the ground and one for the pavilion, the archetypal peppercorn rent. They, in turn, must pay Lord Sackville (if asked) one cricket ball on the 21st July each year.
Sevenoaks Vine was a famous venue for major cricket matches in the 18th century and is notable for being the first place in England where cricket was played with three stumps rather than two. Its earliest known use was for Kent v Sussex on Friday 6 September 1734, a game which Kent won .
The world record for the highest (known) individual score was twice established at the Vine. First, Joseph Miller playing for Kent v Hampshire in August 1774 made 95 out of 240 and enabled Kent to win by an innings and 35 runs .
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Walmer
Coordinates: 51°12′15″N 1°23′55″E / 51.2043°N 1.3985°E / 51.2043; 1.3985
Walmer is a town in the district of Dover, Kent in England: located on the coast, the parish of Walmer is six miles (10 km) north-east of Dover. Largely residential, its coastline and castle attract many visitors. It has a population of 6,693 (2001).
Walmer is closely associated with its adjoining neighbour, the town of Deal - sharing many amenities and services and benefiting from Deal's High Street shopping area.
Walmer railway station is on the Kent Coast Line.
Julius Caesar reputedly landed on the beach here in 55 BC and 54 BC. It is only one possible landing place, but it is the most probable, judging from the distances given in his account of the landings in his Gallic Wars. It was in the 19th century thought that he landed by Deal Castle - hence a house there with SPQR emblazoned on its gate - but the landing-point is now put half a mile further south, beyond the lifeboat station, and marked by a concrete memorial.
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Weald
The Weald ( /ˈwiːld/), also called the Weald of Kent, is the name given to an area in South East England situated between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It should be regarded as three separate parts: the sandstone "High Weald" in the centre; the clay "Low Weald" periphery; and the Greensand Ridge which stretches around the north and west of the Weald and includes the Weald's highest points. The Weald was once a vast forest covering this area. The name, Old English in origin, signifies woodland, which still applies today: scattered farms and villages betray the Weald‘s past, often in their names.
The name "Weald" is derived from the Old English weald, meaning "forest" (cognate, German Wald). This comes from a Germanic root of the same meaning, and ultimately from Indo-European. Weald is specifically a West Saxon form; wold is the Anglian form of the word. The Middle English form of the word is wēld, and the modern spelling is a reintroduction of the Anglo-Saxon form attributed to its use by William Lambarde in his A Perambulation of Kent of 1576.
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Well Hill
Coordinates: 51°21′16″N 0°08′53″E / 51.3544°N 0.1480°E / 51.3544; 0.1480
Well Hill is a small relatively rural settlement, a large hamlet or possibly a small village, in the Sevenoaks district of Kent. It lies immediately east of the Greater London border, is 16 miles (26 km) southeast of Charing Cross, London, and is within and very close to the M25 motorway. The hamlet is in the Kent, Sevenoaks District, but is close to Chelsfield and other parts of outer Orpington, in the London Borough of Bromley; Orpington is also the post town.
The Hamlet consists of several small cross roads on minor country roads which are mostly without street lighting or pavement and some are single track for a length and lined with trees. There are many detached houses with fairly large gardens, scattered with trees, a public house and a small church; further out there are several farms with many fields, and larger, denser woodland.
Well Hill is sometimes referred to as a village but usually a hamlet; although not an absolute definition, it does not have its own parish at present. Well Hill along with Crockenhill to the north make the electoral ward Crockenhill and Well Hill Ward; however the settlement is within the Shoreham Parish not Crockenhill Parish.
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West Kingsdown
Coordinates: 51°21′05″N 0°15′19″E / 51.351469°N 0.2552°E / 51.351469; 0.2552
West Kingsdown is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the North Downs, north of Sevenoaks town, within the London Commuter Belt. Both the A20 and the M20 motorway cross the parish.
The village, because of its situation near London, has been considerably extended[citation needed] from its original situation on the main road: the newer part is mainly to the north. To the southwest of the main village are the rural housing developments of Knatts Valley and East Hill.
Beyond that extension lies the Brands Hatch motor racing circuit. There are four churches in the village: the parish church of St Edmund King and Martyr; a Baptist chapel; the Roman Catholic church of St Bernardette; and a Kings Church, established in 1996.
Notorious criminal Kenneth Noye killed a policeman in his £1million home on School Lane. Noye was under observation for laundering gold from the Brink's-Mat robbery. On 26 January 1985, surveillance officer John Fordham was cornered by Noye's three rottweilers as he watched the gangster's home. Noye later claimed he was being targeted by an underworld hitman. He stabbed Fordham 11 times, later claiming he acted in self defence. Noye was cleared of murder when the jury accepted his story.
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West Malling
Coordinates: 51°17′30″N 0°24′55″E / 51.29170°N 0.41521°E / 51.29170; 0.41521
West Malling (historically Town Malling) is a historic market town in the Tonbridge and Malling district of Kent, England. It has a population of about 3000-5000.
West Malling contains many historic buildings. Including St Leonard's Tower, West Malling, a Norman keep, was built by Bishop Gundulf c.1080. He also built the White Tower of the Tower of London, the castles of Rochester and Colchester, the Priory and Cathedral of Rochester. In c.1090 Gundulf founded St. Mary’s Abbey in West Malling for Benedictine nuns. This historic site contains significant buildings from the Norman, medieval, Tudor and Georgian eras. There is also a Grade II* Listed 1966 Abbey Church which is used by the Anglican Benedictine nuns who have made Malling Abbey their home since 1916. Other buildings of interest in West Malling include the Prior’s House, once a residence for those with leprosy; Ford House, over 600 years old; a mainly Georgian High Street; the Swan Hotel, an 18th-century coaching inn (Grade II listed), and Went House, built c.1720 and noted for its elegant brickwork. Manor Park Country Park is located just to the south of the town close to St Leonard's Tower and Douce's Manor, whose grounds the park once comprised.
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Westerham
Coordinates: 51°16′17″N 0°04′12″E / 51.27134°N 0.07005°E / 51.27134; 0.07005
Westerham is a town and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, in South East England with 5,000 people. The parish is south of the North Downs, ten miles west of Sevenoaks. It covers 5800 acres (2320ha). It is recorded as early as the 9th century, and was mentioned in the Domesday Book in a Norman form, Oistreham (compare Ouistreham in Normandy). Ham is Old English for a village or homestead, and so Westerham means a westerly homestead. The River Darent flows through the town, and formerly powered three watermills.
There is evidence that the area around Westerham has been settled for thousands of years: finds such as a Celtic fortification (c 2000 BC) and a Roman road are close by, along with the remains of a Roman encampment just past the ruins a of tower south of the town at the summit of Tower Woods.
The tower dates back to the 18th century, and was originally constructed by an ancestor of the Warde family, the present owners of Squerryes Court as a folly for their children's amusement. A romantic, if erroneous, theory is that the folly is in fact a medieval watchtower, a tale which has been further embellished by a few fanciful locals who insist that it may have been the holding place for Anne Boleyn on her journey from Hever Castle to London for her trial and execution. (Anne Boleyn's family originally hailed from Chiddingstone and then, later, owned and lived at Hever Castle. King Henry VIII is reported to have, on Anne Boleyn's execution, confiscated Hever Castle and kept it as his own). No evidence for this theory exists, and indeed it conflicts with the knowledge and belief of the Warde family themselves.
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Westgate-on-Sea
Coordinates: 51°23′00″N 1°20′00″E / 51.3833°N 1.3333°E / 51.3833; 1.3333
Westgate-on-Sea is a seaside town in northeast Kent, England, with a population of 6,600. It is within the Thanet local government district and borders the larger seaside resort of Margate. Its two sandy beaches have remained a popular tourist attraction since the town's development in the 1860s from a small farming community.
The town is notable for once being the location of a Royal Naval Air Service seaplane base at St Mildred's Bay, which defended the Thames Estuary coastal towns during World War I. The town is the subject of Sir John Betjeman's poem, Westgate-on-Sea. Residents have included the 19th century surgeon Sir Erasmus Wilson and former Archbishop of Canterbury William Temple. The artist Sir William Quiller Orchardson painted several of his most well-known pictures while living in Westgate-on-Sea. The British composer Arnold Cooke attended the town's Streete Preparatory School in the early 20th century.
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Whitstable
Coordinates: 51°21′39″N 1°01′33″E / 51.3607°N 1.0257°E / 51.3607; 1.0257
Whitstable ( /ˈwɪtstəbəl/, locally [ˈwɪʔstəbl]) is a seaside town in Northeast Kent, Southeast England. It is approximately 8 kilometres (5 mi) north of the city of Canterbury and approximately 3 kilometres (2 mi) west of the seaside town of Herne Bay. It is part of the City of Canterbury district and has a population of about 30,000.
Whitstable is famous for its oysters, which have been collected in the area since at least Roman times. The town itself dates back to before the writing of the Domesday Book. Whitstable's distinctive character is popular with tourists, and its maritime heritage is celebrated with the annual oyster festival. Freshly caught shellfish are available throughout the year at several seafood restaurants and pubs in the town.
In 1830 one of the earliest passenger railway services was opened by the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway Company, and in 1832 the company opened Whitstable harbour and extended the line to enable passage to London from the port. The railway has since closed but the harbour still plays an important role in the town's economy.
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Wildernesse School
The Wildernesse School in Sevenoaks, Kent, England was a 11 to 19 single sex High School for boys. It had Specialist School status for Mathematics and Computing. Other than the English motto taken from a letter to Sir Philip Sidney from his father, the school had a latin motto: Non Nobis Solum (English: Not for ourselves alone).
Footballer John Salako is a former pupil, as are Jerome Flynn (Soldier, Soldier) and Anton du Beke (real name Anthony (Tony) Beke) (Strictly Come Dancing)
The school closed in July 2010, becoming part of the Knole Academy at the start of the autumn term in September 2010
2. http/www.education.gov.uk/
Coordinates: 51°17′07″N 0°13′08″E / 51.2854°N 0.2189°E / 51.2854; 0.2189
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Basil Copper
Basil Copper (born 1924) is a prolific English writer and former journalist and newspaper editor. He became a fulltime writer in 1970. In addition to horror and detective fiction, Copper is perhaps best known for his series of Solar Pons stories continuing the character created as a tribute to Sherlock Holmes by August Derleth. Married, Copper is a longtime resident of Sevenoaks in Kent.
Copper had his very first short story "The Curse" published when he was 14 years old; however his first professionally published short story was "The Spider" in the Fifth Pan Book of Horror Stories(1964). His first book was the Mike Faraday novel The Dark Mirror (1966).
The first of Copper's stories published by editor August Derleth was "The House by the Tarn" in Dark Things (1971). Copper went on to have a long-lived relationship with Derleth's Arkham House, which published his collections From Evil's Pillow (1973) and And Afterward, the Dark (1977) and his novels Necropolis (1980) and The House of the Wolf. His work drew praise from Donald Wandrei who said of him:"He beguiles the mind as he lures the imagination beyond the outposts of reality." Copper's work was also championed by editor Peter Haining.
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Caron Keating
Caron Louisa Keating (5 October 1962 – 13 April 2004) was a Northern Irish television presenter on British and Northern Irish television.
Keating was born in Fulham, West London, to Northern Irish parents, but at three months her parents returned to Northern Ireland, where she was raised. Her parents were television presenter Gloria Hunniford and BBC producer Don Keating. Keating attended Methodist College Belfast, where she gained 8 'O' levels and 3 'A' levels. She was accepted to study at the University of Bristol where she graduated three years later aged 21 with a BA Honours Degree in English and Drama.
Keating's television career began in Northern Ireland where she presented The Video Picture Show, Channel One and the music programme Greenrock, but her big break undoubtedly came when she was selected to join the team of Blue Peter from 13 November 1986.
Keating brought a new trendy image to the programme, and was popular with viewers because of her looks, fashion-conscious image and Ulster accent. She appeared on the programme with Peter Duncan, Janet Ellis, Mark Curry, Yvette Fielding, and John Leslie. Highlights of her Blue Peter career included a trip to Moscow in 1987 during the perestroika period, swimming with sharks, abseiling down skyscrapers and standing strapped to the top of a light aircraft whilst it performed aerial acrobatics. She also interviewed serving Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on the programme in 1988.
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Gloria Hunniford
Gloria Hunniford (born Mary Winifred Gloria Hunniford on 10 April 1940)[citation needed] is a Northern Irish TV and radio presenter, and formerly a singer.
Hunniford was born in Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, into a Protestant family; her father was a member of the Orange Order. Named after actress Gloria Swanson, Hunniford was originally a singer.[citation needed] She was popular in her native Northern Ireland, worked in Canada and has made many records.[citation needed] She returned to Northern Ireland as a BBC production assistant in Belfast, and a local radio broadcaster.[citation needed] In the 1970s and 1980s she was the presenter of Good Evening Ulster and on network ITV Sunday Sunday and We Love TV.
Hunniford had her own daily radio show on BBC Radio 2, starting off with the lunchtime show before moving to the early afternoon slot in 1985 where she remained for 10 years. She also hosted Sounding Brass a music phone-in request programme with a live brass band, the idea devised by radio producer Owen Spencer-Thomas.
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H. G. Wells
Herbert George "H.G." Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was a British author, now best known for his work in the science fiction genre. He was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing text books and rules for war games. Together with Jules Verne and Hugo Gernsback, Wells has been referred to as "The Father of Science Fiction".
Wells's earliest specialized training was in biology, and his thinking on ethical matters took place in a specifically and fundamentally Darwinian context. He was also from an early date an outspoken socialist, often (but not always, as the beginning of the First World War) sympathizing with pacifist views. His later works became increasingly political and didactic, and he sometimes indicated on official documents that his profession was that of "Journalist." Many of his novels, particularly those of his middle period (1900–1920), had nothing to do with science fiction. They described lower-middle class life (Kipps; The History of Mr Polly), and this work sometimes led Wells to be touted as a worthy successor to Charles Dickens. Wells also wrote abundantly about the "New Woman" and the Suffragettes (Ann Veronica).
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Jane Margaret Rogers
Jane Margaret Rogers of Riverhill, Sevenoaks was the High Sheriff of Kent from March 2009 to March 2010.
Rogers' great grandfather, Henry Arthur Brassey, was High Sheriff of Kent in 1890. She grew up in Wiltshire, where her father was High Sheriff in 1959. She married John Rogers in 1971 and has lived at Riverhill House since then; the house, gardens and estate are open to the public. John Rogers, whose family had farmed at Riverhill since 1840, died in 1995 and the farm is now let. Mrs Rogers is a mother of two and grandmother of three.
Rogers was on the board of the appeal for the Rockdale House Association when she was nominated in 2006 and 2007 by the former High Sheriff, R.J. Oldfield, as is normal practice. The nomination process takes three years. She one of a line of High Sheriffs of Kent which goes back nearly a thousand years. She was replaced as High Sheriff in March 2010 by Peregrine Massey.
The changeover service with the former High Sheriff took place at St George's Church at Sevenoaks Weald, where she was pricked in on 5 April 2009. The service was attended by the Lord Lieutenant of Kent, and presided over by His Honour Judge Patience, QC, Resident Judge at Maidstone Crown Court.
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John Donne
John Donne ( /ˈdʌn/ DUN) (between 24 January and 19 June 1572 – 31 March 1631) was an English poet, satirist, lawyer and priest. He is considered the pre-eminent representative of the metaphysical poets. His works are noted for their strong, sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs, satires and sermons. His poetry is noted for its vibrancy of language and inventiveness of metaphor, especially compared to that of his contemporaries. Donne's style is characterised by abrupt openings and various paradoxes, ironies and dislocations. These features, along with his frequent dramatic or everyday speech rhythms, his tense syntax and his tough eloquence, were both a reaction against the smoothness of conventional Elizabethan poetry and an adaptation into English of European baroque and mannerist techniques. His early career was marked by poetry that bore immense knowledge of British society and he met that knowledge with sharp criticism. Another important theme in Donne’s poetry is the idea of true religion, something that he spent much time considering and theorising about. He wrote secular poems as well as erotic and love poems. He is particularly famous for his mastery of metaphysical conceits.
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John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founder members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Together with Paul McCartney, he formed one of the most celebrated songwriting partnerships of the 20th century.
Born and raised in Liverpool, Lennon became involved as a teenager in the skiffle craze; his first band, The Quarrymen, evolved into The Beatles in 1960. As the group disintegrated towards the end of the decade, Lennon embarked on a solo career that produced the critically acclaimed albums John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and Imagine, and iconic songs such as "Give Peace a Chance" and "Imagine". After his marriage to Yoko Ono in 1969, he changed his name to John Ono Lennon. Lennon disengaged himself from the music business in 1975 to devote time to raising his infant son Sean, but re-emerged with Ono in 1980 with the new album Double Fantasy. He was murdered three weeks after its release.
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King Edward VII
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. He was the first British monarch of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, which was renamed the House of Windsor by his son, George V.
Before his accession to the throne, he served as heir apparent and held the title of Prince of Wales for longer than any of his predecessors. During the long reign of his mother, Queen Victoria, he was largely excluded from political power and came to personify the fashionable, leisured elite.
The Edwardian era, which covered Edward's reign and was named after him, coincided with the start of a new century and heralded significant changes in technology and society, including powered flight and the rise of socialism. Edward played a role in the modernisation of the British Home Fleet, the reform of the Army Medical Services, and the reorganisation of the British Army after the Second Boer War. Edward fostered good relations between Great Britain and other European countries, especially France, for which he was popularly called "Peacemaker", but his efforts were unable to prevent the outbreak of World War I in 1914.
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Pablo Fanque
Pablo Fanque (born William Darby 28 February 1796 in Norwich,England ; died 4 May 1871 in Stockport, England) was the first black circus proprietor in Britain. His circus, in which he himself was a performer, was the most popular circus in Victorian Britain for 30 years, a period that is regarded as the golden age of the circus. Today, Pablo Fanque is best known from his mention in The Beatles song "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" on the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Little is known about Pablo Fanque’s early life. Church records suggest that he was one of at least five children born to John and Mary Darby (née Stamp) of Norwich. They were believed to have resided in Ber Street. Fanque reportedly declared his late father's occupation as "butler" on his marriage certificate in 1848. John M. Turner, Fanque's biographer, speculates that "his father was African-born and had been brought to the port of Norwich and trained as a house servant." Fanque was reportedly orphaned at a young age. Another account has Fanque born in a workhouse to a family of seven children.
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Paul Hartnoll
Paul Hartnoll (born 19 May 1968,Dartford, Kent, England, and grew up in Sevenoaks) is one of two brothers (the other being Phil Hartnoll), who made up the electronic dance act Orbital.
Hartnoll played in two local bands during the mid 1980s, named 'Noddy' and the 'Satellites'. In 1987 Paul and his brother Phil began recording under the name Orbital with keyboards, a drum machine, and a 4-track.
He made a guest appearance on ER in 2002, in the role of a DJ.
Orbital split up in 2004, after producing seven albums and developing a reputation for the high quality of their live shows. Hartnoll then worked towards the release of his first solo album, titled The Ideal Condition, which was released on 28 May 2007.
Hartnoll, wishing to produce something different from Orbital's output, wrote The Ideal Condition with a more acoustic focus, in comparison to the electronic nature of most of his previous work. Arranger Chris Elliot helped Hartnoll to move the album in this direction, taking music that Orbital would have produced electronically, and having it played by a union-full orchestra. People who are featured collaborating on The Ideal Condition were Robert Smith, Joseph Arthur, Lianne Hall, and Akayzia Parker.
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Saxons
The Saxons (Latin: Saxones, Old English: Seaxe, Old Saxon: Sahson, Low German: Sassen) were a confederation of Germanic tribes on the North German plain, who during the Middle Ages migrated to the British Isles and formed part of the Anglo-Saxons.
The Saxons were originally Ingvaeonic tribes, whose earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein. This area overlapped the area of the Angles, a tribe with which they were frequently closely linked. Saxons participated in the Germanic settlement of Britain during and after the fifth century. It is unknown how many migrated from the continent to Britain, though estimates for the total number of Anglo-Saxon settlers are around two hundred thousand. During the Middle ages, because of international Hanseatic trading routes and contingent migration during the Middle Ages, Saxons mixed with and had strong influences upon the languages and cultures of the North Germanic and Baltic and Finnic peoples, and also upon the Polabian Slavs and Pomeranian West Slavic people.
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W. H. Davies
William Henry Davies or W. H. Davies (3 July 1871 – 26 September 1940) was a Welsh poet and writer. Davies spent a significant part of his life as a tramp or hobo, in the United Kingdom and United States, but became known as one of the most popular poets of his time. The principal themes in his work are the marvels of nature, observations about life's hardships, his own tramping adventures and the various characters he met. Davies is usually considered as one of the Georgian poets, although much of his work is atypical of the style and themes adopted by others of the genre.
The son of an iron moulder, Davies was born at 6, Portland Street in the Pillgwenlly district of Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales, a busy port. He had an elder brother, Francis Gomer Boase (who was considered "slow") and in 1874 his younger sister Matilda was born.
In November 1874, when William was aged three, his father died. The following year his mother Mary Anne Davies remarried and became Mrs Joseph Hill. She agreed that care of the three children should pass to their paternal grandparents, Francis and Lydia Davies, who ran the nearby Church House Inn at 14, Portland Street. His grandfather Francis Boase Davies, originally from Cornwall, had been a sea captain. Davies was related to the famous British actor Sir Henry Irving (referred to as cousin Brodribb by the family); he later recalled that his grandmother referred to Irving as " the cousin who brought disgrace on us". Davies' grandmother was described, by a neighbour who remembered her, as wearing ".. pretty little caps, with bebe ribbon, tiny roses and puce timmings"
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A walk around Sevenoaks 2007
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:52
- Updated: 22 Feb 2012
A ten minute walk arounf Sevenoaks town centre in Kent UK, November 2007.
http://wn.com/A_walk_around_Sevenoaks_2007
Snowboarding at Seven Oaks Recreation
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:03
- Updated: 01 Mar 2012
Snowboarding slopes with ski lifts in Boone, Iowa. Snow skiing, tubing and hotel packages available. Free lessons for skiers and snowboarders of all ages.
http://wn.com/Snowboarding_at_Seven_Oaks_Recreation
Sevenoaks Ladies Joggers Film
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:31
- Updated: 04 May 2012
Sevenoaks Ladies Joggers, the club for women of all body shapes and all levels of fitness now coming to a town near you.
http://wn.com/Sevenoaks_Ladies_Joggers_Film
Tonbridge - Sevenoaks Tunnel 08.08.10
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 8:24
- Updated: 12 Aug 2012
Cabview from 1001 on 1Z80. Departing Tonbridge 1001 storms away up to Sevenoaks Tunnel.
http://wn.com/Tonbridge_Sevenoaks_Tunnel_080810
Sevenoaks jewellery theft: Police release CCTV footage of High Street raid
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:42
- Updated: 12 Jul 2012
Detectives from Kent Police are releasing CCTV footage of a man they would like to speak to after a ring worth nearly £8000 was reported to have been stolen from a jeweller in Sevenoaks. www.thisiskent.co.uk
http://wn.com/Sevenoaks_jewellery_theft_Police_release_CCTV_footage_of_High_Street_raid
Dancing Police Motorcyclist - Sevenoaks Olympic Torch
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:23
- Updated: 26 Sep 2012
ORIGINAL VIDEO
http://wn.com/Dancing_Police_Motorcyclist_Sevenoaks_Olympic_Torch
Sevenoaks Bus Running Day ~ May 2012
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:21
- Updated: 23 May 2012
a look at a few buses in sevenoaks
http://wn.com/Sevenoaks_Bus_Running_Day_~_May_2012
Sevenoaks Youth Cafe
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:32
- Updated: 15 Sep 2012
Sevenoaks Youth Council is hoping to open a youth cafe in the area for young people to hang out. They need help, support and most importantly, funding - can you help?
http://wn.com/Sevenoaks_Youth_Cafe
U15A's Wasps v Sevenoaks 11-11-12
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 14:00
- Updated: 20 Nov 2012
http://wn.com/U15A's_Wasps_v_Sevenoaks_11-11-12
The Battle of Seven Oaks
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:48
- Updated: 22 Nov 2012
The battle of Seven Oaks
http://wn.com/The_Battle_of_Seven_Oaks
Seven Oaks Pond Skim 08
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:47
- Updated: 09 Aug 2012
Pond Skimming at Seven Oaks in Boone, Iowa.
http://wn.com/Seven_Oaks_Pond_Skim_08
Piano Movers in Sevenoaks Kent
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:58
- Updated: 16 Nov 2012
www.kent-piano-movers.co.uk for an instant Piano Movers quote in Sevenoaks We specialise in upright piano removals and disposal as well as buying and selling of upright pianos in the Sevenoaks area in Kent. Also the following areas: Seal, Wrotham and Otford. We also dispose of old upright pianos in surrounding areas. Contact Craig for affordable Piano Removals in Sevenoaks Kent
http://wn.com/Piano_Movers_in_Sevenoaks_Kent
Seven Oaks Dam Water Release Test, Feb 15, 2011. 3000 cubic feet per second.
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:37
- Updated: 17 Nov 2012
The Seven Oaks Dam Stormwater Management Project is the largest new water project to be developed in California since the creation of the State Water Project in 1970.
http://wn.com/Seven_Oaks_Dam_Water_Release_Test,_Feb_15,_2011_3000_cubic_feet_per_second
Timid lap at Enduro Kent Sevenoaks March 26th 2010
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 7:11
- Updated: 16 Nov 2012
First enduro hence a bit slow! Excellent practise track in Sevenoaks www.endurokent.com... good bunch of guys and great track that changes each meet... For more videos and byway maps see www.southerntrails.co.uk
http://wn.com/Timid_lap_at_Enduro_Kent_Sevenoaks_March_26th_2010
Olton & West Warwicks v Sevenoaks 2nd May 2011
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:09
- Updated: 16 May 2012
Highlights of the key game in the women's EHL promotion tournament between Olton & West Warwicks and Sevenoaks at Cannock Hockey Club. Follow us on twitter @Galvanisdhockey Join our Facebook fan page: Galvanised Hockey
http://wn.com/Olton_West_Warwicks_v_Sevenoaks_2nd_May_2011
2006 Parade Home in Seven Oaks - Video Home Tour from Sterling Custom Homes
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:32
- Updated: 10 May 2012
Contact Sterling Custom Homes: (512) 263-2214. Visit our Website at: www.SterlingCustomHomes.com. This stunning home was our entry in the 2006 Parade of Homes in Austin, Texas. It was awarded the prestigious "Peoples Choice" award (an honor we received for our 2008 entry as well), along with numerous state and local home builder awards. The home features many of the signature elements that make a Sterling Custom Home so unique, including seamless indoor to outdoor living solutions that provide ideal entertaining spaces, a hidden caterer's kitchen, an incredible home theater, and a well-appointed game room. To learn more about the features of a Sterling Custom Home call (512) 263-2214.
http://wn.com/2006_Parade_Home_in_Seven_Oaks_Video_Home_Tour_from_Sterling_Custom_Homes
The Sevenoaks - I need a dollar - Fan Video #1
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:56
- Updated: 19 May 2012
14.09.2011 - Hildesheimer Straße ECKE Schlägerstraße - vor REWE© an der Uhr www.facebook.com/the.sevenoaks
http://wn.com/The_Sevenoaks_I_need_a_dollar_Fan_Video_1
Beekeeping with Sevenoaks Branch of Kent Bee Association
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:25
- Updated: 17 Sep 2012
Filmed at Barwood Farm in Hildenborough, this is footage of the Sevenoaks Branch of the Kent Bee Association. Good footage of National Bee Hive, inspection of bees, Queen cells, drones, workers et al.
http://wn.com/Beekeeping_with_Sevenoaks_Branch_of_Kent_Bee_Association
"Project G" Christmas Flash Mob! | Seven Oaks Mall, Abbotsford, BC
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:35
- Updated: 27 Mar 2012
Project G uses flash mob participation to raise awareness and financial support for local charities. Click the link to find out how you can get involved! www.danceblast.ca
http://wn.com/Project_G_Christmas_Flash_Mob!_|_Seven_Oaks_Mall,_Abbotsford,_BC
Seven Oaks - Double Click
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:53
- Updated: 20 Jul 2012
Videoclip Single 'Double Click'
http://wn.com/Seven_Oaks_Double_Click
1001 Hastings DEMU Cabview Channel Two Sevenoaks Tunnel - Bromley South 07.07.12
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 14:08
- Updated: 31 Jul 2012
Cabview from Hastings DEMU 1001 Power car 60116. Taken by an unmanned camera while on the outward run of the Channel Two railtour from Hastings to Weston-super-Mare. Some of the distortion in the picture image is produced by the Youtube Stabilising feature, which attempts to compensate for vibration. Images from the sunlit sections better than the cloudy bits, which predominated on the day of the trip.
http://wn.com/1001_Hastings_DEMU_Cabview_Channel_Two_Sevenoaks_Tunnel_Bromley_South_070712
Seven oaks mall abbotsford random dancers
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:56
- Updated: 02 Aug 2012
Walking through the mall ppl just stopped to randomly dance
http://wn.com/Seven_oaks_mall_abbotsford_random_dancers
Nye Davies's Bluegrass Garden Party Sevenoaks Kent, June 5th 2005
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:07
- Updated: 10 Oct 2012
I hope this will bring back some happy memories to the many involved in the Sussex and Kent bluegrass scene in 2005. The soundtrack is "The Readhaired Boy" played by Rick Townend on the Just the Tune Album vol 4 which I recorded with him in 2003. Video by Rod Rod Smith www.traditionalmusic.co.uk
http://wn.com/Nye_Davies's_Bluegrass_Garden_Party_Sevenoaks_Kent,_June_5th_2005
photo: AP / Pablo Martinez Monsivais
20 Nov 2012
Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling President Barack Obama's whirlwind tour of southeast Asia and meetings with dignitaries will have to walk a tightrope between either appearing to endorse military juntas or truly being committed to ongoing pro-democracy movements. Specifically at issue is Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi, a democratic advocate...(size: 5.0Kb)
photo: AP / Sebastian D'souza
21 Nov 2012
MUMBAI, India - India executed the lone surviving gunman from the 2008 terror attack on Mumbai early Wednesday, India's home ministry said. Ajmal Kasab, a Pakistani citizen, was one of 10 gunmen who rampaged through the streets of India's financial capital in November 2008, killing 166 people. Kasab was hung at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday at a jail in...(size: 4.5Kb)
photo: AP / Melanie Gouby
21 Nov 2012
Hundreds of government soldiers and police in the Democratic Republic of Congo have surrendered to rebels at a stadium in Goma, Al Jazeera's Nazanine Moshiri has reported from the scene. The M23 rebel group, believed to be backed by Rwanda seized the strategic, provincial capital of Goma in eastern Congo on Tuesday, home to more than 1 million...(size: 18.7Kb)
photo: AP / Hatem Moussa
19 Nov 2012
Gaza/Jerusalem - Israel bombed dozens of targets in the Gaza Strip on Monday and said that while it was prepared to step up its offensive by sending in troops, it preferred a diplomatic solution that would end Palestinian rocket fire. Mediator Egypt said a deal for a truce to end the fighting could be close. The leader of Hamas said it was up to...(size: 4.1Kb)
photo: UN / Logan Abassi
21 Nov 2012
A report by the UN says global attempts to curb emissions of CO2 are falling well short of what is needed to stem dangerous climate change. The UN's Environment Programme says greenhouse gases are 14% above where they need to be in 2020 for temperature rises this century to remain below 2C. The authors say this target is still technically...(size: 3.5Kb)
The Daily Telegraph
22 Nov 2012
The Dallas Morning News
21 Nov 2012
  Tulsa-based Leake Car Auction, which staged a three-day event in Dallas last weekend, sold $6.7 million in vehicles, the...(size: 0.9Kb)
The Times of India
21 Nov 2012
After Shah Rukh's son Aryan and Saif's daughter Sara, Sushmita's 14-year-old daughter Renee too gears up for her education in a prestigious school in London If you are a star kid, you must be headed to London. At least that's what the trend suggests. After Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan went to Seven Oaks, Sushmita Sen's elder daughter, 14-year-old...(size: 2.7Kb)
BBC News
20 Nov 2012
A Metropolitan Police officer who was jailed for theft has been formally dismissed from the force. Ian Scouler, 46, was found guilty of theft at Southwark Crown Court earlier this month and sentenced to 12 months imprisonment. Scouler, of Borough Green, Kent, worked at the disruption unit at...(size: 1.9Kb)
Yahoo Daily News
20 Nov 2012
Music and Music Technology students to benefit from £120,000 investment Gillingham, Kent, UK (PRWEB UK) 20 November 2012 Chart-toppers of the future will receive a head start at MidKent College following the launch of a new state-of-the-art live room. The soundproof facility will give talented Music students the opportunity to practice in...(size: 6.9Kb)
The Daily Telegraph
19 Nov 2012
Private schools should resist political pressure to share their facilities with Government-funded academies because it is unfair on fee-paying parents, a leading headmistress has warned. Private schools should not be forced to share their 'DNA' with competitors in the state sector, said the president of the Girls' Schools Association. Photo:...(size: 13.7Kb)
The Daily Telegraph
18 Nov 2012
Anton Du Beke talks about his love life, his heroic failures on 'Strictly’, and how he’d love to do Sir Bruce’s job Julia LLewellyn Smith 7:00AM GMT 18 Nov 2012 Comments Anton Du Beke is furious with the Strictly Come Dancing judges. “I thought they were absolutely rubbish to Jerry,” he exclaims, referring to his...(size: 19.5Kb)
The Dallas Morning News
17 Nov 2012
Forty years ago, Leake Auction Co. ran its first cars across the lawn at Six Flags Over Texas, an event attended mostly by tweedy collectors of Depression-era vehicles. “That was when collecting was a small hobby, and we had maybe 250 cars,” said Richard Sevenoaks, who owns the Tulsa, Okla., Get Subscriber Content access to read...(size: 2.3Kb)
Yahoo Daily News
17 Nov 2012
The winners of the 31st What House? Awards – the best new homes in Britain – were announced at a gala lunch in London’s Grosvenor House Hotel today. (PRWEB UK) 17 November 2012 Actor James Nesbitt hosted the Awards, which saw CALA Homes take home the biggest prize in new homes – the What House? Housebuilder of the Year 2012....(size: 14.9Kb)
IMDb
15 Nov 2012
Digital Spy
15 Nov 2012
A Kent parish council plans to DNA test dog poo to catch pet owners who let their animals soil the pavements. According to Orange, councillors from Sundridge with Ide Hill Parish Council made the decision after residents of the two villages near Sevenoaks, Kent were complaining that the excrement was "ruining the area". Although the DNA testing has...(size: 7.6Kb)
The Guardian
14 Nov 2012
Where will the local authority spending cuts fall in England? Get the details here • Interactive map • Download the data • More data journalism and data visualisations from the Guardian Despite protests like this one, cuts look set to hit local authorities all over England. Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images...(size: 127.9Kb)
The Guardian
14 Nov 2012
The UK unemployment rate now stands at 7.8% down 0.4% on last year. See how the national figures have changed and get the numbers in each parliamentary constituency • See the data for your constituency • Download the data Jobcentre Plus branch in London Bridge. Photograph: Oli Scarff/Getty Images...(size: 256.0Kb)
For the parliamentary constituency, see Sevenoaks (UK Parliament constituency). For the Community in Wesley Chapel Florida, see Seven Oaks Community.
Coordinates: 51°16′41″N 0°11′15″E / 51.2781°N 0.1874°E / 51.2781; 0.1874
| Sevenoaks | |
 Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks shown within Kent |
|
| Population | 18,588 (Built Up Area: c. 28,000) |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | TQ525555 |
| District | Sevenoaks |
| Shire county | Kent |
| Region | South East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | SEVENOAKS |
| Postcode district | TN13, TN14 |
| Dialling code | 01732 |
| Police | Kent |
| Fire | Kent |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | Sevenoaks |
| List of places: UK • England • Kent | |
Sevenoaks is a commuter town situated on the London fringe of west Kent, England, 24 miles (38.6 km) south-east of Charing Cross, on one of the principal commuter rail lines from the capital. The town gives its name to the Sevenoaks district,[1] of which it is the principal town, followed by Swanley and Edenbridge.
The presence of Knole House, a large mansion, led to the earlier settlement becoming a village and in the 13th century a market was established.[citation needed] Sevenoaks became part of the modern communications network when one of the earlier turnpikes was opened in the 18th century; the railway was relatively late in reaching it. It has a large commuting population although the nearby Fort Halstead defence installation is a large local employer.
There are several independent educational establishments in the town, including the prestigious Sevenoaks School.
Contents |
Etymology[link]
The town's name is derived from the Saxon word "Seouenaca", the name given to a small chapel near seven oak trees in Knole Park around AD 800.[citation needed]
History[link]
There are few records earlier than the 13th century for the town, when it was given market status. In the Middle Ages two hospitals were provided by religious orders for the care of old or sick people, especially those going on pilgrimage.
Sevenoaks School, at the south end of High Street, is the oldest secular school in England. It was founded by Sir William Sennoke, a wealthy London merchant, in 1432. Sennoke, an orphan, had been brought up in the town. In later life he became a wealthy merchant and mayor. Founding the school and adjacent almshouses was his thanks to the town. In 1560 it was ordered by Queen Elizabeth I that it should be called The Grammar School of Queen Elizabeth. It was "for the education of boys and youths in grammar and learning".[citation needed]
In 1456 Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury, purchased the Knole estate and built Knole House, which still dominates the town.
The eponymous oak trees in Knole Park have been replaced several times over the centuries. In 1902 seven oaks were planted on the north side of The Vine cricket ground to commemorate the coronation of King Edward VII.[2] During the Great Storm of 1987, six of those trees were blown down. Their replacements, planted in a ceremony involving well-known people from television shows such as Blue Peter and including locals Gloria Hunniford and Caron Keating, were vandalised, leaving only one standing. There are now nine trees on the site, of varying ages.
A serious railway accident occurred nearby on 24 August 1927. Southern Railway K class passenger tank engine No. A800 River Cray was derailed hauling a Cannon Street to Deal express, knocking a road bridge and killing 13 passengers. The locomotive crew survived, although the entire K class was subsequently rebuilt to prevent such an event from occurring again. The accident also called into question the quality of track laying in the area.[3]
Governance[link]
Sevenoaks is governed by a town council.[4] The town is divided into six wards, with sixteen councillors in total. The wards are named Kippington, Northern, St Johns, Town, Wildernesse and Eastern.[5]
The offices of Sevenoaks District Council are located in the town.
Geography[link]
The town is situated at the junction of two main routes from the north before traffic climbs over the Greensand Ridge which crosses Kent from west to east; that situation is similar to Maidstone and Ashford. That road was one of the earliest in the county to be turnpiked in 1709, because of the clay soils.[6]
The valley to the north is that of the River Darent and it is here that that river turns to the north to cut through its gap in the North Downs. There are several lakes along the course of the river here, the result of the extraction of sand and gravel in the past.
The built-up area of the town has mainly spread along the main roads. The settlement of Riverhead to the north-west is the largest; other parts of the town (in clockwise order from the north) include Greatness;[7] Wildernesse; Sevenoaks Common; and Kippington.
|
Riverhead (village) Dunton Green (village) Knockholt (village) |
Otford (village) Shoreham (village) |
Kemsing (village) | |
| Brasted (village) Westerham (town) |
 |
Seal (village) Borough Green (village) |
||
 Sevenoaks East |
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 |
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| Ide Hill (village)-The Highest Point in Kent | Sevenoaks Weald (village) Penshurst (village) |
Hildenborough (village) Tonbridge (town) |
Demography[link]
The 2001 Census counts approximately 18,588 residents within the Sevenoaks civil parish authority, compared to the 1801 town population of 2,600. The built-up area of the town has a population of about 28,000.[citation needed]
Economy[link]
Sevenoaks, like much of West Kent, is characterised by high levels of economic activity and a skilled resident workforce, together with a large proportion of that workforce commuting to their places of employment. Those factors, however, led to high house prices and pressure on the local area to build yet more houses. Many of those houses attract high prices, making it difficult for lower wage-earners to live there: and a wide range of occupations are therefore in short supply. Industries such as finance and business services tend to predominate. Transport links are generally overloaded and town centre congestion is common. One description given is that the area in general is "cash rich but service poor".[8]
The main industrial area is located north of the town, alongside the A225. Sevenoaks Quarry[9] is on Bat and Ball Road, also to the north.
The shopping area in High Street[10] includes the new Bligh's development. It is a typical small town centre, with no large department stores.
Bligh's Shopping Development opened in phases in 2002. The site originally belonged to a bus station and car park. Access can be gained from several areas from both High Streets. In 2008, a new third side of the development opened, housing a Costa Coffee, a Robert Dyas and Tommelise and Zapata: A Mexican restaurant. Much of the architecture is based on slightly earlier periods but with a contemporary edge.
Landmarks[link]
Main article: Knole House
Knole Park is a 1,000-acre (4 km²) park inhabited by deer and several million trees. In its centre is Knole House, the home of the Sackville family (the Earls of Dorset) since it was given to them by Queen Elizabeth I in 1577. The estate is owned and maintained by the National Trust, although the Sackvilles still live there. It is frequently visited by the school.
Riverhill House and gardens are located directly to the south of Knole Park, on the southern edge of Sevenoaks. The house and gardens, which were first built in the 16th century, are privately owned by Jane Margaret Rogers but are periodically open to the public.
Transport[link]
Sevenoaks is located at the junction of two ancient roads heading south from London and Dartford to the Weald. In 1710 part of one of the roads - from Sevenoaks through Tonbridge and Pembury to Tunbridge Wells - was the first in Kent to be turnpiked, and others followed within the century: it became the A21 road in the 1920s; the road now bypasses the town, and also takes traffic to the M25 London Orbital motorway at Junction 5. The Dartford road is now the A225. The cross-country A25 road passes through the north of the town.
There are two railway stations in Sevenoaks. The principal station is located on the South Eastern Main Line and also acts as the terminus for the suburban stopping services to both London Charing Cross and Blackfriars. The latter services follow the branch line via Swanley, calling at the second of the stations, named Bat and Ball.[11]
Religious sites[link]
There are four churches belonging to the Church of England in Sevenoaks, dedicated to St Nicholas, St Luke, St Mary and St John the Baptist;[12] and also St Mary's at Riverhead. The Roman Catholic church is dedicated to St Thomas of Canterbury; and there are some eight other denominations represented in the town.[13]
Education[link]
Main article: List of schools in Kent
There is one mixed state secondary school, the Knole Academy, which was created in 2009 from an amalgamation of Wildernesse School (for boys) and Bradbourne School (for girls),[14] and four state primary schools, one of which is Church of England and another of which is Catholic. Among the high number of independent schools is Sevenoaks School, a co-educational boarding and day school; and several Preparatory schools, including Solefield School,[15] Walthamstow Hall, New Beacon Preparatory School and Sevenoaks Preparatory School.
Leisure[link]
Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve[16] is to the north of the town centre, around one of the former gravel pits. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, covering some 175 acres (71 ha).
Sevenoaks Scouts[17] is the active Scouting organisation in the town.
Sevenoaks Information[18] provides a comprehensive What's On events diary for the town and surrounding area.
Sevenoaks Community Forum[19] is a growing, active discussion forum for News and Events within Sevenoaks and surrounding areas.
Sports[link]
Sevenoaks has two Non-League football clubs Corinthian Football Club who play at Gay Dawn Farm and Sevenoaks Town F.C. who play at Greatness Park.
The Vine Cricket Ground is one of the oldest cricket grounds in England, with the first recorded match having been played in 1734. It was given to the town in 1773 by John Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset, owner of Knole House at the time. It is notable for being the first place in England to play cricket with three stumps. In 1777 an "all-England" team played Hambledon at the ground.
Sevenoaks has two leisure centres[20] and many sports and other activities are available.[21]
Culture[link]
Television viewers can receive either London (north/west via Crystal Palace) or Kent & Sussex (aerial pointing eastwards via Blue Bell Hill) transmissions. Programmes including London Tonight and BBC London, or Meridian Tonight & BBC South East Today. Digital reception is available in the area with a better Freeview signal from Blue Bell Hill or Heathfield[22] in most places surrounding Sevenoaks, including Riverhead, Dunton Green and out towards Westerham.[23]
The Stag Theatre and Cinema complex is located at the top of London Road. Recently re-opened as a community arts centre, supported by a strong network of volunteers and Sevenoaks Town Council. The multiplex cinema is open daily showing films.[24]
Local media[link]
Sevenoaks is served by county wide stations BBC Radio Kent KMFM West Kent and Gold and many London stations.
The local paper is the Sevenoaks Chronicle, which is published every Thursday.
Notable people[link]
Main article: List of people from Sevenoaks
The list of notable people who have been connected with the town includes John Donne, the poet, who was vicar of Sevenoaks in the 17th century, the 20th-century writer H. G. Wells and the Welsh tramp-poet W. H. Davies.
The brothers Phil Hartnoll and Paul Hartnoll, famous as the electronica duo Orbital are from the town and took the name for the band from the nearby orbital motorway, the M25. Many actors and actresses have lived here, as have a number of sports personalities. Diana, Princess of Wales, went to West Heath School in Sevenoaks.
In January 1967, The Beatles made promotional films for "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Penny Lane" in Knole Park. In a Westerham antiques shop John Lennon bought a Victorian advertisement for Pablo Fanque's Circus Royal, which provided the inspiration for "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!", on the famous Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album released later that year.
The writer Basil Copper is a longterm resident of Sevenoaks.
Tony Hayward, former CEO of BP.
Twinnings[link]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sevenoaks |
References[link]
- ^ "District Council website". Sevenoaks.gov.uk. 2009-03-30. http://www.sevenoaks.gov.uk. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ^ One of the mature trees was left, so there were then eight trees
- ^ Southern E-Group (2003) For an account of the Sevenoaks Railway Accident, retrieved May 11, 2009
- ^ Sevenoaks Town Council
- ^ Town councillors
- ^ The Rural Landscape of Kent. (1973). S.G. McRae and C.P. Burnham, Ashford, Kent: Wye College. ISBN 0-900947-37-3
- ^ Owned by Lord Greatness until the 1920s, when it was given to the town council[citation needed]
- ^ "West Kent Area Investment Framework and Action Plan" (PDF). http://www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/documents/westkentbook.pdf. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ^ "Sevenoaks Quarry, Sevenoaks" (PDF). http://extranet3.kent.gov.uk/cs/planapps/pdf/Item%20B2%20-%20Sevenoaks%20Quarry1.pdf. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ^ "Sevenoaks High Street: panorama". Bbc.co.uk. http://www.bbc.co.uk/kent/places/pans/sevenoaks/highstreet.shtml. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ^ The name derives from a nearby public house, no longer in existence
- ^ "St. John's Church in Sevenoaks". Saintjohnthebaptist.org.uk. http://www.saintjohnthebaptist.org.uk. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ^ "Churches Together in Sevenoaks". Ctsd.org.uk. http://www.ctsd.org.uk/. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ^ Bradbourne School[dead link]
- ^ Solefield School
- ^ "Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve". Kentwildlifetrust.org.uk. http://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=191&Itemid=307. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ^ "Scouting in Sevenoaks". Sevenoaksscouts.org.uk. 2010-01-23. http://www.sevenoaksscouts.org.uk. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ^ "Sevenoaks Information". 7oaks.info. http://www.7oaks.info. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ^ "Sevenoaks Forum". SevenoaksForum.com. http://www.sevenoaksforum.com. Retrieved 2012-02-04.
- ^ "Sencio.org.uk". Sencio.org.uk. http://www.sencio.org.uk/sevenoaks.asp. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ^ 247oaks - The Sevenoaks Public Directory
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ Web User (2008-11-12). "Freeview ad exposes digital divide in Sevenoaks | Latest technology and web news". Web User. http://www.webuser.co.uk/news/271968.html. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ^ "Stag Community Arts Centre, home of theatre and the arts in Sevenoaks - Home". Stagsevenoaks.co.uk. http://www.stagsevenoaks.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- Notes
- Kent History Illustrated Frank W. Jessup (Kent County Council, 1966)
- Railways of the Southern Region Geoffrey Body (PSL Field Guide 1989)
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This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
