Aylesham
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Aylesham | ||
---|---|---|
Shire county | ||
Region | ||
Country | England | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom | |
Post town | CANTERBURY | |
Postcode district | CT3 | |
Dialling code | 01304 | |
Police | Kent | |
Fire | Kent | |
Ambulance | South East Coast | |
Dover | ||
Aylesham
The village was built in the 1920s to accommodate workers at nearby coal mines. The parish also includes the village of Snowdown. Both villages are served by railway stations on the Dover branch of the Chatham Main Line.
History
By British standards, Aylesham is a relatively new village. It was established in 1926 to house miners working in the
Aylesham was part of the parish of Nonington until the creation of a separate parish in 1951.[3]
Although it is still a village, it was originally intended by its masterplanner,
Miners from all parts of the UK (notably South Wales, Scotland and the Northeast) seeking better wages and safer conditions, travelled to the South East to work at Snowdown Colliery.
The miners brought with them the traditional Male Voice Choir, Brass band and Rugby pastimes; all of which are still in evidence today and each of these organisations keep the colliery name as their identity.
During the Second World War, the Aylesham coalminers formed a
Whilst Aylesham could be considered a young village, the location of the village is steeped in history. Over recent years, there have been findings of Saxon skeletons, Bronze Age urns, and Roman domestic items within the village. In addition, some of the older properties within the village are evidenced to have been home to Edward of Woodstock, The Black Prince. King Richard II, the son of the Black Prince, ruled England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399.
Several footballers were sponsored by the
Aylesham Fire Station was founded in 1955, and still remains active, despite the closure of other fire stations within the Kent Fire and Rescue Service. Aylesham currently provides emergency cover with the use of an Iveco Eurocargo fire appliance. This state-of-the-art vehicle possesses Compressed Air Foam System (CAFS), fire spike technology, and thermal imaging capabilities.
Aylesham has been identified by the Dover Local Plan as a location for expansion. A Housing Development, proposing 1,200 new homes in the village commenced work in 2014.
Governance
County Council
District Council
Parish Council
Aylesham Parish Council is the lowest tier of
Poetry
Kay Sutcliffe, the wife of a striking miner at Aylesham, wrote the poem Coal not Dole, which became popular with the Women Against Pit Closures groups across the country and was later made into a song by Norma Waterson.[8]
Sport and leisure
Walks
The village is on the
Whilst not passing directly through Aylesham, the
Rugby Club
The village has a long sporting history, with a rugby club being present in the village since 1930. It has played a prominent role in community life. Before the professionalisation of Rugby Union, Snowdown Colliery Welfare Rugby football Club (a name that dates back to when
. Snowdown Colliery RFC has since remained true to its roots and has not become a professional club, instead concentrating of 'community rugby' provision. The club currently play in the London & SE Division Invicta 2 Premier - East.In the 2015/2016 Season, the rugby club achieved great success by gaining promotion in to
The score was Snowdown Colliery 31 - 5 Beccahamian RFC, with the final being heavily attended by the community.[11]
In the 2016/2017 season, Snowdown Colliery RFC got in to the Kent Salver Final, which took place at The Marine Travel Ground, Merton Lane, Canterbury. Snowdown Colliery lost 17-7 to Greenwich RFC.
Leisure Centre
Aylesham Welfare Leisure Centre opened in 2011. Owned by Aylesham & Snowdown Social & Welfare Trust, West Faversham Community Association manages the operations of building; which houses a gym, bar, function room, changing facilities and showers on behalf of the Trust.
Aylesham Carnival Association
Aylesham Carnival Association[12] promotes the village to surrounding areas in Kent and beyond.
As far as records show, the first carnival held in Aylesham was in 1929. Over the years, the Association has been repeatedly held in abeyance and revived until the late 1990s/early 2000s, when a period of stability emerged, with the carnival now being an annual event.
The Aylesham Carnival, held every September, has carnival courts from all round the country take part. This is normally held in conjunction with a fete, fun fair and stalls in the Market Square before the carnival commences.
Notable people
Sport
- George Curtis (1939-2021), footballer. played over 530 games
- Pat Hilton (born 1954), former footballer and manager, played about 100 games
- Dave Carr (1957–2005), footballer, played over 320 games.
Churches
Aylesham Baptist Church
The Baptist Church is situated in Dorman Avenue South. It was built in 1927. Regular services take place on a Sunday. The church has a newly erected hall to the rear of the building, which is used by the community for creche's, a youth club, breakfast club, Sure Start, coffee mornings and other community events. The Minister is The Reverend Laura Moncaster. [13]
Church of St Peter, Aylesham
St Peter's is situated in Dorman Avenue North. It was built in 1927. Regular services take place on a Sunday. The church organises a sunbeams toddler group, coffee mornings, messy church, soft play café, luncheon club and on Fridays, a Farmers Market. The Vicar is The Reverend Nick Ratcliffe. [14]
Catholic Church of St Finbarr, Aylesham
St Finbarr's is situated in Market Place. It was built in 1956/1957 and was officially blessed and opened on 28 April 1957 by Canon de Laubenque. Mass takes place on a Sunday at 11.15am and on Wednesday's at 10.00am. There is an active Society of Saint Vincent de Paul. The church is also used by the Snowdown Colliery Male Voice Choir for rehearsals. The Aylesham Sunshiners, an Over 50's Club, use the church for their activities which include bingo, quizzes, live music etc. In 2016, St Finbarr's amalgamated with the Catholic Church of St Paul, Dover to become the Catholic Parish of The Good Shepherd. As a result, St Finbarr's & St Paul's now share resources, priest's etc and work together for the benefit of the Catholic parish. The Priest's who serve the parish are Father Jeff Cridland, Father Leo Agbene and Father Jamie Houghton. The parish is also served by Permanent Deacon; Deacon Barry Barton.[15]
Transport
Aylesham railway station serves the village.
Twin towns – sister cities
Aylesham is
References
- ^ Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
- ^ "Aylesham". The Times. London. 15 November 1927. p. 21. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
- ISBN 978-0-901050-67-0– via Internet Archive.
- ^ a b "Kent Mining Village That Begs To Be Bigger". The Times. London, England. 6 January 1964. p. 8. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
- ^ Welcome to the north! New Dialect Formation in Kent's 'Sunshine Corner'. David Hornsby. Transactions of the Yorkshire Dialect Society 2016, pp.44-56.
- ^ "Pillbox FW3/24 Aylsham". tracesofwar.com. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
- Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
- ^ Insert booklet from CD Voice + Vision: songs of resistance, democracy + peace, page 4, Topic 75 records, 2014
- ^ "The Miners Way Trail". The White Cliffs Countryside Partnership. Archived from the original on 5 September 2014. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
- ^ "The North Downs Way". northdownsway.co.uk.
- ^ "1st XV v Beccahamiams RFC". pitchero.com.
- ^ [1][permanent dead link]
- ^ "Home - Aylesham Baptist Free Church". ayleshambaptistfreechurch.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 April 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ "Welcome to the Aylesham Benefice!". ayleshambenefice.weebly.com.
- ^ "St Paul's Roman Catholic Church Dover". stpaulsdover.org.uk.
https://democracy.kent.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?Id=301
External links
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