Stelling Minnis
Stelling Minnis | ||
---|---|---|
Shire county | ||
Region | ||
Country | England | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom | |
Post town | Canterbury | |
Postcode district | CT4 | |
Police | Kent | |
Fire | Kent | |
Ambulance | South East Coast | |
UK Parliament | ||
Stelling Minnis is a village and
Etymology
Stelling was a village a mile from the Stelling minnis. Stelling was an Old English word for a shelter or cattle fold; stell also being a Germanic word for a farmer of a small number of cattle.
A minnis was ancient common pasture land cleared from the wooded upper slopes on the high clay caps of the Kent chalk downland.
Common
Stelling Minnis Common comprising 124 acres (50 Ha) is privately owned by the Trustees of the estate of the late Lord Tomlin of
Ponds
There are several active ponds on the Minnis providing a mix of open water, aquatic and marginal plants attracting
Flora and fauna
The habitat comprises mainly acidic grassland and heathland featuring a reduced variety of plants such as western gorse (
This habitat is home to
Grazing
Grazing has continued here for hundreds of years as an important element of subsistence farming. Today, Kent Wildlife Trust recommends it as a proven successful method of maintaining the habitats of heaths. This is because:
- It is selective and tends to favour the less aggressive flora
- Hoof prints open up small pockets that can be colonized by seed
- And it produces a net reduction in the nutrient content of the area grazed.
Without grazing, this habitat and the wildlife it attracts would be replaced by common shrubs of little interest.[6]
Windmill
Stelling Minnis is home to a Grade I listed wooden smock mill,[7] built in 1866, and operated until 1970 when the last miller Alec Davison, died. It was restored to full working condition in 2003 with funding jointly provided by Kent County Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund. Alongside the windmill is a museum exhibiting the history of the mill, and of the common as a whole. This is seasonally operated by volunteers.
Church
The Anglican church, St Mary's is
Amenities
A Village Store and integrated Post Office can be found on the
References
- ^ "Civil Parish population 2011". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
- ^ Stelling Minnis Parish Council website
- ^ Reynolds, Chris (October 2008). "KENT DOWNS AREA OF OUTSTANDING NATURAL BEAUTY MANAGEMENT PLAN FIRST REVISION 2009 – 2014 FINAL TEXT APPROVED FOR ADOPTION" (PDF). KENT DOWNS AREA OF OUTSTANDING NATURAL BEAUTY Partnership: 61. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2011.
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(help) - ^ The mystery of the Minnises, Nick Smith, 2004, Stelling Minnis Charitable Trust, Kent.
- ^ Stelling Minnis Common
- ^ a b c d "Common Management Plan". Managers of Stelling Minnis Common & Stelling Minnis Charitable Trust. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
- ^ Stelling Minnis Windmill
- ^ British listed buildings retrieved 20 July 2013
External links
Media related to Stelling Minnis at Wikimedia Commons