West Kingsdown
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (October 2011) |
West Kingsdown | ||
---|---|---|
Shire county | ||
Region | ||
Country | England | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom | |
Post town | SEVENOAKS | |
Postcode district | TN15 | |
Dialling code | 01474 | |
Police | Kent | |
Fire | Kent | |
Ambulance | South East Coast | |
UK Parliament | ||
West Kingsdown is a village and
The area
The parish was part of
History
- Village
Kingsdown, the former name of West Kingsdown village, traces its origins back to
From 1066 to 1630 the ownership of the land in and around Kingsdown passed into the possession of a series of landlords, including
At the first national census in 1801 the population was recorded as 337. By 1901 the population had only risen to 506, falling to 407 in 1911 and 427 in 1927. In 1874[1] a National School was built on what is now School Lane. Post the First World War the relatively stable farming community became a scattering of holiday homes, garages, shacks and smallholdings as commuters settled outside London and found homes in the countryside. In 1918 there were two shopkeepers in the village. By 1938 there were six garages, nine shops and ten cafes.
Between 1921 and 1981 the number of Kingsdown residents grew substantially to nearly 5000. Cul-de-sac construction added to the existing roads and several park home estates were built for older residents. A new primary school on Fawkham Road was built to take the growing number of children. Electricity was introduced in 1937 but mains drainage was only installed in 1968. During this period Brands Hatch Farm opened its land to cyclists for racing, the precursor to Brand Hatch Racing Circuit. The A20 was widened to a dual carriageway (subsequently reduced to single carriageway) and the trees that lined the road lost to the village. The construction of the M20, taking traffic to Dover, meant that the village was no longer a major thoroughfare for cars, coaches and lorries.
In 1948[2] Kingsdown changed its name at the request of the Post Office to avoid confusion with other villages in east Kent with the same name and became West Kingsdown.
- Churches
A mention of a church at Kingsdown – the present St Edmund King and Martyr Church of England church – is found in tax records of 1287. The original construction, a Saxon church, was possibly constructed just before 1066, perhaps around 1030. It is possible that the church was the chapel built for the lord of the manor and served a small number of Saxon families who lived in huts around the church. The early building was a relatively simple structure built in stone and flint, comprising a nave, chancel and square tower. Extensions to the church were made in the twelfth century but these proved something of a disaster, weakening the building, and in the thirteenth century these were either demolished or fell down. The repairs were subsequently hidden by rendering, which was in turn later removed in the early 1900s. One of the interesting features of the church is the depiction of the story of Cain and Abel around one of the windows, which is dated around 1100.
In a census carried out in 1676 to establish how many Roman Catholics and nonconformists there were in the village no-one was, or admitted to being, a Roman Catholic or a nonconformist. In 1861 a toolshed was brought from the railway junction at
Both the Roman Catholic church of St Bernadette and Kings Church, closed in 2015, were established in the village in the late 1900s.
- Windmill
West Kingsdown Windmill is a Grade II listed smock mill that was built in the early nineteenth century at Farningham. The windmill was marked on Greenwoods map of 1821 and the Farningham Tithe Map of 1840. In 1880, it was moved to Kingsdown, where there was already a post mill. The post mill burnt down in May 1909. The windmill is located on the east side of the village, off Pells Lane.
Sport
Transport
Rail
The closest
Buses
West Kingsdown is served by
Notable people
Olympian Lizzy Yarnold comes from West Kingsdown.
FIA Formula One Race Director Charlie Whiting is from West Kingsdown.
Para-athlete and commonwealth games silver medalist Johnboy Smith lives in West Kingsdown (see www.johnboysmith.com) .[3]
See also
References
- ^ Bampling, Zena (May 1991). West Kingsdown, The story of three villages in Kent (2nd ed.). The Tyger press. pp. Page 94.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ "West Kingsdown". North West Kent Family History Society. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ "Lizzie Yarnold: Vandals paint postbox gold for Sochi 2014 champion". BBC News. 20 February 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
General references
- Bamping, Zena (1983). West Kingsdown: The Story of Three Villages in Kent. West Kingsdown: West Kingsdown Parish Council.
- Eyre, Eric (2006). The Church in the Toolshed. West Kingsdown: West Kingsdown Baptist Church.
External links
- St Edmund King and Martyr CE Church, West Kingsdown
- West Kingsdown Baptist Church
- West Kingsdown Parish Council