Guston | |
---|---|
![]() The Chance Inn, Guston | |
Location within Kent | |
Population | 1,740 (2011) [1] |
Civil parish |
|
District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Dover |
Postcode district | CT15 |
Police | Kent |
Fire | Kent |
Ambulance | South East Coast |
Guston is a village and civil parish in the Dover district of Kent, in South East England. [2] The village lies about a quarter of a mile north of the campus of the Duke of York's Royal Military School, near Martin Mill. In the 1950s the village was the site of a public house, a post office, a Saxon church and approximately one-hundred homes. There is also a windmill present, which has been converted into a house. Nearby villages include Whitfield, East Langdon, Pineham and Buckland. The River Dour is approximately 2.71 km away from Guston, and there is easy access to main roads, with the A2 and A258 running around and through the village.
In the early 1870s, Guston was described by John Wilson:
"A parish in Dover district, Kent; 2½ miles E by N of Ewell r. station, and 2½ N of Dover. Posttown, Dover. Acres, 1, 421; of which 20 are water. Real property, £2, 554. Pop., 436. Houses, 88. The property is divided among a few. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Canterbury; and was annexed in 1868 to the vicarage of River. The church is Norman; has three windows at the west end; and is good. There is a Wesleyan chapel." [3]
Guston is an Old English word stemming from tun, meaning ‘village' or 'farmstead’. It is first seen on record as Gocistone in the Domesday Book, meaning ‘Guthsige’s village’. [4]
"The Manor of Guston formerly belonged to the abbot and convent of St. Augustine, who held it as a prebend in the church of St. Martin, in Dover. It passed into their possession after the taking of the survey of Domesday, in 1080". [5]
In 1881 alone over 77 males [6] living in Guston were involved in the Military as part of the defence of the country. Even back in 1881, there was a large military presence in the area. This remained all the way until after the Second World War. However, Guston's population changed dramatically during World War II. In 1930 the population was just over 1600 people. By 1950 it had decreased to less than 800, having halved within 2 decades. In total, 2226 shells were listed as having been fired at Dover, but evidence suggests many more. [7] Many of these shells would have affected people in nearby areas including Guston, Whitfield, East Langdon, Pineham and Buckland.
Before the war began, many residents of Dover fled to areas in Wales and in the English countryside as far away from Dover as possible. In 1931 there were 1,191 males living in the area and 406 females living in Guston according to the census reports. By 1951 this number had been cut dramatically to only 397 men and 365 females living in the area. [8] This emphasises the huge number of men that left the area to fight and did not return after the war, as well as the devastating effects the bombing had on the housing at the time. This is one reason why the population may have dropped so significantly; the housing was now not substantial enough to support such a large number of people.
There are two churches in close proximity to Guston, St Martin of Tours and St Peters Church. St Martin of Tours is the parish church of Guston, and is described on the church website:
"The church was built around 1090, 24 years after the Battle of Hastings. The lack of change over the centuries is no doubt due to the Monastic Orders and the Archbishops of Canterbury. The lay-out inside is unique, the design suggesting it is shaped by an Anglican worship, with the pulpit next to the chancel, a result of the emphasis on the sermon within Sunday worship. It also has the typical Anglican altar rail so that communion can be taken kneeling – a Nonconformist chapel would have had an altar table surrounded by seating, such as can be seen at Langley Chapel, in Shropshire." [9]
John E. Vigar has written of St Martin of Tours:
"Restored in the Victorian Era and there is little of the church left from earlier periods. The arrangement of three Norman windows in the east wall is a common architectural feature, and can be found elsewhere in the county, such as in Bonnington. Inside the church, the Victorian glass shows two images of Saint Martin. A south nave window contains a 20th century depiction of The Good Samaritan. Separating the nave and chancel is a spindly nineteenth century screen with quatrefoil piercings. There are few monuments in the church, however a ledger dedicated to Thomas Harrison survives in the chancel." [10]
According to the office of neighbourhood statistics, there is over 917 males (persons) and 823 females (persons) living in the area currently. [11] Out of a population of 1,740 people [2] only 1,087 people are above the age of 16. Furthermore, in total 20.1% of people in the area are retired and over the age of 65. [12] Therefore, it is clear that there is quite a high young population and elderly population within the area. In addition to this 6.29% of people are in poor or very bad health; [13] however, this would be expected due to the relatively high elderly and young population in the area.
In total there are 462 households in Guston, of which 439 are two bedroom places or more. In the last 20 years, average house prices have risen from £184,168 to £337,772, an increase of almost a quarter of a million. [14] In terms of social housing, 14.3% of people in Guston live are currently in council rented housing. [15]
The Guston Church of England Primary School is the only primary school providing for the area. From 2015 to 2016, Guston Primary School had an intake of 140 students which consisted on 47.9% females and 52.1% males, similar to the national average. [16] On 11 October 2016, Ofsted carried out an inspection and gave the school a rating of 2 (good), suggesting they 'have an accurate understanding of the school's strengths and recognize areas where performance can be further improved'. [17]
As for secondary schools in the area, the nearest secondary school is called The Duke of York's Royal Military School which teaches children from age 11 to 18.
Due to the high achieving schools in the area, qualifications are high. Out of 1,740 people [2] only 156 people in the area have no qualifications at all. Although a lot of these people are still in education, 368 people in the area have a high level of qualification at either level 3 or 4. [18]
Minster, also known as Minster-in-Thanet, is a village and civil parish in the Thanet District of Kent, England. It is the site of Minster in Thanet Priory. The village is west of Ramsgate and to the north east of Canterbury; it lies just south west of Kent International Airport and just north of the River Stour. Minster is also the "ancient capital of Thanet". At the 2011 Census the hamlet of Ebbsfleet was included.
Eythorne is a civil parish and small village located 7.3 miles north-northwest of Dover in Kent, with a combined population of approximately 2,500 residents including nearby villages Barfrestone and Elvington. Although not classed as one of the former pit villages of Kent, it was only about a mile from Tilmanstone – which closed in 1986. Today many of its residents commute to work in Dover (Docks), or in Canterbury.
Rockhampton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Gloucestershire, situated in the unitary district of South Gloucestershire. It is located 2.8 miles (4.5 km) northeast of Thornbury, 18.6 miles (29.9 km) north of Bristol and is approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) east of the River Severn. It had a population of 166 people according to the 2011 census.
Ash is a village and civil parish in the Dover district of east Kent about three miles west of Sandwich.
Whitfield is a village, civil parish and electoral ward in the English county of Kent. It now forms part of the urban area of the town of Dover. It has a modern counterpart in the large settlement located at the junction of the A2 and A256 roads, some four miles (6.4 km) north of Dover.
Hutton is an area of Brentwood, Essex, England. It has good links to Central London via Shenfield train station which is just 1 mile (1.6 km) from Hutton. Brentwood town centre lies 3 miles to the west. The area can be split between modest housing estates and the largely affluent Hutton Mount. There are two wards named "Hutton". Hutton was formerly a civil parish, which was abolished in 1934 and absorbed into Brentwood.
Ripple, also known as 'Ripple Vale', is a village and civil parish in the Dover District of Kent, England.
Bobbing is a village and civil parish in the Swale district of Kent, England, about a mile north-west of Sittingbourne, and forming part of its urban area. The hamlet of Howt Green and village of Keycol are included within the parish. According to the 2011 census Bobbing parish had a population of 1,969.
Mersham is a mostly agricultural large village and civil parish near Ashford in Kent, England. The population of the civil parish includes the area of Cheesman's Green now known as Finberry.
Preston or Preston-next-Wingham is a civil parish and village in the valley of the Little Stour in the Dover District of Kent, England. The village is on the B2076 secondary road. The parish includes the hamlet of Elmstone. The main river through the area is a tributary of the River Stour. The suffix 'next-Wingham' distinguishes the area from Preston-next-Faversham.
Bekesbourne is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Bekesbourne-with-Patrixbourne, in the Canterbury district, in Kent, South-East England. In 1961 the parish had a population of 538.
Hackington is an area of Canterbury in Kent, England, also known as St Stephen's, incorporating the northern part of the city, as well as a semi-rural area to the north.
Hersden is a village east of Canterbury in Kent, South East England. It was established as a planned coalmining village in the 1920s and is on the A28 road between Canterbury and the Isle of Thanet. Work in the Kent Coalfield was the main source of employment in the village until the closure of the Kent colliery in the 1980s.
Kingston is a village and civil parish between Canterbury and Dover in Kent, South East England. The parish contains the hamlet of Marley.
Leaveland is a hamlet and civil parish located in the Swale borough of Kent, South East England. In terms of topography, it is described as a "village surrounded by inhabited countryside", and is situated mostly on high ground. It is located 5 miles South of Faversham, West of Badlesmere, and on or close to the A251.The closest railway station to the area is Selling, which is just over three miles away, although Faversham station is more accessible and offers better services. The closest estuary is The Swale which separates the Isle of Sheppey from mainland Kent, and flows to the north of Faversham Creek.. Leaveland itself covers an area of 1.5 km2 and lies entirely within the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Langdon is a civil parish in the Dover district of Kent, England, and contains the villages of East Langdon and West Langdon, and the hamlets of Martin and Martin Mill. Langdon was the site of Langdon Abbey which was dissolved in 1535.
Sutton is a village and civil parish near Dover in Kent, England. In 1935 this village became a parish when the small settlements of Studdal, Sutton, Ashley, Little Mongeham and Maydensole joined to become the Parish of Sutton-by-Dover. Prior to this Sutton has had a vast history of agricultural practices, which has helped sustain the village into the parish it is today. The quoted population includes the villages of East and West Studdal plus Swingate and the hamlet of Little Mongeham.
Burmarsh is a village and civil parish in the Folkestone and Hythe District of Kent, England. The village is located three miles (4.8 km) west of Hythe on the Romney Marsh. The Burmarsh Road connects the village to the once fully operating Burmarsh Road train station. The closest major settlement is Folkestone which is a minimum of 9.5 mile car journey.
Elmsted is a village and civil parish in the Folkestone and Hythe District of Kent, England. It is located west of Stone Street, the Roman road which today takes traffic between Canterbury and Lympne. Within the parish are the settlements of Bodsham, North Leigh and Evington. There are six elected members of the Parish Council.
Magdalen Laver is a village and a civil parish in the Epping Forest district, in the county of Essex, England. Magdalen Laver is east of Harlow and of close proximity to the M11 motorway. Magdalen Laver has a village hall and a church called St Mary Magdalen. John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales, described Magdalen Laver between 1870–72 as:
Media related to Guston at Wikimedia Commons