Kennington is a suburb of Ashford and civil parish in Kent, England. It is about a mile northeast of the town centre and north of the M20 motorway, and contains the 13th-century church, St Mary's. The main A28 Canterbury Road and A2042 Faversham Road run through the village, and the A251 Trinity Road skirts the western edge. In recent years the village has expanded with the building of new housing estates in Little Burton, Trinity Road, Conningbrook Lakes, and planned for Conningbrook Park and Eureka Park.
In 1798, Kennington was described as being situated in a predominantly gravelly yet fertile landscape. Hasted theorised that the name derived from the Saxon Cining-tune (king's town) due to it being owned by Saxon royalty during the heptarchy. Hasted also described two minor streams that watered the area: one originating at Sandyhurst and passing Bybrook, known locally as Bacon's Water, and the other rising near Eastwell Park, flowing through Clipmill and Frogbrook before joining the River Stour on the parish's eastern boundary. The village itself stood on elevated ground near the Canterbury road, with the church positioned at its far end, close to an open heath called Kennington Lees. An annual fair specializing in pedlary and toys was held yearly on July 5.[3]
St Mary's Church was built in the 13th century, and contains stained glass windows designed by Charles Eamer Kempe.[4] The church also contains a font, which, according to Mee, has been in continuous use since 1236. It was locked in medieval times to guard from witches.[5]
Local Government
Kennington was an ancient parish, and designated a civil parish under the Poor Law Amendment Act 1866, able to set its own Poor Rate. This was reformed under the Local Government Act 1894. In 1934 the civil parish was abolished and absorbed into Ashford Urban District Council (later Ashford Borough Council).[6][7]
Following a Community Governance Review, new Borough ward boundaries took effect from May 2019.[8] Kennington gained representation through a new civil parish council formed on 1 April 2019, with the title Kennington Community Council.[9] The new Borough and Community Council wards are as follows:
Borough Ward
Councillor
Party
Community Council Ward
Number of Community Councillor Seats
Bockhanger
Diccon Spain
Labour
Grosvenor Hall
4
Kennington
Nathan Iliffe
Conservative
Kennington
4
Bybrook
Alan Dean
Labour
Bybrook
4
Conningbrook and Little Burton Farm
Katy Pauley
Ashford Independent
Little Burton Farm
3
Goat Lees (part)
Winston Michael
Ashford Independent
Kennington North
1
Elections to Kennington Community Council are held every four years, on the same date as elections to Ashford Borough Council. The next election is on 6 May 2027.
Schools
There is one secondary school in the village, the Towers School, with a local junior school, Kennington CE Academy, and an infants school, Downs View Infants School. Since the county still operates a grammar school system, those who pass the Kent Test (which replaced the 11+) are given the opportunity to attend the grammar school in Ashford, the Norton Knatchbull School or Highworth Grammar School.[10]
Amenities
The Rose Inn, Kennington
Kennington has five pubs / restaurants, "The Old Mill" (formerly The Golden Ball), "The Conningbrook Hotel" (formerly The Pilgrims Rest), "The Rose Inn", "The Pheasant", "Stubbs" and "The Kennington Carvery".
Kennington Summer Fayre is held annually, usually on the last Saturday in June. It is a not-for-profit event, raising money for local causes.
Two areas of Kennington were designated as Conservation Areas in 1996, covering parts of Ball Lane, The Street, Ulley Road, Upper Vicarage Road, and Faversham Road.
Demography
At the 2021 UK census,[11] Kennington had a population of 10,900 (59,597,500 people in England and Wales), of which Female 52.1% and Male 47.9%. The age distribution across Kennington was: 0–19 years 25.1%, 20–39 years 21.9%, 40–59 years 26.4%, 60–79 years 20.6%, 80 years and over 16.1%.
National identity
One or more UK identity only 92.5%
UK identity and non-UK identity 1.7%
Non-UK identity only 5.8%
Economic activity status
Economically active: In employment 57.3%
Economically active: Unemployed 2.5%
Economically inactive 40.2%
Occupation
Managers, directors and senior officials 13.3%
Professional occupations 19.8%
Associate professional and technical occupations 12.5%
Administrative and secretarial occupations 10.0%
Skilled trades occupations 10.7%
Caring, leisure and other service occupations 9.2%
Sales and customer service occupations 8.9%
Process, plant and machine operatives 6.3%
Elementary occupations 9.2%
Highest level of qualification
No qualifications 18.7%
Level 1, 2 or 3 qualifications 44.3%
Apprenticeship 5.8%
Level 4 qualifications and above 28.1%
Other qualifications 3.1%
Tenure of household
Owns outright 37.6%
Owns with a mortgage or loan or shared ownership 33.9%
Social rented 15.7%
Private rented or lives rent free 12.8%
Accommodation type
Whole house or bungalow 90.4%
Flat, maisonette or apartment 9.5%
A caravan or other mobile or temporary structure 0.1%
Household deprivation
Household is not deprived in any dimension 46.9%
Household is deprived in one dimension 35.4%
Household is deprived in two dimensions 14.7%
Household is deprived in three dimensions 2.9%
Household is deprived in four dimensions 0.1%
Religion
No religion 40.7%
Christian 48.6%
Buddhist 0.7%
Hindu 2.1%
Jewish 0.2%
Muslim 1.7%
Sikh 0.1%
Other religion 0.7%
Not answered 5.2%
Number of cars or vans
No cars or vans in household 15.6%
1 car or van in household 40.2%
2 cars or vans in household 32.8%
3 or more cars or vans in household 11.4%
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kennington.
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