Longfield

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Longfield
Station Road, Longfield - geograph.org.uk - 165543.jpg
Station Road showing
oast houses converted into shops
St Mary Magdalene, Longfield, Kent - East end - geograph.org.uk - 886204.jpg
Interior of parish church
Kent UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Longfield
Location within Kent
Population4,919 (civil parish 2011) [1]
OS grid reference TQ604688
Civil parish
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town LONGFIELD
Postcode district DA3
Dialling code 01474
Police Kent
Fire Kent
Ambulance South East Coast
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Kent
51°23′46″N0°18′17″E / 51.3962°N 0.3046°E / 51.3962; 0.3046 Coordinates: 51°23′46″N0°18′17″E / 51.3962°N 0.3046°E / 51.3962; 0.3046

Longfield is a village in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located 6 miles south east of Dartford and the same distance south-west of Gravesend.

Contents

History

The place in Kent is recorded as Langanfelda in the Saxon Charters of 964-995, and as Langafel in the Domesday Book of 1086. [2]

It had been proposed by town planner Patrick Abercrombie as part of the Greater London Plan in the mid-1940s to build a new town in the Longfield area, however other satellite areas around London were selected instead. [3]

Localities

Longfield and New Barn is a civil parish named after the adjacent villages it covers, the eastern part being New Barn, it also covers the smaller settlement, the neighbourhood of Longfield Hill. Longfield is the ancient village, situated on the road between Dartford and Meopham; the historic church there is dedicated to St Mary Magdalene. New Barn is larger in population than Longfield, although has little in the way of services, being a comparatively recent development and purely residential in nature.

Topography

Longfield is four miles south east of Dartford and near Gravesend. It is a linear development that is partly contiguous with the village of Hartley immediately to the south.

The whole civil parish gently slopes from southeast and south to north. Elevations range from 92m AOD in the southwest of the developed area of New Barn in the east which is on a wide rise, to 45m AOD in and around the chalk pit just west of Longfield across the largely disused HS1 south-of-London link railway line towards Southfleet (just north of the village). Just above this is the tiny settlement, a farmed area named Pinden, to the south, however before this on the road towards London is another named community, no more than a row of cottages on the road named Whitehill. [4]

The villages of New Barn and Longfield are within and give their names to the civil parish of Longfield and New Barn which also covers the settlement of Longfield Hill. Longfield is the ancient village, situated on the road between Dartford and Meopham. New Barn is larger in population than Longfield, although has little in the way of services, being a recent development and purely a residential location.

Governance

Longfield fell within the Hundred of Axtane [5] and its successor Dartford Rural District. The Local Government Act 1972 made the village part of the Sevenoaks district of Kent on 1 April 1974. It was transferred to the borough of Dartford on 1 April 1987 where it has remained since. [6]

It has been in the Dartford parliamentary constituency since 1983.

Dr Howard Stoate (Labour), who had been the MP since 1997, decided not to stand again as a candidate at the 2010 general election. [7] His successor candidate was defeated by Gareth Johnson (Conservative) at that election.

Economy

The village has a shopping area consisting of a local baker and butcher, two local supermarkets, a post office, chemist, estate agents, hair-dressers, an antiques shop, various restaurants and take-aways, a pet supply store, an undertakers and a country market on Fridays. [8]

Culture

There is one pub in Longfield, the Railway Tavern. [9] The Wheatsheaf, a 15th-century thatched pub, outside the village on the B255 road to Bluewater, [10] closed down in 2011. The Long Valley Club and the Hartley Country Club are club-based venues restricted to paid membership. Other pubs in the area include the Green Man on Longfield Hill, the White Swan near Ash and the Rising Sun in Fawkham.

The church is dedicated to St Mary Magdalene, and was built in 1343. [11] It is a Grade II* listed building [12]

Transport

Rail

Longfield railway station connects the village with Southeastern services to London Victoria via Bromley South, Ramsgate via Chatham and Dover Priory via Chatham and Canterbury East.

Buses

Longfield is served by Arriva Kent Thameside routes 433 & 489 and Go-Coach routes 474 & 475. These connect it with Bluewater, Gravesend and New Ash Green.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borough of Dartford</span> Borough & Non-metropolitan district in England

The Borough of Dartford is a local government district in the north-west of the county of Kent, England. Its council is based in the town of Dartford. It is part of the contiguous London urban area. It borders the borough of Gravesham to the east, Sevenoaks District to the south, the London Borough of Bexley to the west, and the Thurrock unitary authority in Essex to the north, across the River Thames. The borough was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Dartford, the Swanscombe Urban District, and part of the Dartford Rural District. According to the 2011 Census, its population was 97,365.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gravesham</span> Borough & Non-metropolitan district in England

Gravesham is a local government district with borough status in north-west Kent, England. Its administrative centre and largest town is Gravesend, which was known as Gravesham in ancient times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dartford railway station</span> Railway station in Kent, England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swanscombe</span> Human settlement in England

Swanscombe /ˈswɒnzkəm/ is a village in the Borough of Dartford in Kent, England, and the civil parish of Swanscombe and Greenhithe. It is 4.4 miles west of Gravesend and 4.8 miles east of Dartford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenhithe</span> Village in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England

Greenhithe is a town in the Borough of Dartford in Kent, England, and the civil parish of Swanscombe and Greenhithe. It is located 3+1⁄2 miles east of Dartford and 4+1⁄2 miles west of Gravesend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meopham</span> Human settlement in England

Meopham is a large linear village and civil parish in the Borough of Gravesham in Kent, England, lying to the south of Gravesend. The parish covers 6.5 square miles (17 km2), and comprises two villages and two smaller settlements; it has a population of 6,427 increasing slightly to 6,722 at the 2011 census. Meopham village is sometimes described as the longest settlement in England although others such as Brinkworth, Wiltshire make the same claim. Meopham is one of the longest linear settlements in Europe, being 7 miles (11 km) in length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vigo Village</span> Human settlement in England

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Southfleet is a small village and civil parish in the borough of Dartford in Kent, England. The village is located three miles southwest of Gravesend, while the parish includes within its boundaries the hamlets of Betsham and Westwood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hartley, Sevenoaks</span> Human settlement in England

Hartley is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. It is located 7 miles (11 km) south west of Gravesend and the same distance south east of Dartford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chatham Main Line</span> Main railway line in south-east England

The Chatham Main Line is a railway line in England that links London Victoria and Dover Priory / Ramsgate, travelling via Medway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meopham railway station</span> Railway station in Kent, England

Meopham railway station is on the Chatham Main Line in England, serving the village of Meopham, Kent. It is 25 miles 76 chains (41.8 km) down the line from London Victoria and is situated between Longfield and Sole Street. The station is managed by Southeastern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longfield railway station</span> Railway station in Kent, England

Longfield railway station is on the Chatham Main Line in England, serving the villages of Longfield, Hartley, and New Ash Green. It is 23 miles 30 chains (37.6 km) down the line from London Victoria and is situated between Farningham Road and Meopham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dartford (UK Parliament constituency)</span> UK Parliament constituency since 1885

Dartford is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Gareth Johnson of the Conservative Party. The constituency is currently the longest-valid 'bellwether' constituency in the country as the party of the winning candidate has gone on to form the government at every UK general election since 1964. Candidates for the largest two parties nationally have polled first and second since 1923 in Dartford.

Bean is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located 4.4 miles south east of Dartford and 5.4 miles south west of Gravesend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fawkham</span> Human settlement in England

Fawkham is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. Fawkham is defined as a hamlet by Sevenoaks District Council, with a population of 429. Fawkham is a low density, linear settlement along the bottom of a dry chalk valley some 3 mi (5 km) in length, with secondary lanes intersecting. There is no discernible village centre, although clusters of buildings occur near the Church/junction with Castle Hill, and around the village green and public house at the junction with Fawkham Green Road. There are around 220 houses.

The following is a list of recreational walks in Kent, England.

New Barn is a compact residential area surrounded by open fields which lies four miles southwest of Gravesend in Kent, England. It is in the local government district of Dartford. The villages of New Barn and Longfield are within and give their names to the civil parish of Longfield and New Barn. New Barn is larger in population than Longfield, although has little in the way of services, being a recent development and purely residential in nature

Ridley is a place and former civil parish, now in the parish of Ash-cum-Ridley, in the Sevenoaks district, in the county of Kent, England. It lies between Sevenoaks and Chatham..

References

  1. ↑ 2011 Census
  2. ↑ "history". www.longfieldchurch.org. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  3. ↑ "Hartley-Kent: Plans for Hartley New Town 1944". www.hartley-kent.org.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  4. ↑ "OS Maps - online and App mapping system | Ordnance Survey Shop". www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk.
  5. ↑ "N.W.Kent Parishes: Longfield". www.nwkfhs.org.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  6. ↑ "The Kent (District Boundaries) Order 1987". www.opsi.gov.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  7. ↑ "BBC NEWS". news.bbc.co.uk. 28 July 2009. Retrieved 8 June 2010. "MP to quit over second job rules"
  8. ↑ "Welcome • Longfield Country Market". www.longfieldcountrymarket.co.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  9. ↑ "Railway Tavern, Longfield, Kent, DA3 7QD - pub details # beerintheevening.com". www.beerintheevening.com. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  10. ↑ "Wheatsheaf, Westwood, Kent, DA13 9PH - pub details # beerintheevening.com". www.beerintheevening.com. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  11. ↑ "St. Mary Magdalene Church - Home". www.longfieldchurch.org. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  12. ↑ Historic England. "CHURCH OF SAINT MARY MAGDALENE (1239125)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 18 February 2018.
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