Singlewell or Ifield | |
---|---|
Church of St Margaret | |
Location within Kent | |
Population | 7,221 (2011.Ward) [1] |
District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | GRAVESEND |
Postcode district | DA12 |
Police | Kent |
Fire | Kent |
Ambulance | South East Coast |
UK Parliament | |
Singlewell or Ifield is the name given to the area south of Gravesend in Kent, England.
Originally two separate settlements on either side of Watling Street, it is now separated by the A2 road and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and bears little resemblance to its past. Singlewell Road leads from Gravesend town southwards to the A2, linking with Hever Court Road just to the north of the former site of the A2. The A2 was moved to the South in the 2000s, allowing a widening from three to four lanes in each direction. The carriageways were then turned into a parkland area.
Singlewell is one of the highest points in Gravesham, including Marling Cross, which forms the junction at Gravesend East on the A2, which is the highest point in the Borough.
The name Singlewell, originally Shinglewell – and not therefore referring to it having the only well in the district – and its eponymous ancient well with ancient origins has now come to mean the area now part of the built-up area of Gravesend. The well was filled in during World War I. The original Watling Street is now Hever Court Road and the nearby estate named after it was built in 1957. Hever Court itself was the original home of the medieval family who moved to Hever, Kent in 1331. Hever Court eventually became derelict and was demolished in 1952.
Ifield, once a large rural parish, is now a few houses south of the main road, and the tiny church of St Margaret, with Norman architecture included in its walls. [2] The parish formed part of the Hundred of Toltingtrough, then Strood Rural District from 1894 and was abolished on 1 April 1935, split between Cobham and the Municipal Borough of Gravesend. [3]
The George Inn is also in Hever Court Road: it was a favourite establishment of Gravesend residents in the 19th century, being within walking distance from the town; not too different from today, although there is also a Best Western hotel (the Manor); and the Gravesend South Premier Inn, both serving traffic on the A2 road.
Rochester is a town in the unitary authority of Medway, in Kent, England. It is at the lowest bridging point of the River Medway about 30 miles (50 km) from London. Rochester was a city until losing its status as one in 1998 following the forming of Medway and failing to protect its status as a city. There have been ongoing campaigns to reinstate the city status for Rochester.
Medway is a conurbation and unitary authority in Kent, South East England. It had a population in 2019 of 278,016. The unitary authority was formed in 1998 when the City of Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with Gillingham Borough Council to form Medway Council, a unitary authority independent of Kent County Council.
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross on the south bank of the River Thames and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Rochester, it is the administrative centre of the Borough of Gravesham.
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.
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.
Sevenoaks is a local government district in west Kent, England. Its council is based in the town of Sevenoaks.
Cobham is a village and civil parish in the borough of Gravesham in Kent, England. The village is located 6 miles (10 km) south-east of Gravesend, and just south of Watling Street, the Roman road from Dover to London. The parish, which includes the hamlet of Sole Street, covers an area of 1,240 hectares and had a population of 1,469 at the 2011 Census, increasing from 1,328 at the 2001 Census.
Higham is a large village, civil parish and electoral ward in the borough of Gravesham in Kent, England. The village lies just north-west of Strood, in the Medway unitary authority, and south-east of Gravesend. The civil parish had a population of 3,938 at the 2001 Census, increasing slightly to 3,962 at the 2011 Census.
Northfleet is a town in the borough of Gravesham in Kent, England. It is located immediately west of Gravesend, and on the border with the Borough of Dartford. Northfleet has its own railway station on the North Kent Line, just east of Ebbsfleet International railway station on the High Speed 1 line.
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.
Vigo Village is a village and a civil parish in the Gravesham district in Kent, England. It takes its name from a 15th-century public house, which was renamed in the 18th century after the Battle of Vigo Bay. While a nearby hamlet named Vigo was recorded on an 18th-century map, the present village was built in the mid-20th century, on a site that was previously a disused World War II army camp. The civil parish was created on 1 April 2000 from the parish of Meopham.
Chalk is a village and since 1935 a former civil parish which adjoins the east of Gravesend, Kent, England. As is intuitive, its name comes from the Saxon word cealc meaning a chalkstone. In 1931 the parish had a population of 563.
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.
Luddesdown is a civil parish in the Gravesham District of 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
The Bat & Ball Ground is a cricket and sports ground in Gravesend in Kent. The ground was used as a first-class cricket venue by Kent County Cricket Club between 1849 and 1971. It remains in use by Gravesend Cricket Club who have used the ground as their home since their formation in 1881. The site also has lawn bowls and tennis facilities and is the home of Gravesend Bowls Club.
Toltingtrough was a hundred in the Lathe of Aylesford in the county of Kent, England. This hundred is called, in some ancient writings, Toltetern and Tollentr, and in Domesday, Tollentru. In the return made of the several knights fees throughout England, by inquisition into the exchequer, in the 7th year of king Edward I, the archbishop of Canterbury appears to have been then lord of this Hundred.
Gravesend Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street in Gravesend, Kent, England. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Gravesend Municipal Borough Council, is a Grade II* listed building.