Stoke, Kent

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Stoke
Kent UK location map.svg
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Stoke
Location within Kent
Population1,060 (2011) [1]
OS grid reference TQ831760
Civil parish
  • Stoke
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town ROCHESTER
Postcode district ME3
Dialling code 01634
Police Kent
Fire Kent
Ambulance South East Coast
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Kent
51°27′00″N0°37′52″E / 51.450°N 0.631°E / 51.450; 0.631
Lower Stoke village shop LowerStoke5033.JPG
Lower Stoke village shop

Stoke is a civil parish on the Hoo Peninsula in Kent, England, to the south of Allhallows, on the north of the Medway Estuary. The parish had a population of 1,060 at the 2011 census. [1]

The two small villages of Lower Stoke and Stoke (sometimes referred to as Upper Stoke) stand on low-lying fertile farmland that is at most 17 m above highwater. The farmland descends to the Stoke Saltings – a maze of intricate channels and small islands beloved by wading birds. The church of Saints Peter and Paul is in Stoke; it was an appendage to the Manor of Great Hoo. The building contains some Norman and Early English work dating from 1175. It has no spire. [2]

In an Anglo-Saxon charter Stoke is referred to as "Andescohesham". [3] It was passed with other lands by Eadberht, son of King Wihtred of Kent to the See of Rochester for "the good of his soul and the remission of sins". [2] In 959, Lower Stoke, then called "Osterland", was granted by Queen Eadgifu to Christ Church, Canterbury. [4] In Domesday Book it is called "Estoches" and "Stoches". [5]

Due to its low-lying nature, Stoke has often suffered flooding, such as in 1158, 1235, 1309, 1682, and 1735 when ploughmen were swept from their fields as the sea broke through. Also, in 1791, 1854, 1874, and 1897, Stoke was cut off from the Isle of Grain for a week. [2]

In 1720 Manor Farm was leased to Jacob Sawbridge, one of the South Sea Bubble directors. [2]

In 1732 William Hogarth stayed overnight at the 'Nag's Head' in Lower Stoke. Due to the shortage of beds he had to share a bed. [2]

There was a large airship base nearby at Kingsnorth from which patrols covering the North Sea were launched during World War I. The site is now covered by Kingsnorth Power Station.

Stoke has a private unlicensed airfield, home to Medway airsports club and previously part of Medway Microlights manufacturing microlight aircraft such as the Medway Executive SLA. Stoke Medway airfield is known in the aviation community as being a particularly challenging airfield to fly from. It is unique in its topography as it is situated parallel to marshes of the river Medway on one side of the runway. On the other side of the runway is an active rail line and high tension electricity pylons. The runway also has a curve along its entire length and is relatively short in aviation terms of only bring approx 450 metres long.[ citation needed ]

Future proposals

Proposals made by Lord Foster in November 2011 to expand the transport system of south east England, called the Thames Hub, planned a new river barrier and road crossing and a shipping and rail complex. The most controversial part of the scheme involved remodelling the Thames Estuary, by constructing a Thames Hub Airport on the neighbouring Isle of Grain, partially on land reclaimed from the estuary but including land at Allhallows and Lower Stoke. [6] While the road crossing is still progressing, the other proposals have been shelved, with the airport plan abandoned in July 2015 on the recommendation of the Airports Commission. [7]

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

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Allhallows is a village and civil parish on the Hoo Peninsula in Kent, England. Situated in the northernmost part of Kent, and covering an area of 23.99 km2, the parish is bounded on the north side by the River Thames, and in the east by the course of Yantlet creek, now silted up. At the 2011 census the parish had a population of 1,676.

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

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yantlet</span> British creek

The Hundred of Hoo Railway is a railway line in Kent, England, following the North Kent Line from Gravesend before diverging at Hoo Junction near Shorne Marshes and continuing in an easterly direction across the Hoo Peninsula, passing near the villages of Cooling, High Halstow, Cliffe and Stoke before reaching the Isle of Grain and the container port on its eastern tip, Thamesport. There used to be a short branch line leading from Stoke Junction to the coastal town of Allhallows but this closed from 4 December 1961, the same date on which the Hundred of Hoo line was closed to passenger services.

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

Cliffe is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Cliffe and Cliffe Woods, in the borough of Medway in the ceremonial county of Kent, England. It is on the Hoo Peninsula, reached from the Medway Towns by a three-mile (4.8 km) journey along the B2000 road. Situated upon a low chalk escarpment overlooking the Thames marshes, Cliffe offers views of Southend-on-Sea and London. In 774 Offa, King of Mercia, built a rustic wooden church dedicated to St Helen, a popular Mercian saint who was by legend the daughter of Coel of Colchester. Cliffe is cited in early records as having been called Clive and Cliffe-at-Hoo. In 1961 the parish had a population of 2239. On 1 April 1997 the parish was abolished to form "Cliffe & Cliiffe Woods", part also went to and Frindsbury Extra.

References

  1. 1 2 "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Brian Matthews, the History of Strood Rural District, 1971, Strood Rural District Council
  3. "S 27". (2014). Electronic Sawyer. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  4. Smith, Joanna (2014). "The Parish of Stoke, Hoo Peninsula, Kent: Historic Area Assessment". English Heritage. p. 5. Archived from the original on 21 July 2015.
  5. Place name: Stoke, Little Stoke, Stone, Kent Folio: 5v Great Domesday Book. (not dated). The National Archives. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  6. "Lord Foster to unveil ambitious airport plans". Kent Online. Medway Messenger. 4 November 2011. pp. 5, 7. Archived from the original on 28 April 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  7. "Final Report" (PDF). Airports Commission. Retrieved 25 October 2023.