HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Cheriton is a northern suburb of Folkestone in
Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
. It is the location of the
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
terminal of the Channel Tunnel as well as of the major army barracks of Shorncliffe Camp.


History

The coastal plain where the
North Downs The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. Much of the North Downs comprises two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs): the Surrey Hills a ...
meet the Strait of Dover has been of strategic importance since ancient times.
Portus Lemanis Portus Lemanis, also known as Lemanae, was the Latin name of a Roman Saxon Shore fort, settlement and port in southern Kent. The modern village of Lympne derives its name from the ancient port. History The first documentary mention of the site is ...
was a major Roman harbour, overlooked by a fort near where
Lympne Castle Lympne Castle is a medieval castle located in the village of Lympne, Kent, above Romney Marsh. After the Reformation, the castle was sometimes referred to as Court Lodge. Lympne Castle is a Grade I listed property, described as a fortified manor h ...
now stands. The Normans built
Folkestone Castle Folkestone Castle stood on a spur of the North Downs to the north of the town of Folkestone, Kent (). The Norman castle on a natural mound which existed in the late 11th and 12th centuries. It was excavated in 1878 by Augustus Pitt Rivers and t ...
on a spur of
Cheriton Hill Cheriton Hill is a hill overlooking the English Channel near Folkestone in the south-east corner of Kent, England. The relatively low-lying hill (reaching only 188 metres above sea level) is covered with farmland, villages, narrow lanes, an ...
. The church of St Martin dates back to Saxon times and the name Cheriton means "Church Farm". The British government purchased a large piece of land at Shorncliffe in 1794 and fortified it in preparation for the expected French invasion.
Shorncliffe Redoubt Shorncliffe Redoubt is a British Napoleonic earthwork fort. The site is approximately 300 feet by 300 feet and is situated on the Kentish Coast in Sandgate, Kent. History In 1793, the French Revolution reached its climax when the Revolutionar ...
is significant as the birthplace of modern infantry tactics. A Royal Commission was set up in 1859 during another invasion panic, which led to the construction of the
Palmerston Forts The Palmerston Forts are a group of forts and associated structures around the coasts of the United Kingdom and Ireland. The forts were built during the Victorian period on the recommendations of the 1860 Royal Commission on the Defence of the ...
and
Shorncliffe Army Camp Shorncliffe Army Camp is a large military camp near Cheriton in Kent. Established in 1794, it later served as a staging post for troops destined for the Western Front during the First World War. History The camp was established in 1794 when t ...
. The Army presence led to a dramatic growth of Cheriton in the second half of the 19th century. This led to the distinction being lost between Cheriton and Folkestone, whose expansion was funnelled westward by the escarpment of the Downs. Construction of the Channel Tunnel began in 1988 and it opened in 1994. The passenger terminal is wedged between the Downs and the M20 motorway just west of Castle Hill, and freight trains are marshalled at
Dollands Moor Freight Yard Dollands Moor Freight Yard is a railway freight yard near Folkestone in Kent, and was purpose built in 1988 for the Channel Tunnel. It is to the west of the Eurotunnel Folkestone Terminal, and just to the south of the M20 Motorway. Descripti ...
further west.


Government

Cheriton was a
civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...
in its own right, and part of Elham Rural District from 1894 to 1898, when it became a separate
urban district Urban district may refer to: * District * Urban area * Quarter (urban subdivision) * Neighbourhood Specific subdivisions in some countries: * Urban districts of Denmark * Urban districts of Germany * Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland) (hist ...
. This was abolished in 1934 under a
County Review Order The Local Government Act 1929 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that made changes to the Poor Law and local government in England and Wales. The Act abolished the system of poor law unions in England and Wales and their boar ...
, and divided between Folkestone and
Hythe Hythe, from Anglo-Saxon ''hȳð'', may refer to a landing-place, port or haven, either as an element in a toponym, such as Rotherhithe in London, or to: Places Australia * Hythe, Tasmania Canada *Hythe, Alberta, a village in Canada England * T ...
.


Geography

Cheriton sits on a level shelf halfway up the escarpment of
Folkestone Downs The Folkestone Downs are an area of chalk downland above Folkestone, where the eastern end of the North Downs escarpment meets the English Channel. Part of the Downs is the Folkestone to Etchinghill Escarpment Site of Special Scientific Interest, ...
, between
Cheriton Hill Cheriton Hill is a hill overlooking the English Channel near Folkestone in the south-east corner of Kent, England. The relatively low-lying hill (reaching only 188 metres above sea level) is covered with farmland, villages, narrow lanes, an ...
on the landward side and Sandgate Hill going down to the sea. The Folkestone Downs are the southern end of the
North Downs The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. Much of the North Downs comprises two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs): the Surrey Hills a ...
, a low range of chalk hills running from London to the
White Cliffs of Dover The White Cliffs of Dover is the region of English coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. The cliff face, which reaches a height of , owes its striking appearance to its composition of chalk accented by streaks of black flint, depos ...
. The Seabrook Stream flows through the west of the district, cutting a scenic valley between Dibgate Camp and St Martin's Plain.


Demography

The population in 1851 was 1,658, which by 1861 had grown to 7,434 – of whom 4,204 were military in Shorncliffe Camp. the
Royal Gurkha Rifles The Royal Gurkha Rifles (RGR) is a rifle regiment of the British Army, forming part of the Brigade of Gurkhas. Unlike other regiments in the British Army, RGR soldiers are recruited from Nepal, which is neither a dependent territory of the Unite ...
occupy Shorncliffe Camp so
Nepali people Nepalis (English: Nepalese ; ne, नेपाली) are the citizens of Nepal under the provisions of Nepali nationality law. The country is home to people of many different national origins who are the descendants of immigrants from India, ...
make up a large part of the population.


Economy

The local economy is dominated by the barracks and Channel Tunnel terminal.


Culture and community

The
Folkestone & Hythe Operatic & Dramatic Society Folkestone & Hythe Operatic & Dramatic Society, FHODS, is a charitable organization that holds performances and events at its theatre in Shorncliffe, the Tower Theatre. A theatre which has been developed by FHODS from what used to be a church, ...
bought the garrison church in 2001 and converted it into the Tower Theatre. There is a branch library in the High Street.


Landmarks

The
Folkestone White Horse The Folkestone White Horse is a white horse hill figure, carved into Cheriton Hill, Folkestone, Kent, South East England. It overlooks the English terminal of the Channel Tunnel and was completed in June 2003. The horse was planned as a Mille ...
overlooks Cheriton from the Downs north of the Channel Tunnel terminal. The earthworks of
Folkestone Castle Folkestone Castle stood on a spur of the North Downs to the north of the town of Folkestone, Kent (). The Norman castle on a natural mound which existed in the late 11th and 12th centuries. It was excavated in 1878 by Augustus Pitt Rivers and t ...
are just to the east.


Transport

Cheriton Halt railway station Cheriton Halt is a disused railway station on the South Eastern Main Line which served the village of Cheriton on the outskirts of Folkestone in Kent, England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land b ...
on the
South Eastern Main Line The South Eastern Main Line is a major long-distance railway route in South East England, UK, one of the three main routes crossing the county of Kent, going via Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Ashford and Folkestone to Dover. The other routes are the ...
served the village between 1908 and 1947. It was just east of the bridge on Risborough Lane. The Elham Valley Way is a long-distance path that runs between Cheriton and Sandgate on its way up to Canterbury. Stagecoach in East Kent operates local bus services to
Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...
every hour or to the town centre of Folkestone up to every 8 minutes.


Education

Pent Valley Technology College was one of the main secondary schools in Folkestone and Hythe. The school closed in 2017, however Turner Free School opened in 2018 and occupies the same site as the previous school.


Religious sites

There were four churches in the Benefice of Cheriton, which comes under the Deanery of Elham. The church of St Martin is very ancient, the base of the thirteenth-century tower may have been a Saxon porch. The decorative arcading in the chancel is made of Bethersden marble and is very finely carved. The churchyard contains the grave of shipping reformer
Samuel Plimsoll Samuel Plimsoll (10 February 1824 – 3 June 1898) was a British politician and social reformer, now best remembered for having devised the Plimsoll line (a line on a ship's hull indicating the maximum safe draught, and therefore the minimum fr ...
(whose gravestone bears the
Plimsoll line The waterline is the line where the hull of a ship meets the surface of the water. Specifically, it is also the name of a special marking, also known as an international load line, Plimsoll line and water line (positioned amidships), that indi ...
), and, among many military burials, 24
CWGC The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mi ...
-registered war graves, with all three armed forces represented, 15 from
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
(Major-General
Hubert Hamilton Major-General Hubert Ion Wetherall Hamilton, (27 June 1861 – 14 October 1914) was a senior British Army officer who served with distinction throughout his career, seeing battle in the Mahdist War in Egypt and the Second Boer War in South Afric ...
being the first and highest-ranking of the latter) and nine from
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. The church gives its name to the military training area of St Martin's Plain and now serves Shorncliffe Camp. All Souls church was built in response to the population growth of the late 19th century. The old parish was split along the railway embankment, with the parish of Cheriton Street being formed north of the line. A farmer's widow, Mrs Thompson, died in 1887 leaving a plot of land on the High Street and a bequest of £10,000 for the construction of a church. All Souls was designed by
Ewan Christian Ewan Christian (1814–1895) was a British architect. He is most frequently noted for the restorations of Southwell Minster and Carlisle Cathedral, and the design of the National Portrait Gallery. He was Architect to the Ecclesiastical Commiss ...
and consecrated on 3 January 1895. St. Nicholas is a small rural church in the outlying village of Newington. The barracks had the largest garrison church in Britain but in 2001 it was sold for conversion into a theatre (see above). The three active churches are served by Revd Hilary Jones, who lives in St Martin's Rectory, Horn Street. Cheriton Baptist Church is just along the High Street from All Souls. St Joseph's Catholic Church is between the two, on Ashley Avenue.


Sport

Cheriton Bowls Club has a 6-rink green on Weymouth Road. Kent County Cricket Club first played cricket against Sussex on
Sandgate Plain Sandgate Plain was a cricket ground in Folkestone in Kent. The ground was situated on the Folkestone Leas, an area along the coast to the west of the town centre close to the village of Sandgate. The ground was one of two located either side o ...
in 1862, but the last match recorded there was in 1870. It was located to the east of the remains of the martello tower to the south of the A259 Sandgate Road.


Notable people

Odo of Cheriton Odo of Cheriton (1180/1190 – 1246/47) was an English preacher and fabulist who spent a considerable time studying in Paris and then lecturing in the south of France and in northern Spain. Life and background Odo belonged to a Norman family whic ...
(''c''.1185 – 1246/47) was a preacher and
fabulist Fable is a literary genre: a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are anthropomorphized, and that illustrates or leads to a particular moral ...
who in 1233 inherited land in Cheriton, Rochester and elsewhere from his father, James William of Cheriton.
Samuel Plimsoll Samuel Plimsoll (10 February 1824 – 3 June 1898) was a British politician and social reformer, now best remembered for having devised the Plimsoll line (a line on a ship's hull indicating the maximum safe draught, and therefore the minimum fr ...
, the man who gave his name to the
Plimsoll line The waterline is the line where the hull of a ship meets the surface of the water. Specifically, it is also the name of a special marking, also known as an international load line, Plimsoll line and water line (positioned amidships), that indi ...
used to indicate the limit of a ship's load, is buried in St Martin's churchyard, as is judge and politician Sir James Knight-Bruce.


See also

*
Cheriton Road Cheriton Road is a complex of sports grounds at Folkestone in the English county of Kent. The complex includes football pitches, a cricket ground, hockey pitches, netball courts and an indoor sports facility. It includes the home ground of Fo ...
is a nearby football stadium that is the home ground of Folkestone Invicta


References


External links

{{Shepway Folkestone Former civil parishes in Kent