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Kemsing is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. The parish lies on the scarp face of the North Downs, 20 miles south east of
Central London Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local government. Its characteris ...
, north east of Sevenoaks. Also in the parish are the hamlets of
Heaverham Heaverham is a hamlet in the Sevenoaks district, in the county of Kent, England. Nearby is the country estate of St Clere. Location It is located about three miles away from the town of Sevenoaks, and around a mile away from the large village o ...
, to the east, and Noah's Ark to the south. The population of the civil parish in 2001 was 4,014 persons, increasing to a population of 4,218 at the 2011 Census.


History

Kemsing was the birthplace, in between AD 961 and 964, of
Saint Edith of Wilton Edith of Wilton ( – 16 September 984) was an English nun, saint, and the only daughter of Edgar, King of England (r. 959–975), and Saint Wulfthryth, who later became abbess of Wilton Abbey. Edgar most likely abducted Wulfthryth from Wilton; ...
, a daughter of the Anglo-Saxon King
Edgar I Edgar ( ang, Ēadgār ; 8 July 975), known as the Peaceful or the Peaceable, was King of the English from 959 until his death in 975. The younger son of King Edmund I and Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury, he came to the throne as a teenager followin ...
. The well at the centre of the village is dedicated to her, a plaque on the wall recording the local legend that her saintly presence has given the water healing properties. Given the village connection with St. Edith it is perhaps surprising that the parish church, Saxon in origin, is however dedicated to St Mary the Virgin. Another local legend states that the knights who murdered Archbishop Thomas Becket rode through Kemsing on their way to seek him out at Canterbury. Following his canonisation Kemsing became a stop-off place on the Pilgrims' Way, along which pilgrims travelled to visit the saint's shrine at
Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England. It forms part of a World Heritage Site. It is the cathedral of the Archbishop of Canterbury, currently Justin Welby, leader of the ...
. The lordship of Kemsing had a long royal and noble association: it was held by King Henry II who passed it to
Baldwin of Béthune Baldwin of Béthune or Baldwin de Béthune (''French'': Baudouin de Béthune ''Dutch'': Boudewijn van Béthune) (c. 1158–1212), a French knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including t ...
, the Earl of Albemarle. It was acquired by the Earl of Pembroke by his marriage to Lady Alice, Baldwin's daughter. The manor passed later to the de Grandison and Fynes families, becoming part of the estates of
Baron Say and Sele Baron Saye and Sele is a title in the Peerage of England held by the Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes family. The title dates to 1447 but it was recreated in 1603. Confusion over the details of the 15th-century title has led to conflicting order for tit ...
. In the reign of
Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...
, Kemsing was sold to Sir Geoffry Boleyn, father of the future queen Anne Boleyn, and later reverted to the crown. Briefly in possession of Anne of Cleves, it was then granted by Elizabeth I to Sir Henry Carey and eventually acquired by the Duke of Dorset. The historic village centre area around the well includes the war memorial of 1921 (
Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
by the architect
Godfrey Pinkerton Godfrey Pinkerton (1858 – 1937) was a London-based British architect. Biography Early life Pinkerton was born at Godstone, Surrey, son of metal broker George Pinkerton (1823 – 1899), son of the missionary and linguist Rev. Robert Pinkerton, DD ...
), a cluster of picturesque cottages and St. Edith's Hall of 1911 (
Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
by the architect
Godfrey Pinkerton Godfrey Pinkerton (1858 – 1937) was a London-based British architect. Biography Early life Pinkerton was born at Godstone, Surrey, son of metal broker George Pinkerton (1823 – 1899), son of the missionary and linguist Rev. Robert Pinkerton, DD ...
), the front of which is adorned with a statue of the saint and a clock which chimes the hours and bears the inscription: The Women's Institute organisation opened its first institute in Kent in Kemsing in December 1915. During the first world war St Edith Hall was used as a hospital and manned by the Kent Voluntary Aid Detachment. Wounded soldiers from the western front were returned to England and the hall at Kemsing was one of many facilities in the south east of England used during the war.VAD Hospital


Local infrastructure

The main roads in the village are High Street, St Edith's Road, West End, Dynes Road and Childsbridge Lane. Along West End can be found a motor repairs garage, a 'best one' convenience store, and a chemist, In the High Street is a veterinary surgery and St. Edith's Social Club. In St Edith's Road there is a tearoom. At the end of Dynes Road there is a newsagent, a 'premier' convenience store, a hairdressers, three takeaway restaurants including Chinese, Indian and fish and chips, which are all collectively known as ''Dynes Parade''. High Street was the location of two public houses, ''The Bell'' and ''The Wheatsheaf'', sited directly opposite each other. On 3 June 2011 ''The Wheatsheaf'' suffered a serious fire, leaving ''The Bell'' as the only public house in the village. ''The Wheatsheaf'' was demolished in October 2012 to make way for three private dwellings. Further to the east at
Heaverham Heaverham is a hamlet in the Sevenoaks district, in the county of Kent, England. Nearby is the country estate of St Clere. Location It is located about three miles away from the town of Sevenoaks, and around a mile away from the large village o ...
is the ''Chequers''. One mile (2 km) south-east of the village lies Kemsing railway station. The
M26 motorway The M26 is a motorway in Kent, England. It is a short link between the M25 at Sevenoaks and the M20 near West Malling, which provides connectivity between southern England and the Channel ports in Kent. Route The motorway starts at junction ...
passes through the parish. Between the motorway and the station lies the area of Kemsing known as Noah's Ark. Kemsing is a key stopping-off point on the North Downs Way which runs north of the village along the ridge of the Downs.


Local environment

The village lies in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and Kemsing Down Reserve, managed by Kemsing Parish Council and Sevenoaks District Council, lies above Pilgrims Way on the North Downs. It is reached from Childsbridge Lane, and is an area of chalk grassland.


Sports facilities

To the east of the village is the large open space known as ''The Common Field'', used for cricket and football, and the Sir Mark Collet Sports Pavilion, with tennis and squash courts. The cricket club has been in existence probably since the early 20th century, though no records can be found to establish a firm date. Matches were played in the cricketing field, close to the current site before World War I. The Common Field was given to the parish in October 1923 by Sir Mark Collet, with football and cricket being played there after that. The cricketers used other parts of the village between 1945 and the late 1950s, but the new (current) pavilion was built in 1987, with a new square also being laid, which has been used since that time. There is also a boxing club that operates and participates in local boxing events.


Crime prevention

Kemsing has its own police community support officer and neighbourhood officers as well as being covered by regular police patrols. Neighbourhood officers hold frequent consultations with residents and Kent police. Crime in the Kemsing fell by 31 percent in the period 2010-2011.http://maps.police.uk/view/?q=Kemsing&url=kent%2Fwest-kent%2Fsevenoaks%2Fkemsing%2F


Well dressing

In 2011 well dressing was introduced to the village. The 2014 well dressing (below right) commemorates World War I.


References

* ''The Story of Kemsing in Kent'' V.E.Bowden, 1994, Kemsing Historical and Art Society,


External links


Kemsing Parish CouncilSt Mary's churchKemsing Down Reserve Heritage Centre
{{authority control Villages in Kent Civil parishes in Kent