Fordwich is a market town and 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 east

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 ...

, England, on the River Stour, northeast of

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 t ...

. It is the smallest community by population in Britain with a

town council A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities. Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions. Republic of Ireland Town Councils in the Republic of Ireland were the second ti ...

. Its population increased by 30 between 2001 and 2011.

History

Fordwich is listed in the 1086

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

as a small village. The town grew in the Middle Ages as a port for boats on their way upriver to

. All of the Caen stone used by the Normans to rebuild

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 ...

in the 12th and 13th centuries was landed at Fordwich. It later became a limb of the

Cinque Port The Confederation of Cinque Ports () is a historic group of coastal towns in south-east England – predominantly in Kent and Sussex, with one outlier ( Brightlingsea) in Essex. The name is Old French, meaning "five harbours", and alludes to t ...

s. It lost its status as a town in 1880 when it no longer had a Mayor and Corporation. However, in a reorganisation in 1972, Fordwich was again made a town.

Fordwich Town Hall Fordwich Town Hall is a municipal structure in King Street, Fordwich, Kent, England. The structure, which serves as the meeting place of Fordwich Town Council, is a Grade II* listed building. History Elements of the building, which was designed ...

was rebuilt in or shortly before 1544. The ancient Church of St Mary the Virgin, now redundant but open to the public, and in the care of the

Churches Conservation Trust The Churches Conservation Trust is a registered charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk in England. The charity cares for over 350 churches of architectural, cultural and historic significance, which have been transferred in ...

, contains part of a carved sarcophagus reputed to have contained the remains of

St Augustine of Canterbury Augustine of Canterbury (early 6th century – probably 26 May 604) was a monk who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 597. He is considered the "Apostle to the English" and a founder of the English Church.Delaney ''D ...

. The 16th-century building next the Town Hall, now known as Watergate House, was the family home of John and

Gregory Blaxland Gregory Blaxland (17 June 1778 – 1 January 1853) was an English pioneer farmer and explorer in Australia, noted especially for initiating and co-leading the first successful crossing of the Blue Mountains by European settlers. Early life ...

, early 19th-century pioneers of Australia.

Culture and community

There are two pubs in the town, the George & Dragon and Fordwich Arms. Fordwich gained angling and fishing repute from

Izaak Walton Izaak Walton (baptised 21 September 1593 – 15 December 1683) was an English writer. Best known as the author of ''The Compleat Angler'', he also wrote a number of short biographies including one of his friend John Donne. They have been coll ...

for its "Fordidge trout", one of the largest types found. Cottage of St

References

External links

Fordwich Town Council
{{Kent Populated places in Kent Civil parishes in Kent Towns in Kent City of Canterbury

History

Culture and community

See also

References

External links