Luddesdown () is 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 the

Gravesham 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. Gravesham was formed on 1 April 1974 ...

District of

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.

Geography

This very rural parish, forming part of the North Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is located in a dry valley to the south of

Gravesend Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the south bank of the River Thames and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Rochester, it is ...

and is named after a scattered group of houses and farms around ''Luddesdown Court'' and its church next to it. The civil parish also contains its main neighbourhood or street, Henley Street, and separate hamlets of Great Buckland (though split down the side with Snodland having essentially the Church) and Boughurst Street to the south; the valley narrows quickly the south to the appropriately named Buckland at the top of the dry valley floor. In this steep valley, facing west, is a

vineyard A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyard ...

, Monk's Vineyard; east are these woods: College, Haydown, Brazenden, Scrubes, Wrenches, Goss Hilly and Red Wood to the north east. Apart from this eastern edge, there are Fowles/Brimp, Luxon, Molehill, Freezelands, Round, Tom Loft's, Longfield and Henley Woods. These are part of the now long and narrow Rochester Forest, much of which would have been used for the

chandlery A chandlery was originally the office in a wealthy medieval household responsible for wax and candles, as well as the room in which the candles were kept. It could be headed by a chandler. The office was subordinated to the kitchen, and only exist ...

shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to bef ...

of the Medway towns.Matthews, Brian (1971) ''The History of Strood Rural District'', Strood Rural District Council. Most afford access under the 2000 Act. There are two country

public houses A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

within the area.

History

Luddesdown is first recorded in 975 as ''Hludes duna'' (Hlud's hill); in 1186 it was Ludesdon and in 1610 Luddesdowne. It is pronounced ''Ludsdun''. In 939 there was a mound nearby called Hludes beorh - suggesting that Hlud was a prominent citizen.Glover, Judith (1976) ''The Place Names of Kent'' London: B.T. Batsford Ltd., The church, originally belonging to the local manor, dedicated to St Peter and St Paul has only II* listing status; it is part of the ecclesiastical parish of Cobham to the north. The church school now operates as a village hall. The small Norman Chapel of Dode, now just inside Snodland parish, was also associated with Luddesdown. Dode village was ravaged by the

Black Death The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...

in 1349; it never recovered and was erased from the map. The Chapel was restored in the 1990s and is an approved premise to conduct civil ceremonies such as weddings.The Lost Village Of Dode
/ref> It is on the W side of the minor road S of Great Buckland. Luddesdown was a parish in

Strood Rural District Strood Rural District was a rural district in the county of Kent, England. It was subject to boundary reforms in 1934 and 1935. It consisted of the following civil parishes:http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10074137&c_i ...

, though local tax levels were set and services were also provided by Kent County Council prior to 1974. The Court itself is early mediæval and Grade I listed for its (inter alia) oak beam supported hall with 10 windows, five to each side, with flint and stone dressing of the whole building. It has wall paintings to the lower chamber and 16th and 19th century extensions. There is a 14th-century fireplace.

Sport and Leisure

The parish also contains a picturesque cricket club, founded in 1947, Luddesdowne CC.Luddesdowne CC
/ref>

References

External links

*
Luddesdown Parish Council website
{{authority control Villages in Kent Gravesham Civil parishes in Kent