Barham is a village and

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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the

City of Canterbury Canterbury (), also known as the City of Canterbury, is a local government district with city status in Kent, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Canterbury, where the council is based. The district also includes the towns of ...

district of

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, England. Barham village is approximately south-east from Canterbury and north from

Folkestone Folkestone ( ) is a coastal town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour, shipping port, and fashionable coastal res ...

History

The name Barham was spelt ''Bioraham'' in 799, from ''Biora'' (derived from ''Beora'', a

Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

chief) and ''Ham'' ("settlement" or "homestead"). Just outside Barham stood the Black Mill, a

windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...

which was accidentally burnt down in 1970. Barham Downs Golf Club (now defunct) was founded in 1890. The club disappeared following the First World War.

Geography

The land of the village is a mostly rural and wooded right-angled triangle of land (irregular in shape) commencing with the A2 road between

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

and

Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...

on its north-east border, with its housing grouped among wooded hills and pasture of the village. Elevations range between 138 feet (42m) in the north to 427 feet (130 m) in the south-west. Barham Downs are wooded hills north-west of the village centre. The Nailbourne, a

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of the

Little Stour The Little Stour is one of the tributary, tributaries of the River Stour, Kent, River Stour in the England, English county of Kent. The upper reaches of the river is known as the Nailbourne, whilst the lower reaches were once known as the Seaton ...

, rises in

Lyminge Lyminge is a village and civil parish in southeast Kent, England. It lies about five miles (8 km) from Folkestone and the Channel Tunnel, on the road passing through the Elham Valley. At the 2011 Census the population of Etchinghill, Kent ...

and flows intermittently in line with the seasons and rainfall through the centre of the village. To the south of Barham village is the residential area of Derringstone (conjoined to the village), and the hamlet of Breach at south. At the north of the parish is the hamlet of Out Elmstead.

Community

Barham village has its own C of E primary school, and a village hall with bowls club attached. On The Street is the village green sports field, the Duke of Cumberland public house, and a care home. Parish Anglican religion is provided by the Church of St John the Baptist. Opposite the church on Church Lane is a farm complex, including barns for storage and services, which is the headquarters of a wine estate. At Breach, to the west of Ellam Valley Road, is a vineyard with garden centre, pottery, and day care centre. To the east of the road are the light industrial, services and offices units of Barham Business Park. Out Elmstead, the most residential of the three parish outliers in terms of the anciently named hamlets, contains a farm nursery. Access to the hamlet from the village is either from Valley Road, part of the main north–south road through the parish, or from the northbound side of the A2 which runs at the east of the parish. At the southeast of the parish is Barham Crematorium, which opened in 1956. Barham parish is part of the Barham Downs

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected t ...

, which stretches north to Adisham, and has a total population taken at the 2011 Census of 2,797.

Landmarks

Broome Park, at the southeast of the parish, is a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

dating to the 17th century; its park and gardens, occupying approximately one-sixth of parish land, are Grade II listed in the initial category of the national grading system. The Church of St John the Baptist is on Church Lane on the eastern hillside of the village. Built in the 14th century, it has a green copper spire and has been partially remodelled inside. Out Elmstead has eight listed buildings.

Notable people

David Starkey Dr. David Robert Starkey (born 3 January 1945) is a British historian, radio and television presenter, with views that he describes as conservative. The only child of Quaker parents, he attended Kirkbie Kendal School, Kendal Grammar School b ...

(1945–), historian * Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener, Field Marshal, diplomat and statesman, lived the last few years of his life at Broome Park. His name appears on the war memorial in the porch of the parish church. * Reginald Fitz Urse –

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

Henry II of England Henry II () was King of England The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with the ...

and one of four assassins of

Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then as Archbishop of Canterbury fr ...

History

Geography

Community

Landmarks

Notable people

References

External links

Further reading