Newington is a village and civil parish in the

borough of Swale Swale is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Kent, England. The council is based in Sittingbourne, the borough's largest town. The borough also contains the towns o ...

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. The parish is located beside the A2 road (originally a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

road) between Rainham to the west and

Sittingbourne Sittingbourne is an industrial town in the Swale district of Kent, southeast England, from Canterbury and from London, beside the Roman Watling Street, an ancient trackway used by the Romans and the Anglo-Saxons. The town stands next to th ...

to the east. The population of the parish in 2011 was 2,551. The village has its own

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

which is situated on the

Chatham Main Line The Chatham Main Line is a railway line in England that links London VictoriaQuail Map 5 – England South ages 2–13Sept 2002 (Retrieved 14 December 2011) and Dover Priory / Ramsgate, travelling via Medway (of which the town of Chatham is ...

between

and Rainham. The parish church, dedicated to St Mary the Virgin, is a grade I listed building. It was built between 1163 and 1177 by Richard de Lucy, with additions being made in the 13th and 14th century. The church was to eventually become the property of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

who gave it to the Provost and Fellows of

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

in 1531. The patron today is the

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...

. There is a stone in the church car park known as the Devil's Stone, which is said to bear the Devil's footprint. Newington village sign was provided by Mrs. S Huxtable in 2007. It holds a memorial plate in memory of Mr. P Huxtable. (Husband of Mrs S. Huxtable) Newington holds the national collection of Witch Hazel which is kept at the Witch Hazel Nursery in Calloways Lane Newington Manor, now a

conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...

, is to the south of the village. The Newington Pill Boxes: Newington has at least four

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

pill boxes (or

bunkers A bunker is a defensive military fortification designed to protect people and valued materials from falling bombs, artillery, or other attacks. Bunkers are almost always underground, in contrast to blockhouses which are mostly above ground. T ...

) at various locations.

History

Newington acquired its name (Newetone) in

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 ...

times meaning 'New Town' built on an old one. The Roman

Watling Street Watling Street is a historic route in England, running from Dover and London in the southeast, via St Albans to Wroxeter. The road crosses the River Thames at London and was used in Classical Antiquity, Late Antiquity, and throughout the M ...

runs through the village. The ancient settlement was rediscovered in 2019 and is the site of late Iron Age remains dating from 30BC and a Roman town. An archaeological dig covering 18 acres and carried out b
SWAT Archaeology
has found, among others, iron furnaces and pottery kilns as part of a manufacturing site, a Roman temple ( Watling Temple), a seven metre wide Roman road and thousands of pottery remains. The newly discovered road predates Watling Street and takes an alternative route. The wealth of objects uncovered means analysis is ongoing (June 2021). It was also possibly the site of the lost Roman station Durolevum. The remains of a Roman villa were discovered at Boxted Farm, Newington in 1882. One of the earliest references to Newington comes from a charter c1131 regarding Sheppey Monastery. It refers to Aveline, the mother of Richard de Lucy of Newington, Kent. Amateur historians belonging to Newington History Group work to research, record and protect the village history and heritage. Their annual

Heritage Open Days Heritage Open Days (also known as HODs) is an annual celebration of England's history and culture that allows visitors free access to heritage sites and community events that are either not usually open to the public, would normally charge an ent ...

event draws villagers and visitors from across north Kent and thei
history
an
nature
walks aim to introduce Newington's attractions to a wide audience.

People

Don Potter Donald Steele Potter (21 April 1902 – 7 June 2004) was an English sculptor, wood carver, potter and teacher. Early life Don Potter was born in Newington, near Sittingbourne, Kent, the son of a school teacher, and attended a private school ...

, a 20th-century sculptor and potter, was born in Newington.

Sporting teams

Newington has a very successful and popular cricket club. Members of the Medway Sunday League, they field two Sunday XI's that play home games at either Bobbing Court (just off Rook Lane) or at Upchurch Cricket Club. Read about their latest triumphs via the club website.

Entertainment

Being a small village, entertainment is at a premium in Newington. However, there are Chinese and Indian takeaways, and one

pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

, The Bull, which is the village's sole remaining pub.The Bull, Newington
/ref> In the past several other pubs existed in Newington and many of those buildings still stand: the White Hart (now an office and was a general store), the Wheatsheaf (letting agents) and the George (houses) are all on the High Street.

References

External links

Historic photographs
{{authority control Villages in Kent Civil parishes in Kent