:''There is another Woodchurch in
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 ...
, a hamlet in the
Manston 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 ...
within the
Thanet Thanet may refer to:
* Isle of Thanet, a former island, now a peninsula, at the most easterly point of Kent, England
* Thanet District, a local government district containing the island
*Thanet College, former name of East Kent College
* Thanet Ca ...
district.''
Woodchurch is a
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 ...
village, the largest
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
Borough of Ashford
The Borough of Ashford is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Kent, England. It is named after its largest town, Ashford, Kent, Ashford, where the council is based. Th ...
. It is centred from the
market
Market is a term used to describe concepts such as:
*Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand
*Market economy
*Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market
*Marketing, the act of sat ...
town of
Ashford and from the
Cinque Ports
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 ...
town of
Tenterden
Tenterden is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ashford in Kent, England. The 2021 census published the population of the parish to be 8,186.
Geography
Tenterden is connected to Kent's county town of Maidstone by the A262 road an ...
, in
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 ...
,
South East England
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England, regions of England that are in the ITL 1 statistical regions of England, top level category for Statistics, statistical purposes. It consists of the nine counties of england, ...
. It is situated to the north of the B2067 road from
Tenterden
Tenterden is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ashford in Kent, England. The 2021 census published the population of the parish to be 8,186.
Geography
Tenterden is connected to Kent's county town of Maidstone by the A262 road an ...
to
Hamstreet
Hamstreet is a village in Kent, in South East England.
The village is located 6 miles (10 km) south of Ashford on the A2070, the main road between Ashford and Hastings. The majority of the village is in the parish of Orlestone, named ...
.
The
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 ...
that overlooks the village from the north commands extensive views over the ''Walland marshes'' to the
English Channel
The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...
coast. It is a fine example of a Kentish
smock mill
The smock mill is a type of windmill that consists of a sloping, horizontally weatherboarded, thatched, or shingled tower, usually with six or eight sides. It is topped with a roof or cap that rotates to bring the sails into the wind. This t ...
and was originally one of a pair of windmills standing on this site, known locally as ''The Twins''. The mill is open throughout the summer and is accessible via a footpath that passes between the village pubs.
The village is on the edge of the
Weald
The Weald () is an area of South East England between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It crosses the counties of Hampshire, Surrey, West Sussex, East Sussex, and Kent. It has three parts, the sandstone "High W ...
of Kent, whilst the parish extends north to south and east to west, one of Kent's largest. Within the village are the settlements of Brattle and Townland Green. To the south-west is the flat expanse of ''Shirley Moor'' leading to
Romney Marsh
Romney Marsh is a sparsely populated wetland area in the counties of Kent and East Sussex in the south-east of England. It covers about . The Marsh has been in use for centuries, though its inhabitants commonly suffered from malaria until the ...
and the low wooded hills overlooking
Appledore Appledore may refer to:
Places England
* Appledore, Kent
** Appledore (Kent) railway station
* Appledore, Mid Devon, near Tiverton
* Appledore, Torridge, North Devon, near Bideford United States
* Appledore Island, off the coast of Maine
In fic ...
and the Marsh are to the south-east. The surrounding area is designated as a ''Kent Special Landscape Area''.
[Woodchurch Parish Council]
/ref>
Institutions & village life
The village became firmly established in the 13th century with the erection of the large All Saints church made of Kentish ragstone. Although it was extensively restored in the 1840s, it still boasts a 13th-century chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...
and a famous brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...
of the 14th century, depicting a floriated cross design. It has an unusual four-faced clock and a spire which is out of the vertical at the top. The church has a peal of 6 bells, with its tenor bell weighing 3/4 ton. Several of the bells were cast at the Whitechapel foundry in London. The bells are rung from an oak framed platform at the tower end. The ringing can be seen from the main church through a large glazed partition. The tower is unusual as it houses four clock faces, an expensive addition at the time of installation, allowing the clock to be seen throughout the village. Much early history of Woodchurch is described by the historian Edward Hasted
Edward Hasted (20 December 1732 OS (31 December 1732 NS) – 14 January 1812) was an English antiquarian and pioneering historian of his ancestral home county of Kent. As such, he was the author of a major county history, ''The History and ...
in his ''The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent''.
The village primary
Primary or primaries may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels
* Primary (band), from Australia
* Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea
* Primary Music, Israeli record label
Work ...
school is situated near the church and was a National school. The first building was erected in 1844 and has been enlarged on four occasions, namely, in 1872, 1896, 1990 and most recently in 1998. The main hall was added in the early nineties, under headmaster Alan Green. Temporary "mobile complexes" were added and replaced with permanent structures over the years to accommodate the school's increasing roll.
The village green in the centre of the village is a focal point for the community. It is home to the village football and cricket clubs; which have use of a permanent pavilion on the greenside; as well as a modern children's playground. Alongside the green is the Village Memorial Hall and Annexe, as well as Tennis courts. Plans are currently being considered and funds raised for a replacement Hall. The Hall has a fully functional proscenium theatre space, which is home to the village's Players[Woodchurch Players]
/ref> organisation, who put on three productions every year.
The village also has a community centre on Lower Road. This centre was originally built to replace the original Scout hall on George's Hill which was dilapidated and dangerous. It is now home to Scouts
Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activi ...
, Guides
A guide is a person who leads travelers, sportspeople, or tourists through unknown or unfamiliar locations. The term can also be applied to a person who leads others to more abstract goals such as knowledge or wisdom.
Travel and recreation
Exp ...
and other community organisation, as well as being for hire.
Woodchurch also boasts th
Woodchurch Village Life Museum
located on Susan's Hill and the South of England Rare Breeds Centre is located a mile out of the village on the Hamstreet
Hamstreet is a village in Kent, in South East England.
The village is located 6 miles (10 km) south of Ashford on the A2070, the main road between Ashford and Hastings. The majority of the village is in the parish of Orlestone, named ...
road (B2067).
The village also has its own Morris dancing side, Woodchurch Morris Men, who started dancing together in 1990 to perpetuate the ancient tradition and have many stands throughout the year.
Historically the village has been home to three public houses. The Bonny Cravat and Six Bells opposite the church in the main village, and The Stonebridge Inn serving the Brattle area at the other end of the village. The Bonny Cravat is a managed Shepherd Neame
Shepherd Neame is an English independent brewery which has been based in the market town of Faversham, Kent, for over 300 years. While 1698 is the brewery's official established date, town records show that commercial brewing has occurred on the ...
pub and The Six Bells is a free house. The Stonebridge Inn closed in the early 2000s and has now been demolished to make way for a large newbuild carehome.
References
External links
Woodchurch Community Website
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{{authority control
Villages in Kent
Villages in the Borough of Ashford
Civil parishes in Ashford, Kent