Westwell, Kent

Westwell
Westwell
 Westwell shown within Kent
Area  12.57 km2 (4.85 sq mi)
Population 703 (Civil Parish 2011)[1]
    density  56/km2 (150/sq mi)
OS grid referenceTQ989474
Civil parishWestwell
DistrictAshford
Shire countyKent
RegionSouth East
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town ASHFORD
Postcode district TN25
Dialling code 01233
Police Kent
Fire Kent
Ambulance South East Coast
EU Parliament South East England
UK ParliamentAshford
List of places
UK
England
Kent

Coordinates: 51°11′28″N 0°50′51″E / 51.1910°N 0.8475°E / 51.1910; 0.8475

The Pilgrims' Way runs near Westwell

Westwell is a village and relatively elevated civil parish with a population of 740 (2001), centred 4 miles (6 km) north of Ashford in Kent, England, in the Borough of Ashford.

The Pilgrims' Way runs close to the village on the Downs and was travelled by pilgrims on their way to Canterbury. The M20 motorway and High Speed 1 pass through the long south-west outskirts of the parish.

History

Westwell is a rural village in the North Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty at the foot of the Westwell Downs, the highest part of which is called the Beacon after the chain of beacons erected to signal the approach of the Spanish Armada. The village was first mentioned in 858 in a Saxon document and was included in the Domesday Book. A weekly market was held here under a licence granted by Edward I, there was a park during Edward II's time and later a vineyard tended by monks (recalled by one of the cottages in the village named Vineyards).

The centre of the village is a conservation area with many mature trees and listed buildings, including Court Lodge, Swinford Cottage, Periton Court and The Mill House (with its water wheel still in working order). The notable parish church is St. Mary the Virgin which dates from the 13th century or earlier. Among many other buildings of interest in the parish are Ripple Court (which used to house the local dungeons—and where it is alleged that Jack Cade was captured) and The Haven (pronounced 'harven') a Tudor residence where Elizabeth I is believed to have spent one night.[2] The village was formerly served by Hothfield for Westwell railway station on the Maidstone Line. Kent Gliding Club is nearby.

References

  1. Key Statistics; Quick Statistics: Population Density United Kingdom Census 2011 Office for National Statistics Retrieved 10 May 2014
  2. Ashford Borough Council

Media related to Westwell, Kent at Wikimedia Commons


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