Conyer
Encyclopedia
Conyer is a riverside hamlet of Teynham
in the borough of Swale
in Kent
, England
. Located at the apex of Conyer Creek, near the junction with The Swale
. It is home to a marina.
It also sits on the routes of both the Saxon Shore Way
(long distance path) and National Cycle Route 1.
hamlet and often mentioned in relation to Smuggling
. It is said that a quarter of all the vessels engaged in smuggling nationwide were based in Kent
and Sussex
and Conyer certainly played its part as a smuggling community in the 18th and 19th century.
, Barges were used to move many raw materials and finished goods, which were produced in Kent, into the Thames and on to London
and beyond. Paper mills and brickfields
in the local area, were fed by the barges that brought in sand, mud and household waste such as cinders for brick
making, and took away the newly constructed bricks. The yellow stock bricks from Conyer were used to create the giant railway viaduct
running from London Bridge
to Greenwich
.
Conyer was ideally suited for this purpose (due its closeness to the Thames, via The Swale) and then a successful barge-building industry developed.
Conyer also provided much of the employment in the area after 1920's with its Brick Works and Cement factory. See Charles Richardson (cement merchant)
. In the mid-19th Century, Conyer had seven large-scale brickfields. This employed many hundreds of workers, who also then frequented the many new pubs in the area. Most of these have, since been closed and converted. Including the Brunswicks Arms in Conyer.
A small railway was built from the main London - Sittingbourne line to Conyer, to transfer materials to the brickfields.
All traces of this line have been removed, after its use during the second World War
.
Some of the line is now a footpath from Barrow Green, Teynham to Conyer.
The brickworks closed in the 1980s, the site since, has been cleared. Part of the site will be developed (for 24 dwellings) after a lengthy planning application process. The rest of the site will be left as a Nature Reserve
.
John Bird (who was born 1832) is reputed to be the first of the barge builders to settle in Conyer. Records exist for a sailing barge built there in 1866, the year he began his work at the yard. The last of the many sailing barges was built at the Conyer yard in 1914, but repair works continued well into the 1930s, with several barge yachts built in the 1920s.
Alfred Marconi (who took over John Bird's yard) built many different types of barge. Some continued to exist as house barges, well into the 1960s.
The Marina near the local pub/restaurant is still popular.
along the Swale, or with various footpath links to Sittingbourne
and Faversham
.
Teynham
Teynham is a large village, and civil parish in Kent, England, in the district of Swale. The parish lies to the north of the A2 some three miles west of Faversham, and includes the hamlet of Conyer, on an inlet of the Swale, a channel that separates the mainland of Kent from the Isle of Sheppey...
in the borough of Swale
Swale
Swale is a local government district with borough status in Kent, England. Its council is based in Sittingbourne. The borough is named after the narrow channel called The Swale, a channel that separates the mainland of Kent from the Isle of Sheppey, and which occupies the central part of the...
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Located at the apex of Conyer Creek, near the junction with The Swale
The Swale
The name The Swale refers to the strip of sea separating North Kent from the Isle of Sheppey.- History :The name "Swale" is Old English in origin, and is believed to mean "swirling, rushing river", or "rushing water"....
. It is home to a marina.
It also sits on the routes of both the Saxon Shore Way
Saxon Shore Way
The Saxon Shore Way is a long-distance footpath in England, starting at Gravesend, Kent and traces the coast as it was in Roman times as far as Hastings, East Sussex, in total.-History:...
(long distance path) and National Cycle Route 1.
History
The town was frequently mentioned in early records being described as a RomanAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
hamlet and often mentioned in relation to Smuggling
Smuggling
Smuggling is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.There are various motivations to smuggle...
. It is said that a quarter of all the vessels engaged in smuggling nationwide were based in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
and Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
and Conyer certainly played its part as a smuggling community in the 18th and 19th century.
Brick Making
During the industrial revolutionIndustrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
, Barges were used to move many raw materials and finished goods, which were produced in Kent, into the Thames and on to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and beyond. Paper mills and brickfields
Brickfields
Brickfields is a small to medium-sized town and residential neighbourhood located just outside central Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is known as Kuala Lumpur's Little India due to the high percentage of Indian residents and businesses.- History :In 1881, a flood swept through Kuala Lumpur following...
in the local area, were fed by the barges that brought in sand, mud and household waste such as cinders for brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
making, and took away the newly constructed bricks. The yellow stock bricks from Conyer were used to create the giant railway viaduct
Viaduct
A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
running from London Bridge
London Bridge
London Bridge is a bridge over the River Thames, connecting the City of London and Southwark, in central London. Situated between Cannon Street Railway Bridge and Tower Bridge, it forms the western end of the Pool of London...
to Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
.
Conyer was ideally suited for this purpose (due its closeness to the Thames, via The Swale) and then a successful barge-building industry developed.
Conyer also provided much of the employment in the area after 1920's with its Brick Works and Cement factory. See Charles Richardson (cement merchant)
Charles Richardson (cement merchant)
Charles Richardson Founder of the family Brick and Cement Firm A & WT Richardson Ltd, which lasted over 100 years....
. In the mid-19th Century, Conyer had seven large-scale brickfields. This employed many hundreds of workers, who also then frequented the many new pubs in the area. Most of these have, since been closed and converted. Including the Brunswicks Arms in Conyer.
A small railway was built from the main London - Sittingbourne line to Conyer, to transfer materials to the brickfields.
All traces of this line have been removed, after its use during the second World War
World war
A world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theaters....
.
Some of the line is now a footpath from Barrow Green, Teynham to Conyer.
The brickworks closed in the 1980s, the site since, has been cleared. Part of the site will be developed (for 24 dwellings) after a lengthy planning application process. The rest of the site will be left as a Nature Reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
.
Barge Building
In 1803, John Huggens built the earliest known barge was built in the area.John Bird (who was born 1832) is reputed to be the first of the barge builders to settle in Conyer. Records exist for a sailing barge built there in 1866, the year he began his work at the yard. The last of the many sailing barges was built at the Conyer yard in 1914, but repair works continued well into the 1930s, with several barge yachts built in the 1920s.
Alfred Marconi (who took over John Bird's yard) built many different types of barge. Some continued to exist as house barges, well into the 1960s.
The Marina near the local pub/restaurant is still popular.
Other Notes
Conyer and the surrounding area (mostly farms) is popular with walkers, either following the Saxon Shore WaySaxon Shore Way
The Saxon Shore Way is a long-distance footpath in England, starting at Gravesend, Kent and traces the coast as it was in Roman times as far as Hastings, East Sussex, in total.-History:...
along the Swale, or with various footpath links to Sittingbourne
Sittingbourne
Sittingbourne is an industrial town about eight miles east of Gillingham in England, beside the Roman Watling Street off a creek in the Swale, a channel separating the Isle of Sheppey from mainland Kent...
and Faversham
Faversham
Faversham is a market town and civil parish in the Swale borough of Kent, England. The parish of Faversham grew up around an ancient sea port on Faversham Creek and was the birthplace of the explosives industry in England.-History:...
.