Halling, Kent
Encyclopedia
Halling is a village
on the North Downs in the northern part of Kent
, England
, covering 7.1 square kilometres of land. Consisting of Lower Halling, Upper Halling and North Halling, it is scattered over some 3 miles (5 km) along the River Medway
parallel to the Pilgrims' Way
running over Kent.
The origin of the name is uncertain. The following have been proposed at various times: Halls land (Belonging to Hall), Heall land (From Old English, Hall Manor), Heallgemot (the court of the Lord of the Manor), Heallingas (Comrades sharing the same hall).
skeleton discovered in 1912 behind the existing railway station, is the earliest indication of activity in Halling. There is evidence of Roman
settlement indicated by a number of burials from the period as well as Roman tiles. The first written record dates from the 8th century. In the Charter for Halling (765-785 AD) Ecgberht II
of Kent granted to St. Andrews of Rochester, "ten sulings at Halling with rights to pasture swine in five districts".
mining and processing factories, however these have all now been shut and the last chimney stack was demolished in 2010.
Since before World War II
, quarries have been dug in Halling, at first by hand, for the extraction of chalk for cement
manufacture. The chalk was mainly shipped out of the area on barges using the river Medway.
It is connected to the other villages and towns along the Medway by the Medway Valley railway line, running from Tonbridge and Maidstone to Strood. Also there are good road links as the village sits between the M20 and the M2.
The chalk quarrying industry in Halling had a great influence, including the building of the majority of the village houses, the support of many families and the improvement of its road and railway connections. However, although the area of these activities did spread into what is Green Belt land, some of these areas have now been returned to the community or built on. Parts of the village are controlled by the Green Belt
area, limiting growth of industrial and residential areas alike.
Despite the influence of the chalk industry in the past in Halling, modern technology, practices and the closure of the factories have meant that there are now very few if any workers required. Instead, the working population of the village mainly commutes to London and nearby towns.
, two pubs
, a small convenience store, two youth/community centres, General Practice and primary school. In addition to this, Upper Halling has both a pumping station (built recently, after a Victorian one was converted into accommodation), filter beds and small underground reservoir and spring.
It is also home to the Bishop's Palace, which came from the early powers and luxuries given to Christian
Bishop
s. It is now a ruin, and publicly accessible. There are also a number of old World War II defences that are situated along the Riverside and evidence of the old ferry crossing from behind the church to the other side of the river.
One of Halling's most distinguishing features is the large blue lake, which was dug due to the chalk quarrying efforts. Its blue colour comes from the suspension of chalk particles in the water. It is fed by a large spring, one of which is tapped to provide the local water supply. The water is so clean at extraction that the only chemical additions made by the water company are those of the minimum government levels.
A satellite* view of Halling and its lake.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
on the North Downs in the northern part of 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...
, covering 7.1 square kilometres of land. Consisting of Lower Halling, Upper Halling and North Halling, it is scattered over some 3 miles (5 km) along the River Medway
River Medway
The River Medway, which is almost entirely in Kent, England, flows for from just inside the West Sussex border to the point where it enters the Thames Estuary....
parallel to the Pilgrims' Way
Pilgrims' Way
The Pilgrims' Way is the historic route supposed to have been taken by pilgrims from Winchester in Hampshire, England, to the shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury in Kent...
running over Kent.
The origin of the name is uncertain. The following have been proposed at various times: Halls land (Belonging to Hall), Heall land (From Old English, Hall Manor), Heallgemot (the court of the Lord of the Manor), Heallingas (Comrades sharing the same hall).
Early history
Halling Man, a NeolithicNeolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
skeleton discovered in 1912 behind the existing railway station, is the earliest indication of activity in Halling. There is evidence of Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
settlement indicated by a number of burials from the period as well as Roman tiles. The first written record dates from the 8th century. In the Charter for Halling (765-785 AD) Ecgberht II
Egbert II of Kent
Ecgberht II was King of Kent jointly with Heaberht.Ecgberht II is known from his coins and charters, ranging from 765 to 779 , two of which were witnessed or confirmed by Heaberht.Ecgberht II acceded by 765, when he issued his earliest surviving charter...
of Kent granted to St. Andrews of Rochester, "ten sulings at Halling with rights to pasture swine in five districts".
Modern Halling
Halling had a small industrial existence, with two chalkChalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
mining and processing factories, however these have all now been shut and the last chimney stack was demolished in 2010.
Since before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, quarries have been dug in Halling, at first by hand, for the extraction of chalk for cement
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
manufacture. The chalk was mainly shipped out of the area on barges using the river Medway.
It is connected to the other villages and towns along the Medway by the Medway Valley railway line, running from Tonbridge and Maidstone to Strood. Also there are good road links as the village sits between the M20 and the M2.
The chalk quarrying industry in Halling had a great influence, including the building of the majority of the village houses, the support of many families and the improvement of its road and railway connections. However, although the area of these activities did spread into what is Green Belt land, some of these areas have now been returned to the community or built on. Parts of the village are controlled by the Green Belt
Green belt
A green belt or greenbelt is a policy and land use designation used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighbouring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges which have a linear character and may run through an...
area, limiting growth of industrial and residential areas alike.
Despite the influence of the chalk industry in the past in Halling, modern technology, practices and the closure of the factories have meant that there are now very few if any workers required. Instead, the working population of the village mainly commutes to London and nearby towns.
Services and features
The village has a church, Post Office, fire stationFire station
A fire station is a structure or other area set aside for storage of firefighting apparatus , personal protective equipment, fire hose, fire extinguishers, and other fire extinguishing equipment...
, two pubs
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, a small convenience store, two youth/community centres, General Practice and primary school. In addition to this, Upper Halling has both a pumping station (built recently, after a Victorian one was converted into accommodation), filter beds and small underground reservoir and spring.
It is also home to the Bishop's Palace, which came from the early powers and luxuries given to Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s. It is now a ruin, and publicly accessible. There are also a number of old World War II defences that are situated along the Riverside and evidence of the old ferry crossing from behind the church to the other side of the river.
One of Halling's most distinguishing features is the large blue lake, which was dug due to the chalk quarrying efforts. Its blue colour comes from the suspension of chalk particles in the water. It is fed by a large spring, one of which is tapped to provide the local water supply. The water is so clean at extraction that the only chemical additions made by the water company are those of the minimum government levels.
A satellite* view of Halling and its lake.