Hastingleigh
Encyclopedia
The small civil parish
of Hastingleigh lies on top of the North Downs
in Kent
three miles east of Wye and ten miles south of Canterbury
, near the locally renowned beauty spot of the Devil's Kneading Trough, on the North Downs Way
with views towards Ashford
, Romney Marsh
and the Weald
.
Hastingleigh has a current population of about 200 serviced by a garage and a public house
.
Hastingleigh, also one of the very few small villages to have not received a broadband service until late 2006. It held the number one position in BT requests for Broadband chart for some six months prior to conversion.
With little to no public transport to the village, the village is reached by following the main route (Churchfield Way) through the village of Wye, passing Wye Church on theleft, and continuing out of the village, up onto the Downs, and continuing for several miles.
The village was in existence prior to the Domesday Book
and originally lay in the valley by the Church of England
church
(St. Mary the Virgin) but following the plague
, the main settlement was relocated to its current position. The church is made of stone, in the Early English style, and has a tower
containing one bell: there is a brass to John Halke, d.1604, and Amia his wife, d.1596: The maternal grandparents of Dr. William Harvey
; his mother Joane was born at South Hill, Hastingleigh and married Thomas Harvie of Folkestone, in Hastingleigh Church.
The nave
and aisle
were restored
in 1880 and the chancel
in 1886: the church affords 200 sittings.
12th century murals were partially uncovered on the north wall, and south east corner of the church in 1966.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Hastingleigh lies on top of the North Downs
North Downs
The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. The North Downs lie within two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty , the Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs...
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...
three miles east of Wye and ten miles south of Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
, near the locally renowned beauty spot of the Devil's Kneading Trough, on the North Downs Way
North Downs Way
The North Downs Way is a long-distance path in southern England, opened in 1978. It runs from Farnham to Dover, past Godalming, Guildford, Dorking, Merstham, Otford and Rochester, along the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Kent Downs AONB.East of Boughton Lees, the path splits...
with views towards Ashford
Ashford, Kent
Ashford is a town in the borough of Ashford in Kent, England. In 2005 it was voted the fourth best place to live in the United Kingdom. It lies on the Great Stour river, the M20 motorway, and the South Eastern Main Line and High Speed 1 railways. Its agricultural market is one of the most...
, Romney Marsh
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 100 mi ² .-Quotations:*“As Egypt was the gift of the Nile, this level tract .....
and the Weald
Weald
The Weald is the name given to an area in South East England situated between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It should be regarded as three separate parts: the sandstone "High Weald" in the centre; the clay "Low Weald" periphery; and the Greensand Ridge which...
.
Hastingleigh has a current population of about 200 serviced by a garage and a public house
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...
.
Hastingleigh, also one of the very few small villages to have not received a broadband service until late 2006. It held the number one position in BT requests for Broadband chart for some six months prior to conversion.
With little to no public transport to the village, the village is reached by following the main route (Churchfield Way) through the village of Wye, passing Wye Church on theleft, and continuing out of the village, up onto the Downs, and continuing for several miles.
The village was in existence prior to the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
and originally lay in the valley by the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
(St. Mary the Virgin) but following the plague
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
, the main settlement was relocated to its current position. The church is made of stone, in the Early English style, and has a tower
Tower
A tower is a tall structure, usually taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires....
containing one bell: there is a brass to John Halke, d.1604, and Amia his wife, d.1596: The maternal grandparents of Dr. William Harvey
William Harvey
William Harvey was an English physician who was the first person to describe completely and in detail the systemic circulation and properties of blood being pumped to the body by the heart...
; his mother Joane was born at South Hill, Hastingleigh and married Thomas Harvie of Folkestone, in Hastingleigh Church.
The nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
were restored
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
in 1880 and the chancel
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
in 1886: the church affords 200 sittings.
12th century murals were partially uncovered on the north wall, and south east corner of the church in 1966.
External links
- Hastingleigh Parish Council – hosted by saxonshore-kent.gov.uk
- The Bowl Inn Online
- http://www.hastingleigh.com Hastingleigh.com a village history website