Hawkenbury
Encyclopedia
Hawkenbury is a small village area located in the south east of Tunbridge Wells
, Kent
.
of Frant
, lying as it then did in Sussex
. It was originally known as "Hockenbury".
Bacon's 1912 map of Tunbridge Wells shows the centre of Hawkenbury lying along Hawkenbury Road, being that area currently lying south of the recreation ground. The Victorian estate around Sibby's Corner was not then considered part of Hawkenbury. Hawkenbury had no less than four places of worship, being a Congregationalist chapel (now United Reformed Church
) at Sibby's Corner, a St. Peter's Mission on the junction of Forest Road and Napier Road, an unnamed church on Hawkenbury Road (below the present site of Hawkenbury Mews) and a second Congregationalist chapel lay below the present site of the Hawkenbury Road allotments, as did a number of village dwellings. Beyond agriculture, the residents were employed in the Brickfields, lying due east of present-day Maryland Road. South of Brickfields were a plethora of now-vanished farm buildings, the remains of which can still be traced from the footpath off Chieveley Drive. In 1912 Halls Hole Road was called Marlpits Lane and Whybourne Gate Farm lay on the site of the current Whybourne Crest.
ward
of Tunbridge Wells, and elects three councillors to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. Hawkenbury is not part of a parish council (the Borough Council acts as the Parish). Hawkenbury falls under the Tunbridge Wells South district at county
level. Hawkenbury is part of the constituency of Tunbridge Wells
at a national level
, and South East England
at a European
level.
. Buses serve Hawkenbury from Monday to Saturday, and are provided by Nu-Venture
.
in the mid-19th century. The Hawkenbury Recreation Ground is a large public space that has cricket
and football
pitches, tennis court
s, an all-weather pitch
and a children's play area.
There are also allotments
in Hawkenbury, in Halls Hole Road, managed by the Hawkenbury Allotment Holder's Association.
Royal Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in west Kent, England, about south-east of central London by road, by rail. The town is close to the border of the county of East Sussex...
, 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...
.
History
Hawkenbury was settled before Tunbridge Wells itself was founded in the 17th century, and at one time fell within the parishCivil 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 Frant
Frant
-Demography:The population of Frant rose steadily from just under 1,100 in 1801 to a peak in 1891 of around 3,500. The records show a marked drop to 1,692 in 1901, but this is due to the transfer of the Broadwater Down parish to Tunbridge Wells that took place in 1894...
, lying as it then did in 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...
. It was originally known as "Hockenbury".
Bacon's 1912 map of Tunbridge Wells shows the centre of Hawkenbury lying along Hawkenbury Road, being that area currently lying south of the recreation ground. The Victorian estate around Sibby's Corner was not then considered part of Hawkenbury. Hawkenbury had no less than four places of worship, being a Congregationalist chapel (now United Reformed Church
United Reformed Church
The United Reformed Church is a Christian church in the United Kingdom. It has approximately 68,000 members in 1,500 congregations with some 700 ministers.-Origins and history:...
) at Sibby's Corner, a St. Peter's Mission on the junction of Forest Road and Napier Road, an unnamed church on Hawkenbury Road (below the present site of Hawkenbury Mews) and a second Congregationalist chapel lay below the present site of the Hawkenbury Road allotments, as did a number of village dwellings. Beyond agriculture, the residents were employed in the Brickfields, lying due east of present-day Maryland Road. South of Brickfields were a plethora of now-vanished farm buildings, the remains of which can still be traced from the footpath off Chieveley Drive. In 1912 Halls Hole Road was called Marlpits Lane and Whybourne Gate Farm lay on the site of the current Whybourne Crest.
Governance
Hawkenbury is located within the ParkPark (Tunbridge Wells)
Park is a local government ward within Tunbridge Wells borough in Kent, England. It is made up of the Camden Park estate, the formerly separate village of Hawkenbury containing a regional Land Registry, Dunorlan Park and the Forest Road area, off which can be found the Tunbridge Wells Cemetery &...
ward
Wards of the United Kingdom
A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
of Tunbridge Wells, and elects three councillors to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. Hawkenbury is not part of a parish council (the Borough Council acts as the Parish). Hawkenbury falls under the Tunbridge Wells South district at county
Kent County Council
Kent County Council is the county council that governs the majority of the county of Kent in England. It provides the upper tier of local government, below which are 12 district councils, and around 300 town and parish councils. The county council has 84 elected councillors...
level. Hawkenbury is part of the constituency of Tunbridge Wells
Tunbridge Wells (UK Parliament constituency)
Tunbridge Wells is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It returns one Member of Parliament , elected under the first-past-the-post voting system.-Boundaries:...
at a national level
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
, and South East England
South East England (European Parliament constituency)
South East England is a constituency of the European Parliament. It currently elects 10 Members of the European Parliament using the D'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :...
at a European
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
level.
Transport
The closest railway station is Tunbridge WellsTunbridge Wells railway station
Tunbridge Wells railway station serves Royal Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England. The station and all trains serving it are currently operated by Southeastern. It is located directly on the double-tracked electrified Hastings Line....
. Buses serve Hawkenbury from Monday to Saturday, and are provided by Nu-Venture
Nu-Venture
Nu-Venture Coaches Ltd is an Aylesford, Kent-based bus company. Established in 1960s as a coach company, Nu-Venture once operated coach tour holidays all over Europe, and, in the 1980s, a London commuter service, but coach hire activities ceased in 2010....
.
Parks and open spaces
Farmcombe Road Open Space is a small open green area. Camden Park contains a pastoral area, known as The Meadow, in the middle of an estate developed by Lord CamdenMarquess Camden
Marquess Camden is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1812 for the politician John Pratt, 2nd Earl Camden. The Pratt family descends from Sir John Pratt, Lord Chief Justice from 1718 to 1725. His third son from his second marriage, Sir Charles Pratt, was also a...
in the mid-19th century. The Hawkenbury Recreation Ground is a large public space that has cricket
Cricket pitch
In the game of cricket, the cricket pitch consists of the central strip of the cricket field between the wickets - 1 chain or 22 yards long and 10 feet wide. The surface is very flat and normally covered with extremely short grass though this grass is soon removed by wear at the ends of the...
and football
Association football pitch
An association football pitch is the playing surface for the game of association football made of turf. Its dimensions and markings are defined by Law 1 of the Laws of the Game, "The Field of Play".All line markings on the pitch form part of the area which they define...
pitches, tennis court
Tennis court
A tennis court is where the game of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles.-Dimensions:...
s, an all-weather pitch
Artificial turf
Artificial turf is a surface manufactured from synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass. It is most often used in arenas for sports that were originally or are normally played on grass. However, it is now being used on residential lawns and commercial applications as well...
and a children's play area.
There are also allotments
Allotment (gardening)
An allotment garden, often called simply an allotment, is a plot of land made available for individual, non-professional gardening. Such plots are formed by subdividing a piece of land into a few or up to several hundreds of land parcels that are assigned to individuals or families...
in Hawkenbury, in Halls Hole Road, managed by the Hawkenbury Allotment Holder's Association.