Kings Hill
Encyclopedia
Kings Hill is a civil parish in the Borough of Tonbridge and Malling
in Kent
, England
. It is one of several new villages built in Kent since the 1950s (other examples including Vigo
and New Ash Green
). Development started in 1989 near West Malling
, on land previously occupied by RAF West Malling
. The plan was for a multi-purpose site of both residential and office/business space. The ultimate aim is to have some 2750 homes and 2 million square feet (186,000 m²) of commercial properties. Kings Hill currently lacks a dedicated church and does not constitute an ecclesiastical parish
, instead falling predominantly within the parishes of neighbouring Mereworth
and West Malling.
The campus
style business park is home to several council offices and company headquarters. Community facilities include a supermarket, a public house, two primary schools, a doctor's surgery, a veterinary surgery, restaurants and a golf club.
Located beside the A228
, transport links include bus services to and from West Malling, Maidstone
, Chatham
and Royal Tunbridge Wells
. The nearest railway station is West Malling
.
In 2004 the area was named by the Guardian as one of the wealthiest places in Britain in terms of average household income.
Kings Hill has its own cricket
club, established in 2006, and a private golf club.
Parts of the 2007 Channel 4
drama series Cape Wrath
were shot in the village.
which passes the village.
In common with many newer villages and developments, Kings Hill currently lacks a dedicated church and does not constitute an ecclesiastical parish
, instead falling predominantly within the parishes of neighbouring Mereworth
and West Malling. In 2003 the Diocese of Rochester
of the Church of England
appointed the first full-time resident minister to meet the pastoral needs of the growing business and residential community.
Construction of houses and other buildings is set to continue in Kings Hill as Kent County Council
have purchased new land for building. There is talk of another primary school and possibly a secondary school
. Another access road may also be needed if the current rate of expansion continues. In May 2010 plans were unveiled for the re-development of the old airfield's derelict control tower
(now a listed building) and the surrounding area.
supermarket, a Shepherd Neame
public house named "The Spitfire", two primary schools, a doctor's surgery, a veterinary surgery, opticians, pharmacist, restaurants, cafés, bars and a David Lloyd Leisure health club
.
, Chatham
and Tunbridge Wells
. The nearest railway station is West Malling
, with a regular shuttle bus service (Nu-Venture
123) operating between Kings Hill and the station on Mondays to Fridays. The station links the area to London
, Maidstone and Ashford
.
style sculpture called L'Ambiente created by Enzo Torcoletti. Smaller sculptures on the site include memorials to Group Captain Peter Townsend and Bill Rouse, late chairman of the site's developers
.
The 2004 Wealth of the Nation report listed the Kings Hill postcode sector (ME19 4), as having the highest average income and the highest proportion of households earning greater than £100,000 per annum in Great Britain
. Although Kings Hill remains conspicuously wealthy it did not appear in the 2006 report.
As of the 2001 UK census, the Kings Hill electoral ward had a population of 3,024. The ethnicity was 97.3% white, 1% mixed race, 1.3% Asian, 0.1% black and 0.3% other. The place of birth of residents was 93.4% United Kingdom, 0.5% Republic of Ireland, 1.8% other Western European countries, and 4.3% elsewhere. Religion was recorded as 77.5% Christian, 0.1% Buddhist, 0.4% Hindu, 0.1% Sikh, 0% Jewish, and 0.4% Muslim. 15.5% were recorded as having no religion, 0.1% had an alternative religion and 5.8% did not state their religion.
The economic activity of residents aged 16–74 was 50.8% in full-time employment, 12.7% in part-time employment, 10% self-employed, 1.8% unemployed, 1.3% students with jobs, 1.5% students without jobs, 7.5% retired, 10.7% looking after home or family, 2.1% permanently sick or disabled and 1.7% economically inactive for other reasons. The industry of employment of residents was 14.5% retail, 12.2% manufacturing, 5% construction, 18.2% real estate, 8.1% health and social work, 5.6% education, 6.9% transport and communications, 6.7% public administration, 2.3% hotels and restaurants, 13.7% finance, 0.5% agriculture and 6.3% other. Compared with national figures, the ward had a relatively high proportion of workers in finance and real estate. There were a relatively low proportion in agriculture, education, construction, hotels and restaurants. Of the ward's residents aged 16–74, 29.1% had a higher education
qualification or the equivalent, compared with 19.9% nationwide.
club. Established in 2006 Kings Hill Cricket Club was set up to make use of the new cricket pitch opposite the Discovery School. The club played its inaugural match against Town Malling Cricket Club in September 2006 at the historic Old County Ground, West Malling. Chris Blackham captained the team to their first win against Snodland
in early 2007. In January 2008 the club adopted the de Havilland Mosquito
aircraft as its badge in memory of the role West Malling airfield played during the Second World War as a night fighter
station. The Kings Hill Ground hosted its first game, again versus Town Malling on the 17th of July 2010, with former English international cricketer Derek Underwood
on hand to perform the opening ceremony.
Kings Hill also has a golf club, founded in 1995, with a course designed by David Williams. Nearby Manor Park Country Park
provides more open space and walking trails.
Tonbridge and Malling
Tonbridge and Malling is a local government district and borough in the English county of Kent.Tonbridge and Malling borough covers an area from the North Downs at Burham and Snodland in the north to the town of Tonbridge in the south...
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...
. It is one of several new villages built in Kent since the 1950s (other examples including Vigo
Vigo, Kent
Vigo is a civil parish, formed in 2000, and modern rural village, built in the mid-20th century at the extreme southern boundary of the Borough of Gravesham in Kent, England. It has a population of 2,201. The village lies at the top of the North Downs, east of the road between Gravesend and Wrotham...
and New Ash Green
New Ash Green
New Ash Green is a village near the ancient village of Ash, in the parish of Ash-cum-Ridley, about south of Gravesend in Kent and south-east of London. Building of the village began in 1967, with Span as the developer and Eric Lyons of Cresskill, NJ as the designer. The architectural design of...
). Development started in 1989 near West Malling
West Malling
West Malling is a historic market town in the Tonbridge and Malling district of Kent, England. It has a population of about 3000-5000.-Landmarks:...
, on land previously occupied by RAF West Malling
RAF West Malling
RAF West Malling was a Royal Air Force station near West Malling in Kent, England.Originally used as a landing area during the first World War, the site opened as a private landing ground and in 1930, then known as Kingshill, home to the Maidstone School of Flying, before being renamed West Malling...
. The plan was for a multi-purpose site of both residential and office/business space. The ultimate aim is to have some 2750 homes and 2 million square feet (186,000 m²) of commercial properties. Kings Hill currently lacks a dedicated church and does not constitute an ecclesiastical parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
, instead falling predominantly within the parishes of neighbouring Mereworth
Mereworth
Mereworth is a village near the town of Maidstone in Kent, England. The Wateringbury Stream flows through the village and powered a watermill, the site of which now lies within the grounds of Mereworth Castle.-History:...
and West Malling.
The campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
style business park is home to several council offices and company headquarters. Community facilities include a supermarket, a public house, two primary schools, a doctor's surgery, a veterinary surgery, restaurants and a golf club.
Located beside the A228
A228 road
The A228 road is an important transport artery in Kent, England. It begins at the Isle of Grain and runs in a south-westerly direction to connect eventually with the A21 trunk road at Pembury. It serves existing communities and new and proposed housing developments and commercial enterprises...
, transport links include bus services to and from West Malling, Maidstone
Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
, Chatham
Chatham, Medway
Chatham is one of the Medway towns located within the Medway unitary authority, in North Kent, in South East England.Although the dockyard has long been closed and is now being redeveloped into a business and residential community as well as a museum featuring the famous submarine, HMS Ocelot,...
and Royal Tunbridge Wells
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...
. The nearest railway station is West Malling
West Malling railway station
West Malling railway station lies to the east of West Malling, Kent, England and is close to Kings Hill, Larkfield and Leybourne. The station, and all trains serving it, is operated by Southeastern....
.
In 2004 the area was named by the Guardian as one of the wealthiest places in Britain in terms of average household income.
Kings Hill has its own cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
club, established in 2006, and a private golf club.
Parts of the 2007 Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
drama series Cape Wrath
Cape Wrath (TV series)
Cape Wrath is a British drama television series produced by Ecosse Films which focuses on a family trying to escape its past while confronting an even more uncertain future...
were shot in the village.
Development
The principle development of the site was done by Rouse Kent, commencing on the old West Malling airfield site in 1989. The ultimate aim is to have some 2750 homes and 2 million square feet (186,000 m²) of commercial properties. As of 2010, 2000 homes have been built along with 800000 square feet (74,322.4 m²) of business space. The development precipitated a major expansion of the A228A228 road
The A228 road is an important transport artery in Kent, England. It begins at the Isle of Grain and runs in a south-westerly direction to connect eventually with the A21 trunk road at Pembury. It serves existing communities and new and proposed housing developments and commercial enterprises...
which passes the village.
In common with many newer villages and developments, Kings Hill currently lacks a dedicated church and does not constitute an ecclesiastical parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
, instead falling predominantly within the parishes of neighbouring Mereworth
Mereworth
Mereworth is a village near the town of Maidstone in Kent, England. The Wateringbury Stream flows through the village and powered a watermill, the site of which now lies within the grounds of Mereworth Castle.-History:...
and West Malling. In 2003 the Diocese of Rochester
Diocese of Rochester
The Diocese of Rochester is a Church of England diocese in South-East England and forms part of the Province of Canterbury. It is an ancient diocese, having been established in 604; only the neighbouring Diocese of Canterbury is older in the Church of England....
of 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...
appointed the first full-time resident minister to meet the pastoral needs of the growing business and residential community.
Construction of houses and other buildings is set to continue in Kings Hill as Kent County Council
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...
have purchased new land for building. There is talk of another primary school and possibly a secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
. Another access road may also be needed if the current rate of expansion continues. In May 2010 plans were unveiled for the re-development of the old airfield's derelict control tower
Control tower
A control tower, or more specifically an Air Traffic Control Tower , is the name of the airport building from which the air traffic control unit controls the movement of aircraft on and around the airport. Control towers are also used to control the traffic for other forms of transportation such...
(now a listed building) and the surrounding area.
Community facilities
Kings Hill has various facilities including an AsdaAsda
Asda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...
supermarket, a Shepherd Neame
Shepherd Neame
Shepherd Neame is an English regional brewery founded in 1698 by Richard Marsh in Faversham, Kent. It is a family owned brewery that produces a range of cask ales and filtered beers. Production is around 230,000 barrels a year...
public house named "The Spitfire", two primary schools, a doctor's surgery, a veterinary surgery, opticians, pharmacist, restaurants, cafés, bars and a David Lloyd Leisure health club
Health club
A health club is a place which houses exercise equipment for the purpose of physical exercise.-Main workout area:...
.
Transport
Kings Hill has frequent bus services to and from West Malling, MaidstoneMaidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
, Chatham
Chatham, Medway
Chatham is one of the Medway towns located within the Medway unitary authority, in North Kent, in South East England.Although the dockyard has long been closed and is now being redeveloped into a business and residential community as well as a museum featuring the famous submarine, HMS Ocelot,...
and Tunbridge Wells
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...
. The nearest railway station is West Malling
West Malling railway station
West Malling railway station lies to the east of West Malling, Kent, England and is close to Kings Hill, Larkfield and Leybourne. The station, and all trains serving it, is operated by Southeastern....
, with a regular shuttle bus service (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....
123) operating between Kings Hill and the station on Mondays to Fridays. The station links the area 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...
, Maidstone and 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...
.
Business
A number of major organisations have offices in Kings Hill's business park including:- Balfour BeattyBalfour BeattyBalfour Beatty plc is a British construction, engineering, military housing, rail and investment services company. It is one of the largest construction companies in the UK, and the 15th largest in the world...
- Charities Aid FoundationCharities Aid FoundationThe Charities Aid Foundation is a registered UK charity. Its Head Office is located in the King's Hill business park, West Malling, Kent with a second office in London on St Andrew Street, EC4A 3AY...
- Jupiter Fund Management
- Kent County Council
- Kimberly-ClarkKimberly-ClarkKimberly-Clark Corporation is an American corporation that produces mostly paper-based consumer products. Kimberly-Clark brand name products include "Kleenex" facial tissue, "Kotex" feminine hygiene products, "Cottonelle", Scott and Andrex toilet paper, Wypall utility wipes, "KimWipes"...
(UK headquarters) - Tonbridge and Malling Borough CouncilTonbridge and MallingTonbridge and Malling is a local government district and borough in the English county of Kent.Tonbridge and Malling borough covers an area from the North Downs at Burham and Snodland in the north to the town of Tonbridge in the south...
- Yell GroupYell GroupYell Group plc is a multinational directories company headquartered in Reading, United Kingdom. As well as the United Kingdom, it has operations in the United States, Spain and some countries in Latin America...
Public art
The development features a number of major sculptures commissioned by the developers. On the roundabout between the business park and the residential area is A different ball game by Kevin Atherton which consists of a 10 ft (3 m) diameter reflective ball being pushed in different directions by three life-size bronze figures which were cast from local people. On the A228 roundabout to the north of the business park is a 45 ft (13.7 m) tall obeliskObelisk
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
style sculpture called L'Ambiente created by Enzo Torcoletti. Smaller sculptures on the site include memorials to Group Captain Peter Townsend and Bill Rouse, late chairman of the site's developers
Real estate development
Real estate development, or Property Development, is a multifaceted business, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of improved land or parcels to others...
.
Demography
| Kings Hill compared | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 UK Census | Kings Hill | Tonbridge and Malling borough | England |
| Population | 3,024 | 107,561 | 49,138,831 |
| Foreign born | 6.6% | 4.6% | 9.2% |
| White | 97.3% | 98.3% | 90.9% |
| Asian | 1.3% | 0.7% | 4.6% |
| Black | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2.3% |
| Christian | 77.5% | 76.1% | 71.7% |
| Muslim | 0.4% | 0.3% | 3.1% |
| Hindu | 0.4% | 0.2% | 1.1% |
| No religion | 15.5% | 15% | 14.6% |
| Unemployed | 1.8% | 1.9% | 3.3% |
| Retired | 7.5% | 14.2% | 13.5% |
The 2004 Wealth of the Nation report listed the Kings Hill postcode sector (ME19 4), as having the highest average income and the highest proportion of households earning greater than £100,000 per annum in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. Although Kings Hill remains conspicuously wealthy it did not appear in the 2006 report.
As of the 2001 UK census, the Kings Hill electoral ward had a population of 3,024. The ethnicity was 97.3% white, 1% mixed race, 1.3% Asian, 0.1% black and 0.3% other. The place of birth of residents was 93.4% United Kingdom, 0.5% Republic of Ireland, 1.8% other Western European countries, and 4.3% elsewhere. Religion was recorded as 77.5% Christian, 0.1% Buddhist, 0.4% Hindu, 0.1% Sikh, 0% Jewish, and 0.4% Muslim. 15.5% were recorded as having no religion, 0.1% had an alternative religion and 5.8% did not state their religion.
The economic activity of residents aged 16–74 was 50.8% in full-time employment, 12.7% in part-time employment, 10% self-employed, 1.8% unemployed, 1.3% students with jobs, 1.5% students without jobs, 7.5% retired, 10.7% looking after home or family, 2.1% permanently sick or disabled and 1.7% economically inactive for other reasons. The industry of employment of residents was 14.5% retail, 12.2% manufacturing, 5% construction, 18.2% real estate, 8.1% health and social work, 5.6% education, 6.9% transport and communications, 6.7% public administration, 2.3% hotels and restaurants, 13.7% finance, 0.5% agriculture and 6.3% other. Compared with national figures, the ward had a relatively high proportion of workers in finance and real estate. There were a relatively low proportion in agriculture, education, construction, hotels and restaurants. Of the ward's residents aged 16–74, 29.1% had a higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
qualification or the equivalent, compared with 19.9% nationwide.
Sports and recreation
Kings Hill has its own cricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
club. Established in 2006 Kings Hill Cricket Club was set up to make use of the new cricket pitch opposite the Discovery School. The club played its inaugural match against Town Malling Cricket Club in September 2006 at the historic Old County Ground, West Malling. Chris Blackham captained the team to their first win against Snodland
Snodland
Snodland is a small town in the county of Kent, England, located on the River Medway between Rochester and Maidstone. It has a population of about 12,000 people....
in early 2007. In January 2008 the club adopted the de Havilland Mosquito
De Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
aircraft as its badge in memory of the role West Malling airfield played during the Second World War as a night fighter
Night fighter
A night fighter is a fighter aircraft adapted for use at night or in other times of bad visibility...
station. The Kings Hill Ground hosted its first game, again versus Town Malling on the 17th of July 2010, with former English international cricketer Derek Underwood
Derek Underwood
Derek Underwood MBE is an English former international cricketer, and a former President of the MCC....
on hand to perform the opening ceremony.
Kings Hill also has a golf club, founded in 1995, with a course designed by David Williams. Nearby Manor Park Country Park
Manor Park Country Park
.Manor Park Country Park is a country park in West Malling, Kent, England. The park, formerly the private gardens of the nearby Douces Manor was purchased from the manor's owners by Kent County Council in 1973 to be converted into a public open space....
provides more open space and walking trails.