Upchurch
Encyclopedia
Upchurch village is situated at the junction of numerous minor roads in the Swale
district of Kent
, England
. It is a civil parish within Swale Borough Council, and the village centre is about 1 mile (1.6 km) east of the boundary with the unitary authority of Medway
.
occupation, which had built a community of ex-soldiers who wanted to settle in England. A Roman cemetery has been discovered here. There were also several Roman pottery
works sited here. It is probable that, although today the land is low-lying and marshy, it was once higher than it is today.
The Upchurch Hoard
is a hoard of well worn coins which date from the first and second century A.D. which were found close to Upchurch. A more recent pottery was established here in 1909 called the Upchurch Pottery
. Although it is now closed it became well known and could be found retailing through such outlets as Liberty & Co.
.
The village has a connection with Sir Francis Drake whose father became its vicar in 1560 after having been prayer-reader to the Medway fleet.
Under the 14th century church is a small crypt
(a charnel house
) where bones were kept when the churchyard was full. It was discovered in 1877 and the bones re-interred. The church is also notable for its very unusual 'candle-snuffer' steeple where an octagonal pyramid appears to have been stacked on top of a square one resembling a couple of inverted ice-cream cones. It is believed that the distinctive shape was chosen to serve as a navigational aid for shipping on The River Thames.
The settlement of Otterham Quay lies a mile west of the village at the head of Otterham Creek.
Upchurch also has a Cricket Club with a membership of 150 players. The club has developed into one of the finest cricketing facilities in Kent. They have developed a fine clubhouse,with two cricket squares and the first eleven has now risen into Division Three of the Kent League. They currently field 4 teams on a Saturday, two on a Sunday, and several youth teams.
http://upchurch.play-cricket.com/home/home.asp
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...
district 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...
. It is a civil parish within Swale Borough Council, and the village centre is about 1 mile (1.6 km) east of the boundary with the unitary authority of Medway
Medway
Medway is a conurbation and unitary authority in South East England. The Unitary Authority was formed in 1998 when the City of Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with Gillingham Borough Council and part of Kent County Council to form Medway Council, a unitary authority independent of Kent County...
.
History
Upchurch lay on a pre-Roman trackway; the many linking roads are the result of 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....
occupation, which had built a community of ex-soldiers who wanted to settle in England. A Roman cemetery has been discovered here. There were also several Roman pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
works sited here. It is probable that, although today the land is low-lying and marshy, it was once higher than it is today.
The Upchurch Hoard
Upchurch Hoard
The Upchurch Hoard was a pot containing thirty-seven Roman sestertii dating from the late 1st century to the second half of the 2nd century AD was found near the village of Upchurch, Kent, England in 1950.-Detail:...
is a hoard of well worn coins which date from the first and second century A.D. which were found close to Upchurch. A more recent pottery was established here in 1909 called the Upchurch Pottery
Upchurch Pottery
Upchurch Pottery was a pottery business established in 1909 in Upchurch, Kent, by the Wakely brothers.Most of the clay used in production was taken from what is now called Springbank Farm in Poot Lane Upchurch.-External links:*...
. Although it is now closed it became well known and could be found retailing through such outlets as Liberty & Co.
Liberty (department store)
Liberty is a long-established department store in Regent Street in Central London, England, in the West End shopping district.-Early years:...
.
The village has a connection with Sir Francis Drake whose father became its vicar in 1560 after having been prayer-reader to the Medway fleet.
Under the 14th century church is a small crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
(a charnel house
Charnel house
A charnel house is a vault or building where human skeletal remains are stored. They are often built near churches for depositing bones that are unearthed while digging graves...
) where bones were kept when the churchyard was full. It was discovered in 1877 and the bones re-interred. The church is also notable for its very unusual 'candle-snuffer' steeple where an octagonal pyramid appears to have been stacked on top of a square one resembling a couple of inverted ice-cream cones. It is believed that the distinctive shape was chosen to serve as a navigational aid for shipping on The River Thames.
The settlement of Otterham Quay lies a mile west of the village at the head of Otterham Creek.
Facilities
In the Village, there is a food store, a newsagent, a local chip shop, a post office, a hardware store and a Greengrocer.Upchurch also has a Cricket Club with a membership of 150 players. The club has developed into one of the finest cricketing facilities in Kent. They have developed a fine clubhouse,with two cricket squares and the first eleven has now risen into Division Three of the Kent League. They currently field 4 teams on a Saturday, two on a Sunday, and several youth teams.
http://upchurch.play-cricket.com/home/home.asp