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Singlewell or Ifield

GraveshamKent geography stubsVillages in Kent
Church of St Margaret
Church of St Margaret

Singlewell or Ifield is the name given to the area south of Gravesend in Kent, England. Originally two separate settlements on either side of Watling Street, it is now separated by the A2 road and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and bears little resemblance to its past. Singlewell Road leads from Gravesend town southwards to the A2, linking with Hever Court Road just to the north of the former site of the A2. The A2 was moved to the South in the 2000s, allowing a widening from three to four lanes in each direction. The carriageways were then turned into a parkland area. Singlewell is one of the highest points in Gravesham, including Marling Cross, which forms the junction at Gravesend East on the A2, which is the highest point in the Borough. The name Singlewell, originally Shinglewell – and not therefore referring to it having the only well in the district – and its eponymous ancient well with ancient origins has now come to mean the area now part of the built-up area of Gravesend. The well was filled in during World War I. The original Watling Street is now Hever Court Road and the nearby estate named after it was built in 1957. Hever Court itself was the original home of the medieval family who moved to Hever, Kent in 1331. Hever Court eventually became derelict and was demolished in 1952. Ifield, once a large rural parish, is now a few houses south of the main road, and the tiny church of St Margaret, with Norman architecture included in its walls. The parish formed part of the Hundred of Toltingtrough, then Strood Rural District from 1894 and was abolished on 1 April 1935, split between Cobham and the Municipal Borough of Gravesend.The George Inn is also in Hever Court Road: it was a favourite establishment of Gravesend residents in the 19th century, being within walking distance from the town; not too different from today, although there is also a Best Western hotel (the Manor); and the Gravesend South Premier Inn, both serving traffic on the A2 road.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Singlewell or Ifield (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Singlewell or Ifield
Epsom Close, Gravesham Singlewell

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Latitude Longitude
N 51.412 ° E 0.3754 °
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Epsom Close

Epsom Close
DA12 5BF Gravesham, Singlewell
England, United Kingdom
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Church of St Margaret
Church of St Margaret
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Nurstead
Nurstead

Nurstead (or Nursted) is a locality, ecclesiastical parish and former civil parish situated 3 miles south of Gravesend and ½ a mile north of Meopham, Kent, England. The parish was in the Hundred of Toltingtrough in the Lathe of Aylesford in the county of Kent. It has an area of 522 acres.The name of the parish was "Notestede" in the Domesday Book, but by the 18th century although formally spelled "Nutsted" it was at this time commonly called Nursted.It is at present in the civil parish of Meopham, which is divided into three wards, one of which bears the name "Hook Green and Nurstead". Nurstead has a small 14th-century church, dedicated to Saint Mildred and this is still the church of the parish, although the benefice is united with Meopham. St Mildred's church is a listed building with walls of oblong flints.A quarter of a mile north of the church is Nurstead Court, one of the most famous small medieval houses in the country. The civil parish was abolished in 1935 when it was united with Cobham and in 1963 it was transferred to Meopham. A minor exception was Zimmermans a private bungalow built between 1928 and 1930 on 3/4 acre of land purchased from Nurstead Court Estate. This land was next to the border with Cobham and was not transferred into Meopham in 1963, as indicated in 2000 when a boundary marker was erected on White Post Lane. The Sallows Shaw area south of that road also remained in Cobham.Nurstead is a small parish, being not quite a mile in extent each way. It lies most of it on high ground, and has a great variety of soils, having in it arable, orchard, and hop ground, and some woodland towards the north boundary of it, next to Northfleet (formerly a parish and then an Urban District; it joins to Meopham southward. In 1797 there were but five houses in it, i.e.. Nurstead Court, Nurstead Hill Farm at the west end of the parish, and Copthall, at the east end, plus two cottages. Nurstead has a thriving village team in the grounds on Nurstead Court. In the following century and up until the abolition of the civil parish, the population remained low, as follows:

Windmill Hill, Kent

Windmill Hill is an area of Gravesend, Kent. It is named for its erstwhile windmills, offers extensive views across the Thames, and was a popular spot for Victorian visitors to the town, because of the Camera obscura installed in the old mill and for its tea gardens and other amusements. The hill was the site of a beacon in 1377, which was instituted by Richard II, and still in use 200 years later at the time of the Spanish Armada, although the hill was then known as "Rouge Hill". A modern beacon was erected and lit, by then-Mayor Peter Hart, during 1988, for the 400th anniversary of the defeat of the Spanish Armada. During the reign of Elizabeth I the first windmill was placed on top the highest point in Gravesend, 179 ft (55 m) above the high water mark of the river. One mill burnt down in 1763, but was replaced the following year and was demolished, having become derelict, in 1894 - the last surviving windmill on the hill. The adjacent public house was destroyed by fire during Mafeking Night celebrations in 1900.In August 1606 King James, Anne of Denmark, her brother Christian IV of Denmark, and Prince Henry came to Upnor Castle. They had dinner aboard the Elizabeth Jonas. After dinner they took coaches to Windmill Hill to watch naval cannon salutes.During World War I a German airship passed over Windmill Hill and dropped bombs on it. Today there are three markers indicating where these bombs struck. Windmill Hill is one of Graveshams 24 conservation areas. The 'Windmill Hill Association' looks after matters related to the area and holds regular meetings to discuss local issues.