Bilsington is a village and civil parish[1] in the Ashford district of Kent, England. The village is about 5 miles (8 km) south of Ashford, on the B2067 road, Hamstreet to Hythe road north of the Royal Military Canal.
| Bilsington | |
|---|---|
 Parish church of St Peter & St Paul | |
  Bilsington Location within Kent | |
| Area | 11.12 km2 (4.29 sq mi) |
| Population | 302 (2021 Census) |
| • Density | 27/km2 (70/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | TR0434 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Tonbridge |
| Postcode district | TN25 |
| Dialling code | 01233 |
| Police | Kent |
| Fire | Kent |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Bilsington Parish Council |
About of a quarter of the parish is wooded, along most of the northern slopes leading up to the escarpment of the High Weald. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 284.[2]
History
editParish church
editThe Church of England parish church of Saints Peter and Paul was built in the 12th century. Above the west door to the tower is some 12th-century stonework.[3][4] One blocked Norman window survives over the south door.
The other windows were replaced in the 14th century and include some fragments of original Medieval glass. The west tower was added in the 16th century. Above the chancel arch hangs the Royal arms of George III, dated 1774. The church was restored in 1883 to designs by Joseph Clarke. It is a Grade II* listed building.[5]
Priory
edit
The Augustinian Priory of St Mary was founded in 1253 and suppressed in the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536. Its surviving buildings are about 3⁄4 mile (1 km) north of the village.
The Aldington Gang is said to have used the Priory in some of its smuggling exploits of the 1820s.[citation needed] In 1906 the surviving buildings were restored to designs by JT Micklethwaite. They are Grade I listed.[6] The Priory is now a wedding and conference venue.[7]
Royal Military Canal
editThe Royal Military Canal passes through the parish just south of the village. It was begun in 1804 and completed in 1809.
Cosway monument
editJust west of the village is an obelisk 58 feet (18 m) high. It is a monument erected in 1835 to the memory of Member of Parliament and local landowner Sir William Cosway, who was killed in a coaching accident in 1834.[8]
Amenities
editBilsington has a pub, the White Horse,[9] and a Cricket Club.[10]
References
edit- ^ Bilsington Parish Council Archived 2 January 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Area: Bilsington (Parish): Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
- ^ Romsey Deanery Archived 21 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Notes on the village Archived 21 December 2005 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Historic England. "Church of St Peter and St Paul (Grade II*) (1071191)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ Historic England. "St Augustines Priory (Medieval Buildings) (Grade I) (1362769)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ Bilsington Priory Estate Ltd
- ^ Historic England. "The Cosway Monument (Grade II) (1184823)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
- ^ The White Horse Bilsington
- ^ Welcome to Bilsington Cricket Club
Further reading
edit- Hasted, Edward (1799). "Bilsington". The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent. Vol. 8. Canterbury: W Bristow. pp. 344–352.
- Newman, John (1976) [1969]. West Kent and the Weald. The Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 171–172. ISBN 0-14-071038-8.
- Page, WH, ed. (1926). "The priory of Bilsington". A History of the County of Kent. Victoria County History. Vol. 2. London: The St Catherine Press. pp. 156–157.
External links
edit