Elham
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- Elham, Gholam-Hossein is the official spokesman of the government of Iran.
Elham (pronounced Eel-um) is a village in East Kent. It is situated between Canterbury and Folkestone in the Elham Valley (a chalk valley carved by the River Nailbourne). To the south of Elham is the village of Lyminge.
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[edit] History
It is unclear as to how the village developed its name. Whilst it was listed in the domesday book as Alham it was often thought that the village gained its name from the number of eels found in the Nailbourne which flows through the village. However, it is more likely that the village developed its name from Ulaham which it is first listed as in the Anglo Saxon charter of 855A.D.
St Mary's Church dates from about 1200 whilst the Abbot's Fireside Restaurant on the high street is of Tudor origin (built in 1641). This is reputed to have been the headquarters of the Duke of Wellington during the times when there was a threat from Napoleonic invasion. In the centre of the village is the square. This dates from 1251 when the village was granted a market by Edward I and was in use until the early 19th century. The village once had two windmills but both now no longer exist.
The Elham Valley Railway was opened in 1889 and closed in 1947. There are still clues to its existence throughout the parish such as the remains of the station platforms at the bottom of Duck Lane. Until the early 1900s a brickworks existed within the village (the Elham Valley Brick and Tile Company) with kilns situated on the east side of the valley. Today, the population of the village is around a thousand.
[edit] Nature
Elham is situated deep in the heart of the North Downs. The hills on both sides of the valley are important havens for wildlife. There are numerous patches of rare unimproved and semi-improved chalk downland which support a wide range of plants such as birds-foot trefoil, wild thyme, salad burnet and marjoram. It is also possible to find orchids such as pyramidal, common spotted, fragrant and twayblade on these slopes. Park Gate Down Nature Reserve lies within the parish and is often regarded as one the best areas of chalk downland in the country supporting a huge variety of orchids including some very rare species as well as other plants.
In the disused chalk pit on the eastern slopes of the valley it is possible to find fossils such as shells and sea urchins. The River Nailbourne also supports a healthy population of sticklebacks and many of the dew ponds in the parish support common frogs, toads and both smooth and palmate newts.
[edit] Famous people connected with Elham
Les Ames - born and brought up in Elham.
Audrey Hepburn - spent some of her childhood in Elham.
Anthony Eden - was known to have lived at Park Gate just north west of Elham during World War 2.
[edit] Places of interest
Elham Valley Vineyard
Park Gate Down Nature Reserve
[edit] External links
- Elham Valley Website
- Elham Valley Railway Trust Website
- Elham Parish Council Website
- Elham Area Churches
[edit] References
- ^ National Statistics Census 2001
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The district of Shepway in Kent, South East England with its suburbs, villages, towns and parishes: |
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Acrise • Brenzett • Brookland • Burmarsh • Capel-Le-Ferne • Cheriton • Denge • Dymchurch • Dungeness • Elham • Etchinghill • Folkestone • Greatstone • Hawkinge • Hythe • Ivychurch • Lade • Littlestone-on-Sea • Lydd • Lydd-on-Sea • Lyminge • Lympne • Newchurch • Newingreen • Newington • New Romney • Old Romney • Pedlinge • Postling • Romney Marsh • Saltwood • Sandgate • Sandling • Sellindge • Snargate • Stanford • Stelling Minnis • St Mary in the Marsh • St Mary's Bay • Tolsford • Westenhanger • West Hythe |
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| The district of Shepway List of places in Kent |
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