| Istead Rise | |
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Istead Rise
Istead Rise shown within Kent |
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| Population | 3,600 (2005)[1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | TQ636700 |
| - Charing Cross | 25 mi (40 km) WNW |
| District | Gravesham |
| Shire county | Kent |
| Region | South East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | GRAVESEND |
| Postcode district | DA13 |
| Dialling code | 01474 |
| Police | Kent |
| Fire | Kent |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | Gravesham |
| List of places: UK • England • Kent | |
Istead Rise is a village 3 miles (5 km) south of Gravesend in Kent, England. It is in the borough of Gravesham and has a population of 3,505 (2001 census).
By road, it is 23 miles (37 km) east of London on the A2 road. The nearest railway station is 2 miles (3 km) away at Meopham (39 minutes from London Victoria). Istead Rise is 4 miles (6 km) from Ebbsfleet International railway station which opened in 2007 for Eurostar services to Paris, Brussels and Lille. In June 2009, North Kent commuter trains started running on the high speed track to London St Pancras (16 minutes away), stopping only at Stratford.
The new Linear Park, on the site of the old A2, is 15 minutes' walk away, 5 minutes by bike, and is suited to cycling, walking and jogging. At one end are Nell's Cafe and Shorne Country Park, and at the other end are Morrisons and Sainsbury's. Nearby is Ifield, a quiet little village with a beautiful church.
Istead Rise Primary School provides education for children till the age of 11. In addition, on the site of the primary school, there are two nursery schools.
St Barnabas Church (Church of England), founded in 1957, is located near the shops.
There is a small parade of shops with an Indian restaurant, bakery, butcher, pharmacy, supermarket, hardware store, dry cleaner, and dentist. On Lewis Road there is a hairdresser, florist and dentist. There is also a new medical practice.
Istead Rise was a pig-farming community in the 1860s, situated in the North Downs pathway. Indeed, a pig farm used to exist on what is now the site of Istead Rise Primary School. Kent County Council acquired the site prior to building the new school in the 1960s. Prior to this, Istead Rise did not have a school as there were insufficient children in the area to make this viable. References to this can be found in the local censuses.
As well as pig farm on Downs Road, there were orchards on what is now the Community Centre field and the surrounding housing area. There was also a flower farm with large greenhouses around what is now Flower Hill House and Flowerhill Way. Edward & Kenneth Crush used to deliver coke to heat the greenhouses. Frog Island is on the site of what is now Istead Rise Parade. Frog Island is also the name of the local Morris Men group. References to these can be found in the local history of Istead Rise "The Rise of the Rise", by Ken Jones.
Istead Rise community centre was destroyed by a fire started during a burglary on 20 March 2007. The centre was re-built and opened again on 17 December 2008[2]
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Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Istead_Rise Istead Rise] at Wikimedia Commons