Blean
| Blean | |
  Blean Blean shown within Kent | |
| OS grid reference | TR119608 |
|---|---|
| Civil parish | Blean |
| District | City of Canterbury |
| Shire county | Kent |
| Region | South East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CANTERBURY |
| Postcode district | CT2 |
| Dialling code | 01227 |
| Police | Kent |
| Fire | Kent |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | Canterbury |
Blean is located in the Canterbury district of Kent, England. It is the name of the civil parish as well as the village within it: the latter is scattered along the road between Canterbury and Whitstable, in the middle of what was once the extensive Forest of Blean.
The village name of Blean is thought to have derived from the Old English word ‘blea’ which means rough ground.[1]
The parish church is dedicated to St Cosmus and St Damian in the Blean: the ancient ecclesiastical parish carries the same title. It is a 13th-century building, set away from the village.
Blean is the birthplace of early England woman cricketer, Peta Taylor. The Blean Beagles Hunt that set out from the village gave its name to HMS Blean.
Blean is the home of Smallfilms, the production company that created the animated television series Ivor the Engine, Bagpuss and the Clangers, among many others. The programmes were filmed in a barn on the Blean farm owned by co-founder Peter Firmin (the other founder being Oliver Postgate). The bay window of Firmin's house was featured in the opening sequence of Bagpuss.[2]
According to Douglas Adams's humorous dictionary "The Meaning of Liff" (1983), a Blean is a "Scientific measure of luminosity: 1 glimmer = 100,000 bleans. Usherettes' torches are designed to produce between 2.5 and 4 bleans, enabling them to assist you in falling downstairs, treading on people or putting your hand into a Neapolitan tub when reaching for change".
References
- ↑ "Blean Parish Council".
- ↑ "Bagpuss - See Emily Play". BBC. London. 9 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Blean. |
