Murston

Murston
Murston
 Murston shown within Kent
Population 5,300 (2005)[1]
DistrictSwale
Shire countyKent
RegionSouth East
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Police Kent
Fire Kent
Ambulance South East Coast
EU Parliament South East England
List of places
UK
England
Kent

Coordinates: 51°20′28″N 0°45′09″E / 51.341°N 0.7524°EMurston is a suburb of Sittingbourne in Kent, England. It is about 1 mile north-east of central Sittingbourne, on the east bank of the Milton Creek.

Church of All Saints

According to Edward Hasted in 1798, it was once called 'Muston'. The parish contains about 1000 acres of land, of which about 30 are used as woodland. North of the village are salt marshes. Which suffer from winter fogs and are foul smelling.[2]

In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales, referred to Murston having a post-office (under Sittingbourne control), and a quay and several docks on the creek. It also comprised 1,317 acres of land, and 145 acres of water. The population in 1851 was 191 and then in 1861 it rose to 572. There was a ferry over the Swale to Elmley.[3]

The older records, mention the Manor of 'Herst Hall'. King Richard I, while at the Siege of Acon in Palestine, he was assisted by 'Bartholomew de Murston' of the manor. Later, John de Murston became owner of the manor, during the reign of Edward III. Sir Edward Hales, 1st Baronet was another manor owner. The widow of Sir Roger Twisden, 6th Baronet was the owner in 1798.[2]

Also within the parish is East Hall, which also had a manorship. It has passed through many hands including the St. Leger family in 1377.[2] It now is a Grade II listed building.[4]

Also in the parish is the estate of Mere Court (named due to the closeness to the marshes). It has passed through many hands including Sir Arnold Savage's father in 1374. It also now is a Grade II listed building.[5]

The village also has (the Grade II listed) Church of All Saints.,[6] which is in the diocese of Canterbury, and deanery of Sittingborne.[2] It also now acts as a branch of Kent Savers Credit Union.[7]

1930's maps show a brickmaking works near Mere Court Farm. These, then had moved closer to the Milton Creek in the 1940s.

Then in 1990 Central Park Stadium was built for Sittingbourne F.C. but it is now used by Kent Kings.

The former brickworks have been replaced by a large industrial estate (called the Eurolink Industrial Estate),[8] including the Bayford Meadows Kart Circuit.[9]

On the northern boundary of the parish, the Swale Way (a bypass route called the 'Sittingbourne Northern Relief road' (which was built in 2010/11)), passes over the Milton Creek heads from the A249 road (past Kemsley) towards the Eurolink Industrial estate and towards the East Hall Farm residential development.[10] Plans were to extend it past Bapchild to the Kent Science Park near Highsted,[11] before joining the M2 Motorway. But these have be put on hold due to cost and planning issues.[12]

Beyond the Swale Way, the area towards the Swale is still marshland. The Murston Lakes connected to the Swale, were initially constructed for earlier brickworks, later used for oyster rearing and are now part of 'Little Murston Nature Reserve'. They are designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA).[13] Passing along the Swale and down along the Milton Creek towards Sittingbourne is the Saxon Shore Way (a long distance path around most of Kent).[14]

References

  1. ↑ "2005 Ward Level Population Estimates". Kent County Council. September 2006. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Hasted, Edward (1798). "Parishes". The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent (Institute of Historical Research) 6: 143–150. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  3. ↑ "Murston, Kent". visionofbritain.org.uk. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  4. ↑ "East Hall, Sittingbourne". www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  5. ↑ "Meres Court, with Cottage Attached, Sittingbourne". www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  6. ↑ "Church of All Saints, Sittingbourne". www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  7. ↑ Robinson, Hayley (8 January 2014). "Church-based Kent Savers Credit Union at All Saints in Murston will take on payday lenders after call by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby". kentonline.co.uk. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  8. ↑ "EUROLINK INDUSTRIAL ESTATE". bbc.co.uk. 1986. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
  9. ↑ Bayford Meadows
  10. ↑ "Sittingbourne Northern Relief Road opens". kentnews.co.uk. 15 December 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
  11. ↑ "Kent Science Park eyes successful 2012". kentnews.co.uk. 10 January 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
  12. ↑ "Final stage of Northern Relief Road bypass is shelved". courier.co.uk. 16 March 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
  13. ↑ "Kent Minerals and Waste Development Framework SA Scoping Report" (pdf). kent.gov.uk. 2010. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  14. ↑ The Saxon Shore Way,Stage 6: Sittingbourne to Faversham

External links

Media related to Murston at Wikimedia Commons