Saltwood

Saltwood
Saltwood
 Saltwood shown within Kent
Population 852 (parish, 2001 Census)
DistrictShepway
Shire countyKent
RegionSouth East
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town HYTHE
Postcode district CT21
Dialling code 01303
Police Kent
Fire Kent
Ambulance South East Coast
EU Parliament South East England
UK ParliamentFolkestone and Hythe
List of places
UK
England
Kent

Coordinates: 51°04′50″N 1°04′39″E / 51.0806°N 1.0776°E

Saltwood is a village and civil parish[1] in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Within the parish are two other settlements: Pedlinge and Sandling; both being small hamlets.

Geography

Saltwood is located immediately to the north of Hythe on the high land looking over the Romney Marsh. It is served by Sandling railway station on the South Eastern Main Line. It is surrounded by farming land.

Castle

Saltwood Castle,[2] once a possession of the Archbishops of Canterbury,[3] is located here, having been assigned to them by a deed of 1026 (now in the British Museum) signed by such leading figures as King Canute and Earl Godwin.[4] More recently this castle (now privately owned) has been home to Lord Clark of Saltwood and then his son Alan Clark MP. It is located about a mile to the north of the cinque port of Hythe, although the parish boundaries of Saltwood come very much closer to Hythe town centre.

Religious buildings

The Norman parish church is dedicated to St Peter & St Paul.[5] There is also an Anglican Chapel of ease at Pedlinge. The residents of Sandling Park, the estate and their estate employees traditionally worship at the latter, which is served by the parish priest (rector) of Saltwood.

Schools

There are two primary schools, Saltwood CEP,[6] and St Augustine's RCP,[7] as well as a major secondary comprehensive school, Brockhill Park Performing Arts College,[8] located in the parish.

Leisure

Brockhill Country Park is located here. Saltwood also has a Cricket team[9] which plays in the Kent Village League's Second Division, and has a ground and pavilion in the village at Kiln Corner, on the top of Tanners Hill.

Until 1987 Saltwood attracted visitors to a historical point of interest, the Saltwood Miniature Railway, which was the oldest miniature railway in the world, still extant.[10] However, in 1987 the railway closed. The locomotives and rolling stock were sold, and some time later the track was lifted. For about ten years it remained possible to follow the course of the line, but the entire site has now been redeveloped with new houses.

References

  1. ↑ Saltwood Parish Council
  2. ↑ Saltwood Castle
  3. ↑ this article at Catholic Encyclopedia quotes "The archbishop owned more than twenty manors in Kent alone, including the castle of Saltwood."
  4. ↑ See historical summary at Saltwood Castle's history page
  5. ↑ Saltwood Parish Church
  6. ↑ Saltwood CE Primary School
  7. ↑ St Augustines RC Primary School
  8. ↑ Brockhill Park Performing Arts College
  9. ↑ Saltwood Cricket Club
  10. ↑ See discussion at 7.25" Gauge Society homepage, or at the Saltwood Miniature Railway official website.

http://www.SaltwoodKent.co.uk''' for Saltwood War Memorial information and Saltwood Odds, Notes and Curiosities

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saltwood.