Allhallows, Kent
Encyclopedia
Allhallows is a village and civil parish
on the Hoo Peninsula
in Kent
, England
. Situated in the northernmost part of Kent, and covering an area of 23.99 km², the parish is bounded on the north side by the River Thames
, and in the east by the course of Yantlet creek, now silted up. At the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,649.
Allhallows village is in two parts: the ancient Hoo All Hallows and the 20th century holiday colony Allhallows-on-Sea.
Near to the village of Allhallows is Windhill Green. There used to be a hamlet
on the site of Windhill Green, but now only one house remains.
All Saints church itself dates from the 12th century. It is the only Grade I listed building on the Hoo peninsula and is built of flint and stone with a lead roof. It has a west tower, north and south porches to the nave
, and a chancel
. The earliest part is the west end of the nave, followed by the south arcade
. The north arcade dates from the early 13th century, while the chancel arch and screen are 14th century. Money was left in 1472 "to the werkes of the body of the church", possibly to the nave. The chancel was heavily restored
in 1886 – 91. A notice in the church announces, "Previously scheduled for demolition under proposals for a London orbital international airport", referring to the 2004 putative Cliffe airport scheme.
A branch of the Pympe family lived on an estate with a mansion known as "Allhallows House".
Yantlet creek was once part of a navigable and fortified trade route, used from Roman
times. The Saxon Shore Way
passes close by the old boundaries, indicating silting over many centuries.
times, is believed to have been an island in its own right, belonging to a woman named "Heahburh". It is thought she may have been an abbess
, given that lands named after her were granted by the 7th century King Cædwalla of Wessex to the monastery at Medeshamstede
, now known as Peterborough
, presumably together with Hoo St Werburgh
.
In the 1930s, the Southern Railway, in an attempt to develop the area around the estuary as a holiday resort, opened a short branch from the Hundred of Hoo Railway branch line to Grain
. The terminus was north of the old village, and the new part of the settlement grew up around the station. The railway named its resort Allhallows-on-Sea in all its publicity. The planned development never took place, partly because of the onset of World War II
, but there is now a holiday park that includes a 9-hole golf course, fresh water fishing lake, and a small entertainments complex with both indoor and outdoor pool. This park is operated by Bourne Leisure Ltd.
It was just after the First World War
that Kent County Council and London County Council proposed the transformation of the remote and inhospitable marshland hamlet of All-Hallows into a major seaside resort, after the fashion of Victorian Herne Bay
. By the 1930s the river front at Avery Farm, about a mile north of the village, was set to become a holiday resort.
Alhallows-on-Sea was planned as the best holiday resort in Europe, and was to have the largest swimming pool in the UK with the first artificial wave generator in Europe, and an amusement park four times the size of the Blackpool
pleasure beach complex.
On 13 February 1937, the Gravesend Reporter carried the following:
The railway line was constructed with these proposals in mind. A large 1930s style pub, the British Pilot, was built to supersede the village inn, the Rose and Crown Tavern (now converted to a dwelling). Just opposite the parish church and old village shop (now long closed) and on the new approach way to the station, an art deco styled block of flats was added. But the overall plan never attracted the number of holidaymakers expected.
Allhallows failed to attract enough visitors and British Railways (Southern Region) shut the station in 1961. It has since been demolished and the site was sold for use as a holiday caravan park. The water tower (listed) still stands among the caravans.
The former Station Hotel has been converted into private flats. Extensive residential development has increased the population, elevating the ancient parish at last to the status of a village. Allhallows in 2004 escaped a grim end when government consultations finally agreed it would not be necessary to demolish the village to replace it with a car park for a suggested third London international airport at Cliffe.
Squadron was involved in combat over the River Medway
, and during a skirmish with a Messerschmitt
Bf 109, the Spitfire
R6642 was damaged by enemy fire, forcing Pilot Officer J W Lund to bail out. The aircraft crashed on the shoreline of the River Medway near Allhallows at 11:50 am. The pilot was rescued by the Navy, but his aircraft remained a wreck on the tidal mudflats of Allhallows until the summer of 1998 when the site was excavated.
, new high-speed rail
lines would be built connecting Kent and Europe with North London, and the North East and North West of England. The scheme would also involve the remodelling of the Thames Estuary, by the construction of a four-runway airport
on the Isle of Grain, partially on land reclaimed from the estuary but including land at Allhallows and Lower Stoke. This plan is controversial.
Residents highlight the hazards presented by the presence of the wreck of the SS Richard Montgomery
with its 1400 tonnes of explosives, just off the Nore
, and the natural gas terminals that import and temporarily store 20% of the UK's natural gas. In addition there are 300,000 birds that breed along the flight path. Aviation specialists point to the difficulty of fitting another airport in this crowded airspace.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
on the Hoo Peninsula
Hoo Peninsula
The Hoo Peninsula is a peninsula in England separating the estuaries of the rivers Thames and Medway. It is dominated by a line of sand and clay hills, surrounded by an extensive area of marshland composed of alluvial silt. The name Hoo is the Old English word for spur of land.-History:The Romans...
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Situated in the northernmost part of Kent, and covering an area of 23.99 km², the parish is bounded on the north side by the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
, and in the east by the course of Yantlet creek, now silted up. At the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,649.
Allhallows village is in two parts: the ancient Hoo All Hallows and the 20th century holiday colony Allhallows-on-Sea.
Near to the village of Allhallows is Windhill Green. There used to be a hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
on the site of Windhill Green, but now only one house remains.
Hoo All Hallows
Hoo All Hallows is clustered round the parish church of All Saints, from which the village takes its name: Hallow meaning Saint. The Hoo (in 1285 written Ho) refers to a spur of land, and is thus a common element of place names on the spur or peninsula. Hoo All Hallows' parish registers date from 1629, and in 1841 the population was recorded as 268 people.All Saints church itself dates from the 12th century. It is the only Grade I listed building on the Hoo peninsula and is built of flint and stone with a lead roof. It has a west tower, north and south porches to the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
, and a chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
. The earliest part is the west end of the nave, followed by the south arcade
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
. The north arcade dates from the early 13th century, while the chancel arch and screen are 14th century. Money was left in 1472 "to the werkes of the body of the church", possibly to the nave. The chancel was heavily restored
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
in 1886 – 91. A notice in the church announces, "Previously scheduled for demolition under proposals for a London orbital international airport", referring to the 2004 putative Cliffe airport scheme.
A branch of the Pympe family lived on an estate with a mansion known as "Allhallows House".
Yantlet creek was once part of a navigable and fortified trade route, used from Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
times. The Saxon Shore Way
Saxon Shore Way
The Saxon Shore Way is a long-distance footpath in England, starting at Gravesend, Kent and traces the coast as it was in Roman times as far as Hastings, East Sussex, in total.-History:...
passes close by the old boundaries, indicating silting over many centuries.
Avery Farm
Avery Farm is on the tip of a promontory, which, in Anglo-SaxonAnglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
times, is believed to have been an island in its own right, belonging to a woman named "Heahburh". It is thought she may have been an abbess
Abbess
An abbess is the female superior, or mother superior, of a community of nuns, often an abbey....
, given that lands named after her were granted by the 7th century King Cædwalla of Wessex to the monastery at Medeshamstede
Medeshamstede
Medeshamstede was the name of Peterborough in the Anglo-Saxon period. It was the site of a monastery founded around the middle of the 7th century, which was an important feature in the kingdom of Mercia from the outset. Little is known of its founder and first abbot, Sexwulf, though he was himself...
, now known as Peterborough
Peterborough Cathedral
Peterborough Cathedral, properly the Cathedral Church of St Peter, St Paul and St Andrew – also known as Saint Peter's Cathedral in the United Kingdom – is the seat of the Bishop of Peterborough, dedicated to Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Andrew, whose statues look down from the...
, presumably together with Hoo St Werburgh
Hoo St Werburgh
Hoo St Werburgh is one of several villages on the Hoo Peninsula in Kent, England, to bear the name Hoo. It constitutes a civil parish in the borough of Medway, with a population of 7,356 at the 2001 census.- History :...
.
Allhallows-on-Sea
The modern holiday village of Allhallows-on-Sea lies to the north of the ancient village.In the 1930s, the Southern Railway, in an attempt to develop the area around the estuary as a holiday resort, opened a short branch from the Hundred of Hoo Railway branch line to Grain
Isle of Grain
The Isle of Grain, in the north of Kent, England, is the easternmost point of the Hoo Peninsula. No longer an island, the Isle is almost all marshland and the Grain Marshes are an important habitat for birdlife...
. The terminus was north of the old village, and the new part of the settlement grew up around the station. The railway named its resort Allhallows-on-Sea in all its publicity. The planned development never took place, partly because of the onset of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, but there is now a holiday park that includes a 9-hole golf course, fresh water fishing lake, and a small entertainments complex with both indoor and outdoor pool. This park is operated by Bourne Leisure Ltd.
It was just after the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
that Kent County Council and London County Council proposed the transformation of the remote and inhospitable marshland hamlet of All-Hallows into a major seaside resort, after the fashion of Victorian Herne Bay
Herne Bay, Kent
Herne Bay is a seaside town in Kent, South East England, with a population of 35,188. On the south coast of the Thames Estuary, it is north of Canterbury and east of Whitstable. It neighbours the ancient villages of Herne and Reculver and is part of the City of Canterbury local government district...
. By the 1930s the river front at Avery Farm, about a mile north of the village, was set to become a holiday resort.
Alhallows-on-Sea was planned as the best holiday resort in Europe, and was to have the largest swimming pool in the UK with the first artificial wave generator in Europe, and an amusement park four times the size of the Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
pleasure beach complex.
On 13 February 1937, the Gravesend Reporter carried the following:
"During the next month the Amusement Park will be started with a building of 60000 square feet (5,574.2 m²).
When completed the park will be four times the size of the famous one at BlackpoolBlackpoolBlackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
. Other features include: zoological gardens, yachting centre, physical training stadium, the largest swimming pool in the country with artificial waves, holiday camp and 5,000 houses, up to date hotels, restaurants, theatres and cinemas. The development, which will take some seven years to complete is costing millions of pounds, and when finished, the town covering something like two and half square miles of land, should prove to be of great convenience to the millions of Londoners, and others."
The railway line was constructed with these proposals in mind. A large 1930s style pub, the British Pilot, was built to supersede the village inn, the Rose and Crown Tavern (now converted to a dwelling). Just opposite the parish church and old village shop (now long closed) and on the new approach way to the station, an art deco styled block of flats was added. But the overall plan never attracted the number of holidaymakers expected.
Allhallows railway station
Allhallows-on-Sea railway station was opened at the end of Avery Way (on the south side) on 16 May 1932, and was built to serve the newly-planned holiday destination. It became a part of the South Eastern & Chatham Railway network, acting as a terminus of the branch line out of Gravesend.Allhallows failed to attract enough visitors and British Railways (Southern Region) shut the station in 1961. It has since been demolished and the site was sold for use as a holiday caravan park. The water tower (listed) still stands among the caravans.
The former Station Hotel has been converted into private flats. Extensive residential development has increased the population, elevating the ancient parish at last to the status of a village. Allhallows in 2004 escaped a grim end when government consultations finally agreed it would not be necessary to demolish the village to replace it with a car park for a suggested third London international airport at Cliffe.
Allhallows at war
On the morning of 15 October 1940, a Royal Air ForceRoyal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
Squadron was involved in combat over the River Medway
River Medway
The River Medway, which is almost entirely in Kent, England, flows for from just inside the West Sussex border to the point where it enters the Thames Estuary....
, and during a skirmish with a Messerschmitt
Messerschmitt
Messerschmitt AG was a famous German aircraft manufacturing corporation named for its chief designer, Willy Messerschmitt, and known primarily for its World War II fighter aircraft, notably the Bf 109 and Me 262...
Bf 109, the Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
R6642 was damaged by enemy fire, forcing Pilot Officer J W Lund to bail out. The aircraft crashed on the shoreline of the River Medway near Allhallows at 11:50 am. The pilot was rescued by the Navy, but his aircraft remained a wreck on the tidal mudflats of Allhallows until the summer of 1998 when the site was excavated.
Future proposals
In November 2011, Lord Foster published proposals to improve the transport system of South East England. Under these proposals, called the Thames HubThames Hub
The Thames Hub is a proposal for a new approach to integrated infrastructure development that combines rail, freight logistics, aviation, renewable energy and its transmission, flood protection and regional development in the Thames Estuary and connects this infrastructure to a trade and utilities...
, new high-speed rail
High-speed rail
High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions by the European Union include for upgraded track and or faster for new track, whilst in the United States, the U.S...
lines would be built connecting Kent and Europe with North London, and the North East and North West of England. The scheme would also involve the remodelling of the Thames Estuary, by the construction of a four-runway airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
on the Isle of Grain, partially on land reclaimed from the estuary but including land at Allhallows and Lower Stoke. This plan is controversial.
Residents highlight the hazards presented by the presence of the wreck of the SS Richard Montgomery
SS Richard Montgomery
SS Richard Montgomery was an American Liberty ship built during World War II, one of the 2,710 used to carry cargo during the war. The ship was wrecked off the Nore in the Thames Estuary in 1944 with around 1,400 tons of explosives on board, which continue to be a hazard to the area.-History:The...
with its 1400 tonnes of explosives, just off the Nore
Nore
The Nore is a sandbank at the mouth of the Thames Estuary, England. It marks the point where the River Thames meets the North Sea, roughly halfway between Havengore Creek in Essex and Warden Point in Kent....
, and the natural gas terminals that import and temporarily store 20% of the UK's natural gas. In addition there are 300,000 birds that breed along the flight path. Aviation specialists point to the difficulty of fitting another airport in this crowded airspace.