Etchinghill, Kent
Encyclopedia
Etchinghill is a village
in Kent
, England
, about 5 km north of Hythe
, and 1 km north of the Channel Tunnel
terminal at Cheriton, near Folkestone
. The village has a standard golf course noted for its hills, as well as a pub restaurant called The New Inn which claims to be the closest pub to the Channel Tunnel
. Village facilities include a basketball court, two football goals, and a village hall. A large BT Group
communication mast, which was used as a telecommunication relay during the Cold War
, still stands in the village.
, characterised by steep-sided cuttings and tunnels. The line which ran from Canterbury to the port of Folkestone, was closed in 1947 and dismantled between 1950 and 1954.
The line is crossed by Teddars Leas Road (bridge) and Badger's Bridge as well as the Golf Course.
Although there was no station in Etchinghill, villagers could catch the train by travelling to the neighbouring village of Lyminge, approximately 2 miles to the North via road or one of the many public footpaths.
and north to the village of Lyminge where the church is; the track up Westfield Lane over Tolsford Hill led people to West Hythe no doubt, but the importance of this waned as the coastline altered; and a final lane (now vanished) led to Newington
. In 1835/6 the first major change came to Etchinghill with the opening of the Elham Union Workhouse.
Prior to this each Parish
had relieved the poor the best way they could, usually by allowing them to remain in their own homes and giving them dole
. This had, by the 19th Century, become very difficult to maintain and in 1834 Parliament passed an Act reforming poor relief and suggested parishes grouped together. Fifteen Parishes, including Folkestone
, grouped together to form the Elham Union. The bought two acres of land at Etchinghill for £120 and built a house to accommodate about 300 paupers at a cost of £6,500. The house was run by a husband and wife team entitled the “Master” and “Mistress”.
They were assisted by a clerk who kept the accounts, etc. A schoolmaster and schoolmistress were also provided and, later on, a nurse.
All the other work was done by the inmates. The conditions were very harsh. Husbands were separated from wives and mothers from children. The diet was very basic, usually bread and cheese with vegetables on some days and meat only on Sundays. Alcohol was strictly forbidden, although this didn’t prevent the board of Guardians meeting weekly at the Coach and Horses in Lyminge! The elderly, who were obviously expected to spend the rest of their days in the workhouse, were not even allowed out for an occasional visit. In 1841 an additional building was erected to house some of the many vagrants who wandered the countryside.
To pay for their bed and bread and water they were expected to pick oakum
and break stones for the roads. What the local residents thought of them, whose numbers eventually became so great some had to be housed in the stables, is not recorded! Fortunately, public opinion began to alter. It was realised that poverty, and especially poverty and old age, could not be avoided sometimes even by the most hard working and by 1930 the workhouses were handed over to County Councils and ceased to exist and many – as was the case with Etchinghill – were turned into old people’s homes.
St Mary’s Hospital, as it was then known, was bright and cheerful and was run by dedicated staff and it was helped by a very active League of Friends who raised money to provide many additional comforts for the residents.
Over the years the hamlet has grown with additional development on all four of the roads leading from the crossroads, the establishment of a cricket club and, more recently, the creation of a golf course spreading across the land which separates Etchinghill from Lyminge.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
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...
, about 5 km north of Hythe
Hythe, Kent
Hythe , is a small coastal market town on the edge of Romney Marsh, in the District of Shepway on the south coast of Kent. The word Hythe or Hithe is an Old English word meaning Haven or Landing Place....
, and 1 km north of the Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...
terminal at Cheriton, near Folkestone
Folkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
. The village has a standard golf course noted for its hills, as well as a pub restaurant called The New Inn which claims to be the closest pub to the Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...
. Village facilities include a basketball court, two football goals, and a village hall. A large BT Group
BT Group
BT Group plc is a global telecommunications services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is one of the largest telecommunications services companies in the world and has operations in more than 170 countries. Through its BT Global Services division it is a major supplier of...
communication mast, which was used as a telecommunication relay during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, still stands in the village.
Railway
To the North-East of the Village are the remains of the Elham Valley RailwayElham Valley Railway
The Elham Valley Railway is a disused railway line that runs through the Elham Valley connecting Folkestone and Canterbury in East Kent. It was operational from 1887 to 1947.- History :...
, characterised by steep-sided cuttings and tunnels. The line which ran from Canterbury to the port of Folkestone, was closed in 1947 and dismantled between 1950 and 1954.
The line is crossed by Teddars Leas Road (bridge) and Badger's Bridge as well as the Golf Course.
Although there was no station in Etchinghill, villagers could catch the train by travelling to the neighbouring village of Lyminge, approximately 2 miles to the North via road or one of the many public footpaths.
Bosche Buster
During the war, Etchinghill was home to the famous 'Bosche-Buster', a large gun, mounted on a railway carriage which could be retracted into one of the many tunnels to provide cover from aerial photography and German bombing raids. The gun could fire across the channel into German-occupied France with a range of over 30 miles.History
The hamlet of Etchinghill lies at the southern end of the Parish of Lyminge. Its original name was Tettinghelde 1240 (Tetta’s slope). A spring rises to the north side of Westfield Lane, (the road to Tolsford Hill) and the resultant stream flows across the fields to join up with the Nailbourne that rises in Well Field, Lyminge. This stream is known as the East Brook and probably in the Saxon period, when the settlement got its name of Tetinghelde, the volume of water would have been much greater. By the 15th Century the hamlet’s name had altered to “Etynghyld” and “Etynghyll”. Later known as Eachendhill or Etchinghole before settling to become Etchinghill. For centuries the hamlet remained a small farming community around the cross-roads, one of which led to Dover; one going south to HytheHythe, Kent
Hythe , is a small coastal market town on the edge of Romney Marsh, in the District of Shepway on the south coast of Kent. The word Hythe or Hithe is an Old English word meaning Haven or Landing Place....
and north to the village of Lyminge where the church is; the track up Westfield Lane over Tolsford Hill led people to West Hythe no doubt, but the importance of this waned as the coastline altered; and a final lane (now vanished) led to Newington
Newington, Shepway
Newington is a village in Kent, England one mile west-north-west of Folkestone. It gives its name to Newington-Shepway Parish Council, which has five councillors, and includes the hamlets of Arpinge and Beachborough...
. In 1835/6 the first major change came to Etchinghill with the opening of the Elham Union Workhouse.
Prior to this each Parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
had relieved the poor the best way they could, usually by allowing them to remain in their own homes and giving them dole
Outdoor relief
This article refers to Britain's welfare provision after the 1601 Poor Law. For welfare programmes see Social securityAfter the passing of the Elizabethan Poor Law , outdoor relief was that kind of poor relief where assistance was in the form of money, food, clothing or goods, given to alleviate...
. This had, by the 19th Century, become very difficult to maintain and in 1834 Parliament passed an Act reforming poor relief and suggested parishes grouped together. Fifteen Parishes, including Folkestone
Folkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
, grouped together to form the Elham Union. The bought two acres of land at Etchinghill for £120 and built a house to accommodate about 300 paupers at a cost of £6,500. The house was run by a husband and wife team entitled the “Master” and “Mistress”.
They were assisted by a clerk who kept the accounts, etc. A schoolmaster and schoolmistress were also provided and, later on, a nurse.
All the other work was done by the inmates. The conditions were very harsh. Husbands were separated from wives and mothers from children. The diet was very basic, usually bread and cheese with vegetables on some days and meat only on Sundays. Alcohol was strictly forbidden, although this didn’t prevent the board of Guardians meeting weekly at the Coach and Horses in Lyminge! The elderly, who were obviously expected to spend the rest of their days in the workhouse, were not even allowed out for an occasional visit. In 1841 an additional building was erected to house some of the many vagrants who wandered the countryside.
To pay for their bed and bread and water they were expected to pick oakum
Oakum
Oakum is a preparation of tarred fiber used in shipbuilding, for caulking or packing the joints of timbers in wooden vessels and the deck planking of iron and steel ships, as well as cast iron plumbing applications...
and break stones for the roads. What the local residents thought of them, whose numbers eventually became so great some had to be housed in the stables, is not recorded! Fortunately, public opinion began to alter. It was realised that poverty, and especially poverty and old age, could not be avoided sometimes even by the most hard working and by 1930 the workhouses were handed over to County Councils and ceased to exist and many – as was the case with Etchinghill – were turned into old people’s homes.
St Mary’s Hospital, as it was then known, was bright and cheerful and was run by dedicated staff and it was helped by a very active League of Friends who raised money to provide many additional comforts for the residents.
Over the years the hamlet has grown with additional development on all four of the roads leading from the crossroads, the establishment of a cricket club and, more recently, the creation of a golf course spreading across the land which separates Etchinghill from Lyminge.