Hempstead, Kent
Encyclopedia
Hempstead is a settlement near Gillingham, Kent
, part of the urban area of the Medway Towns.
adjacent to Wigmore
and Lordswood
and linked to Gillingham and the M2 by the A278 trunk road
.
Most of Hempstead is in a valley, with Hempstead Valley Drive running along the length of the bottom of it, with housing on both sides.
then known as "Hemsted" denoted a few houses along today's still-extant Hempstead Road. The hamlet's original farmhouse still stands; Lands owned by this farm bequeathed to regional administration have become todays' "Hempstead Playing Fields". The Hempstead Field currently supports football; once it fielded a winning cricket team, since disbanded.
By the early 1980s significant areas of legacy woodland and orchard ranging from Gillingham Link Road (A289) to the Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre, across to Capstone Road and back to the border of Wigmore Business Park were developed by Wards Construction. More recent planning applications made to Medway Council for the development of areas west of Hempstead, around Capstone and towards Princes Park, have at present been staved off.
) and Medway's largest Marks & Spencer
. The centre also once housed the world's largest branch of NSS.
Development of the centre commenced in 1974, creating 250000 square feet (23,225.8 m²) of retail space. In the early 1990s an extension was built which is now home to a 80000 sq ft (7,432.2 m²) M&S.
The original Picnic Parlour at Hempstead Valley was the UK's first food court
and the centre was modelled on successful complexes in North America. It was originally planned to be an open-air shopping centre but the concept was changed to a covered shopping complex. The centre opened on 17 October 1978.
Gillingham, Kent
Gillingham is a town in the unitary authority of Medway in South East England. It is part of the ceremonial county of Kent. The town includes the settlements of Brompton, Hempstead, Rainham, Rainham Mark and Twydall....
, part of the urban area of the Medway Towns.
Location and geography
It is located on the southern edge of the borough of MedwayMedway
Medway is a conurbation and unitary authority in South East England. The Unitary Authority was formed in 1998 when the City of Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with Gillingham Borough Council and part of Kent County Council to form Medway Council, a unitary authority independent of Kent County...
adjacent to Wigmore
Wigmore, Kent
Wigmore is a suburb/village in the Unitary Authority of Medway, in Kent, England.The placename is attested in 1275 as Wydemere, from an Old English *wīd-mere "broad pool"....
and Lordswood
Lordswood, Kent
Lordswood is a suburb of Chatham, Kent, located approximately 3 miles south of Chatham Town Centre. It is primarily in Medway UA but a small southern section is in Maidstone BC.- External links :* * * *...
and linked to Gillingham and the M2 by the A278 trunk road
A278 road
The A278 is a road running north-south in north Kent, England. The whole length of the road is dual carriageway, within Medway Council but is a non-primary route.- History :...
.
Most of Hempstead is in a valley, with Hempstead Valley Drive running along the length of the bottom of it, with housing on both sides.
History
Settlement of Hempstead dates back to at least mid-1600. Within the records of the Hundred of Chatham & Gillingham a hamletHamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
then known as "Hemsted" denoted a few houses along today's still-extant Hempstead Road. The hamlet's original farmhouse still stands; Lands owned by this farm bequeathed to regional administration have become todays' "Hempstead Playing Fields". The Hempstead Field currently supports football; once it fielded a winning cricket team, since disbanded.
By the early 1980s significant areas of legacy woodland and orchard ranging from Gillingham Link Road (A289) to the Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre, across to Capstone Road and back to the border of Wigmore Business Park were developed by Wards Construction. More recent planning applications made to Medway Council for the development of areas west of Hempstead, around Capstone and towards Princes Park, have at present been staved off.
Facilities
Hempstead has a church, a library, a Scout group, two doctors' surgeries and an infant and junior school.The Church
All Saints Church was built in 1911 as a mission chapel and was a part of the Parish of Luton.The school
Hempstead School was founded in 1907 in the building that is now Hempstead Library. In the 1980s, the school split to form an Infant school and a Junior school. There are approximately 90 children in each year group (3 classes of thriry per year group). There are 3 years in the Infant school (Year R, Year 1 and Year 2) and four years in the Junior school (Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6). The schools occupy two sides of the same site, with playing fields in between.Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre
The area is host to a large shopping complex called Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre. It was one of the first out-of-town shopping centres in Kent. The centre includes the county's largest branch of Sainsbury's (formerly a SavacentreSavaCentre
Sainsbury’s SavaCentre was a chain of 13 hypermarkets and later a further seven discount supermarkets operated by Sainsbury's and BHS, then later by Sainsbury's alone, from 1977 until 2005. The stores have now been integrated into the Sainsbury's supermarket brand. The hypermarket stores ranged in...
) and Medway's largest Marks & Spencer
Marks & Spencer
Marks and Spencer plc is a British retailer headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, with over 700 stores in the United Kingdom and over 300 stores spread across more than 40 countries. It specialises in the selling of clothing and luxury food products...
. The centre also once housed the world's largest branch of NSS.
Development of the centre commenced in 1974, creating 250000 square feet (23,225.8 m²) of retail space. In the early 1990s an extension was built which is now home to a 80000 sq ft (7,432.2 m²) M&S.
The original Picnic Parlour at Hempstead Valley was the UK's first food court
Food court
A food court is generally an indoor plaza or common area within a facility that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food vendors and provides a common area for self-serve dining. Food courts may be found in shopping malls and airports, and in various regions may be a standalone development...
and the centre was modelled on successful complexes in North America. It was originally planned to be an open-air shopping centre but the concept was changed to a covered shopping complex. The centre opened on 17 October 1978.
