Longfield
Encyclopedia
Longfield is a village in the Dartford
borough of Kent
. It is located four miles south east of Dartford
and near Gravesend
. It contains several shops, a pub, and a 14th century church. It is recorded in the Domesday Book
and the Anglo-Saxon charters
of 964-995.
It had been proposed by Patrick Abercrombie
as part of the Greater London Plan
to build a New Town in the Longfield area - though this was rejected.
to the south.
The villages of New Barn
and Longfield are within and give their names to the civil parish of Longfield and New Barn
which also covers the settlement of Longfield Hill. Longfield is the ancient village, situated on the road between Dartford and Meopham
. New Barn is larger in population than Longfield, although has little in the way of services, being a recent development and purely a residential location.
made the village part of the Sevenoaks
of Kent in 1974. It was transferred to the borough of Dartford
in 1987.
Dr Howard Stoate
(Labour) had been the MP since 1997, but resigned in 2010.
, chemist, estate agents, hair-dressers, an antiques shop, various restaurants and take-aways, an undertakers and a country market on Fridays.
The church is dedicated to St Mary Magdalene, and was built in 1343.
which is operated by Southeastern (train operating company)
with services to London
and the Medway Towns
.
The railway was built in 1861, but Longfield station did not open until 1872. This building was replaced in 1902 after a fire, and rebuilt in 1971. The line was electrified just before the war, but it was many years before the company could be persuaded to set up safety fencing. Many people used to walk to Longfield Halt in Whitehill Road to catch the train to Gravesend West Street.
Longfield suffers from heavy traffic and queues daily.
Dartford (borough)
Dartford is the name given to a local government district and borough in north west Kent, England, which takes its name from its administrative capital. It borders Thurrock, to the north across the River Thames; to the west lies the London Borough of Bexley; to the south Sevenoaks district; and the...
borough of 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...
. It is located four miles south east of Dartford
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, east south-east of central London....
and near Gravesend
Gravesend, Kent
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. It is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of...
. It contains several shops, a pub, and a 14th century church. It is recorded in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
and the Anglo-Saxon charters
Anglo-Saxon Charters
Anglo-Saxon charters are documents from the early medieval period in Britain which typically make a grant of land or record a privilege. The earliest surviving charters were drawn up in the 670s; the oldest surviving charters granted land to the Church, but from the eighth century surviving...
of 964-995.
History
The place in Kent is recorded as 'Langanfelda' in the Saxon Charters of 964-995, and as 'Langafel' in the Domesday Book of 1086.It had been proposed by Patrick Abercrombie
Patrick Abercrombie
Sir Leslie Patrick Abercrombie ) was an English town planner. Educated at Uppingham School, Rutland; brother of Lascelles Abercrombie, poet and literary critic.-Career:...
as part of the Greater London Plan
Greater London Plan
The Greater London Plan of 1944, often referred to as the Abercrombie Plan, was a plan for the development and improvement of London commissioned by the Ministry of Works in 1942 and drawn up by Patrick Abercrombie....
to build a New Town in the Longfield area - though this was rejected.
Geography
Longfield is located four miles south east of Dartford and near Gravesend. It is contiguous with the village of HartleyHartley, Kent
This article is about the village in North Kent, England. For the South Kent village of the same name see Hartley, Cranbrook. For other uses, see Hartley ....
to the south.
The villages of New Barn
New Barn
New Barn is a village southwest of Gravesend in Kent, England. It is in the local government district of Dartford. The villages of New Barn and Longfield are within and give their names to the civil parish of Longfield and New Barn....
and Longfield are within and give their names to the civil parish of Longfield and New Barn
Longfield and New Barn
Longfield and New Barn is a civil parish in Dartford Borough, Kent, England. It is named after two of the villages it covers, Longfield and New Barn, it also covers the settlement of Longfield Hill. Longfield is the ancient village, situated on the road between Dartford and Meopham; the historic...
which also covers the settlement of Longfield Hill. Longfield is the ancient village, situated on the road between Dartford and Meopham
Meopham
Meopham is a large linear village and civil parish in the Borough of Gravesham and ceremonial county of Kent, in England, and lies to the south of Gravesend. The parish covers , and comprises two villages and two smaller settlements; it has a population of 6,427...
. New Barn is larger in population than Longfield, although has little in the way of services, being a recent development and purely a residential location.
Governance
Longfield fell within the Hundred of Axtane. The Local Government Act 1972Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
made the village part of the Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks (district)
Sevenoaks is a local government district covering the western most part of Kent in England. Its council is based in the town of Sevenoaks. It was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the Sevenoaks Urban District, Sevenoaks Rural District and part of Dartford...
of Kent in 1974. It was transferred to the borough of Dartford
Dartford (borough)
Dartford is the name given to a local government district and borough in north west Kent, England, which takes its name from its administrative capital. It borders Thurrock, to the north across the River Thames; to the west lies the London Borough of Bexley; to the south Sevenoaks district; and the...
in 1987.
Dr Howard Stoate
Howard Stoate
Howard Geoffrey Alvan Stoate is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for the Dartford constituency in Kent from 1997 to 2010.-Early life:...
(Labour) had been the MP since 1997, but resigned in 2010.
Economy
The village has a shopping area consisting of a local baker and butcher, two local supermarkets, a post officePost office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, chemist, estate agents, hair-dressers, an antiques shop, various restaurants and take-aways, an undertakers and a country market on Fridays.
Culture
There is one pub in Longfield, the Railway Tavern, and another, The Wheatsheaf, a 15th century thatched pub, outside the village on the B255 road to Bluewater. The Long Valley Club and the Hartley Country Club are club-based venues restricted to paid membership. Other pubs in the area include the Green Man on Longfield Hill, the White Swan near Ash and the Rising Sun in Fawkham.The church is dedicated to St Mary Magdalene, and was built in 1343.
Transport
The town is served by Longfield railway stationLongfield railway station
Longfield railway station is on the Chatham Main Line, and serves the villages of Longfield and Hartley in north Kent. Train services are provided by Southeastern.-History:Although situated in Longfield, the station opened as Fawkham station in June 1872...
which is operated by Southeastern (train operating company)
Southeastern (train operating company)
London & South Eastern Railway Limited, trading as Southeastern is a train operating company in south-east England. On 1 April 2006 it became the franchisee for the new Integrated Kent Franchise , replacing the publicly owned South Eastern Trains on the former South East Franchise...
with services to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and the Medway Towns
Medway
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...
.
The railway was built in 1861, but Longfield station did not open until 1872. This building was replaced in 1902 after a fire, and rebuilt in 1971. The line was electrified just before the war, but it was many years before the company could be persuaded to set up safety fencing. Many people used to walk to Longfield Halt in Whitehill Road to catch the train to Gravesend West Street.
Longfield suffers from heavy traffic and queues daily.