Orlestone
Encyclopedia
Orlestone is a civil parish
in Ashford District
, Kent
, England
, with a population
of 1,500. The centre of the parish is Hamstreet
village which falls partly within the parish of Warehorne due to the ancient parish boundary. Hamstreet is bypassed by the A2070 road, six miles south of Ashford
.
Orlestone itself is a small hamlet
with just a handful of houses and the medieval
parish church of St Mary the Virgin, parts of which date to the 11th century. Much of the population moved to Hamstreet (originally known as Ham) when the Ashford to Hastings
railway opened in 1853; there was also a better source of water at the newer place.
Today, the name Orlestone lives on in the Orlestone Forest
(a large area of public woodland), and a number of buildings such as Orlestone Grange and Orlestone Riding Centre (near Shadoxhurst
). Also a new housing estate in Hamstreet (built in 2006) was named Orlestone View to commemorate the parish name.
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...
in Ashford District
Ashford (borough)
Ashford is a local government district and borough in Kent, England. Its council is based in the town of Ashford.The borough was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the borough of Tenterden with Ashford urban district, and the East Ashford, West Ashford and Tenterden Rural Districts...
, 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...
, with a population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 1,500. The centre of the parish is Hamstreet
Hamstreet
Hamstreet is a village in Kent, in South East England.The village is located some 6 miles south of Ashford on the A2070, the main road between Ashford and Hastings...
village which falls partly within the parish of Warehorne due to the ancient parish boundary. Hamstreet is bypassed by the A2070 road, six miles south of Ashford
Ashford, Kent
Ashford is a town in the borough of Ashford in Kent, England. In 2005 it was voted the fourth best place to live in the United Kingdom. It lies on the Great Stour river, the M20 motorway, and the South Eastern Main Line and High Speed 1 railways. Its agricultural market is one of the most...
.
Orlestone itself is a small hamlet
Hamlet (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...
with just a handful of houses and the medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
parish church of St Mary the Virgin, parts of which date to the 11th century. Much of the population moved to Hamstreet (originally known as Ham) when the Ashford to Hastings
Marshlink Line
The Marshlink Line is the name given to services on the railway line linking Ashford with Hastings in the South East of England. The line was part of an original proposal by a company named the Brighton Lewes and Hastings Railway to extend its coast route to Hastings...
railway opened in 1853; there was also a better source of water at the newer place.
Today, the name Orlestone lives on in the Orlestone Forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
(a large area of public woodland), and a number of buildings such as Orlestone Grange and Orlestone Riding Centre (near Shadoxhurst
Shadoxhurst
Shadoxhurst is civil parish and a village on the Kent Weald, near Ashford in Kent, England located between the North Downs and Romney Marsh in wooded countryside and farmland...
). Also a new housing estate in Hamstreet (built in 2006) was named Orlestone View to commemorate the parish name.