Walderslade
Encyclopedia
Walderslade is a large suburb to the south of Chatham, Kent, England, encompassing almost all the ME5 postcode district (except parts of Luton).
Walderslade was formerly a small rural village nestled in the valleys of the North Downs
, however development accelerated with the expansion of towns in Medway
after the First World War. The urban area developed quickly after the Second World War leading to the current make-up of several large estates surrounding the original village, which is the local centre of commerce.
Walderslade comprises several named areas, notably the Davis Estate (near Rochester Airport
), Wayfield, Weeds Wood, Walderslade Woods, Princes Avenue and Lordswood.
, and means "wood in a valley".
Walderslade is one of several dry valleys in the area that were created during past ice ages as a result of melting ice, when England was still
joined with the continent. There is fossilised evidence to suggest that in between different ice ages, elephants and other (exotic) creatures explored the warm valley bottoms.
Walderslade was originally a wooded valley (at its southern end), hence its name. Although over time, the woodland became restricted primarily to the higher ground ( Lord Wood, Dargets Wood and Hall or Hail Wood ) where substantial woodland remained until the area became subject to new housing development - starting in the early 1900s and expanding considerable during the 1960s and 1970s. It is possible that the Romans (who were most likely present in nearby Luton) were the first to start the clearance of woodland in the valley. Most of the remaining (much reduced) woodland within the valley remains at its southern (Boxley) end.
There were originally four large farms in the Walderslade and surrounding areas, including Walderslade Farm, Settingdon Farm, Shawstead Farm and Gibralter Farm (the last two still exist). Shawstead Farm (and probably others nearby) were associated with the clearance of local woodland in order to help supply Chatham Dockward with oak for the building of wooden sailing ships - possibly including HMS Victory, launched at Chatham in 1765. Most of the larger and more valuable oak trees would have existed in the richer soil of the Valley bottoms (Walderslade, Shawstead etc) where the farms were typically located. The ruins of Upper Shawstead Farm are now within the boundary of Capstone Farm Country Park
.
Most of this farmland belonded to Shawstead Manor.
Settingdon Farm was located close to where Morrison
s Supermarket now stands in Walderslade Valley and existed up until the 1950s. Walderslade farm existed close to where Walderslade village exists today and extended along the Valley to Settingdon Farm.
of Kent. Parts of Walderslade are, however, in different parishes and thus in different local government districts.
from Walderslade. To the south the M2 motorway completes the encirclement of Walderslade.
On the outskirts are the Alexandra Hospital (BUPA – no A&E) – see Walderslade Woods, the Bridgewood Hotel, the Walderslade Working Mens' Club.
Also, opposite the Poacher's Pocket (formerly called the Hook and Hatchet) public house is a playing field (formerly known as Hook Meadow) which used to be part of the Walderslade prisoner of war camp during the Second World War.
, formerly Safeway
), petrol station and 2 primary schools (Maundene and Kingfisher). The original farm house can still be seen by the observant on Princes Avenue itself closer to the centre of Walderslade village, on the corner of Dargets Road.
superstore and a further hotel. the Bridgewood Manor, part of the Best Western
chain.
Alexandra. The area is at the intersection of Medway unitary borough, Maidstone borough
and Tonbridge and Malling borough
– thus there are two community halls.
) and St Philip & St James (Church of England
), and a community hall and public library which back on to Hook Meadow, a public playing field.
gym and a playing field. The estate also borders two areas of woodland; the Snodhurst wood and the Collibank woods. Currently a Charlton Athletic F.C.
community project is being held there.
is a large development, also to the east. It has direct access to Chatham via North Dane Way (B2156), which hems in Walderslade to the east. It has two separate shopping parades: one, centred on the Kestrel pub, also has a library, hair dressers, and a recently refurbished health centre, the second is off Lordswood Lane, and includes a hairdresser, chip shop, bookmakers and general store. There is also a leisure centre off North Dane Way, with a park and playing field.
The wood of 'Lords Wood' originally (pre 1900) extended for approximately one mile by three quarters, located on high ground above the Walderslade valley with Lidsing at its south-south/east corner. Along with other local woodland, it was originally part of a much larger wood called Cowbeck Woods. Before the area was cleared for housing, Lords Wood included dense woodland associated with difficult terrain, probably similar to other extensive wood land in the area at that time including the nearby Malling and Weeds Woods.
Running through the edge of the original woodland, Lords Wood Lane originally followed (and in places still does) the brow of the hill above Walderslade Valley or Bottom. Archealogical finds and other evidence in the area suggest that Lords Wood Lane may orginate from at least the Bronze age period and is probably the oldest lane in Walderslade. Lordswood still retains a small number of large mature trees saved from the clearance of woodland for housing and other purposes.
Primary
Secondary
Kent and Medway are selective education authorities and pupils eligible for a grammar school education or requiring independent or religious education have to travel outside Walderslade, often to nearby Rochester and Chatham.
. This gives access to the Channel Tunnel
and cross channel ferries as well as road and rail links to London the M25 motorway
, Dartford
bridge/tunnel, Blackwall tunnel and the rest of Britain.
Bus services focus on the bus hub of Medway, the Pentagon shopping centre in Chatham. Other routes provide links with the neighbouring town of Maidstone
. There are also bus links to the Bluewater shopping centre between Dartford
and Gravesend
.
Walderslade was formerly a small rural village nestled in the valleys of the North Downs
North Downs
The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. The North Downs lie within two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty , the Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs...
, however development accelerated with the expansion of towns in Medway
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...
after the First World War. The urban area developed quickly after the Second World War leading to the current make-up of several large estates surrounding the original village, which is the local centre of commerce.
Walderslade comprises several named areas, notably the Davis Estate (near Rochester Airport
Rochester Airport, England
Rochester Airport is a small airfield located south of Rochester, Kent, England, with the River Medway from the end of runway 34, from Chatham and its Historic Dockyard and the Medway area....
), Wayfield, Weeds Wood, Walderslade Woods, Princes Avenue and Lordswood.
History
The name Walderslade comes from the Saxon languageOld English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
, and means "wood in a valley".
Walderslade is one of several dry valleys in the area that were created during past ice ages as a result of melting ice, when England was still
joined with the continent. There is fossilised evidence to suggest that in between different ice ages, elephants and other (exotic) creatures explored the warm valley bottoms.
Walderslade was originally a wooded valley (at its southern end), hence its name. Although over time, the woodland became restricted primarily to the higher ground ( Lord Wood, Dargets Wood and Hall or Hail Wood ) where substantial woodland remained until the area became subject to new housing development - starting in the early 1900s and expanding considerable during the 1960s and 1970s. It is possible that the Romans (who were most likely present in nearby Luton) were the first to start the clearance of woodland in the valley. Most of the remaining (much reduced) woodland within the valley remains at its southern (Boxley) end.
There were originally four large farms in the Walderslade and surrounding areas, including Walderslade Farm, Settingdon Farm, Shawstead Farm and Gibralter Farm (the last two still exist). Shawstead Farm (and probably others nearby) were associated with the clearance of local woodland in order to help supply Chatham Dockward with oak for the building of wooden sailing ships - possibly including HMS Victory, launched at Chatham in 1765. Most of the larger and more valuable oak trees would have existed in the richer soil of the Valley bottoms (Walderslade, Shawstead etc) where the farms were typically located. The ruins of Upper Shawstead Farm are now within the boundary of Capstone Farm Country Park
Capstone Farm Country Park
Capstone Farm Country Park is in Chatham, Kent, Medway, in Kent, England. A former farm converted into a landscaped park and open-space area.This park is set on 114 hectares of converted farm land, on the North Downs, near Walderslade...
.
Most of this farmland belonded to Shawstead Manor.
Settingdon Farm was located close to where Morrison
Morrison
Morrison may refer to:* Morrison , people with the surname Morrison* USS Morrison , a Fletcher-class destroyer sunk in the Pacific in 1945* Morrison, a 19th-century American merchant ship of the Morrison Incident...
s Supermarket now stands in Walderslade Valley and existed up until the 1950s. Walderslade farm existed close to where Walderslade village exists today and extended along the Valley to Settingdon Farm.
Governance
Most of Walderslade is within Medway, a unitary authority within the ceremonial county boundariesCeremonial counties of England
The ceremonial counties are areas of England to which are appointed a Lord Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as counties and areas for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Act 1997 with reference to the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England and Lieutenancies Act 1997...
of Kent. Parts of Walderslade are, however, in different parishes and thus in different local government districts.
- The southernmost parts of Weeds Wood and the eastern bulk of Walderslade Woods are in AylesfordAylesfordAylesford is a village and civil parish on the River Medway in Kent, 4 miles NW of Maidstone in England.Originally a small riverside settlement, the old village comprises around 60 houses, many of which were formerly shops. One pub, a Post Office and four small independent shops remain...
parish and thus in the borough of Tonbridge and MallingTonbridge and MallingTonbridge and Malling is a local government district and borough in the English county of Kent.Tonbridge and Malling borough covers an area from the North Downs at Burham and Snodland in the north to the town of Tonbridge in the south...
(formerly Malling Rural District).
- The eastern parts of Walderslade Woods and southern parts of Lordswood are in BoxleyBoxleyThe large village and civil parish of Boxley in the Maidstone District of Kent, England lies below the slope of the North Downs, four miles NE of Maidstone town...
parish, in the borough of MaidstoneMaidstoneMaidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
.
Geography
Walderslade is separated from the rest of the Medway towns by a green belt incorporating Rochester Airport, Horsted Farm and the Coney Bank to the north. There is a small link via Luton, which is connected to Wayfield and Princes Avenue estates. To the east is Capstone country park, a valley preserved from development (although formerly a large landfill). This clearly separates Gillingham and HempsteadHempstead, Kent
Hempstead is a settlement near Gillingham, Kent, part of the urban area of the Medway Towns.-Location and geography:It is located on the southern edge of the borough of Medway adjacent to Wigmore and Lordswood and linked to Gillingham and the M2 by the A278 trunk road.Most of Hempstead is in a...
from Walderslade. To the south the M2 motorway completes the encirclement of Walderslade.
Walderslade village
The centre of Walderslade village comprises St William's Church, a health centre including doctors' surgeries, a Co-op supermarket, a public house (the Sherwood Oak), a number of estate agents and takeaway outlets (currently Indian, kebab, two Chinese and a fish and chip shop), as well as an Indian restaurant, newsagent, off-licence, chemist, two florists, café, dry cleaners, hairdressers, petrol station (containing a small supermarket), a public library and a nursery called Buttercups located above the florist. There is ample free public car parking offered by the Co-op supermarket and also in front of most the shops with other parking behind the shops making access convenient for people with children or people with physical disabilities. The church is also used as St William's Pre-School during the school terms.On the outskirts are the Alexandra Hospital (BUPA – no A&E) – see Walderslade Woods, the Bridgewood Hotel, the Walderslade Working Mens' Club.
Also, opposite the Poacher's Pocket (formerly called the Hook and Hatchet) public house is a playing field (formerly known as Hook Meadow) which used to be part of the Walderslade prisoner of war camp during the Second World War.
Princes Park
Princes Park is lower down the valley to the north. It has a community hall, pub, newsagents and a supermarket (currently MorrisonsMorrisons
Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, headquartered in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The company is usually referred to and is branded as Morrisons formerly Morrison's, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies...
, formerly Safeway
Safeway (UK)
Safeway was a chain of supermarkets and convenience stores in the United Kingdom. It started as a subsidiary of the American Safeway Inc., before being sold off in 1987....
), petrol station and 2 primary schools (Maundene and Kingfisher). The original farm house can still be seen by the observant on Princes Avenue itself closer to the centre of Walderslade village, on the corner of Dargets Road.
Davis Estate
The Davis Estate has a community hall, a parade of shops including a post office, newsagents; several take aways, the Tiger Moth pub and a garage. Neighbouring is the Horsted retail park where several large retailers are located and a hotel (Holiday Inn), close by is a large AsdaAsda
Asda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...
superstore and a further hotel. the Bridgewood Manor, part of the Best Western
Best Western
Best Western International, Inc. is the third largest hotel chain, with over 4,195 hotels in nearly 80 countries. The chain, with its corporate headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, operates more than 2,000 hotels in North America alone. Best Western has a marketing program involving placement of free...
chain.
Walderslade Woods
Walderslade Woods is a recent development, begun before the 1970s, to the south of the village near the M2 motorway. It is hemmed in by a road, also confusingly named "Walderslade Woods" (the A2045), the only part of the incomplete Medway Towns southern relief road. (The northern relief road is a complete dual carriageway.) There are a few corner shops and one school, but plans have existed for more shops and at least one further primary and secondary school. There is a private hospital, the BUPABupa
Bupa is a large British healthcare organisation, with bases on three continents and more than ten million customers in over 200 countries. It is a private healthcare company, in direct contrast to the UK's National Health Services, which are tax-funded healthcare systems and do not require private...
Alexandra. The area is at the intersection of Medway unitary borough, Maidstone borough
Maidstone (borough)
Maidstone is a local government district with borough status in Kent, England. Its administrative centre is Maidstone which is also the County town of Kent...
and Tonbridge and Malling borough
Tonbridge and Malling
Tonbridge and Malling is a local government district and borough in the English county of Kent.Tonbridge and Malling borough covers an area from the North Downs at Burham and Snodland in the north to the town of Tonbridge in the south...
– thus there are two community halls.
Weedswood
Weedswood, to the north and north west of Walderslade village, has a parade of shops, the Poacher's Pocket pub and a kebab shop famed locally for being housed in what once was a public toilet. Greenacre and Walderslade Girls secondary schools are in the area, along with Oaklands Primary School. There are two churches, Emmanuel (Congregational FederationCongregational Federation
The Congregational Federation is a Federation of independent Congregational churches in England, Scotland and Wales....
) and St Philip & St James (Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
), and a community hall and public library which back on to Hook Meadow, a public playing field.
Wayfield Estate
Wayfield is an estate based around two through roads—Wayfield Road and Churchill Avenue—with several smaller roads linking them. The estate is to the north of Weedswood above and alongside the Princes Avenue area. It has several small shops, a woodyard, golf driving range with a pitch and putt golf course, a Fitness FirstFitness First
Fitness First is the largest privately owned health club group in the world with over 540 Fitness First clubs worldwide reaching over 1.7 million members in 21 countries...
gym and a playing field. The estate also borders two areas of woodland; the Snodhurst wood and the Collibank woods. Currently a Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
community project is being held there.
Lordswood
LordswoodLordswood, 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 :* * * *...
is a large development, also to the east. It has direct access to Chatham via North Dane Way (B2156), which hems in Walderslade to the east. It has two separate shopping parades: one, centred on the Kestrel pub, also has a library, hair dressers, and a recently refurbished health centre, the second is off Lordswood Lane, and includes a hairdresser, chip shop, bookmakers and general store. There is also a leisure centre off North Dane Way, with a park and playing field.
The wood of 'Lords Wood' originally (pre 1900) extended for approximately one mile by three quarters, located on high ground above the Walderslade valley with Lidsing at its south-south/east corner. Along with other local woodland, it was originally part of a much larger wood called Cowbeck Woods. Before the area was cleared for housing, Lords Wood included dense woodland associated with difficult terrain, probably similar to other extensive wood land in the area at that time including the nearby Malling and Weeds Woods.
Running through the edge of the original woodland, Lords Wood Lane originally followed (and in places still does) the brow of the hill above Walderslade Valley or Bottom. Archealogical finds and other evidence in the area suggest that Lords Wood Lane may orginate from at least the Bronze age period and is probably the oldest lane in Walderslade. Lordswood still retains a small number of large mature trees saved from the clearance of woodland for housing and other purposes.
Education
Walderslade has a number of schools, as part of the larger Medway area education system (except Tunbury, which is run by Kent County Council), which include:Primary
- Horsted Infants School, Davis Estate – Years R-2
- Horsted Junior School, Davis Estate – Years 3-6
- Kingfisher Primary School, Princes Avenue – Years R-6
- Lordswood Primary School, Lordswood – Years R-6*
- Maundene County Primary School, Princes Avenue – Year R-6
- Oaklands Infants School, Weedswood – Years R-2
- Oaklands Junior School, Weedswood – Years 3-6
- Ridge Meadow Primary School, Wayfield / Weedswood – Years R-6
- Spinnens Acre Junior School, Lordswood – Years 3-6
- St Benedicts Catholic Primary School, Lordswood – Years R-6
- St Thomas More RC Primary School, Weedswood – Years R-6
- Swingate Infants School, Lordswood – Years R-2
- Tunbury County Primary School, Walderslade Woods – Years R-6
- Walderslade Primary School, Walderslade Village/Dargets Road – Years R-6
- Wayfield Community Primary & Nursery Unit, Wayfield – Years nursery, R-2
- effective from September 2010, Lordswood Infant and Junior Schools have merged to become Lordswood School on the same site(s)
Secondary
- Bradfields School, a special secondary school for pupils with moderate or complex learning difficulties
- Greenacre School, a boys' secondary school (formerly Walderslade Boys) in Walderslade Road
- Walderslade Girls School, a girls' secondary school in Walderslade Road
Kent and Medway are selective education authorities and pupils eligible for a grammar school education or requiring independent or religious education have to travel outside Walderslade, often to nearby Rochester and Chatham.
Transport
Access to Walderslade is off the M2 motorway at junction 3 and not far from junction 6 of the M20 motorwayM20 motorway
The M20 is a motorway in Kent, England. It runs from the M25 motorway to Folkestone, providing a link to the Channel Tunnel and the ports at Dover. It is long...
. This gives access 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...
and cross channel ferries as well as road and rail links to London the M25 motorway
M25 motorway
The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...
, 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....
bridge/tunnel, Blackwall tunnel and the rest of Britain.
Bus services focus on the bus hub of Medway, the Pentagon shopping centre in Chatham. Other routes provide links with the neighbouring town of Maidstone
Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
. There are also bus links to the Bluewater shopping centre between 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 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...
.
Notable people
- Billy ChildishBilly ChildishBilly Childish is an English artist, painter, author, poet, photographer, film maker, singer and guitarist...
, painter, writer and musician, grew up in Walderslade and attended Walderslade Secondary Boys' school in the 1970s.