Wilmington, Kent
Encyclopedia
Wilmington is a village
and parish
in Kent
, England
, in the Borough of Dartford
, about 1.5 miles from Dartford town centre
. The parish is one of the largest in England and borders the London Borough of Bexley
and Sevenoaks District
. The parish council meets at Oakfield Park pavilion.
The village is considered to be one of the most affluent areas of Dartford. Its centre has one shop and four pubs: The Orange Tree, The Plough, The Foresters and The Horse and Groom at Leyton Cross. Its most prominent landmark is the St Michael and All Angels Church, which is the site for the annual Wilmington Model Railway
Exhibition. Part of the Joydens Wood
estate lies within parish boundaries.
In the reign of Edward IV, a manor house in the village was the residence of the king-making
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
. In the 19th Century Wilmington was noted for being surrounded by gardens and cherry orchards. In the 1970s the village was bisected by the A2
dual carriageway
.
Wilmington is perhaps most famous for being the childhood home of Mick Jagger
, lead singer with the Rolling Stones. Keith Richards
, guitarist with the Rolling Stones, attended Wilmington Technical School (Now Wilmington Grammar School for Boys
.)
Wilmington is twinned with Bray-et-Lû
, Val-d'Oise
, France.
Wilmington used to have a successful football club whose history is well displayed in the Wilmington Pavilion on Oakfield Lane in the form of trophies and shields.
In recent years sport has been viewed as a burden for the local Parish Council and this has seen the decline in the facilities provided for the long established football and cricket clubs, hence the demise of the football club altogether http://www.dartfordfootballclub.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=4183.0. The Parish is responsible for providing facilities but would rather spend the money elsewhere and give poor excuses as to why work could not be done on the areas needed, such as on the cricket square.
The Parish and its members have lost track of real values in village life and would rather see the village's cricket team fold as well. The long running history of the club holds little importance to any of the council members and the money spent on the rent by the club is not used responsibly. It seems sad that perhaps in 5 or so years there will be no Sports clubs in the village, and it will only be the Parish Councillors fault.
for Boys (WGSB), whose students wear blue blazers, white shirts, grey trousers and different ties for each house within the school (these colours are red, green, white, black and purple); The Grammar School for Girls, Wilmington
(GSGW), where the uniforms are maroon; and the mixed-sex Wilmington Enterprise College
(formerly Wilmington Hall), whose pupils wear navy jumpers (boys) and polo neck t-shirts (however as of September 2010, will wear a black v-neck cardigan, a tie and a white shirt).
Wilmington Academy and 'Wilmington Boys' are situated adjacent on Common Lane. The Academy was built in the mid-1970s on the site of Wilmington Hall Manor and is a specialist centre of excellence for both Business and Vocational courses. Wilmington Grammar School for Boys
has Engineering
specialist status. The Grammar School for Girls Wilmington specialises in Mathematics
and IT.
There is one primary school in the village and another in Joydens Wood Estate; a nursery school is situated next to Wilmington Enterprise College.
The Dartford Campus of North West Kent College
is accessed via Oakfield Lane, Wilmington, but its grounds lie within Dartford.
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...
and 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...
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...
, in 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...
, about 1.5 miles from Dartford town centre
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....
. The parish is one of the largest in England and borders the London Borough of Bexley
London Borough of Bexley
The London Borough of Bexley lies in south east Greater London, and is a borough referred to as part of Outer London. It has common borders with the London Borough of Bromley to the south, the London Borough of Greenwich to the west, across the River Thames to the north it borders the London...
and Sevenoaks District
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...
. The parish council meets at Oakfield Park pavilion.
The village is considered to be one of the most affluent areas of Dartford. Its centre has one shop and four pubs: The Orange Tree, The Plough, The Foresters and The Horse and Groom at Leyton Cross. Its most prominent landmark is the St Michael and All Angels Church, which is the site for the annual Wilmington Model Railway
Rail transport modelling
Railway modelling or model railroading is a hobby in which rail transport systems are modelled at a reduced scale...
Exhibition. Part of the Joydens Wood
Joydens Wood
Joyden's Wood is one of over 1,000 woodlands in the UK looked after by the Woodland Trust. The first records of a wood on this site go back to 1600 AD making it an Ancient Woodland site.-Location:...
estate lies within parish boundaries.
In the reign of Edward IV, a manor house in the village was the residence of the king-making
Kingmaker
Kingmaker is a term originally applied to the activities of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick — "Warwick the Kingmaker" — during the Wars of the Roses in England. The term has come to be applied more generally to a person or group that has great influence in a royal or political succession,...
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
Richard Neville KG, jure uxoris 16th Earl of Warwick and suo jure 6th Earl of Salisbury and 8th and 5th Baron Montacute , known as Warwick the Kingmaker, was an English nobleman, administrator, and military commander...
. In the 19th Century Wilmington was noted for being surrounded by gardens and cherry orchards. In the 1970s the village was bisected by the A2
A2 road (Great Britain)
The A2 is a major road in southern England, connecting London with the English Channel port of Dover in Kent. This route has always been of importance as a connection between the British capital of London and sea trade routes to Continental Europe...
dual carriageway
Dual carriageway
A dual carriageway is a class of highway with two carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation...
.
Wilmington is perhaps most famous for being the childhood home of Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
, lead singer with the Rolling Stones. Keith Richards
Keith Richards
Keith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
, guitarist with the Rolling Stones, attended Wilmington Technical School (Now Wilmington Grammar School for Boys
Wilmington Grammar School for Boys
Wilmington Grammar School for Boys is a secondary grammar school in Wilmington, Kent. The school, which from 1954 to 1982 was called Dartford Technical High School, is a specialist Engineering school with a strong emphasis on Design Technology, Mathematics and Physics...
.)
Wilmington is twinned with Bray-et-Lû
Bray-et-Lû
Bray-et-Lû is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department in Île-de-France in northern France.-References:** -External links:* *...
, Val-d'Oise
Val-d'Oise
Val-d'Oise is a French department, created in 1968 after the split of the Seine-et-Oise department and located in the Île-de-France region. In local slang, it is known as "quatre-vingt quinze" or "neuf cinq"...
, France.
Sport
Wilmington Cricket Club has been a part of the village for over 100 years and has had many successes in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, playing at Lords twice and winning many competitions over the years. They currently play in the Kent Regional Cricket League and the home ground is situated in Oakfield Park.Wilmington used to have a successful football club whose history is well displayed in the Wilmington Pavilion on Oakfield Lane in the form of trophies and shields.
In recent years sport has been viewed as a burden for the local Parish Council and this has seen the decline in the facilities provided for the long established football and cricket clubs, hence the demise of the football club altogether http://www.dartfordfootballclub.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=4183.0. The Parish is responsible for providing facilities but would rather spend the money elsewhere and give poor excuses as to why work could not be done on the areas needed, such as on the cricket square.
The Parish and its members have lost track of real values in village life and would rather see the village's cricket team fold as well. The long running history of the club holds little importance to any of the council members and the money spent on the rent by the club is not used responsibly. It seems sad that perhaps in 5 or so years there will be no Sports clubs in the village, and it will only be the Parish Councillors fault.
Schools
There are three secondary schools within the parish: Wilmington Grammar SchoolGrammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
for Boys (WGSB), whose students wear blue blazers, white shirts, grey trousers and different ties for each house within the school (these colours are red, green, white, black and purple); The Grammar School for Girls, Wilmington
The Grammar School for Girls, Wilmington
Wilmington Grammar School for Girls, WGSG is a secondary grammar school in Wilmington, Kent, England. The uniform consists of maroon jumpers and skirts/black trousers, with blue shirts...
(GSGW), where the uniforms are maroon; and the mixed-sex Wilmington Enterprise College
Wilmington Enterprise College
Wilmington Academy is a mixed high school specialising in business and enterprise and a vocational centre for land-based learning located in Wilmington, Kent...
(formerly Wilmington Hall), whose pupils wear navy jumpers (boys) and polo neck t-shirts (however as of September 2010, will wear a black v-neck cardigan, a tie and a white shirt).
Wilmington Academy and 'Wilmington Boys' are situated adjacent on Common Lane. The Academy was built in the mid-1970s on the site of Wilmington Hall Manor and is a specialist centre of excellence for both Business and Vocational courses. Wilmington Grammar School for Boys
Wilmington Grammar School for Boys
Wilmington Grammar School for Boys is a secondary grammar school in Wilmington, Kent. The school, which from 1954 to 1982 was called Dartford Technical High School, is a specialist Engineering school with a strong emphasis on Design Technology, Mathematics and Physics...
has Engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
specialist status. The Grammar School for Girls Wilmington specialises in Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and IT.
There is one primary school in the village and another in Joydens Wood Estate; a nursery school is situated next to Wilmington Enterprise College.
The Dartford Campus of North West Kent College
North West Kent College
North West Kent College is a college of Further and Higher Education. It merged with the National Sea Training School in the nineties. The college is located over four sites. The two main campuses are:...
is accessed via Oakfield Lane, Wilmington, but its grounds lie within Dartford.