Bilsington

Bilsington is a village and civil parish[1] in the Ashford district of Kent, England. The village is about 5 miles (8 km) south of Ashford, on the B2067 road, Hamstreet to Hythe road north of the Royal Military Canal.

Bilsington

Parish church of St Peter & St Paul
Bilsington
Location within Kent
Area11.12 km2 (4.29 sq mi)
Population284 (2011 Census)
• Density26/km2 (67/sq mi)
OS grid referenceTR0434
Civil parish
  • Bilsington
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townTonbridge
Postcode districtTN25
Dialling code01233
PoliceKent
FireKent
AmbulanceSouth East Coast
UK Parliament
WebsiteBilsington Parish Council

About of a quarter of the parish is wooded, along most of the northern slopes leading up to the escarpment of the High Weald. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 284.[2]

History

Parish church

The Church of England parish church of Saints Peter and Paul was built in the 12th century. Above the west door to the tower is some 12th-century stonework.[3][4] One blocked Norman window survives over the south door.

The other windows were replaced in the 14th century and include some fragments of original Medieval glass. The west tower was added in the 16th century. Above the chancel arch hangs the Royal arms of George III, dated 1774. The church was restored in 1883 to designs by Joseph Clarke. It is a Grade II* listed building.[5]

Priory
Main article: Bilsington Priory
The north wing of St Mary's Priory

The Augustinian Priory of St Mary was founded in 1253 and suppressed in the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536. Its surviving buildings are about 3⁄4 mile (1 km) north of the village.

The Aldington Gang is said to have used the Priory in some of its smuggling exploits of the 1820s. In 1906 the surviving buildings were restored to designs by JT Micklethwaite. They are Grade I listed.[6] The Priory is now a wedding and conference venue.[7]

Royal Military Canal
Main article: Royal Military Canal

The Royal Military Canal passes through the parish just south of the village. It was begun in 1804 and completed in 1809.

Cosway monument

Just west of the village is an obelisk 58 feet (18 m) high. It is a monument erected in 1835 to the memory of Member of Parliament and local landowner Sir William Cosway, who was killed in a coaching accident in 1834.[8]

Amenities

Bilsington has a pub, the White Horse,[9] and a Cricket Club.[10]

References
  1. Bilsington Parish Council Archived 2 January 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Area: Bilsington (Parish): Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  3. Romsey Deanery Archived 21 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Notes on the village Archived 21 December 2005 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Historic England. "Church of St Peter and St Paul  (Grade II*) (1071191)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  6. Historic England. "St Augustines Priory (Medieval Buildings)  (Grade I) (1362769)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  7. Bilsington Priory Estate Ltd
  8. Historic England. "The Cosway Monument  (Grade II) (1184823)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  9. The White Horse Bilsington
  10. Welcome to Bilsington Cricket Club

Further reading
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