Kent
Geography
Status	Ceremonial & (smaller) Non-metropolitan county
Region	South East England
Area - Total - Admin. The ceremonial counties are areas of England that are appointed a Lord-Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as the Counties for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of Subdivisions of England used for the purposes of Local government outside Greater London The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one South East England is one of the nine official Regions of England. Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. council - Admin. area	Ranked 10th 3,736 km² (1,442 sq mi) Ranked 10th 3,544 km² (1,368 sq mi)
Admin HQ	Maidstone
ISO 3166-2	GB-KEN
ONS code	29
NUTS 3	UKJ42
Demography
Population - Total (2006 est. This is a List of Ceremonial counties of England by Area. See also Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. This is a list of non-metropolitan counties of England by area Maidstone is the County town of Kent, England, south-east of London. ISO 3166-2GB is an ISO standard which defines Geocodes it is the subset of ISO 3166-2 which applies to the United Kingdom. The Office for National Statistics coding system is a hierarchical code used in the United Kingdom for tabulating Census and other statistical data The Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics, ( NUTS) for the French nomenclature d'unités territoriales statistiques, is a Geocode In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology ) - Density - Admin. Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume council - Admin. pop.	Ranked 7th 1,634,500 437/km² (1,132/sq mi) Ranked 1st 1,382,800
Ethnicity	96. This is a List of Ceremonial counties of England by Population. This is a list of non-metropolitan counties of England by population. 9% White 1. 9% Asian
Politics
Kent County Council http://www.kent.gov.uk/ Medway Council http://www.medway.gov.uk/
Executive	Conservative
Members of Parliament	Julian Brazier (C) Greg Clark (C) Paul Clark (L) Michael Fallon (C) Roger Gale (C) Damian Green (C) Adam Holloway (C) Michael Howard (C) Stephen Ladyman (L) Bob Marshall-Andrews (L) Gwyn Prosser (L) Hugh Robertson (C) Jonathan Shaw (L) John Stanley (C) Howard Stoate (L) Ann Widdecombe (C) Derek Wyatt (L)
Districts
Sevenoaks Dartford Gravesham Tonbridge and Malling Medway (Unitary) Maidstone Tunbridge Wells Swale Ashford Canterbury Shepway Thanet Dover

Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Composition Graphical representation of the House of Commons This is a comparison of the party strengths in the British House of Commons Julian William Hendy Brazier TD (born July 24, 1953) is a British Politician. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Greg Clark (born 28 August 1967 is a British Politician. He is the Conservative MP for Tunbridge Wells. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Paul Gordon Clark (born 29 April 1957) is a British Labour Politician and MP for the South East constituency of Gillingham The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the Michael Cathal Fallon (born 14 May, 1952, Scotland) is a British Conservative Party Politician. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Roger James Gale (born 20 August 1943) is a British Politician. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Damian Howard Green (born 17 January 1956 is a British Politician who has been the Conservative Member of Parliament for Ashford The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Adam James Harold Holloway (born 29 July 1965 in Faversham, Kent) is a British Politician and is the Conservative MP for The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Michael Howard QC (born 7 July 1941 is a British Politician, a Conservative MP since the 1983 General Election for the constituency of The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Dr Stephen John Ladyman (born 6 November 1952 in Lancashire is a British politician and Labour Party Member of Parliament for The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the Robert Graham Marshall-Andrews, known as Bob Marshall-Andrews, QC (born 10 April 1944 is an English politician and Barrister. The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the Gwynfor Matthews Prosser, known as Gwyn Prosser, (born 27 April 1943, Swansea) is a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the Hugh Robertson (born 9 October 1962, Canterbury) is a politician in the United Kingdom. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Jonathan Rowland Shaw (born 3 June 1966, Kent) is a politician in the United Kingdom. The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the Sir John Paul Stanley (born January 12, 1942) is a British politician and Conservative Member of Parliament for Tonbridge and Malling The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Howard Geoffrey Alvan Stoate (born 14 April 1954) is a Labour politician in the United Kingdom. The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the Ann Noreen Widdecombe (born 4 October 1947 is a British Conservative Party Politician and more recently television Presenter and Novelist The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Derek Murray Wyatt (born 4 December 1949) is a British Politician, and Labour Member of Parliament for Sittingbourne The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the The Council The Council consists of 54 elected councillors representing wards in the District Government Since 1997 Dartford's MP is Howard Stoate (Labour The Mayor for the year May 2008 to May 2009 is Councillor Ian Armitt The name 'Gravesham' Robert H Hiscock Chairman of the Gravesend Historical Society in the foreword to his book 'A History of Gravesend' (Phillimore 1976 wrote History Ancient times The area has been occupied for thousands of years History The Medway area has a long and varied history dominated Position The Borough covers an area generally to the east and south of the town of Maidstone: as far north as the M2 motorway; east down the M20 to Description of borough Location The borough of Tunbridge Wells lies along the south eastern border of Kent partly on the northern edge of the Weald, the remainder Population In 1801 the population of Ashford and Willesborough was 2600 in 1861 this had more than tripled to 8800 by 1901 12808 and in 1961 the figure was 28000 ' Geography The area is in the main rural although the entire coastal strip is taken up by the almost unbroken sprawl of seaside towns from Seasalter Governance The district was formed on April 1, 1974 as a merger of the boroughs of Folkestone Hythe Lydd and New Romney along with Elham and Romney Marsh History See also Isle of Thanet The Isle of Thanet is the major part of the Thanet District Communications Crossing Dover district are the Roman roads of Watling Street and that leading from Richborough. The counties of England are territorial divisions of England for the purposes of administrative political and geographical demarcation England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland " Home counties " is an informal phrase used to designate the group of counties that border or surround London, England. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the River Thames estuary. East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. Essex is a county in the East of England. The County town is Chelmsford, and the highest point of the county is Chrishall Common The Thames ( is a major River flowing through southern England. An estuary is a semi-enclosed Coastal body of Water with one or more Rivers or Streams flowing into it and with a free connection to the open The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of Medway. The ceremonial counties are areas of England that are appointed a Lord-Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as the Counties for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Responsibilities The council is responsible for public services such as education transport strategic planning emergency services social services public safety and waste See also Independent city A unitary authority is a type of Local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all Local government functions History The Medway area has a long and varied history dominated Kent has a nominal border with France halfway through the Channel Tunnel. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Channel Tunnel (Le tunnel sous la Manche also known as the Chunnel, is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in England with Maidstone is its county town and historically Rochester and Canterbury have been accorded city status though only the latter still holds it. Maidstone is the County town of Kent, England, south-east of London. A county town is the 'capital' of a County in the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland. Rochester is a town in Kent, England. It is located within the Unitary authority area of Medway and is at the lowest bridging point of the Canterbury ( ˈkæntəbɹ̩i is a City in eastern Kent in the South East region of England.

Kent's location between London and the continent has led to its being a front line of several conflicts, including the Battle of Britain during World War II. Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the Continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European The Battle of Britain (German ''Luftschlacht um England'' is the name given to the sustained strategic effort by the German Luftwaffe during the summer and World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including East Kent was named Hell Fire Corner during the conflict. England has relied on the county's ports to provide warships through much of the past 800 years; the Cinque Ports in the 12th–14th centuries and Chatham Dockyard in the 16th–20th centuries were of particular importance to the country's security. Cinque Ports is also the name of a 1703 Galleon (ship The Confederation of Cinque Ports (sɪŋk pɔrts is a historic series of coastal France can be seen clearly in fine weather from the iconic White Cliffs of Dover

Because of its abundance of orchards and hop gardens, Kent is widely known as "The Garden of England" — a name often applied when marketing the county or its produce, although other regions have tried to lay claim to the title. Dover is a town and major ferry port in the county of Kent, England. An orchard is an intentional planting of Trees or Shrubs maintained for Food production. The hop ( Humulus) is a small genus of Flowering plants native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. ^[1][2]

Major industries in the north-west of Kent have included cement, papermaking, and aircraft construction, but these are now in decline. In the most general sense of the word a cement is a binder a substance which sets and hardens independently and can bind other materials together Papermaking is the process of making Paper, a material which is used ubiquitously today for writing and packaging The aircraft industry is the Industry supporting Aviation by building Aircraft and manufacturing Aircraft parts for their maintenance South and East Kent rely on tourism and agriculture.

Contents 1 History 2 Physical geography 3 Demographics 4 Government 5 Economy 6 Arts 7 Transport 7.1 Roads 7.2 Water 7.3 Railways 7.4 Air 8 Education 9 See also 10 References 11 External links

History

Main article: History of Kent

The area has been occupied since the Palaeolithic era, as attested by finds from the quarries at Swanscombe. Kent is a County in South East England with a long history of human occupation The term Paleolithic (or Palaeolithic) (from Greek παλαιός palaios, " Old " and λίθος Lithos, "stone" Swanscombe is a small town part of the Borough of Dartford on the north Kent coast in England. The Medway megaliths were built during the Neolithic era. The Medway megaliths or Medway tombs are names given to a group of Neolithic Chambered long barrows and other Megaliths located in the lower valley The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos There is a rich sequence of Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Roman era occupation, as indicated by finds and features such as the Ringlemere gold cup and the Roman villas of the Darent valley. The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age for the mythological Iron Age see Ages of Man. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial The Ringlemere Gold Cup is a Bronze Age vessel found in the Ringlemere barrow near Sandwich in the English county of Kent in 2001 by The River Darent or River Darenth or Dartford Creek is a Kentish tributary of the River Thames in England. ^[3]

The modern name of Kent is derived from the Brythonic word Cantus meaning "rim" or "border". The Brythonic languages (or Brittonic languages or British languages) form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic language family the other being This describes the eastern part of the current county area as a border land or coastal district. Julius Caesar had described the area as Cantium, or home of the Cantiaci in 51 BC. The Cantiaci or Cantii were a Celtic or Belgic people living in Britain before the Roman conquest, and gave their name to a Civitas ^[4]

The extreme west of the modern county was occupied by Iron Age tribes, known as the Regnenses. The Regnenses, Regni or Regini were the subjects of a British Celtic kingdom and later a Civitas of Roman Britain. It is possible that another ethnic group occupied The Weald and East Kent. The Weald (wɪəld is the name given to a physiographic area in south-east England situated between the parallel Chalk Escarpments of the North East Kent became a kingdom of the Jutes during the 5th century^[5] and was known as Cantia from about 730 and as Cent in 835. The Jutes, Iuti, or Iutae were a Germanic people who according to Bede were one of the three most powerful Germanic peoples of the time The early medieval inhabitants of the county were known as the Cantwara, or Kent people. These people regarded the city of Canterbury as their capital. ^[6]

In 597, Pope Gregory I appointed Augustine as the first Archbishop of Canterbury. Augustine of Canterbury OSB (born c first third of the 6th century - died 26 May 604 was a Benedictine Monk who became the first Archbishop The Archbishop of Canterbury is the chief bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the In the previous year, Augustine successfully converted the Pagan King Æthelberht of Kent to Christianity. Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning "country dweller rustic" is a word used to refer to various religions and religious beliefs from across the world Æthelberht (also Æthelbert, Aethelberht, Aethelbert, or Ethelbert) (c The Diocese of Canterbury became Britain's first Episcopal See and has since remained Britain's centre of Christianity. The Diocese of Canterbury is a Church of England diocese covering eastern Kent, founded by St Augustine in 597 An episcopal see is the ecclesiastical domain of authority of a Bishop. ^[7]

In the 11th century, the people of Kent adopted the motto Invicta, meaning "undefeated". Invicta (meaning undefeated) is the motto of the county of Kent, England. This naming followed the invasion of Britain by William of Normandy. William I of England ( 1027 His reign which brought Norman culture to England had an enormous impact on the subsequent course of England in the Middle Ages The Kent people's continued resistance against the Normans led to Kent's designation as a semi-autonomous County Palatine in 1067. The Normans were the people who gave their names to Normandy, a region in northern France. A county palatine is an area ruled by a Count palatine (or Earl palatine who may hold the higher title of Duke) with special authority and autonomy Under the nominal rule of William's half-brother Odo of Bayeux, the county was granted similar powers to those granted in the areas bordering Wales and Scotland. Odo of Bayeux (c 1036 &ndash February 1097 Palermo) Norman Bishop and English earl was the half-brother of William the Conqueror, and was for Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. ^[8]

During the medieval and early modern period, Kent played a major role in several of England's most notable rebellions, including the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, led by Wat Tyler,^[9] Jack Cade's Kent rebellion of 1450, and Wyatt's Rebellion of 1553 against Queen Mary I. Walter Tyler, commonly known as Wat Tyler ( January 4, 1341 – June 15, 1381) was the leader of the English Peasants' Jack Cade (possible real name John Aylmer or John Mortimer) was the leader of a popular revolt in the 1450 Kent rebellion which took place in Sir Thomas Wyatt the younger (1521 – 11 April, 1554) was a rebel leader during the reign of Queen Mary I of England; his rising is traditionally called Mary I (18 February 1516 &ndash 17 November 1558 was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 19 July 1553 until her death ^[10]

The Royal Navy first used the River Medway in 1547. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) The River Medway, which is almost entirely in Kent, England, flows for from just inside the West Sussex border to the point where it enters By the reign of Elizabeth I (1558–1603) a small dockyard had been established at Chatham. By 1618, storehouses, a ropewalk, a drydock, and houses for officials had been built downstream from Chatham. A ropewalk is a long straight narrow Lane, or a covered pathway where long strands of material were laid before being twisted into Rope. A drydock is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform ^[11]

By the 17th century, tensions between Britain and the powers of the Netherlands and France led to increasing military build-up in the county. Forts were built all along the coast following the raid on the Medway, a successful attack by the Dutch navy on the shipyards of the Medway towns in 1667. The Raid on the Medway, sometimes called the Battle of Medway or the Battle of Chatham, was a successful Dutch attack on the largest English History The Medway area has a long and varied history dominated ^[12]

The 18th century was dominated by wars with France, during which the Medway became the primary base for a fleet that could act along the Dutch and French coasts. When the theatre of operation moved to the Atlantic, this role was assumed by Portsmouth and Plymouth, with Chatham concentrating on shipbuilding and ship repair. History See also History of Portsmouth There have been settlements in the area since before Roman times mostly being offshoots of Portchester, which Plymouth ( is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England about south west of London. As an indication of the area's military importance, the first Ordnance Survey map ever drawn was a one-inch map of Kent, published in 1801. Ordnance Survey (OS is an Executive agency of the United Kingdom government ^[13] Many of the Georgian naval buildings during this time still stand. Georgian architecture is the name given in most English -speaking countries to the set of Architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840

In the early 1800s, smugglers were very active on the Kent coastline. Smuggling, also known as trafficking, is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons past a point where prohibited such as out of a building into a Prison Gangs such as The Aldington Gang brought spirits, tobacco and salt to the county, and transported goods such as wool across the sea to France. Aldington was the stronghold of The Aldington Gang, a band of Smugglers roaming the Romney Marshes and Shores of Kent. ^[14]

In 1889, the County of London was created and the townships of Deptford, Greenwich, Woolwich, Lee, Eltham, Charlton, Kidbrooke and Lewisham were transferred out of Kent and in 1900 the area of Penge was gained. The County of London was a ceremonial county and administrative county of England from 1889 to 1965 Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in south-east London. Greenwich ( ˈɡrɛnɪtʃ GREN-itch /ˈɡrɛnɪdʒ/ GREN-idge or /ˈɡrɪnɪdʒ/ GRIN-idge is a district in south-east London, Woolwich (ˈwʊlɪtʃ or /ˈwʊlɪdʒ/ is a suburb in south-east London, England in the London Borough of Greenwich, on the south side of the River Lee (also Lee Green) is a suburb and electoral ward in the London Borough of Lewisham in south-east London. Eltham is a district in the London Borough of Greenwich. It is a suburban development situated east south-east of Charing Cross. Charlton is an area and an electoral ward south-east London, in the London Borough of Greenwich, located between Greenwich and Woolwich Kidbrooke is an area within the London Borough of Greenwich. It takes its name from the Kyd Brook, a watercourse which runs from Orpington to Lewisham Lewisham is a district in south-east London, England and the principal settlement of the London Borough of Lewisham. Penge was a local government district in north west Kent from 1900 to 1965

During World War II, much of the Battle of Britain was fought in the skies over the county. The Battle of Britain (German ''Luftschlacht um England'' is the name given to the sustained strategic effort by the German Luftwaffe during the summer and Between June 1944 and March 1945, over 10,000 V1 flying bombs, known as "Doodlebugs", were fired on London from bases in Northern France. The Fieseler Fi 103, better known as V-1 (German Vergeltungswaffe 1 was an early Cruise missile used during World War Two Many were destroyed by aircraft, anti-aircraft guns, and barrage balloons, yet both London and Kent were hit by around 2,500 of these bombs. A barrage balloon is a large balloon tethered with metal cables used to defend against low-level attack by aircraft by damaging the aircraft on collision with the cables

After the war, Kent's borders changed several more times. In 1965 the London boroughs of Bromley and Bexley were created from nine towns formerly in Kent. The London Borough of Bromley ( is a London borough of south east London, England and forms part of Outer London. The London Borough of Bexley ( is a London borough in south east Greater London which forms with other boroughs part of Outer London. ^[15] In 1998, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham, and Rainham left the administrative county of Kent to form the Unitary Authority of Medway. The town of Rainham is part of the Medway Towns conurbation under the Unitary authority of Medway, in South East England, and part of the ceremonial See also Independent city A unitary authority is a type of Local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all Local government functions History The Medway area has a long and varied history dominated They have, however, remained in the ceremonial county of Kent. ^[16] During this reorganisation, through an administrative oversight, the city of Rochester lost its official city status. ^[17]

Physical geography

Main article: Geography of Kent

Kent is at the southeastern end of England. Geography of the county of Kent in South East England. Physical geography KentGeologyWealdenDome It borders the River Thames and the North Sea to the north, and the Straits of Dover and the English Channel to the south. The Thames ( is a major River flowing through southern England. The North Sea is a marginal, Epeiric sea of the Atlantic Ocean on the European Continental shelf. The Strait of Dover or Dover Strait ( French: Pas de Calais, pɑdə kalɛ "Strait of Calais " Dutch: Nauw van France is 21 miles (34 km) across the Strait. ^[18]

The major geographical features of the county are determined by a series of ridges and valleys running east-west across the county. These are the results of weathering to the Wealden dome, a dome across Kent and Sussex created by Alpine movements 10–20 million years ago. Weathering is the decomposition of earth rocks, Soils and their Minerals through direct contact with the planet's Atmosphere. The Weald (wɪəld is the name given to a physiographic area in south-east England situated between the parallel Chalk Escarpments of the North Sussex is a historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. The Alps cover a large area This article describes the delimitation of the Alps as a whole and of subdivisions of the range follows the course of the main chain of the Alps and discusses This dome consists of an upper layer of chalk above subsequent layers of upper greensand, upper clay, lower greensand, lower clay, and red sandstone. Chalk (ʧɔːk is a soft white porous Sedimentary rock, a form of Limestone composed of the Mineral Calcite. Greensand is an olive-green coloured Sandstone rock which is commonly found in narrow bands particularly associated with bands of Chalk and Clay is a naturally occurring material composed primarily of fine-grained Minerals which show plasticity through a variable range of Water content, and The New Red Sandstone is a chiefly British geological term for the beds of red sandstone laid throughout the Permian (280 million years ago to the beginning The ridges and valleys formed as the exposed clay eroded faster than the exposed chalk, greensand, or red sandstone.

Sevenoaks, Maidstone, Ashford, and Folkestone are built on greensand,^[19] while Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells are built on red sandstone. Sevenoaks is a Commuter town in the Sevenoaks district of Kent in South East England and forms part of the London commuter belt. Maidstone is the County town of Kent, England, south-east of London. Folkestone (ˈfoʊkstən is a resort town on the south coast of Kent, England, traditionally known as "The Garden Coast" Tonbridge (historic spelling Tunbridge) is a Market town in the English county of Kent, with a population of 30340 in 2007 ^[20] Dartford, Gravesend, the Medway towns, Sittingbourne, Faversham, Canterbury, Deal, and Dover are built on chalk. Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, 16 miles (25 km east south-east Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. Sittingbourne is an industrial town about eight miles (129 km east of Gillingham, beside the Roman Watling Street off a creek in The Swale Faversham (fævɜʃəm is a town in Kent, England, in the district of Swale, roughly halfway between Sittingbourne and Canterbury Canterbury ( ˈkæntəbɹ̩i is a City in eastern Kent in the South East region of England. Deal is a Town in Kent, England. It lies on the English Channel eight miles north-east of Dover. Dover is a town and major ferry port in the county of Kent, England. ^[19][20] The easterly section of the Wealden dome has been eroded away by the sea, and cliffs such as the white cliffs of Dover are present where a chalk ridge known as the North Downs meets the coast. The white cliffs of Dover are Cliffs which form part of the British coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. The North Downs are a ridge of Chalk hills in south east England that stretch for 120 miles (190 km from Farnham in Surrey to the White Spanning Dover and Westerham is the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Westerham is a town and Civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England with 5000 people Kent Downs is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty ( AONB) in Kent, England. ^[21]

The Wealden dome is a Mesozoic structure lying on a Palaeozoic foundation, which usually creates the right conditions for coal formation. The Mesozoic Era is one of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon. The Paleozoic or Palaeozoic Era (from the Greek palaio (παλαιο "old" and zoe (ζωη "life" meaning "ancient life" This is found in East Kent roughly between Deal, Canterbury, and Dover. The coal measures within the Westphalian Sandstone are deep (below 244 m – 396 m) and subject to flooding. The Coal Measures is a lithostratigraphical term used mainly in the British Isles for the coal-bearing part of the Upper Carboniferous System They occur in two major troughs, which extend under the English Channel where similar coalfields are located. ^[22]

Seismic activity has occasionally been recorded in Kent, though the epicentres were offshore. The epicenter or epicentre is the point on the Earth 's surface that is directly above the Hypocenter or focus the point where an Earthquake In 1382 and 1580 there were two earthquakes exceeding 6. 0 on the Richter Scale. The Richter magnitude scale, or more correctly local magnitude M L scale assigns a single number to quantify the amount of seismic energy released In 1776, 1950, and on 28 April 2007 there were earthquakes of around 4. Events 1192 - Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I King of Jerusalem, in Tyre, two days after his title Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. 3. The 2007 earthquake caused physical damage in Folkestone. The 2007 Kent earthquake was an Earthquake that registered 43 on the Richter scale and struck south east Kent, England on 28 April ^[23]

The coastline of Kent is continuously changing, due to tectonic uplift and coastal erosion. Tectonic uplift is a geological process most often caused by Plate tectonics which increases elevation Coastal erosion is the wearing away of land or the removal of Beach or Dune Sediments by Wave action tidal currents, wave currents Until about 960, the Isle of Thanet was an island, separated by the Wantsum channel, formed around a deposit of chalk; over time, the channels silted up with alluvium. History See also Isle of Thanet The Isle of Thanet is the major part of the Thanet District The Wantsum Channel is the name given to a now silted-up watercourse separating the Isle of Thanet and what was the mainland of the English county of Kent Alluvium (from the Latin, alluvius, from alluere, "to wash against" is Soil or Sediments deposited by a river or other running Similarly Romney Marsh and Dungeness have been formed by accumulation of alluvium. The Romney Marsh is a sparsely-populated Wetland area in the counties of Kent and East Sussex in the south-east of England. See also Battle of Dungeness for the 1652 battle of the First Anglo-Dutch War Dungeness River for the river in Washington ^[20]

Kent's principal river, the River Medway, rises near East Grinstead in Sussex and flows eastwards to a point near Maidstone. East Grinstead (archaically spelt Grimstead) is a town and Civil parish in the northeastern corner of Mid Sussex, West Sussex in England Sussex is a historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. Maidstone is the County town of Kent, England, south-east of London. Here it turns north and breaks through the North Downs at Rochester, then joins the River Thames as its final tributary near Sheerness. Sheerness (ˈʃɪərnɪs is a town located beside the mouth of the River Medway on the northwest corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England The Medway is some 70 miles (113 km) long. ^[24] The river is tidal as far as Allington lock, but in earlier times, cargo-carrying vessels reached as far upstream as Tonbridge. Allington is an almost entirely modern village situated on either side of the A20 road west of Maidstone in Kent. Tonbridge (historic spelling Tunbridge) is a Market town in the English county of Kent, with a population of 30340 in 2007 ^[24] The Medway has captured the head waters of other rivers such as the River Darent. The River Darent or River Darenth or Dartford Creek is a Kentish tributary of the River Thames in England. Other rivers of Kent include the River Stour in the east. There are four rivers draining the county of Kent, England. River Medway See also River Medway This is the main river The River Stour (ˈstaʊə is a the generic name for a group of rivers in Kent, England.

Demographics

Kent Compared
2001 UK census	Kent	South East England	England
Total population	1,579,206	8,000,645	49,138,831
Foreign born	5. A nationwide Census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday 29 April 2001 South East England is one of the nine official Regions of England. 8%	8. 1%	9. 2%
White	96. 5%	95. 1%	90. 9%
Asian	2. 0%	2. 7%	4. 6%
Black	0. 4%	0. 7%	2. 3%
Christian	74. 6%	72. 8%	72%
Muslim	0. 6%	1. 4%	3. 1%
Sikh	0. 7%	0. 5%	0. 7%

As of the 2001 UK census,^[25] Kent, including Medway, had 1,579,206 residents and 646,308 households, of which 1,329,718 residents and 546,742 households were within the administrative boundaries. A nationwide Census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday 29 April 2001 Of those households, 48. 9% were married couples living together, 9. 0% were co-habiting couples and 8. Cohabitation is when people live together in an emotionally- and/or physically- Intimate relationship. 7% were lone parents; 28. 0% of households consisted of individuals, 14. 6% had someone of pensionable age living alone, and 30. A pension is a steady income given to a person upon Retirement, typically in the form of a guaranteed annuity. 4% included children aged under 16 or a person aged 16 to 18 who was in full-time education. For every 100 females, there were 93. 9 males.

The ethnicity of the Kent was 96. 5% White, 0. 9% mixed race, 0. 3% Chinese, 1. 7% other Asian and 0. 4% Black. The place of birth for residents was 94. 2% United Kingdom, 0. 7% Republic of Ireland, 0. 5% Germany, 0. 9% other Western Europe countries, 0. Western Europe at its most general meaning means 'all the countries in the West of Europe ' 3% Eastern Europe, 0. Eastern Europe is a general term that refers to the Geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the European continent. 8% Africa, 0. 6% Far East, 0. The Far East is a term often used by people in the Western world to refer to the countries of East Asia. 9% South Asia, 0. 2% Middle East, 0. The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. 4% North America, 0. 1% South America and 0. 3% Oceania. Religion was recorded as 74. 6% Christian, 0. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth 7% Sikh, 0. Sikh (English or; ਸਿੱਖ sikkh, IPA) is the title and name given to an adherent of Sikhism. 6% Muslim, 0. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion 4% Hindu, 0. A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical 2% Buddhist and 0. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices 1% Jewish, while 15. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ 2% were recorded as having no religion, 0. 3% had an alternative religion, and 7. 8% did not state their religion.

Government

Kent County Council (KCC) and its 12 district councils administer most of the county (3352 km²), while the Medway unitary authority administers the more densely populated remainder (192 km²). Responsibilities The council is responsible for public services such as education transport strategic planning emergency services social services public safety and waste Local government in the United Kingdom is arranged into four different systems with one each for England Northern Ireland Scotland and Wales History The Medway area has a long and varied history dominated See also Independent city A unitary authority is a type of Local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all Local government functions Together they have around 300 town and parish councils. A town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or Parishes A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch A Parish council is a unit of Local government in Great Britain. Kent County Council's headquarters are in Maidstone,^[26] while Medway's offices are in Strood and Gillingham. Maidstone is the County town of Kent, England, south-east of London. This article is about the town in Kent England For the creek in Essex, see The Strood Strood is a town in the Unitary Gillingham ( is a town in the Unitary authority of Medway in South East England.

As of the 2005 county council elections, Kent County Council was controlled by the Conservative Party;^[27] 57 of the Council's 84 seats were held by the Conservatives, 21 by the Labour Party, 6 by the Liberal Democrats and 1 by an Independent. Elections for local government were held in the England and Northern Ireland on May 5, 2005 along with the 2005 general election across The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a liberal Political party in the United Kingdom, formed in 1988 by merging the ^[28] As of the 2007 local elections, Medway Council was controlled by the Conservatives; 33 of the Council's 55 seats were held by the Conservatives, 13 by the Labour Party, 8 by the Liberal Democrats and 1 by an Independent. The 2007 UK local government elections were held on 3 May, 2007. The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a liberal Political party in the United Kingdom, formed in 1988 by merging the ^[29] Currently, all of Kent's district councils are controlled by the Conservatives; the only British county that is in this position.

At the national level, Kent is represented in Parliament by 17 MPs, 10 of whom are Conservative and 7 are Labour. The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories Kent is in the European Parliament constituency of South East England, which elects ten members of the European Parliament. The European Parliament ( Europarl or EP) is the only directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU South East England is a Constituency of the European Parliament. A Member of the European Parliament ( English abbreviation MEP) is a member of the European Union 's legislative body the European Parliament. ^[30]

Economy

As of the 2001 UK census,^[25] employment statistics for the residents in Kent, including Medway, were as follows: 41. A nationwide Census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday 29 April 2001 1% in full-time employment, 12. 4% in part-time employment, 9. 1% self-employed, 2. 9% unemployed, 2. 3% students with jobs, 3. 7% students without jobs, 12. 3% retired, 7. 3% looking after home or family, 4. 3% permanently sick or disabled, and 2. 7% economically inactive for other reasons. Of residents aged 16–74, 16% had a higher education qualification or the equivalent, compared to 20% nationwide. Higher education is Education that is provided by universities, vocational universities, Community colleges Liberal arts colleges ^[25]

The average hours worked per week by residents of Kent were 43. 1 for males and 30. 9 for females. Their industry of employment was 17. 3% retail, 12. 4% manufacturing, 11. 8% real estate, 10. 3% health and social work, 8. 9% construction, 8. 2% transport and communications, 7. 9% education, 6. 0% public administration and defence, 5. 6% finance, 4. 8% other community and personal service activities, 4. 1% hotels and restaurants, 1. 6% agriculture, 0. 8% energy and water supply, 0. 2% mining, and 0. 1% private households. This is higher than the whole of England for construction and transport/communications, and lower for manufacturing.

Kent is sometimes known as the "Garden of England" for its abundance of orchards and hop gardens. The hop ( Humulus) is a small genus of Flowering plants native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. Distinctive hop-drying buildings called oasts are common in the countryside, although many have been converted into dwellings. oast or oast house is an example of Vernacular architecture in England, especially Kent and Sussex. Nearer to London, market gardens also flourish.

However, in recent years, there has been a significant drop in agriculture, and industry and services are increasing their utilization of the area. This is illustrated by the following table of economic indicator gross value added (GVA) between 1995 and 2000 (figures are in millions of British Pounds Sterling). Gross Value Added or GVA is a measure in Economics of the value of goods and services produced in an area or sector of an Economy. ^[31]

Year	Regional GVA[A]	Agriculture		Industry[B]		Services[C]
County of Kent (excluding Medway)
1995	12,369	379	3. 1%	3,886	31. 4%	8,104	65. 5%
2000	15,259	259	1. 7%	4,601	30. 2%	10,399	68. 1%
2003	18,126	287	1. 6%	5,057	27. 9%	12,783	70. 5%
Medway
1995	1,823	21	3. 1%	560	31. 4%	1,243	68. 2%
2000	2,348	8	1. 7%	745	30. 2%	1,595	67. 9%
2003	2,671	10	1. 6%	802	27. 9%	1,859	69. 6%

^A  Components may not sum to totals due to rounding

^B  includes energy and construction

^C  includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured

North Kent is heavily industrialised with cement-making at Northfleet and Cuxton, brickmaking at Sittingbourne, shipbuilding on the Medway and Swale, engineering and aircraft design and construction at Rochester, chemicals at Dartford and papermaking at Swanley, and oil refining at Grain. In the most general sense of the word a cement is a binder a substance which sets and hardens independently and can bind other materials together For the ship wrecked on January 22nd 1873 see Northfleet (ship Northfleet is a town in Kent, England. Cuxton is a village in the unitary authority of Medway. It lies on left bank of the River Medway in the North Downs. A brick is a block of Ceramic material used in Masonry construction laid using mortar. See also Shipbuilding (song. Shipbuilding is the construction of Ships It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a The name The Swale refers to the strip of sea separating North Kent from the Isle of Sheppey. Engineering is the Discipline and Profession of applying technical and scientific Knowledge and Aeronautics (from Greek aero which means air or sky and nautis which means sailor i A chemical substance is a Material with a definite chemical composition. Papermaking is the process of making Paper, a material which is used ubiquitously today for writing and packaging Swanley is a town and Civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. An oil refinery is an industrial Process plant where Crude oil is processed and refined into more useful Petroleum products, such as Gasoline For the peninsula sometimes mistakenly called the Isle of Grain see the Hoo Peninsula. ^[15] A steel mini mill in Sheerness and a rolling mill in Queenborough. Steel is an Alloy consisting mostly of Iron, with a Carbon content between 0 Sheerness (ˈʃɪərnɪs is a town located beside the mouth of the River Medway on the northwest corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England Queenborough is a small town on the Isle of Sheppey in the Swale borough of Kent in South East England. There are two nuclear power stations at Dungeness, although the older one, built in 1965, was closed at the end of 2006. There are two nuclear Power stations located on the Dungeness headland in the south east of Kent, England. See also Battle of Dungeness for the 1652 battle of the First Anglo-Dutch War Dungeness River for the river in Washington ^[31]

Cement-making, papermaking, and coal-mining were important industries in Kent during the 19th and 20th century. Cement came to the fore in the 19th century when massive building projects were undertaken. The ready supply of chalk and huge pits between Stone and Gravesend bear testament to that industry. For Stone in Swale see Stone. Stone, also known as Stone-next-Dartford, is one of a string of villages lying along the Dartford Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. There were also other workings around Burham on the tidal Medway. Burham is a village and Civil parish in the Tonbridge and Malling district of Kent, England. ^[32]

Kent's original paper mills stood on streams like the River Darent, tributaries of the River Medway, and on the River Stour. A paper mill is a Factory devoted to making Paper from wood pulp and other ingredients using a Fourdrinier Machine or similar apparatus The River Darent or River Darenth or Dartford Creek is a Kentish tributary of the River Thames in England. The River Stour (ˈstaʊə is a the generic name for a group of rivers in Kent, England. Two 18th century mills were on the River Len and at Tovil on the River Loose. There are four rivers draining the county of Kent, England. River Medway See also River Medway This is the main river Tovil is now a suburb of the Town of Maidstone, the County town of Kent in the South East of England. The Loose Stream sometimes called the River Loose or Langley Stream is a tributary of the River Medway notable for the number of Watermills that it powered In the late 19th century huge modern mills were built at Dartford and Northfleet on the River Thames and at Kemsley on The Swale. Sittingbourne is an industrial town about eight miles (129 km east of Gillingham, beside the Roman Watling Street off a creek in The Swale In pre-industrial times, almost every village and town had its own windmill or watermill, with over 400 windmills known to have stood at some time. A windmill is a machine that is powered by the energy of the wind This article is about a type of structure For other locational uses see Milldam. A list of all Windmills in Kent, including those parts of the county absorbed into London in 1889 and 1965 Twenty eight survive within the county today, plus two replica mills and a further two in that part of Kent now absorbed into London. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. All the major rivers in the county were used to power watermills.

From about 1900, several coal pits operated in East Kent. The Kent coalfield was mined during the 20th century at several collieries,^[33] including Chislet, Tilmanstone, Betteshanger, and the Snowdown Colliery, which ran from 1908 to 1986. The Kent coalfield was located in the eastern part of the English county of Kent. ^[34]

The west of the county (including Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells & Sevenoaks) is generally more affluent than the east, especially when compared to the coastal regions of Folkestone, Dover & Thanet. This is partly due to the former's proximity to London, making it prime "commuter belt" and the latter's geographic extremities. The eagerly awaited CTRL 2009 domestic service, bringing coastal areas' travel times to London down to around an hour, is hoped to further regeneration.

Arts

Kent has provided inspiration for several notable writers and artists. Canterbury's religious role gave rise to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, a key development in the English language. Geoffrey Chaucer (c 1343 – 25 October 1400? was an English author poet Philosopher, bureaucrat, courtier and Diplomat. The father of novelist Charles Dickens worked at the Chatham Dockyard; in many of his books, the celebrated novelist featured the scenery of Chatham, Rochester, and the Cliffe marshes. Cliffe (sometimes known as Cliffe-at-Hoo) is a Village on the Hoo peninsula in Kent, England, reached from the Medway Towns ^[35] The landscape painter J. M. W. Turner spent part of his childhood in the town of Margate in East Kent, and regularly returned to visit it throughout his life. Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 1775 &ndash 19 December 1851 was an English Romantic landscape painter, Watercolourist and Margate is a Seaside resort town within the Thanet district of East Kent, England. The East Kent coast inspired many of his works, including some of his most famous seascapes. ^[36] During the late 1930s, Nobel Prize-awarded novelist William Golding worked as a teacher at Maidstone Grammar School, where he met his future wife Ann Brookfield. The Nobel Prize (Nobelpriset (Nobelprisen is a Swedish prize established in the 1895 will of Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel; it was first awarded in Peace, Literature Sir William Gerald Golding ( 19 September, 1911 – 19 June, 1993) was a British novelist poet and Nobel Prize for Literature Maidstone Grammar School ( MGS) is a Grammar school located in Maidstone, United Kingdom. ^[36] In addition, the highly successful current pop production team Xenomania work out of a converted rectory in Kent. Xenomania is one of the UK 's leading pop production houses put together by writer and producer Brian Higgins. Depending on denomination, local custom and the status of the minister the Building inhabited (or formerly inhabited by the leader of a local Christian church can

Transport

Main article: Transport in Kent

Roads

With the Roman invasion, a road network was constructed to connect London to the Channel ports of Dover, Lympne and Richborough. The London–Dover road was Watling Street. Watling Street is the name given to an Ancient trackway in England and Wales that was first used by the Celts mainly between the modern These roads are now approximately the A2, B2068, A257, and the A28. The A2 runs through Dartford (A207), Gravesend, Rochester, Canterbury and Dover; the A20 through Eltham, Wrotham, Maidstone, Charing, Ashford. The A2 is a major road in southern England, connecting London with the English Channel port of Dover in Kent. Hythe, Folkestone and Dover; the A21 around Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells and on to Hastings in East Sussex. The A21 is a major Trunk road in Southern England connecting London with Hastings, East Sussex. ^[15] In the 1960s, two motorways were built; the M2 from Medway to Faversham, and the M20 from Swanley to Folkestone. The M2 is a Motorway in Kent, England. It is 257 Miles (414 Km) long and acts as a bypass of the section of the A2 The M20 is a Motorway in Kent, England. It runs from the M25 motorway to Folkestone, providing a link to the Channel Part of the M25 runs through Kent, from Westerham to the Kent and Essex tunnel at Dartford. To see information about the M25 motorway under construction in Ireland, see N25 road. The Dartford Crossing joins Dartford and Thurrock across the River Thames, to the east of London. The Dartford tunnel has been joined by the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, together providing four lanes in each direction. The Dartford Crossing joins Dartford and Thurrock across the River Thames, to the east of London. The M26 motorway, built in 1980, provides a short link between the M25 at Sevenoaks and the M20 near Wrotham. The M26 is a Motorway in Kent, England. It is provides a short link between the M25 / A21 at Sevenoaks and the M20 Sevenoaks is a Commuter town in the Sevenoaks district of Kent in South East England and forms part of the London commuter belt. Wrotham (ˈruːtəm is a village situated on the Pilgrims' Way in Kent, at the foot of the North Downs.

Water

The medieval Cinque Ports, except for Dover, have all now silted up. Cinque Ports is also the name of a 1703 Galleon (ship The Confederation of Cinque Ports (sɪŋk pɔrts is a historic series of coastal The Medway Estuary has been an important port and naval base for 500 years. The River Medway is tidal up to Allington and navigable up to Tonbridge. Allington is an almost entirely modern village situated on either side of the A20 road west of Maidstone in Kent. Kent's two canals are the Royal Military Canal between Hythe and Rye, which still exists, and the Thames and Medway Canal between Strood and Gravesend. The Royal Military Canal is a canal running for 28 miles between Seabrook near Folkestone and Cliff End near Hastings, following the old cliff line bordering Built in 1824, it was purchased in 1846 by the railways, which partially backfilled it. ^[15] Container ports are located at Ramsgate and Thamesport. Ramsgate is a seaside town on the Isle of Thanet in east Kent, England.

Railways

The earliest locomotive-driven passenger-carrying railway in Britain was the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway which opened in 1830. Eurostar is a High-speed train service in Western Europe connecting London and Kent in the United Kingdom, with Paris This article is about the town in Kent England For the creek in Essex, see The Strood Strood is a town in the Unitary Early history There are a number of claimants to the title "first railway in Britain" including the Middleton Railway, the Swansea and Mumbles ^[37] This and the London and Greenwich Railway later merged into South Eastern Railways (SER). The London and Greenwich Railway was opened in London between 1836 and 1838. For the railway in India see South Eastern Railway (India South Eastern Railway (SER was a railway company in the United Kingdom ^[38] By the 1850s, SER's networks had expanded to Ashford, Ramsgate, Canterbury, Tunbridge Wells, and the Medway towns. SER's major London termini were London Bridge, Charing Cross, and Cannon Street. London Bridge station is a National Rail and London Underground station in the London Borough of Southwark, which occupies a large area on two levels immediately Cannon Street is a National Rail and London Underground station complex in the City of London, the financial district of London in Kent also had a second major railway, the London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR). The London Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1859 until the 1923 grouping which united it with other companies Originally the East Kent Railway in 1858, it linked the northeast Kent coast with London terminals at Victoria and Blackfriars. The East Kent Railway (EKR was incorporated in 1853 for the construction of a line from the South Eastern Railway (SER ( North Kent line) at Strood London Victoria is a major London Underground, National Rail and Coach station in the City of Westminster. London Blackfriars station is a London Underground and National Rail station in the City of London.

The two companies merged in 1899, forming the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SECR). The South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SE&CR was a working amalgamation of two neighbouring rival railways the South Eastern Railway (SER and London Chatham In the aftermath of World War I, the government's Railways Act 1921 grouped railway companies together; the SECR joined neighbouring London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR) and London and South Western Railway (LSWR) to form the Southern Railway. The Railways Act of 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being The London Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR (commonly known as "the Brighton line" was a Railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1923 The London and South Western Railway (L&SWR was a Railway company in England from 1838 to 1922 The Southern Railway (SR was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. ^[38] Britain's railways were nationalised in 1948, forming British Rail. See also Rail transport in Great Britain, National Rail, Network Rail This article is about the defunct entity "British Railways" The railways were privatised in 1996 and most Kent passenger services were franchised to Connex South Eastern. Franchising refers to the methods of practicing and using another person's Philosophy of business. Connex South Eastern was a train operating company in the United Kingdom. ^[39] Following financial difficulties, Connex lost the franchise and was replaced by Southeastern. Southeastern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. ^[40]

The Channel Tunnel was completed in 1994 and High Speed 1 in November 2007 with a London terminus at St Pancras. The Channel Tunnel (Le tunnel sous la Manche also known as the Chunnel, is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in England with St Pancras railway station is a major railway station situated in the St Pancras area of Central London between the British Library and King's Cross A new station, Ebbsfleet International, opened between Dartford and Gravesend, serving northern Kent. Ebbsfleet International railway station is a railway station in Ebbsfleet Valley, in the borough of Dartford, Kent, just outside the eastern boundary Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, 16 miles (25 km east south-east Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. ^[41] . The high speed lines will be utilised to provide a faster train service to coastal towns like Ramsgate and Folkestone. Ramsgate is a seaside town on the Isle of Thanet in east Kent, England. Folkestone (ˈfoʊkstən is a resort town on the south coast of Kent, England, traditionally known as "The Garden Coast" This station is in addition to the existing station at Ashford International, which has suffered a massive cut in service as a result. Ashford International railway station serves Ashford in Kent, England.

In addition to the "mainline" railways, there are several light, heritage, and industrial railways in Kent. There are three heritage, standard gauge railways; Spa Valley Railway near Tunbridge Wells on the old Tunbridge Wells West branch, East Kent Railway on the old East Kent coalfield area and the Kent and East Sussex Railway on the Weald around Tenterden. Future In the near term the SVR is hoping to extend services to Eridge mainline station, where there is a disused bay platform and also to Tunbridge Wells West Stopping Points Shepherdswell Eythorne Wigmore Lane (No Station Locomotives Steam Locomotives Historical Company Opening And Growth The Kent & East Sussex Railway was one of the light railways operated by Colonel H In addition there is the 15-inch (380 mm) gauge, tourist-oriented Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway on the southeast Kent coast along the Dungeness peninsular. The Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway is a gauge Light railway in Kent, England. Finally, there is the 2 ft 6 in (0. 76 m), industrial Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway.

Air

A limited number of charter flights are provided by Kent's London Biggin Hill Airport, Kent International Airport at Manston, and London Ashford Airport at Lydd. London Biggin Hill Airport is an airport at Biggin Hill on the southern edge of the United Kingdom 's capital city of London. Kent International Airport is an Airport in Kent, England. It was formerly called RAF Manston (a Royal Air Force London Ashford Airport or Lydd Airport is located 12 Nautical miles (2 Lydd is a Town in Kent, England, lying on the Romney Marsh. It is one of the larger towns on the Marsh and the most southerly town in Kent However, most passengers across the South East use the larger Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton airports. Gatwick Airport is London 's second largest Airport and the second busiest airport in the United Kingdom after Heathrow. London Stansted Airport is a passenger Airport located in the Uttlesford District of the English County of Essex about 38 miles (61 London Luton Airport (previously called Luton International Airport) is an International airport located on the edge of the Town of Luton In 2002, it was revealed that the government is considering building a new four-runway airport on the marshland near the village of Cliffe on the Hoo Peninsula, but this plan was dropped following protests by cultural and environmental groups. Cliffe (sometimes known as Cliffe-at-Hoo) is a Village on the Hoo peninsula in Kent, England, reached from the Medway Towns The Hoo Peninsula is a Peninsula in England separating the estuaries of the rivers Thames and Medway. ^[42]

Education

See also: List of schools in Kent

The county has three universities; Canterbury Christ Church University with campuses throughout East Kent, University of Kent, with campuses in Canterbury and Medway, and University of Greenwich, with sites at Woolwich, Eltham, London and Medway. List of Primary schools Middle schools Secondary schools Special schools Further education colleges and Universities in the ceremonial Canterbury Christ Church University is a university in Canterbury, Kent, England. East Kent and West Kent are one-time traditional subdivisions of the English county of Kent, kept alive by the Association of the Men of Kent and Kentish The University of Kent is a plate glass campus University in Kent, England. The University of Greenwich is a " post-1992 university " located in the London Borough of Greenwich. Woolwich (ˈwʊlɪtʃ or /ˈwʊlɪdʒ/ is a suburb in south-east London, England in the London Borough of Greenwich, on the south side of the River Eltham is a district in the London Borough of Greenwich. It is a suburban development situated east south-east of Charing Cross. Whereas much of the UK adopted a comprehensive education system in the 1970s, Kent County Council (KCC) and Medway Unitary Authority are among around fifteen^[43] local authorities still providing wholly selective education through the eleven-plus high schools and grammar schools. A comprehensive school is a Secondary school and State school for children from the age of 11 to at least 16 that does not select children on the basis of academic Education in the United Kingdom is organised separately in each of the countries of the United Kingdom with power over education in Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland being devolved In the United Kingdom the Eleven Plus or Transfer Test is an Examination administered to some students in their last year of primary education A Secondary Modern School is a type of Secondary school that existed in most of the United Kingdom from 1944 until the early 1970s under the Tripartite System A grammar school is one of several different types of School in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries Together, the two Kent authorities have 38 of the 164 grammar schools remaining in the UK. ^[44]

KCC has the largest education department of any local authority in the UK,^[45] providing school places for over 289,000 pupils.

Schools in Kent (data from 2000)[46]
LEA	Nursery	Primary	Secondary (High)	Secondary (Grammar)	Special	Pupil Referral Units	Independent	City Technology College	Total
KCC	1	475	74	32	34	11	83	1	711
Medway	0	89	14	6	3	1	7	0	120

For the 2005-06 school year, KCC and Medway introduced a standardised school year, based on six terms, as recommended by the Local Government Association in its 2000 report, "The Rhythms of Schooling". A special school is a school catering to students who have Special educational needs e A Pupil Referral Unit (PRU is a centre for children who are not able to attend a mainstream or special School. In England, City Technology Colleges (CTCs are independent schools which charge no fees as their recurrent costs are borne by the Department for Education and Skills The Local Government Association is a body for advancing the interests of local authorities in England and Wales The LGA has its Head Office at Local Government ^[47]

See also

• List of places in Kent
• List of civil parishes in Kent
• Category:Towns in Kent
• Category:Villages in Kent
• List of tourist attractions in Kent
• Recreational walks in Kent
• Thames Gateway - includes details of regeneration projects in the northern areas of Kent
• List of people from Kent
• Thanet

References

External links

• Kent County Council – local government website
• Kent Wildlife Trust – Kent Wildlife Trust is the most active conservation trust in the county
• Kent Online – a Kent Messenger Group website
• Camelot Village – Kent heritage
• Kent Downs – Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty website
• Village Net – photographs and historic details of villages in Kent and East Sussex
• CPRE Kent- Kent Branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE)
• historic-kent.co.uk – further information on villages throughout Kent. The Kent Wildlife Trust is one of the largest of the wildlife trust organisations covering the county of Kent, England.
• BBC – origins of Kent placenames
• Kent Coast in Pictures – photographs of the coastline of Kent.
• Kent County Cricket Club
• Official Kent Tourism Guide
• BBC feature on the Kent eleven-plus

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