Elham, Kent
| Elham | |
|---|---|
 Elham Valley from Tolsford Hill |
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 Elham
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| Elham shown within Kent | |
| Population | 1,509 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | TR175439 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Canterbury |
| Postcode district | CT4 |
| Dialling code | 01303 |
| Police | Kent |
| Fire | Kent |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | |
Elham (pronounced Eel-um) is a village in East Kent situated approximately 9 miles (14 km) south of Canterbury and 5 miles (8 km) north east of Folkestone in the Elham Valley. At the 2011 Census the population included the hamlet of Ottinge and village of Wingmore.
The origin of the village's name has always been a matter of argument. The village is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Alham. This may have derived from Ulaham, which it is referred to in an Anglo Saxon charter of 855 A.D. The suffix "ham" is derived from the German word "heim", meaning "home". Thus, it is assumed that Ulaham means homestead of a person named Ula. Another theory is that the name originates from the presence of eels once found in the Nailbourne centuries ago.
The discovery of hundreds of Neolithic hand axes, scrapers and worked flints at Dreal's Farm on the chalk plateau to the east of the village is the earliest evidence of human activity in the parish.Bronze Age remains have also been discovered indicating continuity of settlement. There is also a cluster of Bronze Age tumuli in Elham Park Wood and there is a further tumulus on the hillcrest between Ottinge and Rhodes Minnis. Evidence of Roman occupation is limited to discoveries of coins and pottery and there is little Anglo Saxon archaeological evidence although the Anglo Saxon cemetery at Lyminge may extend over the parish boundary.
St Mary's Church [1] dates from about 1200 whilst the Abbot's Fireside Restaurant on the high street is of Stuart origin (built in 1641). This is reputed to have been the headquarters of the Duke of Wellington during the times when there was a threat from Napoleonic invasion. In the centre of the village is the Square. This dates from 1251 when the village was granted a market by Edward I and was in use until the early 19th century. The village once had two windmills but both now no longer exist.
The population of Elham was 1,192 in 1881.Elham Valley Railway opened in 1889 and closed in 1947. There are still traces of its existence throughout the parish such as the remains of the station platforms at the bottom of Duck Lane. Until the early 1900s a brickworks existed within the village (the Elham Valley Brick and Tile Company) with kilns situated on the east side of the valley.
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Wikipedia