Ospringe
| Ospringe | |
|---|---|
 Church of St Peter and St Paul, Ospringe |
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 Ospringe
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| Ospringe shown within Kent | |
| Population | 715 (2001) 771 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | TR001604 |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | FAVERSHAM |
| Postcode district | ME13 |
| Dialling code | 01795 |
| Police | Kent |
| Fire | Kent |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | |
Ospringe is a village and civil parish in the English county of Kent. It had a population of 715 in 2001, increasing to 771 at the 2011 census. Located south of Faversham, Ospringe forms part of the Borough of Swale. It lies on the Roman road Watling Street (nowadays the A2 road), called Ospringe Street in the village. Including the historic Maison Dieu. Another section of the village lies on Water Lane leading southwards towards Painters Forstal. The remains of substantial Roman buildings have been found to its north west; the ruins of the abandoned Stone Chapel lie nearby.
The Roman ruins are believed to be on the site of the Durolevum mentioned in the Antonine Itinerary, although this remains uncertain.
In 1798, Edward Hasted records that the village was once called "Ospringes", and that this name comes from the spring or stream that rises in the village and used to lead to Davington pond.
The town was once separate from the hundred of Faversham, and had its own constable. In 1935 part of the parish (including Ospringe Street) became part of the Borough of Faversham. This enabled electricity to be installed in many of the properties. Other parish matters (such as rubbish collection) were now controlled by Faversham, removing the need to dispose of waste in a local disused quarry.
The stream that gave the village its name ran from Whitehill, near Painters Forstal (or painter's Forstal) northwards along a valley (along Water Lane), towards Ospringe Church and then past Queen Court (a former mansion house – now a Grade II* listed farmhouse,). The stream then passed through a corn grinding water mill (demolished around 1960) and then actually flowed along Water Lane, with raised pavements either side, creating a ford close to the junction with Ospringe Street (A2) (beside the Maison Dieu) It was then culverted under the A2 to reappear on the north side and head towards Chart Gunpowder Mill, before finally running into Faversham creek near Oare. When the M2 motorway was built in 1965, Water Lane was rebuilt south of the A2 and the stream completely diverted into a culvert under the road. This led to the complete disappearance of the ford and stream. The raised pavements were eventually levelled.
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Wikipedia