Aylesham
Encyclopedia
Aylesham is a village
and civil parish
near the cathedral town of Canterbury. Aylesham has its administrative and political seat in the Dover district
of Kent
in England
. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 3,884.
The village was once associated with coal-mining. Apart from Aylesham itself the parish includes Snowdown
. Both villages are served by railway stations – Aylesham railway station
only 10 minutes from Canterbury in a northerly direction and 5 minutes to Snowdown railway station
.
During the Second World War the Aylesham coalminers formed a Home Guard
contingent that took part in many rescue operations during the German bombings, especially in Canterbury. Old pillboxes
can be found in the fields and woods around the village.
Aylesham has been known to produce a number of talented sports men and women, most notably though an array of talented young footballers. During the 30's and 40's numerous men from the village represented both Tottenham Hotspur, and Coventry City along with a host of other league clubs. Several footballers were sponsored by the Latrobe Soccer Club of Brisbane, Australia to migrate in the early 1960s. Both Henry Brown and Robert Yore came via this way. Brown played and coached at Latrobe, Polonia and Wynnum. Many of the 1960s emigrants settled in a suburb of Brisbane called Acacia Ridge. The resettled families often affectionately referred to this suburb as "Little Aylesham."
Aylesham has been identified by the Dover Local Plan as a location for expansion.
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 civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
near the cathedral town of Canterbury. Aylesham has its administrative and political seat in the Dover district
Dover (district)
Dover is a local government district in Kent, England. Dover is its administrative centre. It was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the boroughs of Deal, Dover, and Sandwich along with Dover Rural District and most of Eastry Rural District...
of 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...
in 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...
. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 3,884.
The village was once associated with coal-mining. Apart from Aylesham itself the parish includes Snowdown
Snowdown
Snowdown is a village near Dover in Kent, England. It was the location of one of the four chief collieries of the Kent coalfield....
. Both villages are served by railway stations – Aylesham railway station
Aylesham railway station
Aylesham railway station serves Aylesham in the English county of Kent. It is served by Southeastern.The station lies on the Canterbury East to Dover Priory line. It was built by Southern Railway on 1 July 1928 to cater for the considerable increase in passenger traffic brought about by the...
only 10 minutes from Canterbury in a northerly direction and 5 minutes to Snowdown railway station
Snowdown railway station
Snowdown railway station serves Snowdown in Kent. It is served by Southeastern.The station and the line it serves were built by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway, and the station was opened in 1914...
.
History
The village was established in 1926. Designed by Dorman and Long, the village was settled to provide housing for the newly sunk coal mine at nearby Snowdown Colliery. Miners from all parts of the UK, notably South Wales, Scotland and the Northeast, seeking better wages and safer conditions, traveled to the village to work at nearby Snowdown Colliery. Due to this the people of Aylesham have developed a unique accent and vocabulary. The miners bought with them the traditional Male Voice choir, Brass band and Rugby pastimes, all of which are still in evidence today, each of these organisations keeping the colliery name as their identity.During the Second World War the Aylesham coalminers formed a Home Guard
British Home Guard
The Home Guard was a defence organisation of the British Army during the Second World War...
contingent that took part in many rescue operations during the German bombings, especially in Canterbury. Old pillboxes
British anti-invasion preparations of World War II
British anti-invasion preparations of the Second World War entailed a large-scale division of military and civilian mobilisation in response to the threat of invasion by German armed forces in 1940 and 1941. The British army needed to recover from the defeat of the British Expeditionary Force in...
can be found in the fields and woods around the village.
Aylesham has been known to produce a number of talented sports men and women, most notably though an array of talented young footballers. During the 30's and 40's numerous men from the village represented both Tottenham Hotspur, and Coventry City along with a host of other league clubs. Several footballers were sponsored by the Latrobe Soccer Club of Brisbane, Australia to migrate in the early 1960s. Both Henry Brown and Robert Yore came via this way. Brown played and coached at Latrobe, Polonia and Wynnum. Many of the 1960s emigrants settled in a suburb of Brisbane called Acacia Ridge. The resettled families often affectionately referred to this suburb as "Little Aylesham."
Aylesham has been identified by the Dover Local Plan as a location for expansion.