Bekesbourne
Encyclopedia
Bekesbourne is a village
, within the civil parish
of Bekesbourne-with-Patrixbourne
, near Canterbury
in Kent
, South East England
.
Situated approximately three miles south-east of the city boundary, the village has a church, St Peter's
Parish Church which has a Norman
doorway, a 13th century chancel
and the first recorded example of brick mathematical tile
s.
Howletts Wild Animal Park
is in Bekesbourne, the home of many endangered species
and the world's largest breeding gorilla
colony
in captivity.
Bekesbourne railway station
serves the area, on the line between Canterbury East
and Dover Priory railway station
s.
Bekesbourne was the site of an aerodrome, built during World War I
, and which thrived as the home of the Kent Flying Club until World War II
, when it was closed. One large hangar remained. It was severely damaged by and rebuilt after the hurricane of 1987. It was then demolished in the early 1990s and the site developed with 10 large detached houses. The road on which they are situated was named De Havillands
.
Bekesbourne was the birthplace of:
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...
, within the 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...
of Bekesbourne-with-Patrixbourne
Bekesbourne-with-Patrixbourne
Bekesbourne-with-Patrixbourne is a civil parish in the City of Canterbury district of Kent, England. It is located 4 miles south-east of Canterbury.According to the 2001 census it had a population of 868. The parish consists of Bekesbourne and Patrixbourne...
, near Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
in 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...
, South East England
South East England
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England, designated in 1994 and adopted for statistical purposes in 1999. It consists of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
.
Situated approximately three miles south-east of the city boundary, the village has a church, St Peter's
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
Parish Church which has a Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
doorway, a 13th century chancel
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
and the first recorded example of brick mathematical tile
Mathematical tile
Mathematical tiles are a building material used extensively in the southeastern counties of England—especially East Sussex and Kent—in the 18th and early 19th centuries. They were laid on the exterior of timber-framed buildings as an alternative to brickwork, which their appearance closely resembled...
s.
Howletts Wild Animal Park
Howletts Zoo
Howletts Wild Animal Park was set up as a private zoo in 1957 by John Aspinall near Canterbury, Kent. The animal collection was opened to the public in 1975...
is in Bekesbourne, the home of many endangered species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
and the world's largest breeding gorilla
Gorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
in captivity.
Bekesbourne railway station
Bekesbourne railway station
Bekesbourne railway station serves the villages of Bekesbourne, Bishopsbourne, Littlebourne and Patrixbourne in Kent, and is located between Canterbury East and Dover Priory. It is served by Southeastern....
serves the area, on the line between Canterbury East
Canterbury East railway station
Canterbury East railway station is one of two stations in Canterbury in Kent. It is south-southwest of the city centre and is served by Southeastern....
and Dover Priory railway station
Dover Priory railway station
Dover Priory railway station is the main station in Dover in Kent, with the other station being Kearsney situated on the outskirts of Dover. . All train services are provided by Southeastern...
s.
Bekesbourne was the site of an aerodrome, built during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and which thrived as the home of the Kent Flying Club until World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when it was closed. One large hangar remained. It was severely damaged by and rebuilt after the hurricane of 1987. It was then demolished in the early 1990s and the site developed with 10 large detached houses. The road on which they are situated was named De Havillands
De Havilland
The de Havilland Aircraft Company was a British aviation manufacturer founded in 1920 when Airco, of which Geoffrey de Havilland had been chief designer, was sold to BSA by the owner George Holt Thomas. De Havilland then set up a company under his name in September of that year at Stag Lane...
.
Bekesbourne was the birthplace of:
- Michael PowellMichael Powell (director)Michael Latham Powell was a renowned English film director, celebrated for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger...
- celebrated film director - Stephen HalesStephen HalesStephen Hales, FRS was an English physiologist, chemist and inventor.Hales studied the role of air and water in the maintenance of both plant and animal life. He gave accurate accounts of the movements of water in plants, and demonstrated that plants absorb air...
- English physiologist, chemist and inventor.