Longfield
Coordinates: 51°23′46″N 0°18′17″E / 51.3962°N 0.3046°E
| Longfield | |
 Longfield
Longfield shown within Kent |
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| OS grid reference | TQ604688 |
|---|---|
| Civil parish | Longfield and New Barn |
| District | Dartford |
| Shire county | Kent |
| Region | South East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Longfield |
| Postcode district | DA3 |
| Dialling code | 01474 |
| Police | Kent |
| Fire | Kent |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | Dartford |
| List of places: UK • England • Kent | |
Longfield is a village in the Dartford borough of Kent. It is located four miles south east of Dartford and near Gravesend. It contains several shops, a pub, and a 14th century church. It is recorded in the Domesday Book and the Anglo-Saxon charters of 964-995.
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[edit] History
The place in Kent is recorded as 'Langanfelda' in the Saxon Charters of 964-995, and as 'Langafel' in the Domesday Book of 1086.[1]
It had been proposed by Patrick Abercrombie as part of the Greater London Plan to build a New Town in the Longfield area - though this was rejected.[2]
[edit] Geography
Longfield is located four miles south east of Dartford and near Gravesend. It is contiguous with the village of Hartley to the south.
The villages of New Barn and Longfield are within and give their names to the civil parish of Longfield and New Barn which also covers the settlement of Longfield Hill. Longfield is the ancient village, situated on the road between Dartford and Meopham. New Barn is larger in population than Longfield, although has little in the way of services, being a recent development and purely a residential location.
[edit] Governance
Longfield fell within the Hundred of Axtane.[3] The Local Government Act 1972 made the village part of the Sevenoaks of Kent in 1974. It was transferred to the borough of Dartford in 1987.[4]
Dr Howard Stoate (Labour) had been the MP since 1997, but resigned in 2010.[5]
[edit] Economy
The village has a shopping area consisting of a local baker and butcher, two local supermarkets, a post office, chemist, estate agents, hair-dressers, an antiques shop, various restaurants and take-aways, an undertakers and a country market on Fridays.[6]
[edit] Culture
There is one pub in Longfield, the Railway Tavern,[7] and another, The Wheatsheaf, a 15th century thatched pub, outside the village on the B255 road to Bluewater.[8] The Long Valley Club and the Hartley Country Club are club-based venues restricted to paid membership. Other pubs in the area include the Green Man on Longfield Hill, the White Swan near Ash and the Rising Sun in Fawkham.
The church is dedicated to St Mary Magdalene, and was built in 1343.[9]
[edit] Transport
The town is served by Longfield railway station which is operated by Southeastern (train operating company) with services to London and the Medway Towns.
The railway was built in 1861, but Longfield station did not open until 1872. This building was replaced in 1902 after a fire, and rebuilt in 1971. The line was electrified just before the war, but it was many years before the company could be persuaded to set up safety fencing. Many people used to walk to Longfield Halt in Whitehill Road to catch the train to Gravesend West Street.
Longfield suffers from heavy traffic and queues daily.
[edit] References
- ^ "history". www.longfieldchurch.org. http://www.longfieldchurch.org/history.html. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
- ^ "Hartley-Kent: Plans for Hartley New Town 1944". www.hartley-kent.org.uk. http://www.hartley-kent.org.uk/history/1944nt.htm. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
- ^ "N.W.Kent Parishes: Longfield". www.nwkfhs.org.uk. http://www.nwkfhs.org.uk/long_plc.htm. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
- ^ "The Kent (District Boundaries) Order 1987". www.opsi.gov.uk. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1987/Uksi_19870305_en_1.htm. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
- ^ "BBC NEWS". news.bbc.co.uk. 2009-07-28. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8173135.stm. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
- ^ "Welcome • Longfield Country Market". www.longfieldcountrymarket.co.uk. http://www.longfieldcountrymarket.co.uk/. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
- ^ "Railway Tavern, Longfield, Kent, DA3 7QD - pub details # beerintheevening.com". www.beerintheevening.com. http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/35/35753/Railway_Tavern/Longfield. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
- ^ "Wheatsheaf, Westwood, Kent, DA13 9PH - pub details # beerintheevening.com". www.beerintheevening.com. http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/30/30633/Wheatsheaf/Westwood. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
- ^ "St. Mary Magdalene Church - Home". www.longfieldchurch.org. http://www.longfieldchurch.org/home.html. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
[edit] External links
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