Wilmington, Kent
Coordinates: 51°25′51″N 0°11′15″E / 51.4309°N 0.1876°E
| Wilmington | |
 Wilmington
Wilmington shown within Kent |
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| Population | 6,878 [1] |
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| District | Dartford |
| Shire county | Kent |
| Region | South East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | DARTFORD |
| Postcode district | DA2 |
| Police | Kent |
| Fire | Kent |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| List of places: UK • England • Kent | |
Wilmington is a village and parish in Kent, England, in the Borough of Dartford, about 1.5 miles from Dartford town centre. The parish is one of the largest in England and borders the London Borough of Bexley and Sevenoaks District. The parish council meets at Oakfield Park pavilion.
The village is considered to be one of the most affluent areas of Dartford. Its centre has one shop and four pubs: The Orange Tree, The Plough, The Foresters and The Horse and Groom at Leyton Cross. Its most prominent landmark is the St Michael and All Angels Church, which is the site for the annual Wilmington Model Railway Exhibition. Part of the Joydens Wood estate lies within parish boundaries.
In the reign of Edward IV, a manor house in the village was the residence of the king-making Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick. In the 19th Century Wilmington was noted for being surrounded by gardens and cherry orchards. In the 1970s the village was bisected by the A2 dual carriageway.
Wilmington is perhaps most famous for being the childhood home of Mick Jagger, lead singer with the Rolling Stones. Keith Richards, guitarist with the Rolling Stones, attended Wilmington Technical School (Now Wilmington Grammar School for Boys.)
Wilmington is twinned with Bray-et-Lû, Val-d'Oise, France.
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[edit] Sport
Wilmington Cricket Club has been a part of the village for over 100 years and has had many successes in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, playing at Lords twice and winning many competitions over the years. They currently play in the Kent Regional Cricket League and the home ground is situated in Oakfield Park.
Wilmington used to have a successful football club whose history is well displayed in the Wilmington Pavilion on Oakfield Lane in the form of trophies and shields.
In recent years sport has been viewed as a burden for the local Parish Council and this has seen the decline in the facilities provided for the long established football and cricket clubs, hence the demise of the football club altogether [1]. The Parish is responsible for providing facilities but would rather spend the money elsewhere and give poor excuses as to why work could not be done on the areas needed, such as on the cricket square.
The Parish and its members have lost track of real values in village life and would rather see the village's cricket team fold as well. The long running history of the club holds little importance to any of the council members and the money spent on the rent by the club is not used responsibly. It seems sad that perhaps in 5 or so years there will be no Sports clubs in the village, and it will only be the Parish Councillors fault.
[edit] Schools
There are three secondary schools within the parish: Wilmington Grammar School for Boys (WGSB), whose students wear blue blazers, white shirts, grey trousers and different ties for each house within the school (these colours are red, green, white, black and purple); Wilmington Grammar School for Girls (WGSG), where the uniforms are maroon; and the mixed-sex Wilmington Academy (formerly Wilmington Hall), whose pupils wear black blazers.
Wilmington Academy and 'Wilmington Boys' are situated adjacent on Common Lane. The Academy was built in the mid-1970s on the site of Wilmington Hall Manor and is a specialist centre of excellence for both Business and Vocational courses. Wilmington Grammar School for Boys has Engineering specialist status. Wilmington Grammar School for Girls specialises in Mathematics and Computing.
There is one primary school in the village and another in Joydens Wood Estate; a nursery school is situated next to Wilmington Academy.
The Dartford Campus of North West Kent College is accessed via Oakfield Lane, Wilmington[2], but its grounds lie within Dartford.
[edit] External links
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[edit] References
- ^ "Wilmington CP". Neighbourhood Statistics. http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=795435&c=Wilmington&d=16&e=15&g=457635&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&enc=1&dsFamilyId=781. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
- ^ Only the westbound lane and properties to the south of the road lie within Wilmington parish
