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|label_position= top
|label_position= top
| population = 135
| population = 135
| population_ref = <ref name=census2001>[http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=3&b=457352&c=CT6+6SU&d=15&e=16&g=457352&i=1001x1003x1004&o=1&m=0&enc=1 Census 2001]. (2001). [http://www.statistics.gov.uk/default.asp Office for National Statistics]. Retrieved 7&nbsp;September 2010.</ref>
| population_ref = <ref name=census2001>[http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=3&b=457352&c=CT6+6SU&d=15&e=16&g=457352&i=1001x1003x1004&o=1&m=0&enc=1 Census 2001]. (2001). Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 7&nbsp;September 2010.</ref>
|civil_parish=
|civil_parish=
|shire_district= [[City of Canterbury]]
|shire_district= [[City of Canterbury]]
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|os_grid_reference= TR224693
|os_grid_reference= TR224693
}}
}}
'''Reculver''' is a village and coastal resort about {{convert|3|mi|km|0}} east of [[Herne Bay, Kent|Herne Bay]] in southeast England. It is a [[Ward (politics)|ward]] of the [[City of Canterbury]] district in the county of [[Kent]]. Reculver once occupied a strategic location at the western end of the [[Wantsum Channel]], between the [[Isle of Thanet]] and the Kent mainland. This led the [[Romans]] to build a small fort, probably at the time of their [[Roman conquest of Britain|conquest of Britain]] in 43&nbsp;AD, and, starting late in the 2nd century, they built a [[Castra|''castrum'']] called ''[[Regulbium]]'', which later was part of the chain of [[Saxon Shore]] forts. The military connection resumed in the Second World War, when [[Barnes Wallis]]'s [[bouncing bombs]] were tested in the sea off Reculver.
'''Reculver''' is a village and coastal resort about {{convert|3|mi|km|0}} east of [[Herne Bay, Kent|Herne Bay]] in southeast England. It is a [[Wards of the United Kingdom|ward]] of the [[City of Canterbury]] district in the county of [[Kent]]. Reculver once occupied a strategic location at the western end of the [[Wantsum Channel]], between the [[Isle of Thanet]] and the Kent mainland. This led the [[Romans]] to build a small fort, probably at the time of their [[Roman conquest of Britain|conquest of Britain]] in 43&nbsp;AD, and, starting late in the 2nd century, they built a [[Castra|''castrum'']] called ''[[Regulbium]]'', which later was part of the chain of [[Saxon Shore]] forts. The military connection resumed in the Second World War, when [[Barnes Wallis]]'s [[bouncing bombs]] were tested in the sea off Reculver.


After the Romans left, Reculver became a landed estate of the [[List of monarchs of Kent|Anglo-Saxon kings of Kent]], before being given over for the establishment of a [[monastery]] in 669&nbsp;AD. During the [[Middle Ages]] the twin [[spire]]s of the church became a [[landmark]] for mariners known as the "Twin Sisters", supposedly after daughters of Geoffrey St Clare. The [[facade]] of St John's Cathedral in [[Parramatta]], Australia, is a copy of that at Reculver.
After the Romans left, Reculver became a landed estate of the [[List of monarchs of Kent|Anglo-Saxon kings of Kent]], before being given over for the establishment of a [[monastery]] in 669&nbsp;AD. During the [[Middle Ages]] the twin [[spire]]s of the church became a [[landmark]] for mariners known as the "Twin Sisters", supposedly after daughters of Geoffrey St Clare. The [[facade]] of St John's Cathedral in [[Parramatta]], Australia, is a copy of that at Reculver.
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===Geology===
===Geology===
Sediments laid down around 55&nbsp;million years ago are particularly well displayed in the cliffs at Reculver.<ref>{{Cite web | title=The Geology of Kent | publisher= Kent Wildlife Trust | url=http://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/pdfs/generalFactsheets/geologyOfKent.pdf | format=PDF | accessdate=17&nbsp;September 2010}}</ref> Nearby Herne Bay is the type location for the Thanet Sand Formation, a fine-grained sand that can be clayey and [[Glauconite|glauconitic]] and is of [[Thanetian]] (late [[Paleocene]]) age.<ref name=BGS>{{cite web | url=http://www.bgs.ac.uk/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?pub=TAB | title=The BGS Lexicon of Named Rock Units — Result Details Thanet Sand Formation | author=British Geological Survey | publisher=NERC | year=2010 | accessdate=17&nbsp;September 2010}}</ref> It rests unconformably on the [[Chalk Group]],<ref name=BGS /> and forms the base of the cliffs in the Reculver and Herne Bay area.<ref name=Ward>{{harvnb|Ward|1978|page=}}.</ref> Above the Thanet Sand are the Upnor Formation, a medium sandstone,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bgs.ac.uk/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?pub=UPR | title=The BGS Lexicon of Named Rock Units — Result Details Upnor Formation | author=British Geological Survey | publisher=NERC | year=2010 | accessdate=17&nbsp;September 2010}}</ref> and the sandy clays of the Harwich Formation at the Paleocene/[[Eocene]] boundary.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bgs.ac.uk/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?pub=HWH | title=The BGS Lexicon of Named Rock Units — Result Details Harwich Formation | author=British Geological Survey | publisher=NERC | year=2010 | accessdate=17&nbsp;September 2010}}</ref> The highest cliffs, rising to a maximum height of about {{convert|115|ft|m|0}} to the west of Reculver,<ref>[http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/assets/countryside/reculvermasterplanvol1sep09forweb.pdf Reculver Masterplan Report Volume 1], Section 4.1 "Topography, Landscape and Sea" (2008). [http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/main.cfm Canterbury City Council Online]. Retrieved 17&nbsp;July 2010.</ref> have a cap of London Clay,<ref name=Ward /> a fine silty clay of Eocene age.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bgs.ac.uk/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?pub=LC | title=The BGS Lexicon of Named Rock Units — Result Details London Clay Formation | author=British Geological Survey | publisher=NERC | year=2010 | accessdate=17&nbsp;September 2010}}</ref>
Sediments laid down around 55&nbsp;million years ago are particularly well displayed in the cliffs at Reculver.<ref>{{Cite web | title=The Geology of Kent | publisher= Kent Wildlife Trust | url=http://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/pdfs/generalFactsheets/geologyOfKent.pdf | format=PDF | accessdate=17&nbsp;September 2010}}</ref> Nearby Herne Bay is the type location for the Thanet Sand Formation, a fine-grained sand that can be clayey and [[Glauconite|glauconitic]] and is of [[Thanetian]] (late [[Paleocene]]) age.<ref name=BGS>{{cite web | url=http://www.bgs.ac.uk/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?pub=TAB | title=The BGS Lexicon of Named Rock Units — Result Details Thanet Sand Formation | author=British Geological Survey | publisher=NERC | year=2010 | accessdate=17&nbsp;September 2010}}</ref> It rests unconformably on the [[Chalk Group]],<ref name=BGS /> and forms the base of the cliffs in the Reculver and Herne Bay area.<ref name=Ward>{{harvnb|Ward|1978|page=}}.</ref> Above the Thanet Sand are the Upnor Formation, a medium sandstone,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bgs.ac.uk/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?pub=UPR | title=The BGS Lexicon of Named Rock Units — Result Details Upnor Formation | author=British Geological Survey | publisher=NERC | year=2010 | accessdate=17&nbsp;September 2010}}</ref> and the sandy clays of the Harwich Formation at the Paleocene/[[Eocene]] boundary.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bgs.ac.uk/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?pub=HWH | title=The BGS Lexicon of Named Rock Units — Result Details Harwich Formation | author=British Geological Survey | publisher=NERC | year=2010 | accessdate=17&nbsp;September 2010}}</ref> The highest cliffs, rising to a maximum height of about {{convert|115|ft|m|0}} to the west of Reculver,<ref>[http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/assets/countryside/reculvermasterplanvol1sep09forweb.pdf Reculver Masterplan Report Volume 1], Section 4.1 "Topography, Landscape and Sea" (2008). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 17&nbsp;July 2010.</ref> have a cap of London Clay,<ref name=Ward /> a fine silty clay of Eocene age.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bgs.ac.uk/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?pub=LC | title=The BGS Lexicon of Named Rock Units — Result Details London Clay Formation | author=British Geological Survey | publisher=NERC | year=2010 | accessdate=17&nbsp;September 2010}}</ref>


These rocks are easily washed away by the sea.<ref>[http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/assets/countryside/reculver-geology.pdf Reculver Country Park Geology Resource Pack]. (not dated). [http://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/ Kent Wildlife Trust]. Retrieved 12&nbsp;September 2010.</ref> It has been estimated that the Roman fort was originally about 1&nbsp;mile (1.6&nbsp;km) from the sea, but the cliffs are eroding at a rate of approximately {{convert|5|ft|m|0}} a year.<ref>{{harvnb|Jessup|1936|pages=186–8}}.</ref> A plan is in place to manage this erosion whereby some parts of the coastline such as the country park will be allowed to continue eroding, and others&nbsp;– including the site of the Roman fort and St Mary's Church&nbsp;– will be protected from further erosion.<ref>[http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/assets/countryside/reculvermasterplanvol1sep09forweb.pdf Reculver Masterplan Report Volume 1], Section 3.8 "Coastal Protection" (2008). [http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/main.cfm Canterbury City Council Online]. Retrieved 17&nbsp;July 2010.</ref>
These rocks are easily washed away by the sea.<ref>[http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/assets/countryside/reculver-geology.pdf Reculver Country Park Geology Resource Pack]. (not dated). Kent Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 12&nbsp;September 2010.</ref> It has been estimated that the Roman fort was originally about 1&nbsp;mile (1.6&nbsp;km) from the sea, but the cliffs are eroding at a rate of approximately {{convert|5|ft|m|0}} a year.<ref>{{harvnb|Jessup|1936|pages=186–8}}.</ref> A plan is in place to manage this erosion whereby some parts of the coastline such as the country park will be allowed to continue eroding, and others&nbsp;– including the site of the Roman fort and St Mary's Church&nbsp;– will be protected from further erosion.<ref>[http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/assets/countryside/reculvermasterplanvol1sep09forweb.pdf Reculver Masterplan Report Volume 1], Section 3.8 "Coastal Protection" (2008). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 17&nbsp;July 2010.</ref>


===Climate===
===Climate===
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===Demography===
===Demography===
In the [[Census in the United Kingdom|census]] of 1801, the number of people present in the parish of Reculver was given as 252, and this figure remained roughly stable until the 20th century, when it increased dramatically: in the census of 1931, the number was given as 829.<ref>[http://www.kentarchaeology.org.uk/Research/Maps/REC/01.htm Reculver Population 1801 to 1921]. 2009. Kent Archaeological Society. Retrieved 7&nbsp;September 2010; [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_cube_page.jsp?data_theme=T_POP&data_cube=N_TOT_POP&u_id=10224330&c_id=10001043&add=N Reculver AP/CP] (where "AP/CP" means "[[Civil parishes in England|Ancient Parish and Civil Parish]]"). 2009. A Vision of Britain Through Time. Retrieved 7&nbsp;September 2010.</ref> In the most recent census of 2001, however, only 135 people were found.<ref name=census2001/>{{#tag:ref|For the 19th and early 20th century parish boundary, see [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/boundary_map_page.jsp?u_id=10224330&c_id=10001043# Boundary Map of Reculver AP/CP]. 2009. A Vision of Britain Through Time. Retrieved 7&nbsp;September 2010. For the current ecclesiastical parish boundary, see [http://www.achurchnearyou.com/parish/560149/ Reculver]. 2008. The Church of England. Retrieved 7&nbsp;September 2010. The increase in numbers in the early 20th century may be partly due to holidaymakers, who were included in census returns: while the postcard image from 1913 shows that there was sufficient tourism by then to support a cafe, the census of 2001, undertaken on 29&nbsp;April, albeit covering a smaller area than the earliest censuses, records almost a quarter (32) of the 135 people in the Reculver area as being in a "Caravan or other mobile or temporary structure". [http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do;jsessionid=ac1f930b30d8d90452de21b04c31a6f1b6b88801837d?a=7&b=457352&c=CT6+6SU&d=15&e=16&g=457352&i=1001x1003x1004&o=1&m=0&r=0&s=1284032438218&enc=1&dsFamilyId=129&nsjs=true&nsck=true&nssvg=false&nswid=1232 Accommodation Type – People (UV42)]. 2004. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 9&nbsp;September 2010. Includes a map of the area covered.|group="nb"}} All were born in the United Kingdom except for three individuals from the [[Republic of Ireland]], and three from [[South Africa]]. [[Christianity]] was the only religion represented, by 99 individuals, with 22 recorded as having no religion, and 14 whose religion was not stated. Gender was given as 69 female and 66 male, and the age distribution was 12 individuals aged 0–5&nbsp;years (8.8%), 16 aged 6–16&nbsp;years (14%), 30 aged 17–35&nbsp;years (22.2%), 14 aged 36–45&nbsp;years (10.3%), 44 aged 46–64&nbsp;years (32.5%), and 21 aged 65&nbsp;years and over (15.5%). Half (67) of all the individuals recorded were described as economically active, with 58 of these having employers and nine being self-employed, while none were recorded as full time students or unemployed. Twenty-four people were described as retired (17.7%). Of those aged 16–74&nbsp;years, 14 (12.8%) were placed at the highest level for education or qualification. From April 2001 to March 2002, the average gross weekly income of households in the Reculver area, including [[Beltinge]], was estimated by the [[Office for National Statistics]] as £560,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Neighbourhood Statistics Area: Reculver (ward)|publisher=Office for National Statistics|url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=6179320&c=Reculver&d=14&e=14&g=457343&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1323816846716&enc=1&dsFamilyId=266|accessdate=13 December 2011}}</ref> or £29,120 per year.
<!--data from the 2011 census is due to be published in July 2012-->In the [[Census in the United Kingdom|census]] of 1801, the number of people present in the parish of Reculver was given as 252, and this figure remained roughly stable until the 20th century, when it increased dramatically: in the census of 1931, the number was given as 829.<ref>[http://www.kentarchaeology.org.uk/Research/Maps/REC/01.htm Reculver Population 1801 to 1921]. 2009. Kent Archaeological Society. Retrieved 7&nbsp;September 2010; [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_cube_page.jsp?data_theme=T_POP&data_cube=N_TOT_POP&u_id=10224330&c_id=10001043&add=N Reculver AP/CP] (where "AP/CP" means "[[Civil parishes in England|Ancient Parish and Civil Parish]]"). 2009. A Vision of Britain Through Time. Retrieved 7&nbsp;September 2010.</ref> In the most recent census of 2001, however, only 135 people were found.<ref name=census2001/>{{#tag:ref|For the 19th and early 20th century parish boundary, see [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/boundary_map_page.jsp?u_id=10224330&c_id=10001043# Boundary Map of Reculver AP/CP]. 2009. A Vision of Britain Through Time. Retrieved 7&nbsp;September 2010. For the current ecclesiastical parish boundary, see [http://www.achurchnearyou.com/parish/560149/ Reculver]. 2008. The Church of England. Retrieved 7&nbsp;September 2010. The increase in numbers in the early 20th century may be partly due to holidaymakers, who were included in census returns: while the postcard image from 1913 shows that there was sufficient tourism by then to support a cafe, the census of 2001, undertaken on 29&nbsp;April, albeit covering a smaller area than the earliest censuses, records almost a quarter (32) of the 135 people in the Reculver area as being in a "Caravan or other mobile or temporary structure". [http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do;jsessionid=ac1f930b30d8d90452de21b04c31a6f1b6b88801837d?a=7&b=457352&c=CT6+6SU&d=15&e=16&g=457352&i=1001x1003x1004&o=1&m=0&r=0&s=1284032438218&enc=1&dsFamilyId=129&nsjs=true&nsck=true&nssvg=false&nswid=1232 Accommodation Type – People (UV42)]. 2004. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 9&nbsp;September 2010. Includes a map of the area covered.|group="nb"}} All were born in the United Kingdom except for three individuals from the [[Republic of Ireland]], and three from [[South Africa]]. [[Christianity]] was the only religion represented, by 99 individuals, with 22 recorded as having no religion, and 14 whose religion was not stated. Gender was given as 69 female and 66 male, and the age distribution was 12 individuals aged 0–5&nbsp;years (8.8%), 16 aged 6–16&nbsp;years (14%), 30 aged 17–35&nbsp;years (22.2%), 14 aged 36–45&nbsp;years (10.3%), 44 aged 46–64&nbsp;years (32.5%), and 21 aged 65&nbsp;years and over (15.5%). Half (67) of all the individuals recorded were described as economically active, with 58 of these having employers and nine being self-employed, while none were recorded as full time students or unemployed. Twenty-four people were described as retired (17.7%). Of those aged 16–74&nbsp;years, 14 (12.8%) were placed at the highest level for education or qualification. From April 2001 to March 2002, the average gross weekly income of households in the Reculver area, including [[Beltinge]], was estimated by the [[Office for National Statistics]] as £560,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Neighbourhood Statistics Area: Reculver (ward)|publisher=Office for National Statistics|url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=6179320&c=Reculver&d=14&e=14&g=457343&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1323816846716&enc=1&dsFamilyId=266|accessdate=13 December 2011}}</ref> or £29,120 per year.


===Wildlife===
===Wildlife===
[[File:Numenius arquata Reculver.jpg|thumb|right|[[Eurasian Curlew]] at Reculver, 2007]]
[[File:Numenius arquata Reculver.jpg|thumb|right|[[Eurasian Curlew]] at Reculver, 2007]]
Reculver Country Park is a [[Special Protection Area]] (SPA) and [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]] (SSSI), due partly to the thousands of birds that visit Reculver each year during their migrations from the [[Arctic]].<ref>[http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/main.cfm?objectid=1430 Places to visit and things to do] (2009). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 6&nbsp;September 2010.</ref> In winter [[Brent Goose|Brent Geese]] and wading birds such as [[Turnstone]]s may be seen, during the summer months [[Sand Martin]]s nest in the soft cliffs,<ref>[http://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/about-kent-wildlife-trust/news/explorers-nest-in-the-cliffs-of-reculver/ Explorers nest in the cliffs of Reculver]. (not dated). Kent Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 12&nbsp;September 2010.</ref> and wading [[Eurasian Curlew|Curlews]] may be seen at any time. The grasslands on the cliff top are among the few remaining cliff top wildflower meadows left in Kent, and are home to butterflies and [[Skylark]]s. Also present is the nationally scarce species of [[digger wasp]] ''Alysson lunicornis''.<ref>[http://www.english-nature.org.uk/science/natural/profiles%5CnaProfile106.pdf North Kent Coast Maritime Natural Area]. (1997). [http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ Natural England]. Retrieved 6&nbsp;September 2010.</ref>{{#tag:ref|For more on the wildlife, see [http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/assets/countryside/reculver-wildlife.pdf Reculver Country Park Wildlife Resource Pack]. (not dated). Kent Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 12&nbsp;September 2010.|group="nb"}}
Reculver Country Park is a [[Special Protection Area]] (SPA) and [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]] (SSSI), due partly to the thousands of birds that visit Reculver each year during their migrations from the [[Arctic]].<ref>[http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/main.cfm?objectid=1430 Places to visit and things to do] (2009). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 6&nbsp;September 2010.</ref> In winter [[Brent Goose|Brent Geese]] and wading birds such as [[Turnstone]]s may be seen, during the summer months [[Sand Martin]]s nest in the soft cliffs,<ref>[http://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/about-kent-wildlife-trust/news/explorers-nest-in-the-cliffs-of-reculver/ Explorers nest in the cliffs of Reculver]. (not dated). Kent Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 12&nbsp;September 2010.</ref> and wading [[Eurasian Curlew|Curlews]] may be seen at any time. The grasslands on the cliff top are among the few remaining cliff top wildflower meadows left in Kent, and are home to butterflies and [[Skylark]]s. Also present is the nationally scarce species of [[digger wasp]] ''Alysson lunicornis''.<ref>[http://www.english-nature.org.uk/science/natural/profiles%5CnaProfile106.pdf North Kent Coast Maritime Natural Area]. (1997). Natural England. Retrieved 6&nbsp;September 2010.</ref>{{#tag:ref|For more on the wildlife, see [http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/assets/countryside/reculver-wildlife.pdf Reculver Country Park Wildlife Resource Pack]. (not dated). Kent Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 12&nbsp;September 2010.|group="nb"}}

In 2011, it was found that the shoreline in the [[Herne Bay, Kent|Herne Bay]] area, including Reculver, had come under threat from an [[invasive species]], the Carpet [[Tunicate|sea squirt]] (''Didemnum vexillum''), also known as "marine vomit".<ref>[http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kentish_gazette/news/2011/december/5/marine_vomit.aspx Invasive carpet seasquirt spreads rapidly on the Herne Bay coast]. (2011). Kentish Gazette. Retrieved 15&nbsp;December 2011; [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-15982685 Kent's marine life 'threatened by Carpet Sea Squirt']. (2011). BBC News Online. Retrieved 15&nbsp;December 2011; [https://secure.fera.defra.gov.uk/nonnativespecies/index.cfm?pageid=155 Carpet Sea Squirt]. (2011). Non-Native Species Secretariat. Retrieved 15&nbsp;December 2011.</ref> First recorded in UK waters in 2008, the Carpet sea squirt's [[Indigenous (ecology)|native habitat]] is in the sea around [[Japan]], and it has been carried to other parts of the world, including [[New Zealand]] and the [[United States|USA]],<ref name=Carpetseasquirt>[https://secure.fera.defra.gov.uk/nonnativespecies/factsheet/factsheet.cfm?speciesId=1209 Carpet sea squirt, ''Didemnum vexillum'']. (2011). Non-Native Species Secretariat. Retrieved 15&nbsp;December 2011.</ref> for example on boat hulls, fishing equipment and floating seaweed. Carpet sea squirt can overgrow other, [[Sessility (limnology)|sessile]] species, "potentially smothering species living in gravel and affecting fisheries."<ref name=Carpetseasquirt />{{#tag:ref|Carpet sea squirt is classified as an "alert species", and the public are requested to "report any sightings as soon as possible."<ref name=Carpetseasquirt />|group="nb"}}


==History==
==History==
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{{main|Regulbium}}
{{main|Regulbium}}
[[File:Roman Wall, Reculver Roman Fort - geograph.org.uk - 1470820.jpg|thumb|Remains of the Roman fort of ''Regulbium'']]
[[File:Roman Wall, Reculver Roman Fort - geograph.org.uk - 1470820.jpg|thumb|Remains of the Roman fort of ''Regulbium'']]
[[Stone Age]] flint tools have been washed out from the cliffs to the west of Reculver, and a [[Mesolithic]] [[tranchet axe]] was found at Reculver in 1960, but is "likely to have been a casual loss".<ref>{{harvnb|Philp|2005|page=192}}.</ref> Evidence for human settlement at Reculver begins with late [[Bronze Age]] ditches, followed by an [[British Iron Age|early Iron Age]] farmstead slightly to the west of the church ruins, a Roman "fortlet" probably dating to their [[Roman conquest of Britain|conquest of Britain]], which began in 43&nbsp;AD, and a well known Roman fort, or "[[Castra|''castrum'']]", which was probably started late in the 2nd century. This date is derived in part from a re-construction of a uniquely detailed plaque, fragments of which were found by archaeologists in the 1960s.<ref>{{harvnb|Philp|2005|pages=206–18}}; {{harvnb|Philp|1969a|page=}}; {{harvnb|Philp|1969b|page=}}; [http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=467087 Regulbium]. ( 2007). [http://www.pastscape.org.uk/ English Heritage PastScape]. Retrieved 8&nbsp;December 2010.</ref> The plaque effectively records the establishment of the fort, since it records the construction of two of its principal buildings, the "''[[basilica]]''" and the "''[[sacellum]]''".<ref name=Philp1969b>{{harvnb|Philp|1969b|page=}}.</ref>{{#tag:ref|The reconstructed plaque mentions the ''basilica'' and an "''aedes principiorum''", for which "''sacellum''", or "headquarters shrine", is understood.<ref name=Philp1969b />|group="nb"}} These were also found by archaeologists, together with the commandant's house, probable [[barracks]], a [[Thermae|bath house]] and a corn drying [[kiln]]. Presumably the fort was built at Reculver because of its strategic position at the northern entrance to the [[Wantsum Channel]], and covering the mouths of both the [[River Thames]] and the [[River Medway]].<ref>{{harvnb|Philp|2005|pages=225–9}}.</ref> While it was normal for a Roman fort to be accompanied by a civilian settlement, or "[[Vicus (Rome)|''vicus'']]", it is believed from "significant Roman structures and features"<ref>{{harvnb|Philp|2005|pages=95–7}}.</ref> that the ''vicus'' at Reculver was extensive, and lay to the north and west of the fort, mostly in an area now lost to the sea.{{#tag:ref|"[A] Roman building with a [[hypocaust]] and [[Mosaic|tesselated pavement]] stood considerably to the northward of the fort".<ref>{{harvnb|Jessup|1936|page=188}}, citing Battely, J. (1774), ''Antiquitates Rutupinae'', Oxford, p.&nbsp;54.</ref>|group="nb"}}
[[Stone Age]] flint tools have been washed out from the cliffs to the west of Reculver, and a [[Mesolithic]] [[tranchet axe]] was found at Reculver in 1960, but is "likely to have been a casual loss".<ref>{{harvnb|Philp|2005|page=192}}.</ref> Evidence for human settlement at Reculver begins with late [[Bronze Age]] ditches, followed by an [[British Iron Age|early Iron Age]] farmstead slightly to the west of the church ruins, a Roman "fortlet" probably dating to their [[Roman conquest of Britain|conquest of Britain]], which began in 43&nbsp;AD, and a well known Roman fort, or "[[Castra|''castrum'']]", which was probably started late in the 2nd century. This date is derived in part from a re-construction of a uniquely detailed plaque, fragments of which were found by archaeologists in the 1960s.<ref>{{harvnb|Philp|2005|pages=206–18}}; {{harvnb|Philp|1969a|page=}}; {{harvnb|Philp|1969b|page=}}; [http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=467087 Regulbium]. ( 2007). English Heritage PastScape. Retrieved 8&nbsp;December 2010.</ref> The plaque effectively records the establishment of the fort, since it records the construction of two of its principal buildings, the "''[[basilica]]''" and the "''[[sacellum]]''".<ref name=Philp1969b>{{harvnb|Philp|1969b|page=}}.</ref>{{#tag:ref|The reconstructed plaque mentions the ''basilica'' and an "''aedes principiorum''", for which "''sacellum''", or "headquarters shrine", is understood.<ref name=Philp1969b />|group="nb"}} These were also found by archaeologists, together with the commandant's house, probable [[barracks]], a [[Thermae|bath house]] and a corn drying [[kiln]]. Presumably the fort was built at Reculver because of its strategic position at the northern entrance to the [[Wantsum Channel]], and covering the mouths of both the [[River Thames]] and the [[River Medway]].<ref>{{harvnb|Philp|2005|pages=225–9}}.</ref> While it was normal for a Roman fort to be accompanied by a civilian settlement, or "[[Vicus (Rome)|''vicus'']]", it is believed from "significant Roman structures and features"<ref>{{harvnb|Philp|2005|pages=95–7}}.</ref> that the ''vicus'' at Reculver was extensive, and lay to the north and west of the fort, mostly in an area now lost to the sea.{{#tag:ref|"[A] Roman building with a [[hypocaust]] and [[Mosaic|tesselated pavement]] stood considerably to the northward of the fort".<ref>{{harvnb|Jessup|1936|page=188}}, citing Battely, J. (1774), ''Antiquitates Rutupinae'', Oxford, p.&nbsp;54.</ref>|group="nb"}}
Towards the end of the 3rd century, a Roman naval commander named [[Carausius]] was given the task of clearing pirates from the sea between [[Roman Britain|Britannia]] and the European mainland. In so doing he established a new chain of command, the British part of which was later to pass under the control of a "[[Count of the Saxon Shore]]". The "[[Notitia Dignitatum]]", dating from the early 5th century, shows that the fort at Reculver, then known as "''Regulbium''", became part of this arrangement. Archaeological evidence indicates that the fort was abandoned in the 360s.<ref>Cotterill, J. (1993), "Saxon Raiding and the Role of the Late Roman Coastal Forts of Britain", ''Britannia'' '''24''', pp.&nbsp;227–39 (esp.&nbsp;235).</ref>
Towards the end of the 3rd century, a Roman naval commander named [[Carausius]] was given the task of clearing pirates from the sea between [[Roman Britain|Britannia]] and the European mainland. In so doing he established a new chain of command, the British part of which was later to pass under the control of a "[[Count of the Saxon Shore]]". The "[[Notitia Dignitatum]]", dating from the early 5th century, shows that the fort at Reculver, then known as "''Regulbium''", became part of this arrangement. Archaeological evidence indicates that the fort was abandoned in the 360s.<ref>Cotterill, J. (1993), "Saxon Raiding and the Role of the Late Roman Coastal Forts of Britain", ''Britannia'' '''24''', pp.&nbsp;227–39 (esp.&nbsp;235).</ref>


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The church was significantly enlarged over time, and had towers added in the 12th century.{{#tag:ref|A ground plan of the church, showing how it was enlarged in stages from the 7th century to the 15th, is at [http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/reculver-towers-and-roman-fort/history-and-research/ Reculver Towers and Roman Fort History and Research]. (not dated). English Heritage. Retrieved 14&nbsp;December 2011 (includes an 18th century engraving of the church); also {{harvnb|Jessup|1936|page=181}}.|group="nb"}} According to local legend they were topped with spires "in the early years of the 16th century",<ref>{{harvnb|Jessup|1936|pages=179–80}}.</ref> since when they have been known locally as the "Twin Sisters".<ref name=Hasted /> The addition of the towers, and the extent to which the church was enlarged in the Middle Ages, suggest that "a thriving township must have developed nearby."<ref name=Gough2001/> However, the church retained many prominent Anglo-Saxon features, and, on a visit to Reculver in 1540, one of these raised [[John Leland (antiquary)|John Leland]] to "an enthusiasm which he seldom displayed":<ref name=Graham/>
The church was significantly enlarged over time, and had towers added in the 12th century.{{#tag:ref|A ground plan of the church, showing how it was enlarged in stages from the 7th century to the 15th, is at [http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/reculver-towers-and-roman-fort/history-and-research/ Reculver Towers and Roman Fort History and Research]. (not dated). English Heritage. Retrieved 14&nbsp;December 2011 (includes an 18th century engraving of the church); also {{harvnb|Jessup|1936|page=181}}.|group="nb"}} According to local legend they were topped with spires "in the early years of the 16th century",<ref>{{harvnb|Jessup|1936|pages=179–80}}.</ref> since when they have been known locally as the "Twin Sisters".<ref name=Hasted /> The addition of the towers, and the extent to which the church was enlarged in the Middle Ages, suggest that "a thriving township must have developed nearby."<ref name=Gough2001/> However, the church retained many prominent Anglo-Saxon features, and, on a visit to Reculver in 1540, one of these raised [[John Leland (antiquary)|John Leland]] to "an enthusiasm which he seldom displayed":<ref name=Graham/>
{{Quotation|Yn the enteryng of the quyer ys one of the fayrest and the most auncyent crosse that ever I saw, a ix footes, as I ges, yn highte. It standeth lyke a fayr columne. The base greate stone ys not wrought. The second stone being rownd hath curiously wrought and paynted the images of Christ, Peter, Paule, John and James, as I remember. Christ sayeth [I am the Alpha and the Omega]. Peter sayeth, [You are Christ, son of the living God]. The saing of the other iij when painted [was in Roman capitals] but now obliterated. The second stone is of the Passion. The third conteineth the xii Apostles. The iiii hath the image of Christ hanging and fastened with iiii nayles and [a support beneath the feet]. the hiest part of the pyller hath the figure of a crosse.<ref name=Graham/>}}
{{Quotation|Yn the enteryng of the quyer ys one of the fayrest and the most auncyent crosse that ever I saw, a ix footes, as I ges, yn highte. It standeth lyke a fayr columne. The base greate stone ys not wrought. The second stone being rownd hath curiously wrought and paynted the images of Christ, Peter, Paule, John and James, as I remember. Christ sayeth [I am the Alpha and the Omega]. Peter sayeth, [You are Christ, son of the living God]. The saing of the other iij when painted [was in Roman capitals] but now obliterated. The second stone is of the Passion. The third conteineth the xii Apostles. The iiii hath the image of Christ hanging and fastened with iiii nayles and [a support beneath the feet]. the hiest part of the pyller hath the figure of a crosse.<ref name=Graham/>}}
In 1927 archaeologists discovered what was believed to be the base of the cross, which was dated to the 7th century, predating the monastery, and was perhaps originally an open-air [[preaching cross]], like the [[Ruthwell Cross]], around which the monastery was later built.<ref>Peers, C.R., "Reculver, its Saxon church and Cross", in ''Archaeologia'' '''77''', 1927; {{cite web | url=http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=467090 | title=Church of St Mary (More Information and Sources) | year=2007 | publisher=English Heritage PastScape | accessdate=12&nbsp;September 2010}}</ref> Later, stylistic assessments indicate that the cross, carved from a re-used Roman column, probably dates from the 8th century or the 9th, and that the stone believed to have been the base may have been the original, 7th century [[Altar#Christianity|altar]].<ref>{{harvnb|Kelly|2008|pages=69, 80–1}}.</ref> In 2000 the surviving fragments of the cross, now at Canterbury Cathedral, were used to design a Millennium Cross to commemorate two thousand years of [[Christianity]]. This stands at the entrance to the car park and was commissioned by [[Canterbury City Council]].<ref>[http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/assets/countryside/reculvermasterplanvol1sep09forweb.pdf Reculver Masterplan Report Volume 1], Section 2.1 "Bronze Age to Late Norman". (2008). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 17&nbsp;July 2010.</ref>
In 1927 archaeologists discovered what was believed to be the base of the cross, which was dated to the 7th century, predating the monastery, and was perhaps originally an open-air [[preaching cross]], like the [[Ruthwell Cross]], around which the monastery was later built.<ref>Peers, C.R., "Reculver, its Saxon church and Cross", in ''Archaeologia'' '''77''', 1927; {{cite web | url=http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=467090 | title=Church of St Mary (More Information and Sources) | year=2007 | publisher=English Heritage PastScape | accessdate=12&nbsp;September 2010}}</ref> Later, stylistic assessments indicate that the cross, carved from a re-used Roman column, probably dates from the 8th century or the 9th, and that the stone believed to have been the base may have been the original, 7th century [[Altar#Christianity|altar]].<ref>{{harvnb|Kelly|2008|pages=69, 80–1}}.</ref> In 2000 the surviving fragments of the cross, now at Canterbury Cathedral, were used to design a Millennium Cross to commemorate two thousand years of [[Christianity]]. This stands at the entrance to the car park and was commissioned by [[City of Canterbury|Canterbury City Council]].<ref>[http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/assets/countryside/reculvermasterplanvol1sep09forweb.pdf Reculver Masterplan Report Volume 1], Section 2.1 "Bronze Age to Late Norman". (2008). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 17&nbsp;July 2010.</ref>


===Loss to the sea===
===Loss to the sea===
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|The structures are present, but partly derelict, in {{harvnb|Jessup|1936|loc=Plate&nbsp;I}}, which is dated 1928.|group=nb}}
|The structures are present, but partly derelict, in {{harvnb|Jessup|1936|loc=Plate&nbsp;I}}, which is dated 1928.|group=nb}}


The demolition of this "shrine of early Christendom", and exemplar of Anglo-Saxon church architecture and sculpture,<ref name=Blair1999 />{{#tag:ref|A letter from T. Mot, in ''Gentleman's Magazine'', September 1809, pp.&nbsp;801–2, describes the church in some detail, and says that it was then somewhat delapidated, with "trifling … repairs such as have only tended to obliterate its once-harmonizing beauties." See also {{harvnb|Gough|2001|page=}}.|group="nb"}} was otherwise thorough, and it is now represented only by the minimal ruins on the site, some fragments of the cross which had enthused Leland, and the parts of two massive stone columns. The cross fragments and column parts may be viewed in the crypt at [[Canterbury Cathedral]].<ref>{{harvnb|Jessup|1936}}; [http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/assets/countryside/reculvermasterplanvol1sep09forweb.pdf Reculver Masterplan Report Volume 1], Section 2.0 "Historical Context" (2008). [http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/main.cfm Canterbury City Council Online]. Retrieved 17&nbsp;July 2010.</ref>{{#tag:ref|A contemporary image of the church's destruction is at {{harvnb|Witney|1978|loc=Plate 7}}, and an aerial view of the ruins is at Plate&nbsp;8. The replacement church at Hillborough incorporates material from Reculver in its fabric.<ref>{{harvnb|Jessup|1936|page=184}}.</ref>|group="nb"}} The [[Rectory|vicarage]] was abandoned at the same time as the church, or a little earlier.<ref name=Gough2001 />{{#tag:ref|According to the letter by T. Mot, in ''Gentleman's Magazine'', September 1809, the vicarage was "one of the most mean structures ever appropriated to such a purpose": in another letter to the October edition of the same magazine, in the same year, Zachary Cozens wrote that the vicarage had "the appearance of some antiquity; it consists of two miserable rooms on the ground floor and a like number above, with no other conveniences or appurtenances of any kind. In fact was it not for the stone porch with which the entrance is decorated, it would pass only for the cottage of a labourer." See also {{harvnb|Gough|2001|page=}}.|group="nb"}} When the [[wikt:hoy#Noun|Hoy]] and Anchor [[Inn]] fell into the sea, the redundant vicarage was used as a temporary replacement under the same name,<ref>Lewis, A.D. (1911), [http://books.google.co.uk/books?ei=z4-DTNnSN8a6OOfO9fIP&id=EmhKAAAAIAAJ&q=Anchor ''The Kent Coast''], Unwin, p.&nbsp;62.</ref> until a new Hoy and Anchor Inn was built.{{#tag:ref|T. Mot's letter in ''Gentleman's Magazine'', September 1809, ends with the observation that "[the] jolly landlord revelled with his noisy guests, where late
The demolition of this "shrine of early Christendom", and exemplar of Anglo-Saxon church architecture and sculpture,<ref name=Blair1999 />{{#tag:ref|A letter from T. Mot, in ''Gentleman's Magazine'', September 1809, pp.&nbsp;801–2, describes the church in some detail, and says that it was then somewhat delapidated, with "trifling … repairs such as have only tended to obliterate its once-harmonizing beauties." See also {{harvnb|Gough|2001|page=}}.|group="nb"}} was otherwise thorough, and it is now represented only by the minimal ruins on the site, some fragments of the cross which had enthused Leland, and the parts of two massive stone columns. The cross fragments and column parts may be viewed in the crypt at [[Canterbury Cathedral]].<ref>{{harvnb|Jessup|1936}}; [http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/assets/countryside/reculvermasterplanvol1sep09forweb.pdf Reculver Masterplan Report Volume 1], Section 2.0 "Historical Context" (2008). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 17&nbsp;July 2010.</ref>{{#tag:ref|A contemporary image of the church's destruction is at {{harvnb|Witney|1978|loc=Plate 7}}, and an aerial view of the ruins is at Plate&nbsp;8. The replacement church at Hillborough incorporates material from Reculver in its fabric.<ref>{{harvnb|Jessup|1936|page=184}}.</ref>|group="nb"}} The [[Rectory|vicarage]] was abandoned at the same time as the church, or a little earlier.<ref name=Gough2001 />{{#tag:ref|According to the letter by T. Mot, in ''Gentleman's Magazine'', September 1809, the vicarage was "one of the most mean structures ever appropriated to such a purpose": in another letter to the October edition of the same magazine, in the same year, Zachary Cozens wrote that the vicarage had "the appearance of some antiquity; it consists of two miserable rooms on the ground floor and a like number above, with no other conveniences or appurtenances of any kind. In fact was it not for the stone porch with which the entrance is decorated, it would pass only for the cottage of a labourer." See also {{harvnb|Gough|2001|page=}}.|group="nb"}} When the [[wikt:hoy#Noun|Hoy]] and Anchor [[Inn]] fell into the sea, the redundant vicarage was used as a temporary replacement under the same name,<ref>Lewis, A.D. (1911), [http://books.google.co.uk/books?ei=z4-DTNnSN8a6OOfO9fIP&id=EmhKAAAAIAAJ&q=Anchor ''The Kent Coast''], Unwin, p.&nbsp;62.</ref> until a new Hoy and Anchor Inn was built.{{#tag:ref|T. Mot's letter in ''Gentleman's Magazine'', September 1809, ends with the observation that "[the] jolly landlord revelled with his noisy guests, where late
the venerable Vicar smoked his lonely pipe."|group="nb"}} The vicarage soon followed the original inn into the sea, and the new inn was re-named as the "King Ethelbert Inn" in the 1830s. It was later extended, probably in the 1880s, into the form in which it stands today.<ref name=Gough2001 />{{#tag:ref|"On the entrance door [of the King Ethelbert Inn] are the words 'Hoy and Anchor Bar'".<ref name=Gough2001 />|group="nb"}}
the venerable Vicar smoked his lonely pipe."|group="nb"}} The vicarage soon followed the original inn into the sea, and the new inn was re-named as the "King Ethelbert Inn" in the 1830s. It was later extended, probably in the 1880s, into the form in which it stands today.<ref name=Gough2001 />{{#tag:ref|"On the entrance door [of the King Ethelbert Inn] are the words 'Hoy and Anchor Bar'".<ref name=Gough2001 />|group="nb"}}


===Tourist resort===
===Tourist resort===
Today Reculver is dominated by [[RV park|caravan parks]], the first of which appeared after the Second World War.<ref name=Kerr1982 />{{#tag:ref|"Shortly after World War II a caravan site was established below the church which has since grown so large that much imagination is now required to conjure up the majesty of its former setting."<ref name=Kerr1982 />|group="nb"}} The site of the church is managed by [[English Heritage]], and the village has all but disappeared. New sea defences were built in the 1990s, including covering the beaches around the church with [[Riprap|boulders]], but the struggle to protect the towers from the sea continues.<ref>[http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/authority/assets/countryside/reculvermasterplanvol2.pdf Reculver Masterplan Report Volume 2], "Project Plans". (2008). [http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/main.cfm Canterbury City Council Online]. Retrieved 7&nbsp;September 2010.</ref> Reculver has been defined as a "key heritage area",<ref name=greenheritage>[http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/assets/countryside/reculvermasterplanvol1sep09forweb.pdf Reculver Masterplan Report Volume 1], Section 3.4 "Natural East Kent (NEK)" (2008). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 13&nbsp;December 2011.</ref> and a visitor centre in Reculver Country Park, just west of Reculver church, highlights the archaeological, historical, geological and wildlife conservation value of the area. There are also plans for the development of Reculver as a destination for [[Ecotourism|green tourism]].{{#tag:ref|"Reculver’s role in the region wide development of East Kent as a green tourism destination is central to [Natural East Kent]’s work. The objective is to create access to good connections across the region for walkers and cyclists, to provide good interpretation of natural and heritage assets and to support the private sector to provide good quality accommodation."<ref name=greenheritage />|group="nb"}}
Today Reculver is dominated by [[RV park|caravan parks]], the first of which appeared after the Second World War.<ref name=Kerr1982 />{{#tag:ref|"Shortly after World War II a caravan site was established below the church which has since grown so large that much imagination is now required to conjure up the majesty of its former setting."<ref name=Kerr1982 />|group="nb"}} The site of the church is managed by [[English Heritage]], and the village has all but disappeared. New sea defences were built in the 1990s, including covering the beaches around the church with [[Riprap|boulders]], but the struggle to protect the towers from the sea continues.<ref>[http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/authority/assets/countryside/reculvermasterplanvol2.pdf Reculver Masterplan Report Volume 2], "Project Plans". (2008). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 7&nbsp;September 2010.</ref> Reculver has been defined as a "key heritage area",<ref name=greenheritage>[http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/assets/countryside/reculvermasterplanvol1sep09forweb.pdf Reculver Masterplan Report Volume 1], Section 3.4 "Natural East Kent (NEK)" (2008). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 13&nbsp;December 2011.</ref> and a visitor centre in Reculver Country Park, just west of Reculver church, highlights the archaeological, historical, geological and wildlife conservation value of the area. There are also plans for the development of Reculver as a destination for [[Ecotourism|green tourism]].{{#tag:ref|"Reculver’s role in the region wide development of East Kent as a green tourism destination is central to [Natural East Kent]’s work. The objective is to create access to good connections across the region for walkers and cyclists, to provide good interpretation of natural and heritage assets and to support the private sector to provide good quality accommodation."<ref name=greenheritage />|group="nb"}}


===Bouncing bombs===
===Bouncing bombs===
[[File:Bouncing bomb 006.jpg|thumb|upright|Prototype [[bouncing bomb]] recovered from Reculver in 1997, on display in [[Herne Bay Museum and Gallery]]. Reculver towers can be seen in the background of the accompanying artist's impression.]]
[[File:Bouncing bomb 006.jpg|thumb|upright|Prototype [[bouncing bomb]] recovered from Reculver in 1997, on display in [[Herne Bay Museum and Gallery]]. Reculver towers can be seen in the background of the accompanying artist's impression.]]
During World War II, the Reculver coastline was one location used to test [[Barnes Wallis]]'s "[[bouncing bomb]]" prototypes. Different, [[wikt:inert|inert]] versions of the bomb were tested at Reculver, leading to the development of the operational version known as "Upkeep".<ref>[http://www.thedambusters.org.uk/media.html Archive footage of the Reculver tests]. (2007). [http://www.thedambusters.org.uk/ The Dambusters (617 Squadron)]. Retrieved 16&nbsp;July 2010. "Upkeep test drop 1" & "Upkeep test drop 2".</ref> It was this bomb which was used by the [[Royal Air Force|RAF]]'s [[No. 617 Squadron RAF|617 Squadron]] in [[Operation Chastise]], otherwise known as the "Dambuster raids", in which dams in the [[Ruhr]] district of [[Germany]] were attacked on the night of 16–17 May 1943 by [[Tactical formation|formations]] of [[Avro Lancaster|Lancaster]] [[bomber]]s, led by Wing Commander [[Guy Gibson]], for which he was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]]. On 17&nbsp;May 2003, a Lancaster bomber overflew the Reculver testing site to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the exploit.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3036315.stm "Anniversary tribute to Dambusters"]. (2003). [[BBC News Online]]. Retrieved 16&nbsp;July 2010.</ref>
During World War II, the Reculver coastline was one location used to test [[Barnes Wallis]]'s "[[bouncing bomb]]" prototypes. Different, [[wikt:inert|inert]] versions of the bomb were tested at Reculver, leading to the development of the operational version known as "Upkeep".<ref>[http://www.thedambusters.org.uk/media.html Archive footage of the Reculver tests]. (2007). The Dambusters (617 Squadron). Retrieved 16&nbsp;July 2010. "Upkeep test drop 1" & "Upkeep test drop 2".</ref> It was this bomb which was used by the [[Royal Air Force|RAF]]'s [[No. 617 Squadron RAF|617 Squadron]] in [[Operation Chastise]], otherwise known as the "Dambuster raids", in which dams in the [[Ruhr]] district of [[Germany]] were attacked on the night of 16–17 May 1943 by [[Tactical formation|formations]] of [[Avro Lancaster|Lancaster]] [[bomber]]s, led by Wing Commander [[Guy Gibson]], for which he was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]]. On 17&nbsp;May 2003, a Lancaster bomber overflew the Reculver testing site to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the exploit.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3036315.stm "Anniversary tribute to Dambusters"]. (2003). [[BBC News Online]]. Retrieved 16&nbsp;July 2010.</ref>


On 6&nbsp;June 1997 it was announced on [[BBC World News]] that four of the prototype bouncing bombs had been discovered at Reculver. Each weighing approximately 4 [[Long ton|tons]] (4.1 tonnes), attempts were made to salvage them, as a result of which one prototype is displayed in [[Herne Bay Museum and Gallery]], a little over {{convert|3|mi|km|0}} to the west of Reculver.<ref>[http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/main.cfm?objectid=2194 "Bouncing bomb back"]. (1999). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 16&nbsp;July 2010.</ref> Others are on display in [[Dover Castle]] and in the Spitfire & Hurricane Memorial Museum at the former [[RAF Manston]], on the [[Isle of Thanet]].
On 6&nbsp;June 1997 it was announced on [[BBC World News]] that four of the prototype bouncing bombs had been discovered at Reculver. Each weighing approximately 4 [[Long ton|tons]] (4.1 tonnes), attempts were made to salvage them, as a result of which one prototype is displayed in [[Herne Bay Museum and Gallery]], a little over {{convert|3|mi|km|0}} to the west of Reculver.<ref>[http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/main.cfm?objectid=2194 "Bouncing bomb back"]. (1999). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 16&nbsp;July 2010.</ref> Others are on display in [[Dover Castle]] and in the Spitfire & Hurricane Memorial Museum at the former [[RAF Manston]], on the [[Isle of Thanet]].


==Economy==
==Economy==
Apart from the Roman and church ruins, Reculver today consists of the country park, a public house, The King Ethelbert [[Public house#Tied houses and free houses in Britain|free house]], and a nearby shop and cafe, surrounded by three caravan parks.<ref>[http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/assets/countryside/reculvermasterplanvol1sep09forweb.pdf Reculver Masterplan Report Volume 1], Section 2.0 "Historical Context" (2008). [http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/main.cfm Canterbury City Council Online]. Retrieved 17&nbsp;July 2010.</ref> To the east is a [[hatchery]] for [[oysters]], belonging to the Whitstable Oyster Fishery Company, from which young oysters are transplanted to the sea bed at [[Whitstable]].<ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1164379/The-Return-Natives-Whitstables-oysters-fashion.html The Return of the Natives: Whitstable's oysters back in fashion]. (2009). [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/index.html Mail Online]. Retrieved 7&nbsp;September 2010.</ref>
Apart from the Roman and church ruins, Reculver today consists of the country park, a public house, The King Ethelbert [[Public house#Tied houses and free houses in Britain|free house]], and a nearby shop and cafe, surrounded by three caravan parks.<ref>[http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/assets/countryside/reculvermasterplanvol1sep09forweb.pdf Reculver Masterplan Report Volume 1], Section 2.0 "Historical Context" (2008). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 17&nbsp;July 2010.</ref> To the east is a [[hatchery]] for [[oysters]], belonging to Seasalter Shellfish (Whitstable) Ltd., which is based in Reculver.<ref>[http://www.oysterhatchery.com/index.shtml Seasalter Shellfish (Whitstable) Ltd.]. (2008). oysterhatchery.com. Retrieved 15&nbsp;December 2011.</ref> Young oysters are transplanted from here to the sea bed at [[Whitstable]].<ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1164379/The-Return-Natives-Whitstables-oysters-fashion.html The Return of the Natives: Whitstable's oysters back in fashion]. (2009). Mail Online. Retrieved 7&nbsp;September 2010.</ref>


===Country park===
===Country park===
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The new Reculver Centre for Renewable Energy and Interpretation opened in July 2009, marking 200 years of the moving of Reculver village. The centre features a log burner fuelled by logs from the [[East Blean Woods|Blean woodland]], and [[solar power|solar and photo voltaic panels]] to convert sunlight to energy. Displays and information describing the history, geography and wildlife of the area are available inside the centre.<ref>[http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/main.cfm?objectid=2026 Reculver Centre: for renewable energy and interpretation]. (2009). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 5&nbsp;September 2010.</ref>
The new Reculver Centre for Renewable Energy and Interpretation opened in July 2009, marking 200 years of the moving of Reculver village. The centre features a log burner fuelled by logs from the [[East Blean Woods|Blean woodland]], and [[solar power|solar and photo voltaic panels]] to convert sunlight to energy. Displays and information describing the history, geography and wildlife of the area are available inside the centre.<ref>[http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/main.cfm?objectid=2026 Reculver Centre: for renewable energy and interpretation]. (2009). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 5&nbsp;September 2010.</ref>

== Politics ==
Reculver is in the English [[Electoral district|parliamentary constituency]] of [[North Thanet (UK Parliament constituency)|North Thanet]], for which [[Roger Gale]] ([[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]) has been [[Member of Parliament|MP]] since 1983.<ref name=Gale2010>[http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/roger-gale/25648 Roger Gale]. (not dated). www.parliament.uk. Retrieved 15&nbsp;December 2011.</ref> In the [[United Kingdom general election, 2010|general election of 2010]], Gale won 22,826 votes (52.57%), giving him a majority of 13,528. [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] won 9,298 votes (21.42%), the [[Liberal Democrats]] 8,400 (19.35%), and the [[UK Independence Party|United Kingdom Independence Party]] 2,819 (6.5%).<ref name=Gale2010 /> For [[Elections in the European Union|European elections]], Reculver is in the [[South East England (European Parliament constituency)|South East England]] constituency. [[Member of the European Parliament|MEPs]] elected in the [[European Parliament election, 2009 (United Kingdom)|European election of 2009]] were [[Daniel Hannan]], [[Richard Ashworth]], [[Nirj Deva]] and [[James Elles]] (Conservative); [[Sharon Bowles]] and [[Catherine Bearder]] (Liberal Democrats); [[Nigel Farage]] and [[Marta Andreasen]] (United Kingdom Independence Party); [[Caroline Lucas]] ([[Green Party of England and Wales|Green Party]]);{{#tag:ref|Caroline Lucas gave up her role as MEP in 2010, when she was elected as the UK's first Green Party MP, for [[Brighton Pavilion (UK Parliament constituency)|Brighton Pavilion]].<ref>[http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/caroline-lucas/28490 Caroline Lucas]. (not dated). www.parliament.uk. Retrieved 15&nbsp;December 2011; [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/election-2010/7689660/General-Election-2010-Caroline-Lucas-becomes-Britains-first-Green-MP.html General Election 2010: Caroline Lucas becomes Britain's first Green MP]. (2010). The Telegraph. Retrieved 15&nbsp;December 2011.</ref>|group="nb"}} and [[Peter Skinner]] (Labour).<ref>[http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/assets/electoral/europeanelection2009.pdf European Parliamentary Election South East Region]. (2009). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 15&nbsp;December 2011.</ref>

As an [[Wards of the United Kingdom|electoral ward]] in the [[Districts of England|local government district]] of [[City of Canterbury|Canterbury]], Reculver has three seats on Canterbury City Council. In the [[United Kingdom local elections, 2007|local elections of 2007]], these seats were won by Jennie Edwards, Gillian Reuby and Ann Taylor, all Conservative.<ref>[http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/assets/electoral/cityresults2007.pdf City Council Election]. (2007). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 15&nbsp;December 2011.</ref>

==Education==
Reculver Church of England Primary School, adjacent to the church at [[Hillborough]], caters for children aged between 4 and 11.<ref>[http://www.reculver.kent.sch.uk/index.asp Reculver C.E. Primary School]. (not dated). reculver.kent.sch.uk. Retrieved 15&nbsp;December 2011.</ref> It was rated as "satisfactory" (Grade 3) in most aspects by an [[Ofsted]] report in July 2010, when it had 489&nbsp;pupils.<ref name=Ofsted>[http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/find-inspection-report/provider/ELS/118656 Inspection Reports Reculver Church of England Primary School]. (2011). Ofsted. Retrieved 15&nbsp;December 2011. Click on the relevant link to download the Ofsted report in PDF format.</ref> According to a subsequent "Section 8" report,<ref>[http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/monitoring-inspections-of-schools-whose-overall-effectiveness-satisfactory Monitoring inspections of schools whose overall effectiveness is satisfactory]. (2011). Ofsted. Retrieved 15&nbsp;December 2011.</ref> of November 2011, the school had made "satisfactory progress in making improvements, and good progress in demonstrating a better capacity for sustained improvement. [The] school's provisional results in the 2011 national tests show an upward swing, bringing attainment broadly in line with national averages."<ref name=Ofsted /> The school's site also hosts Beltinge Day Nursery,<ref>[http://www.daynurseries.co.uk/daynursery.cfm/searchazref/50001050BELB Beltinge Day Nursery]. (2011). daynurseries.co.uk. Retrieved 15&nbsp;December 2011.</ref> and Reculver Breakfast and Afterschool Club.<ref>[http://kindergartenkids.co.uk/reculver-club Reculver Breakfast and Afterschool Club]. (2011). Kindergarten Kids. Retrieved 15&nbsp;December 2011.</ref> The nearest schools for older children are in [[Herne Bay, Kent|Herne Bay]], such as Herne Bay High School.<ref>[http://www.hernebayhigh.kent.sch.uk/welcome.htm Herne Bay High School]. (2009). Retrieved 15&nbsp;December 2011.</ref>


==Transport==
==Transport==
The nearest railway stations to Reculver are at [[Herne Bay railway station|Herne Bay]], about {{convert|3|mi|km|0}} to the west, and [[Birchington-on-Sea railway station|Birchington-on-Sea]], about {{convert|4.5|mi|km|0}} to the east. Both stations are on the [[Chatham Main Line]], running between [[London]]'s [[London Victoria station|Victoria station]] and [[Ramsgate]].<ref>[http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/passenger_services/maps/London_South_East.pdf London and the South East Rail Services]. (2011). National Rail. Retrieved 14&nbsp;December 2011.</ref>
The nearest railway stations to Reculver are at [[Herne Bay railway station|Herne Bay]], about {{convert|3|mi|km|0}} to the west, and [[Birchington-on-Sea railway station|Birchington-on-Sea]], about {{convert|4.5|mi|km|0}} to the east. Both stations are on the [[Chatham Main Line]], running between [[London]]'s [[London Victoria station|Victoria station]] and [[Ramsgate]].<ref>[http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/passenger_services/maps/London_South_East.pdf London and the South East Rail Services]. (2011). National Rail. Retrieved 14&nbsp;December 2011.</ref> A [[Stagecoach Group|Stagecoach]] bus service, route 7/7A, which is operated on behalf of [[Kent County Council]], connects Reculver with Herne Bay and Canterbury daily, except on Sundays and [[bank holiday]]s.<ref>[http://www.stagecoachbus.com/PdfUploads/Timetable_7345_07%20(Herne%20Bay%20-%20Canterbury).pdf Bustimes 7]. (2010). Stagecoach Group. Retrieved 14&nbsp;December 2011.</ref> Other destinations on this route include Reculver Church of England Primary School, at Hillborough, [[Chislet]], [[Hoath]], and the railway station at [[Sturry railway station|Sturry]], on the [[Ashford to Ramsgate (via Canterbury West) line|Ashford to Ramsgate line]]. Reculver is at the end of an [[U roads in Great Britain#Other classifications|unclassified road]], Reculver Lane, and is about {{convert|2|mi|km|0}} by road from the nearest major junction of the [[A299 road|A299]], or "Thanet Way".


==Legends==
==Legends==
===Crying Baby===
===Crying Baby===
According to legend there is often heard the sound of a crying baby, in the grounds of the fort and among the ruins of the church.<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2009/oct/30/haunted-halloween-spooky-uk Ten spooky places to scare yourself]. (2009). [http://www.guardian.co.uk/ The Guardian]. Retrieved 29&nbsp;July 2010.</ref> Archaeological excavations conducted in the 1960s within the fort revealed numerous infant skeletons buried under the walls of Roman structures, probably barrack blocks, from which coins were recovered from between c.&nbsp;270 and 300&nbsp;AD.<ref>{{harvnb|Philp|1966|page=}}; {{harvnb|Philp|1969a|page=}}; Merrifield, R. (1987), ''The Archaeology of Ritual and Magic'', Batsford, pp.&nbsp;50–7 (esp.&nbsp;51).</ref> A baby's feeding bottle was also found, "which had been placed on its side in the floor of [a Roman] building [within {{convert|10|ft|m|0}} of one of the infant skeletons], but it cannot with certainty be associated with the burials."<ref>{{harvnb|Philp|1966|page=}}</ref>
According to legend there is often heard the sound of a crying baby, in the grounds of the fort and among the ruins of the church.<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2009/oct/30/haunted-halloween-spooky-uk Ten spooky places to scare yourself]. (2009). The Guardian. Retrieved 29&nbsp;July 2010.</ref> Archaeological excavations conducted in the 1960s within the fort revealed numerous infant skeletons buried under the walls of Roman structures, probably barrack blocks, from which coins were recovered and dated between c.&nbsp;270 and 300&nbsp;AD.<ref>{{harvnb|Philp|1966|page=}}; {{harvnb|Philp|1969a|page=}}; Merrifield, R. (1987), ''The Archaeology of Ritual and Magic'', London: Batsford, pp.&nbsp;50–7 (esp.&nbsp;51).</ref> A baby's feeding bottle was also found, on its side in an excavated floor, and within {{convert|10|ft|m|0}} of one of the infant skeletons, "but it cannot with certainty be associated with the burials."<ref>{{harvnb|Philp|1966|page=}}.</ref>{{#tag:ref|"The Romans officially condemned human sacrifice… Human life was cheap on the frontier, however, and Roman auxiliaries could be as barbarous as those they fought. … Even in the most civilised parts of [Roman] Britain, the authorities seem on occasion to have turned a blind eye to infant sacrifice, which may of course have been surreptitious."<ref>Merrifield, R. (1987), ''The Archaeology of Ritual and Magic'', London: Batsford, p.&nbsp;51.</ref>|group="nb"}}


===Twin Sisters===
===Twin Sisters===
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A story which has been told many times, incorporating varying details, but following essentially the same course, concerns the origin of a [[Epithet|byname]] for the Reculver towers, as the "Twin Sisters".{{#tag:ref|This byname is also found as "The Sisters" and the "Two Sisters", but the towers are also sometimes known as simply "The Reculvers".<ref>{{harvnb|Jessup|1936|page=179}}; {{harvnb|Hasted|1800|pages=109–125}}.</ref>|group="nb"}} According to this, late in the 15th century there were two orphaned daughters of Sir Geoffrey St Clare, twin sisters named Frances and Isabella. Frances became prioress of the [[Benedictine]] [[priory]] of [[Davington]], near [[Faversham]], while Isabella remained a [[Ward (law)|ward]] of Abbot John of [[St Augustine's Abbey]], in [[Canterbury]], who was the sisters' uncle. Isabella was then betrothed to Henry de Belville, but unfortunately he was fatally wounded while fighting for [[Richard III of England|Richard III]] at the [[Battle of Bosworth Field]], in 1485. Isabella then joined her sister, "[[Veil#Women|took the veil]]", and became a [[Nun#Christianity|nun]]. Fourteen years later, Frances was taken ill. The sisters made a vow that, if Frances recovered, they would go on pilgrimage to give thanks at the [[Shrine of Our Lady, Bradstowe|Shrine of Our Ladye Star of the Sea]] in [[Broadstairs]].
A story which has been told many times, incorporating varying details, but following essentially the same course, concerns the origin of a [[Epithet|byname]] for the Reculver towers, as the "Twin Sisters".{{#tag:ref|This byname is also found as "The Sisters" and the "Two Sisters", but the towers are also sometimes known as simply "The Reculvers".<ref>{{harvnb|Jessup|1936|page=179}}; {{harvnb|Hasted|1800|pages=109–125}}.</ref>|group="nb"}} According to this, late in the 15th century there were two orphaned daughters of Sir Geoffrey St Clare, twin sisters named Frances and Isabella. Frances became prioress of the [[Benedictine]] [[priory]] of [[Davington]], near [[Faversham]], while Isabella remained a [[Ward (law)|ward]] of Abbot John of [[St Augustine's Abbey]], in [[Canterbury]], who was the sisters' uncle. Isabella was then betrothed to Henry de Belville, but unfortunately he was fatally wounded while fighting for [[Richard III of England|Richard III]] at the [[Battle of Bosworth Field]], in 1485. Isabella then joined her sister, "[[Veil#Women|took the veil]]", and became a [[Nun#Christianity|nun]]. Fourteen years later, Frances was taken ill. The sisters made a vow that, if Frances recovered, they would go on pilgrimage to give thanks at the [[Shrine of Our Lady, Bradstowe|Shrine of Our Ladye Star of the Sea]] in [[Broadstairs]].


Frances recovered, so they set off on their promised pilgrimage. They sailed from Faversham, but their ship was caught in a storm and ran aground on a [[Shoal|sandbank]] near Reculver called "The Horse". Frances was soon rescued, but Isabella was left on the wreck until daylight. Though she too was then rescued, she died of exposure in her sister's arms. Frances completed the vow to make offerings to the shrine at Broadstairs, and then restored Reculver church, also dedicated to St Mary, adding spires to the towers, which were known thereafter as the "Twin Sisters".<ref>Anon. (1791), "The SISTERS, an affecting History: With a Perspective View of RECULVER CHURCH, in the County of Kent", ''Universal Magazine of Knowledge and Pleasure'' '''89''', August, pp.&nbsp;97–104; {{harvnb|Jessup|1936|pages=179–80}}.</ref>{{#tag:ref|No sandbank named "The Horse" is marked in this location on modern [[Nautical chart|charts]], and it is in their nature to move over time; but it is shown in a chart from 1790.<ref>[http://collections.nmm.ac.uk/collections/objects/540251.html Chart of the River Thames from London to the Nore, Margate and the Downs, North, Middle and South Channels, from a survey taken in 1789 and 90]. (1790). [[National Maritime Museum]]. Retrieved 8&nbsp;December 2011.</ref> A "Horse Channel" is marked on modern charts in about the same location, approximately {{convert|0.31|mi|km|1}} NW of Reculver towers.|group="nb"}}
Frances recovered, so they set off on their promised pilgrimage. They sailed from Faversham, but their ship was caught in a storm and ran aground on a [[Shoal|sandbank]] near Reculver called "The Horse". Frances was soon rescued, but Isabella was left on the wreck until daylight. Though she too was then rescued, she died of exposure in her sister's arms. Frances completed the vow to make offerings to the shrine at Broadstairs, and then restored Reculver church, also dedicated to St Mary, adding spires to the towers, which were known thereafter as the "Twin Sisters".<ref>Anon. (1791), "The SISTERS, an affecting History: With a Perspective View of RECULVER CHURCH, in the County of Kent", ''Universal Magazine of Knowledge and Pleasure'' '''89''', August, pp.&nbsp;97–104; {{harvnb|Jessup|1936|pages=179–80}}.</ref>{{#tag:ref|No sandbank named "The Horse" is marked in this location on modern [[Nautical chart|charts]], and it is in their nature to move over time; but it is shown in a chart from 1790.<ref>[http://collections.nmm.ac.uk/collections/objects/540251.html Chart of the River Thames from London to the Nore, Margate and the Downs, North, Middle and South Channels, from a survey taken in 1789 and 90]. (1790). [[National Maritime Museum]]. Retrieved 8&nbsp;December 2011.</ref> A "Horse Channel" is marked on modern charts in about the same location, approximately {{convert|0.31|mi|km|1}} north-west of Reculver towers.|group="nb"}}


The ''[[Ingoldsby Legends]]'' includes a re-invention of the story in which two brothers, Robert and Richard de Birchington, are substituted for the two sisters.<ref>[http://www.exclassics.com/ingold/ingold.pdf ''The Ingoldsby Legends'' online]. (2009). exclassics.com. Retrieved 11&nbsp;July 2010. "The Brothers of Birchington: A Lay of St. Thomas a'Becket" (pp.&nbsp;455–465).</ref>
The ''[[Ingoldsby Legends]]'' includes a re-invention of the story in which two brothers, Robert and Richard de Birchington, are substituted for the two sisters.<ref>[http://www.exclassics.com/ingold/ingold.pdf ''The Ingoldsby Legends'' online]. (2009). exclassics.com. Retrieved 11&nbsp;July 2010. "The Brothers of Birchington: A Lay of St. Thomas a'Becket" (pp.&nbsp;455–465).</ref>
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==Parramatta cathedral==
==Parramatta cathedral==
[[Image:st-johns-parramatta.jpg|thumb|St Johns, Parramatta, [[New South Wales|NSW]]]]
[[Image:st-johns-parramatta.jpg|thumb|St Johns, Parramatta, [[New South Wales|NSW]]]]
The twin towers and west front of St John's Cathedral, [[Parramatta]], in Sydney, Australia, which were added in 1817–1819, are based on the Reculver towers. A campaign to save Reculver church was under way when Governor [[Lachlan Macquarie]] and his wife [[Elizabeth Macquarie|Elizabeth]] left England in 1809. Mrs Macquarie showed Lieutenant John Watts, [[Aide-de-camp|ADC]] of the [[46th (South Devonshire) Regiment of Foot|46th Regiment of Foot]], a watercolour of Reculver church and asked him to design some towers for St John's in Parramatta. A watercolour of Reculver Church in the Mitchell Library section of the [[State Library of New South Wales]] has a note in Governor Macquarie's hand, to the effect that he laid the foundation stone on 23 December 1818, and that Mrs Macquarie chose the plan and Lt Watts was responsible for implementing the design.<ref>[http://www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/07_subnav_02_2.cfm?itemid=5060990 St John's Anglican Cathedral]. (not dated). NSW Department of Planning, Heritage Branch. Retrieved 15&nbsp;July 2010.</ref>{{#tag:ref|For Lt. John Watts, see "[http://www.lancers.org.au/site/The_Military_at_Parramatta.asp The Military at Parramatta]". (2010). Royal New South Wales Lancers. Retrieved 17&nbsp;July 2010.|group="nb"}} A stone from Reculver was presented to St John's Cathedral by the Historic Building and Monuments Commission for England&nbsp;– now [[English Heritage]]&nbsp;– in 1990.
The twin towers and west front of St John's Cathedral, [[Parramatta]], in Sydney, Australia, which were added in 1817–1819, are based on those of the church at Reculver.<ref>[http://www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/07_subnav_02_2.cfm?itemid=5060990 St John's Anglican Cathedral]. (not dated). NSW Department of Planning, Heritage Branch. Retrieved 15&nbsp;July 2010.</ref> A campaign to save Reculver church was under way when Governor [[Lachlan Macquarie]] and his wife [[Elizabeth Macquarie|Elizabeth]] left England in 1809. Mrs Macquarie showed Lieutenant John Watts, [[Aide-de-camp|ADC]] of the [[46th (South Devonshire) Regiment of Foot|46th Regiment of Foot]], a [[Watercolor painting|watercolour]] of Reculver church and asked him to design some towers for St John's in Parramatta. A watercolour of Reculver church in the Mitchell Library section of the [[State Library of New South Wales]] is accompanied by a note in Governor Macquarie's hand, to the effect that he laid the foundation stone on 23 December 1818, and that Mrs Macquarie chose the plan and Lt Watts was responsible for implementing the design.<ref>[http://acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/item/itemDetailPaged.aspx?itemID=872455 Buildings erected under Macquarie, 1817-1840s]. (2007). State Library New South Wales. Retrieved 15&nbsp;December 2011.</ref>{{#tag:ref|In the watercolour, the sea is shown washing against the cliff, and the spires of Reculver church have been replaced by the Trinity House wind vanes. The accompanying note is annotated with a reference to Jervis, J. (1935), "Parramatta During the Macquarie Period", ''Journal and Proceedings'' '''4''', Parramatta Historical Society, p.&nbsp;163, saying that the note is "evidently a copy of what was evidently intended as an inscription upon the foundation stone of the towers of the Parramatta Church".<ref>[http://acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/album/albumView.aspx?acmsID=872455&itemID=877018 Buildings erected under Macquarie, 1817-1840s <nowiki>[</nowiki>Album view<nowiki>]</nowiki>]. (2007). State Library New South Wales. Retrieved 15&nbsp;December 2011. Items&nbsp;1–3.</ref> For Lt. John Watts, see also "[http://www.lancers.org.au/site/The_Military_at_Parramatta.asp The Military at Parramatta]". (2010). Royal New South Wales Lancers. Retrieved 17&nbsp;July 2010.|group="nb"}} A stone from Reculver was presented to St John's Cathedral by the Historic Building and Monuments Commission for England&nbsp;– now [[English Heritage]]&nbsp;– in 1990.


==See also==
==See also==
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==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category|Reculver}}
{{Commons category|Reculver}}
*[http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=467090 Church of St Mary PastScape.org]
*[http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=467090 Church of St Mary] – English Heritage PastScape
*[http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/reculver-towers-and-roman-fort/ Reculver Towers and Roman Fort page at English Heritage]
*[http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/main.cfm?objectid=1430#ReculverCountryPark Reculver Country Park] Canterbury City Council
*[http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/reculver-towers-and-roman-fort/ Reculver Towers and Roman Fort] – English Heritage
*[http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=467087 Regulbium] at PastScape.org
*[http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/main.cfm?objectid=1430#ReculverCountryPark Reculver Country Park], [http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/main.cfm Canterbury City Council]
*[http://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/reserves/reculver/reculver-address/ Reculver Visitor Centre and Country Park] [[Kent Wildlife Trust]]
*[http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=467087 Regulbium] – English Heritage PastScape
*[http://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/reserves/reculver/reculver-address/ Reculver Visitor Centre and Country Park], [[Kent Wildlife Trust]]


{{Canterbury}}
{{Canterbury}}

Revision as of 18:51, 15 December 2011

Reculver
The twin towers of St Mary's Church
Population135 [1]
OS grid referenceTR224693
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townCANTERBURY
Postcode districtCT6
Dialling code01227
PoliceKent
FireKent
AmbulanceSouth East Coast
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Kent

Reculver is a village and coastal resort about 3 miles (5 km) east of Herne Bay in southeast England. It is a ward of the City of Canterbury district in the county of Kent. Reculver once occupied a strategic location at the western end of the Wantsum Channel, between the Isle of Thanet and the Kent mainland. This led the Romans to build a small fort, probably at the time of their conquest of Britain in 43 AD, and, starting late in the 2nd century, they built a castrum called Regulbium, which later was part of the chain of Saxon Shore forts. The military connection resumed in the Second World War, when Barnes Wallis's bouncing bombs were tested in the sea off Reculver.

After the Romans left, Reculver became a landed estate of the Anglo-Saxon kings of Kent, before being given over for the establishment of a monastery in 669 AD. During the Middle Ages the twin spires of the church became a landmark for mariners known as the "Twin Sisters", supposedly after daughters of Geoffrey St Clare. The facade of St John's Cathedral in Parramatta, Australia, is a copy of that at Reculver.

Reculver declined as the Wantsum Channel silted up, and coastal erosion claimed many buildings constructed on the soft sandy cliffs. The village was largely abandoned in the late 18th century, and most of the church was demolished. Protecting the ruins and the rest of Reculver from erosion is an ongoing challenge.

The 20th century saw a revival as a tourism industry developed and there are now three caravan parks. Reculver Country Park is a Special Protection Area and Site of Special Scientific Interest, which has rare clifftop meadows and is important for migrating birds. The census of 2001 recorded 135 people in the Reculver area, nearly a quarter of whom were in caravans.

Geography

Regulbium is marked as "Reculbium" on this map of late Roman Kent.
Looking east across the former mouth of the Wantsum Channel, from Reculver churchyard: snaking away in the centre is the sea wall, to the right of it is an oyster hatchery, and Margate is on the horizon.

Reculver is located on the north-eastern coast of Kent, about 3 miles (5 km) east of the town of Herne Bay, and 8 miles (13 km) west of the town of Margate. It once occupied a strategic location on routes between continental Europe and the east coast of England, but this has been obscured by sedimentation and coastal erosion.[2] In ancient times it lay on a promontory at the western entrance to the Wantsum Channel, a sea lane between the Isle of Thanet and the Kent mainland, which silted up during the Middle Ages. The ruins of a Roman fort and a medieval church stand on the remains of the promontory, now "a small knoll which, rising to a maximum height of 50 feet [15 m], is the last seaward extension of the Blean Hills."[3] Place-name authorities state that the earliest recorded form of the name, Regulbium, was Celtic in origin, meaning "at the promontory", or "great headland", and that, in Old English, it became corrupted to Raculf, sometimes given as Raculfceastre, giving rise to the modern "Reculver".[4][nb 1]

Geology

Sediments laid down around 55 million years ago are particularly well displayed in the cliffs at Reculver.[6] Nearby Herne Bay is the type location for the Thanet Sand Formation, a fine-grained sand that can be clayey and glauconitic and is of Thanetian (late Paleocene) age.[7] It rests unconformably on the Chalk Group,[7] and forms the base of the cliffs in the Reculver and Herne Bay area.[8] Above the Thanet Sand are the Upnor Formation, a medium sandstone,[9] and the sandy clays of the Harwich Formation at the Paleocene/Eocene boundary.[10] The highest cliffs, rising to a maximum height of about 115 feet (35 m) to the west of Reculver,[11] have a cap of London Clay,[8] a fine silty clay of Eocene age.[12]

These rocks are easily washed away by the sea.[13] It has been estimated that the Roman fort was originally about 1 mile (1.6 km) from the sea, but the cliffs are eroding at a rate of approximately 5 feet (2 m) a year.[14] A plan is in place to manage this erosion whereby some parts of the coastline such as the country park will be allowed to continue eroding, and others – including the site of the Roman fort and St Mary's Church – will be protected from further erosion.[15]

Climate

The warmest time of year in Kent is in July and August, with average maximum temperatures of around 21 °C (70 °F), and the coolest is in January and February, with average minimum temperatures of around 1 °C (34 °F).[16] Average maximum and minimum temperatures are about 0.5 °C higher than they are nationally.[17] Locations on the north coast of Kent, like Reculver, are sometimes warmer than areas further inland, owing to the influence of the North Downs to the south.[18] Average annual rainfall in Kent is about 728 millimetres (29 in), with the highest rainfall from October to January.[16] This is lower than the national average annual rainfall of 838 millimetres (33 in),[17] and occasional drought conditions can lead to the imposition of hosepipe bans.[19]

Demography

In the census of 1801, the number of people present in the parish of Reculver was given as 252, and this figure remained roughly stable until the 20th century, when it increased dramatically: in the census of 1931, the number was given as 829.[20] In the most recent census of 2001, however, only 135 people were found.[1][nb 2] All were born in the United Kingdom except for three individuals from the Republic of Ireland, and three from South Africa. Christianity was the only religion represented, by 99 individuals, with 22 recorded as having no religion, and 14 whose religion was not stated. Gender was given as 69 female and 66 male, and the age distribution was 12 individuals aged 0–5 years (8.8%), 16 aged 6–16 years (14%), 30 aged 17–35 years (22.2%), 14 aged 36–45 years (10.3%), 44 aged 46–64 years (32.5%), and 21 aged 65 years and over (15.5%). Half (67) of all the individuals recorded were described as economically active, with 58 of these having employers and nine being self-employed, while none were recorded as full time students or unemployed. Twenty-four people were described as retired (17.7%). Of those aged 16–74 years, 14 (12.8%) were placed at the highest level for education or qualification. From April 2001 to March 2002, the average gross weekly income of households in the Reculver area, including Beltinge, was estimated by the Office for National Statistics as £560,[21] or £29,120 per year.

Wildlife

Eurasian Curlew at Reculver, 2007

Reculver Country Park is a Special Protection Area (SPA) and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), due partly to the thousands of birds that visit Reculver each year during their migrations from the Arctic.[22] In winter Brent Geese and wading birds such as Turnstones may be seen, during the summer months Sand Martins nest in the soft cliffs,[23] and wading Curlews may be seen at any time. The grasslands on the cliff top are among the few remaining cliff top wildflower meadows left in Kent, and are home to butterflies and Skylarks. Also present is the nationally scarce species of digger wasp Alysson lunicornis.[24][nb 3]

In 2011, it was found that the shoreline in the Herne Bay area, including Reculver, had come under threat from an invasive species, the Carpet sea squirt (Didemnum vexillum), also known as "marine vomit".[25] First recorded in UK waters in 2008, the Carpet sea squirt's native habitat is in the sea around Japan, and it has been carried to other parts of the world, including New Zealand and the USA,[26] for example on boat hulls, fishing equipment and floating seaweed. Carpet sea squirt can overgrow other, sessile species, "potentially smothering species living in gravel and affecting fisheries."[26][nb 4]

History

Pre-historic and Roman

Remains of the Roman fort of Regulbium

Stone Age flint tools have been washed out from the cliffs to the west of Reculver, and a Mesolithic tranchet axe was found at Reculver in 1960, but is "likely to have been a casual loss".[27] Evidence for human settlement at Reculver begins with late Bronze Age ditches, followed by an early Iron Age farmstead slightly to the west of the church ruins, a Roman "fortlet" probably dating to their conquest of Britain, which began in 43 AD, and a well known Roman fort, or "castrum", which was probably started late in the 2nd century. This date is derived in part from a re-construction of a uniquely detailed plaque, fragments of which were found by archaeologists in the 1960s.[28] The plaque effectively records the establishment of the fort, since it records the construction of two of its principal buildings, the "basilica" and the "sacellum".[29][nb 5] These were also found by archaeologists, together with the commandant's house, probable barracks, a bath house and a corn drying kiln. Presumably the fort was built at Reculver because of its strategic position at the northern entrance to the Wantsum Channel, and covering the mouths of both the River Thames and the River Medway.[30] While it was normal for a Roman fort to be accompanied by a civilian settlement, or "vicus", it is believed from "significant Roman structures and features"[31] that the vicus at Reculver was extensive, and lay to the north and west of the fort, mostly in an area now lost to the sea.[nb 6] Towards the end of the 3rd century, a Roman naval commander named Carausius was given the task of clearing pirates from the sea between Britannia and the European mainland. In so doing he established a new chain of command, the British part of which was later to pass under the control of a "Count of the Saxon Shore". The "Notitia Dignitatum", dating from the early 5th century, shows that the fort at Reculver, then known as "Regulbium", became part of this arrangement. Archaeological evidence indicates that the fort was abandoned in the 360s.[33]

Monastery and church

The south wall of the church incorporates Roman tiles.
Reculver church as it was in 1800 (above), and in the early 1900s (below). The church is decayed in the earlier view, but retains its spires. The Trinity House wind vanes in the later view have long since been removed, but the ruins remain in a similar state today.

After the Roman occupation of Britain ended in about 410, Reculver became a landed estate of the Anglo-Saxon kings of Kent, possibly with a "royal toll-station [or a] significant coastal trading settlement."[34][nb 7] King Æthelberht of Kent is said to have moved his royal court there from Canterbury in about 597, and to have built a palace on the site of the Roman ruins;[35] but archaeological excavation has shown no evidence of this, and the story has been described as "probably no more than a pious legend".[36][nb 8] A church was built on the site of the Roman fort in about 669, when King Ecgberht of Kent granted land for the foundation of a monastery there, which was dedicated to St Mary.[38][nb 9] This foundation "illustrates the widespread practice [in Anglo-Saxon England] of re-using Roman walled places for major churches".[39]

Ten years later, in 679, King Hlothhere of Kent granted the monastery lands at Sturry, about 6.2 miles (10 km) south-west of Reculver, and at Sarre, in the western part of the Isle of Thanet, across the Wantsum to the east.[40][nb 10] The grant was made at Reculver, the charter was probably written by a Reculver scribe, and the grant of Sarre in particular "must be regarded as a sign of enormous royal favour to the minster".[41][nb 11] In the original, 7th century charter recording this grant, Reculver is referred to as a "civitas", or "city", but this is probably a reference to its Roman origins, rather than a large population centre. In 692 Reculver's abbot, Berhtwald, a former abbot of Glastonbury in Somerset, was elected Archbishop of Canterbury. Bede, writing no more than 40 years later, described him as having been "learned in the Scriptures and well versed in ecclesiastical and monastic affairs."[42] Further charters show that the monastery at Reculver continued to benefit from Kentish kings in the 8th century, under abbots Heahberht, Deneheah and Hwitred,[43] but, from the early 9th century, "the minster is referred to in the sources as essentially a piece of property".[44] In 811, control of Reculver was in the hands of Archbishop Wulfred of Canterbury, who is recorded as having deprived Reculver of some of its land;[45] and, at about this time, Reculver featured in a "monumental showdown",[46] between Archbishop Wulfred and King Coenwulf of Mercia, over the control of monasteries. By the 10th century, the kings of Wessex were in control of Reculver, and monastic life there had ceased, possibly due to the attentions of Vikings.[47][nb 12] The minster subsequently became St Mary's parish church of Reculver: a charter of the mid 10th century records its gift by King Eadred of England into the possession of Canterbury Cathedral, at which time the estate included the later parishes of Hoath and Herne, land at Sarre, in Thanet, and land "at Chilmington for the repair of the church".[49][nb 13]

According to Domesday Book, in 1086 the Archbishop of Canterbury had an annual income from Reculver of £42.7s. (£42.35): this value can be compared with, for example, the £20 due to the archbishop from the manor of Maidstone, and the £50 due to him from the borough of Sandwich, both of which he also held.[50][nb 14] Included in the Domesday account for Reculver, as well as the church, farmland, a mill, salt pans and a fishery, are 90 villeins and 25 bordars: these numbers can be multiplied four or five times to account for dependents, as they only "relate to adult male heads of households".[51][nb 15]

Reculver remained an unusually large and valuable parish in the late 13th century, when it included chapels of ease at St. Nicholas-at-Wade and All Saints,[nb 16] on the Isle of Thanet, as well as at Hoath and Herne: in 1291, the "Taxatio" of Pope Nicholas IV put the total income due to the rector and vicar at about £130, and this wealth led to disputes between lay and Church interests, over control of its benefice.[52]

The church was significantly enlarged over time, and had towers added in the 12th century.[nb 17] According to local legend they were topped with spires "in the early years of the 16th century",[53] since when they have been known locally as the "Twin Sisters".[35] The addition of the towers, and the extent to which the church was enlarged in the Middle Ages, suggest that "a thriving township must have developed nearby."[36] However, the church retained many prominent Anglo-Saxon features, and, on a visit to Reculver in 1540, one of these raised John Leland to "an enthusiasm which he seldom displayed":[52]

Yn the enteryng of the quyer ys one of the fayrest and the most auncyent crosse that ever I saw, a ix footes, as I ges, yn highte. It standeth lyke a fayr columne. The base greate stone ys not wrought. The second stone being rownd hath curiously wrought and paynted the images of Christ, Peter, Paule, John and James, as I remember. Christ sayeth [I am the Alpha and the Omega]. Peter sayeth, [You are Christ, son of the living God]. The saing of the other iij when painted [was in Roman capitals] but now obliterated. The second stone is of the Passion. The third conteineth the xii Apostles. The iiii hath the image of Christ hanging and fastened with iiii nayles and [a support beneath the feet]. the hiest part of the pyller hath the figure of a crosse.[52]

In 1927 archaeologists discovered what was believed to be the base of the cross, which was dated to the 7th century, predating the monastery, and was perhaps originally an open-air preaching cross, like the Ruthwell Cross, around which the monastery was later built.[54] Later, stylistic assessments indicate that the cross, carved from a re-used Roman column, probably dates from the 8th century or the 9th, and that the stone believed to have been the base may have been the original, 7th century altar.[55] In 2000 the surviving fragments of the cross, now at Canterbury Cathedral, were used to design a Millennium Cross to commemorate two thousand years of Christianity. This stands at the entrance to the car park and was commissioned by Canterbury City Council.[56]

Loss to the sea

A headstone in the church graveyard
Postcard of Reculver from 1913, with a tourist cafe in the foreground

Recording his visit to Reculver in 1540, Leland wrote that it was then "withyn a Quarter of a Myle or litle more of the Se Syde [and that] The Towne at this tyme is but Village lyke."[57] A map of about 1630 shows that the church then stood only about 500 feet (152 m) from the shore,[58] and the village's failure to support two "beer shops" in the 1660s has been taken as "a clear indication of the dwindling population at the time."[36] The village was mostly abandoned around the end of the 18th century, and, early in the 19th century, a new church was planned a little to the west and further inland, at Hillborough. Consequently the old church was no longer required:

[In] 1805 ... the young clergyman of the parish, urged on by his Philistine mother, rashly besought his parishioners to demolish this shrine of early Christendom. This they duly did and all save the western towers, which still act as a landmark for shipping, was razed to the ground.[59]

Trinity House intervened to ensure that the towers were preserved as a navigational aid. In 1810 it bought what was left of the structure, and built the first groynes, designed to protect the cliff on which it stands. A storm destroyed the spires at a date prior to 1819, and Trinity House replaced them with similarly shaped, open structures, topped by wind vanes.[nb 18] These structures remained until they were removed some time after 1928.[nb 19]

The demolition of this "shrine of early Christendom", and exemplar of Anglo-Saxon church architecture and sculpture,[39][nb 20] was otherwise thorough, and it is now represented only by the minimal ruins on the site, some fragments of the cross which had enthused Leland, and the parts of two massive stone columns. The cross fragments and column parts may be viewed in the crypt at Canterbury Cathedral.[61][nb 21] The vicarage was abandoned at the same time as the church, or a little earlier.[36][nb 22] When the Hoy and Anchor Inn fell into the sea, the redundant vicarage was used as a temporary replacement under the same name,[63] until a new Hoy and Anchor Inn was built.[nb 23] The vicarage soon followed the original inn into the sea, and the new inn was re-named as the "King Ethelbert Inn" in the 1830s. It was later extended, probably in the 1880s, into the form in which it stands today.[36][nb 24]

Tourist resort

Today Reculver is dominated by caravan parks, the first of which appeared after the Second World War.[59][nb 25] The site of the church is managed by English Heritage, and the village has all but disappeared. New sea defences were built in the 1990s, including covering the beaches around the church with boulders, but the struggle to protect the towers from the sea continues.[64] Reculver has been defined as a "key heritage area",[65] and a visitor centre in Reculver Country Park, just west of Reculver church, highlights the archaeological, historical, geological and wildlife conservation value of the area. There are also plans for the development of Reculver as a destination for green tourism.[nb 26]

Bouncing bombs

Prototype bouncing bomb recovered from Reculver in 1997, on display in Herne Bay Museum and Gallery. Reculver towers can be seen in the background of the accompanying artist's impression.

During World War II, the Reculver coastline was one location used to test Barnes Wallis's "bouncing bomb" prototypes. Different, inert versions of the bomb were tested at Reculver, leading to the development of the operational version known as "Upkeep".[66] It was this bomb which was used by the RAF's 617 Squadron in Operation Chastise, otherwise known as the "Dambuster raids", in which dams in the Ruhr district of Germany were attacked on the night of 16–17 May 1943 by formations of Lancaster bombers, led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson, for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross. On 17 May 2003, a Lancaster bomber overflew the Reculver testing site to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the exploit.[67]

On 6 June 1997 it was announced on BBC World News that four of the prototype bouncing bombs had been discovered at Reculver. Each weighing approximately 4 tons (4.1 tonnes), attempts were made to salvage them, as a result of which one prototype is displayed in Herne Bay Museum and Gallery, a little over 3 miles (5 km) to the west of Reculver.[68] Others are on display in Dover Castle and in the Spitfire & Hurricane Memorial Museum at the former RAF Manston, on the Isle of Thanet.

Economy

Apart from the Roman and church ruins, Reculver today consists of the country park, a public house, The King Ethelbert free house, and a nearby shop and cafe, surrounded by three caravan parks.[69] To the east is a hatchery for oysters, belonging to Seasalter Shellfish (Whitstable) Ltd., which is based in Reculver.[70] Young oysters are transplanted from here to the sea bed at Whitstable.[71]

Country park

Reculver Country Park comprises a narrow strip of protected, cliff-top land about 1.5 miles (2 km) long, running from the remaining enclosure of the Roman fort and the church ruins west to Bishopstone Glen. The park is managed by Canterbury City Council in partnership with Kent Wildlife Trust and English Heritage. The park first won a Green Flag Award in 2005, and it is estimated that over 10,000 people visit the park each year, including up to 3,500 students for educational trips.[72]

The new Reculver Centre for Renewable Energy and Interpretation opened in July 2009, marking 200 years of the moving of Reculver village. The centre features a log burner fuelled by logs from the Blean woodland, and solar and photo voltaic panels to convert sunlight to energy. Displays and information describing the history, geography and wildlife of the area are available inside the centre.[73]

Politics

Reculver is in the English parliamentary constituency of North Thanet, for which Roger Gale (Conservative) has been MP since 1983.[74] In the general election of 2010, Gale won 22,826 votes (52.57%), giving him a majority of 13,528. Labour won 9,298 votes (21.42%), the Liberal Democrats 8,400 (19.35%), and the United Kingdom Independence Party 2,819 (6.5%).[74] For European elections, Reculver is in the South East England constituency. MEPs elected in the European election of 2009 were Daniel Hannan, Richard Ashworth, Nirj Deva and James Elles (Conservative); Sharon Bowles and Catherine Bearder (Liberal Democrats); Nigel Farage and Marta Andreasen (United Kingdom Independence Party); Caroline Lucas (Green Party);[nb 27] and Peter Skinner (Labour).[76]

As an electoral ward in the local government district of Canterbury, Reculver has three seats on Canterbury City Council. In the local elections of 2007, these seats were won by Jennie Edwards, Gillian Reuby and Ann Taylor, all Conservative.[77]

Education

Reculver Church of England Primary School, adjacent to the church at Hillborough, caters for children aged between 4 and 11.[78] It was rated as "satisfactory" (Grade 3) in most aspects by an Ofsted report in July 2010, when it had 489 pupils.[79] According to a subsequent "Section 8" report,[80] of November 2011, the school had made "satisfactory progress in making improvements, and good progress in demonstrating a better capacity for sustained improvement. [The] school's provisional results in the 2011 national tests show an upward swing, bringing attainment broadly in line with national averages."[79] The school's site also hosts Beltinge Day Nursery,[81] and Reculver Breakfast and Afterschool Club.[82] The nearest schools for older children are in Herne Bay, such as Herne Bay High School.[83]

Transport

The nearest railway stations to Reculver are at Herne Bay, about 3 miles (5 km) to the west, and Birchington-on-Sea, about 4.5 miles (7 km) to the east. Both stations are on the Chatham Main Line, running between London's Victoria station and Ramsgate.[84] A Stagecoach bus service, route 7/7A, which is operated on behalf of Kent County Council, connects Reculver with Herne Bay and Canterbury daily, except on Sundays and bank holidays.[85] Other destinations on this route include Reculver Church of England Primary School, at Hillborough, Chislet, Hoath, and the railway station at Sturry, on the Ashford to Ramsgate line. Reculver is at the end of an unclassified road, Reculver Lane, and is about 2 miles (3 km) by road from the nearest major junction of the A299, or "Thanet Way".

Legends

Crying Baby

According to legend there is often heard the sound of a crying baby, in the grounds of the fort and among the ruins of the church.[86] Archaeological excavations conducted in the 1960s within the fort revealed numerous infant skeletons buried under the walls of Roman structures, probably barrack blocks, from which coins were recovered and dated between c. 270 and 300 AD.[87] A baby's feeding bottle was also found, on its side in an excavated floor, and within 10 feet (3 m) of one of the infant skeletons, "but it cannot with certainty be associated with the burials."[88][nb 28]

Twin Sisters

Remains of St Mary's Church viewed from the west, September 2005

A story which has been told many times, incorporating varying details, but following essentially the same course, concerns the origin of a byname for the Reculver towers, as the "Twin Sisters".[nb 29] According to this, late in the 15th century there were two orphaned daughters of Sir Geoffrey St Clare, twin sisters named Frances and Isabella. Frances became prioress of the Benedictine priory of Davington, near Faversham, while Isabella remained a ward of Abbot John of St Augustine's Abbey, in Canterbury, who was the sisters' uncle. Isabella was then betrothed to Henry de Belville, but unfortunately he was fatally wounded while fighting for Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field, in 1485. Isabella then joined her sister, "took the veil", and became a nun. Fourteen years later, Frances was taken ill. The sisters made a vow that, if Frances recovered, they would go on pilgrimage to give thanks at the Shrine of Our Ladye Star of the Sea in Broadstairs.

Frances recovered, so they set off on their promised pilgrimage. They sailed from Faversham, but their ship was caught in a storm and ran aground on a sandbank near Reculver called "The Horse". Frances was soon rescued, but Isabella was left on the wreck until daylight. Though she too was then rescued, she died of exposure in her sister's arms. Frances completed the vow to make offerings to the shrine at Broadstairs, and then restored Reculver church, also dedicated to St Mary, adding spires to the towers, which were known thereafter as the "Twin Sisters".[91][nb 30]

The Ingoldsby Legends includes a re-invention of the story in which two brothers, Robert and Richard de Birchington, are substituted for the two sisters.[93]

Parramatta cathedral

St Johns, Parramatta, NSW

The twin towers and west front of St John's Cathedral, Parramatta, in Sydney, Australia, which were added in 1817–1819, are based on those of the church at Reculver.[94] A campaign to save Reculver church was under way when Governor Lachlan Macquarie and his wife Elizabeth left England in 1809. Mrs Macquarie showed Lieutenant John Watts, ADC of the 46th Regiment of Foot, a watercolour of Reculver church and asked him to design some towers for St John's in Parramatta. A watercolour of Reculver church in the Mitchell Library section of the State Library of New South Wales is accompanied by a note in Governor Macquarie's hand, to the effect that he laid the foundation stone on 23 December 1818, and that Mrs Macquarie chose the plan and Lt Watts was responsible for implementing the design.[95][nb 31] A stone from Reculver was presented to St John's Cathedral by the Historic Building and Monuments Commission for England – now English Heritage – in 1990.

See also

References

Stone from Reculver and commemorative plaque in St Johns, Parramatta, NSW
Footnotes
  1. ^ "Many more [Old English] forms are on record."[5]
  2. ^ For the 19th and early 20th century parish boundary, see Boundary Map of Reculver AP/CP. 2009. A Vision of Britain Through Time. Retrieved 7 September 2010. For the current ecclesiastical parish boundary, see Reculver. 2008. The Church of England. Retrieved 7 September 2010. The increase in numbers in the early 20th century may be partly due to holidaymakers, who were included in census returns: while the postcard image from 1913 shows that there was sufficient tourism by then to support a cafe, the census of 2001, undertaken on 29 April, albeit covering a smaller area than the earliest censuses, records almost a quarter (32) of the 135 people in the Reculver area as being in a "Caravan or other mobile or temporary structure". Accommodation Type – People (UV42). 2004. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 9 September 2010. Includes a map of the area covered.
  3. ^ For more on the wildlife, see Reculver Country Park Wildlife Resource Pack. (not dated). Kent Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  4. ^ Carpet sea squirt is classified as an "alert species", and the public are requested to "report any sightings as soon as possible."[26]
  5. ^ The reconstructed plaque mentions the basilica and an "aedes principiorum", for which "sacellum", or "headquarters shrine", is understood.[29]
  6. ^ "[A] Roman building with a hypocaust and tesselated pavement stood considerably to the northward of the fort".[32]
  7. ^ "The quantity of seventh- and eighth-century coins picked up from Reculver and its vicinity is paralleled [in England] only at Hamwic: finds include gold thrymsas and some 50 sceattas, with contemporary Merovingian coins and a small group of Northumbrian issues. … Almost certainly there is some connection with Reculver's position on a major trading route…"[34]
  8. ^ The Roman remains at Reculver would have been "the only substantial building for miles around",[36] but "Anglo-Saxon kings seem to have shown little interest in establishing themselves in old Roman forts."[37]
  9. ^ See also Page, W. (1926), "The Abbey of Reculver", in A History of the County of Kent 2 (VCH), pp. 141–2. British History Online. Retrieved 7 June 2008.
  10. ^ References such as "S 8" indicate the number given to an Anglo-Saxon charter in Sawyer 1968. S 8 is the earliest genuine Anglo-Saxon charter known to have survived in its original form. The Latin texts of most of the Sawyer references in this article can be found through the list at ASChart Anglo-Saxon Charters. (2011). King's College London Digital Humanities. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  11. ^ "Sarre was a highly strategic place, overlooking the confluence of the Wantsum and the Great Stour, directly linked to Canterbury… In the early 760s it was the site of a toll-station, where the agents of the Kentish kings collected dues on trading ships using the Wantsum route … but its importance goes back much earlier … and it may be that the minster [at Reculver] received a share of the royal tolls levied at Sarre."[41]
  12. ^ "The brethren may have been given a refuge [from the Vikings] within Canterbury, as were the abbess and community at Lyminge as early as 804 (S 160). All our evidence suggests that by the tenth century Reculver was no longer an important church in Kent, and that control over the minster-site and its territory had devolved to the West Saxon kings."[48]
  13. ^ The text of this charter, with an English translation, is online at Anglo-Saxon Charter S 546 Archive Christ Church, Canterbury. Kemble Anglo-Saxon Charters. Retrieved 11 September 2010. See also Gough 1992; Brooks, N. (1989), "The creation and early structure of the kingdom of Kent", in Bassett, S. (ed.), The Origins of Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms, Leicester University Press, p. 72.
  14. ^ Of the £42.7s. from Reculver, £7.7s. (£7.35) was from an unspecified source. See also Flight, C. (2010), "Chapter 5 Commentary", in idem, The Survey of Kent: Documents Relating to the Survey of the County Conducted in 1086, BAR, British Series 506, p. 162. Kent Archaeological Society. Retrieved 11 September 2010. While Hoath, Herne and western parts of the Isle of Thanet were Reculver possessions in the Anglo-Saxon period, and remained attached to Reculver long after 1086, of these only Reculver is mentioned by name in Domesday Book.
  15. ^ The multiplication indicated by Eales would give a peasant population for the whole of the estate centred on Reculver in 1086 of between 460 and 575 people.
  16. ^ All Saints Church no longer exists, but its site is marked on the 1877 OS 1:10,560 scale (6 inch/mile) map of Kent, about 330 yards (302 m) east of Shuart, and land between Shuart and the church site is marked there as "Glebe". The current OS grid reference is TR271678. See also Jenkins, F. (1981), "The church of All Saints, Shuart in the Isle of Thanet", in Detsicas, Alec (ed.), Collectanea Historica: Essays in Memory of Stuart Rigold, Maidstone, pp. 147–54.
  17. ^ A ground plan of the church, showing how it was enlarged in stages from the 7th century to the 15th, is at Reculver Towers and Roman Fort History and Research. (not dated). English Heritage. Retrieved 14 December 2011 (includes an 18th century engraving of the church); also Jessup 1936, p. 181.
  18. ^ A stone tablet incorporated into the church ruins reads: "These TOWERS the Remains of the once venerable Church of RECULVERS, were purchased of the Parish by the Corporation of Trinity House, of Deptford Strond in the Year 1810, and Groins laid down at their Expence, to protect the Cliff on which the Church had stood. When the ancient Spires were afterwards blown down, the present Substitutes were erected, to render the Towers still sufficiently conspicuous to be useful to Navigation. Captn. Joseph Cotton, deputy Master in the year 1819."[60]
  19. ^ The structures are present, but partly derelict, in Jessup 1936, Plate I, which is dated 1928.
  20. ^ A letter from T. Mot, in Gentleman's Magazine, September 1809, pp. 801–2, describes the church in some detail, and says that it was then somewhat delapidated, with "trifling … repairs such as have only tended to obliterate its once-harmonizing beauties." See also Gough 2001.
  21. ^ A contemporary image of the church's destruction is at Witney 1978, Plate 7, and an aerial view of the ruins is at Plate 8. The replacement church at Hillborough incorporates material from Reculver in its fabric.[62]
  22. ^ According to the letter by T. Mot, in Gentleman's Magazine, September 1809, the vicarage was "one of the most mean structures ever appropriated to such a purpose": in another letter to the October edition of the same magazine, in the same year, Zachary Cozens wrote that the vicarage had "the appearance of some antiquity; it consists of two miserable rooms on the ground floor and a like number above, with no other conveniences or appurtenances of any kind. In fact was it not for the stone porch with which the entrance is decorated, it would pass only for the cottage of a labourer." See also Gough 2001.
  23. ^ T. Mot's letter in Gentleman's Magazine, September 1809, ends with the observation that "[the] jolly landlord revelled with his noisy guests, where late the venerable Vicar smoked his lonely pipe."
  24. ^ "On the entrance door [of the King Ethelbert Inn] are the words 'Hoy and Anchor Bar'".[36]
  25. ^ "Shortly after World War II a caravan site was established below the church which has since grown so large that much imagination is now required to conjure up the majesty of its former setting."[59]
  26. ^ "Reculver’s role in the region wide development of East Kent as a green tourism destination is central to [Natural East Kent]’s work. The objective is to create access to good connections across the region for walkers and cyclists, to provide good interpretation of natural and heritage assets and to support the private sector to provide good quality accommodation."[65]
  27. ^ Caroline Lucas gave up her role as MEP in 2010, when she was elected as the UK's first Green Party MP, for Brighton Pavilion.[75]
  28. ^ "The Romans officially condemned human sacrifice… Human life was cheap on the frontier, however, and Roman auxiliaries could be as barbarous as those they fought. … Even in the most civilised parts of [Roman] Britain, the authorities seem on occasion to have turned a blind eye to infant sacrifice, which may of course have been surreptitious."[89]
  29. ^ This byname is also found as "The Sisters" and the "Two Sisters", but the towers are also sometimes known as simply "The Reculvers".[90]
  30. ^ No sandbank named "The Horse" is marked in this location on modern charts, and it is in their nature to move over time; but it is shown in a chart from 1790.[92] A "Horse Channel" is marked on modern charts in about the same location, approximately 0.31 miles (0.5 km) north-west of Reculver towers.
  31. ^ In the watercolour, the sea is shown washing against the cliff, and the spires of Reculver church have been replaced by the Trinity House wind vanes. The accompanying note is annotated with a reference to Jervis, J. (1935), "Parramatta During the Macquarie Period", Journal and Proceedings 4, Parramatta Historical Society, p. 163, saying that the note is "evidently a copy of what was evidently intended as an inscription upon the foundation stone of the towers of the Parramatta Church".[96] For Lt. John Watts, see also "The Military at Parramatta". (2010). Royal New South Wales Lancers. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
Notes
  1. ^ a b Census 2001. (2001). Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
  2. ^ Jessup 1936, p. 179(note).
  3. ^ Jessup 1936, p. 188.
  4. ^ Ekwall 1960, p. 383; Mills 1998, p. 285; Glover 1982, p. 155; Jessup 1936, p. 190.
  5. ^ Ekwall 1960, p. 383.
  6. ^ "The Geology of Kent" (PDF). Kent Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  7. ^ a b British Geological Survey (2010). "The BGS Lexicon of Named Rock Units — Result Details Thanet Sand Formation". NERC. Retrieved 17 September 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  8. ^ a b Ward 1978.
  9. ^ British Geological Survey (2010). "The BGS Lexicon of Named Rock Units — Result Details Upnor Formation". NERC. Retrieved 17 September 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  10. ^ British Geological Survey (2010). "The BGS Lexicon of Named Rock Units — Result Details Harwich Formation". NERC. Retrieved 17 September 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  11. ^ Reculver Masterplan Report Volume 1, Section 4.1 "Topography, Landscape and Sea" (2008). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
  12. ^ British Geological Survey (2010). "The BGS Lexicon of Named Rock Units — Result Details London Clay Formation". NERC. Retrieved 17 September 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  13. ^ Reculver Country Park Geology Resource Pack. (not dated). Kent Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  14. ^ Jessup 1936, pp. 186–8.
  15. ^ Reculver Masterplan Report Volume 1, Section 3.8 "Coastal Protection" (2008). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
  16. ^ a b "Wye 1971–2000 averages". Met Office. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  17. ^ a b "England 1971–2000 averages". Met Office. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  18. ^ "Kent weather exposed". BBC Kent. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  19. ^ "7.2 Historic Droughts". Mid Kent Water Drought Plan. South East Water. November 2007. pp. 67–8. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  20. ^ Reculver Population 1801 to 1921. 2009. Kent Archaeological Society. Retrieved 7 September 2010; Reculver AP/CP (where "AP/CP" means "Ancient Parish and Civil Parish"). 2009. A Vision of Britain Through Time. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
  21. ^ "Neighbourhood Statistics Area: Reculver (ward)". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  22. ^ Places to visit and things to do (2009). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
  23. ^ Explorers nest in the cliffs of Reculver. (not dated). Kent Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  24. ^ North Kent Coast Maritime Natural Area. (1997). Natural England. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
  25. ^ Invasive carpet seasquirt spreads rapidly on the Herne Bay coast. (2011). Kentish Gazette. Retrieved 15 December 2011; Kent's marine life 'threatened by Carpet Sea Squirt'. (2011). BBC News Online. Retrieved 15 December 2011; Carpet Sea Squirt. (2011). Non-Native Species Secretariat. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  26. ^ a b c Carpet sea squirt, Didemnum vexillum. (2011). Non-Native Species Secretariat. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  27. ^ Philp 2005, p. 192.
  28. ^ Philp 2005, pp. 206–18; Philp 1969a; Philp 1969b; Regulbium. ( 2007). English Heritage PastScape. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
  29. ^ a b Philp 1969b.
  30. ^ Philp 2005, pp. 225–9.
  31. ^ Philp 2005, pp. 95–7.
  32. ^ Jessup 1936, p. 188, citing Battely, J. (1774), Antiquitates Rutupinae, Oxford, p. 54.
  33. ^ Cotterill, J. (1993), "Saxon Raiding and the Role of the Late Roman Coastal Forts of Britain", Britannia 24, pp. 227–39 (esp. 235).
  34. ^ a b Kelly 2008, p. 73.
  35. ^ a b Hasted 1800, pp. 109–125.
  36. ^ a b c d e f g Gough 2001.
  37. ^ Kelly 2008, p. 73.
  38. ^ Garmonsway, G.N. (1972, 1975), The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Dent, Dutton, pp. 34–5; Fletcher, E. (1965), "Early Kentish Churches", Medieval archaeology 9, pp. 16–31.
  39. ^ a b Blair 1999, p. 386.
  40. ^ Sawyer 1968, S 8; Kelly 2008, p. 74.
  41. ^ a b Kelly 2008, pp. 74–5.
  42. ^ Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, v, 8.
  43. ^ Sawyer 1968, S 31, 1612, 38.
  44. ^ Kelly 2008, p. 80.
  45. ^ Sawyer 1968, S 1264.
  46. ^ Kelly 2008, p. 80; Sawyer 1968, S 1436.
  47. ^ Kelly 2008, p. 81; Brooks, N.P. (1979), "England in the Ninth Century: The Crucible of Defeat", in Transactions of the Royal Historical Society 5th series 29, pp. 1–20 (esp. 12); Brooks, N.P. (1984), The Early History of the Church of Canterbury, Leicester University Press, pp. 203–4; Kerr 1982, pp. 192–94.
  48. ^ Kelly 2008, p. 81.
  49. ^ Sawyer 1968, S 546; Kelly 2008, p. 82.
  50. ^ Domesday Book, Kent, II ("The Land of the Archbishop of Canterbury").
  51. ^ Eales, R. (1992), "An Introduction to the Kent Domesday", in The Kent Domesday, Alecto, London, p. 21.
  52. ^ a b c Graham 1944.
  53. ^ Jessup 1936, pp. 179–80.
  54. ^ Peers, C.R., "Reculver, its Saxon church and Cross", in Archaeologia 77, 1927; "Church of St Mary (More Information and Sources)". English Heritage PastScape. 2007. Retrieved 12 September 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  55. ^ Kelly 2008, pp. 69, 80–1.
  56. ^ Reculver Masterplan Report Volume 1, Section 2.1 "Bronze Age to Late Norman". (2008). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
  57. ^ Jessup 1936, p. 187.
  58. ^ Jessup 1936, p. 189.
  59. ^ a b c Kerr 1982, p. 194.
  60. ^ Reculver towers plaque. (2011). Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  61. ^ Jessup 1936; Reculver Masterplan Report Volume 1, Section 2.0 "Historical Context" (2008). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
  62. ^ Jessup 1936, p. 184.
  63. ^ Lewis, A.D. (1911), The Kent Coast, Unwin, p. 62.
  64. ^ Reculver Masterplan Report Volume 2, "Project Plans". (2008). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
  65. ^ a b Reculver Masterplan Report Volume 1, Section 3.4 "Natural East Kent (NEK)" (2008). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  66. ^ Archive footage of the Reculver tests. (2007). The Dambusters (617 Squadron). Retrieved 16 July 2010. "Upkeep test drop 1" & "Upkeep test drop 2".
  67. ^ "Anniversary tribute to Dambusters". (2003). BBC News Online. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
  68. ^ "Bouncing bomb back". (1999). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
  69. ^ Reculver Masterplan Report Volume 1, Section 2.0 "Historical Context" (2008). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
  70. ^ Seasalter Shellfish (Whitstable) Ltd.. (2008). oysterhatchery.com. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  71. ^ The Return of the Natives: Whitstable's oysters back in fashion. (2009). Mail Online. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
  72. ^ Green Flag to fly at Reculver. (2005); Places to visit and things to do (2009). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
  73. ^ Reculver Centre: for renewable energy and interpretation. (2009). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  74. ^ a b Roger Gale. (not dated). www.parliament.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  75. ^ Caroline Lucas. (not dated). www.parliament.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2011; General Election 2010: Caroline Lucas becomes Britain's first Green MP. (2010). The Telegraph. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  76. ^ European Parliamentary Election South East Region. (2009). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  77. ^ City Council Election. (2007). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  78. ^ Reculver C.E. Primary School. (not dated). reculver.kent.sch.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  79. ^ a b Inspection Reports Reculver Church of England Primary School. (2011). Ofsted. Retrieved 15 December 2011. Click on the relevant link to download the Ofsted report in PDF format.
  80. ^ Monitoring inspections of schools whose overall effectiveness is satisfactory. (2011). Ofsted. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  81. ^ Beltinge Day Nursery. (2011). daynurseries.co.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  82. ^ Reculver Breakfast and Afterschool Club. (2011). Kindergarten Kids. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  83. ^ Herne Bay High School. (2009). Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  84. ^ London and the South East Rail Services. (2011). National Rail. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  85. ^ Bustimes 7. (2010). Stagecoach Group. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  86. ^ Ten spooky places to scare yourself. (2009). The Guardian. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
  87. ^ Philp 1966; Philp 1969a; Merrifield, R. (1987), The Archaeology of Ritual and Magic, London: Batsford, pp. 50–7 (esp. 51).
  88. ^ Philp 1966.
  89. ^ Merrifield, R. (1987), The Archaeology of Ritual and Magic, London: Batsford, p. 51.
  90. ^ Jessup 1936, p. 179; Hasted 1800, pp. 109–125.
  91. ^ Anon. (1791), "The SISTERS, an affecting History: With a Perspective View of RECULVER CHURCH, in the County of Kent", Universal Magazine of Knowledge and Pleasure 89, August, pp. 97–104; Jessup 1936, pp. 179–80.
  92. ^ Chart of the River Thames from London to the Nore, Margate and the Downs, North, Middle and South Channels, from a survey taken in 1789 and 90. (1790). National Maritime Museum. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
  93. ^ The Ingoldsby Legends online. (2009). exclassics.com. Retrieved 11 July 2010. "The Brothers of Birchington: A Lay of St. Thomas a'Becket" (pp. 455–465).
  94. ^ St John's Anglican Cathedral. (not dated). NSW Department of Planning, Heritage Branch. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
  95. ^ Buildings erected under Macquarie, 1817-1840s. (2007). State Library New South Wales. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  96. ^ Buildings erected under Macquarie, 1817-1840s [Album view]. (2007). State Library New South Wales. Retrieved 15 December 2011. Items 1–3.
Bibliography

External links