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Reculver
The twin towers of St Mary's Church
Area7.23602 km2 (2.79384 sq mi) [1]
Population135 [2]
• Density19/km2 (49/sq mi)
OS grid referenceTR2269
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 south-east England, in a ward of the same name, in the City of Canterbury district in the county of Kent. It is about 30 miles (48 km) east by north of the county town of Maidstone, and about 58 miles (93 km) east by south from London. 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 there at the time of their conquest of Britain in 43 AD, and, starting late in the 2nd century, they built a larger fort, or "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, dedicated to St Mary, 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, a suburb of Sydney, 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. The census of 2001 recorded 135 people in the Reculver area, nearly a quarter of whom were in caravans at the time. 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.

History

Regulbium (marked as "Reculbium") in late Roman Kent: Gardiner, S.R., A School Atlas Of English History, 1892.

Toponymy

The earliest recorded form of the name, Regulbium, was Celtic in origin, meaning "at the promontory", or "great headland", and, in Old English, this became corrupted to Raculf, sometimes given as Raculfceastre, giving rise to the modern "Reculver".[3][nb 1] The form "Raculfceastre" includes the Old English place-name element "ceaster", which frequently relates to "a [Roman] city or walled town".[5]

Pre-historic and Roman

Main article: Regulbium

Stone Age flint tools have been washed out from the cliffs to the west of Reculver,[6] and a Mesolithic tranchet axe was found at Reculver in 1960, but is "likely to have been a casual loss".[7] Evidence for human settlement at Reculver begins with late Bronze Age and Iron Age ditches, which indicate an "extensive phased settlement".[7] This was followed by a Roman "fortlet" dating to their conquest of Britain, which began in 43 AD,[8] and a Roman fort, or "castrum", called Regulbium, which was 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.[9] 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".[10][nb 2] These were found by archaeologists, together with probable officers' quarters, barracks and a bath house.[11] A Roman oven was also found 200 feet (61 m) south-east of the fort, which was probably used for drying food such as corn and fish, and was found to be "unique and cleverly engineered".[12]

Part of the south wall of Regulbium

The fort's location at the north-eastern extremity of mainland Kent was strategic, lying as it did "at the main point of contact in the system [of Saxon Shore forts]",[13] and "commanding an extensive view on all sides".[14][nb 3] The entrance to the headquarters building, or "principia", faced north, indicating that the fort's main gate was on its north side, facing the promontory and the sea.[16] The fort must have had a harbour nearby,[17] and, though this has not yet been found, it was probably near to the fort's southern or eastern side.[18] Roman forts were normally accompanied by a civilian settlement, or "vicus", and "it is clear that significant Roman structures and features existed"[19] outside the north and west sides of the fort, mostly in areas now lost to the sea, and that the vicus at Reculver was "extensive".[20][nb 4]

Towards the end of the 3rd century, a Roman naval commander named Carausius was given the task of clearing pirates from the sea between the Roman province in Britain, or "Britannia", and the European mainland.[22] 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, a Roman administrative document of the early 5th century, shows that the fort at Reculver became part of this arrangement, but archaeological evidence indicates that it "was abandoned in the 360s."[23]

Monastery and church

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."[24][nb 5] 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;[26] but archaeological excavation has shown no evidence of this, and the story has been described as "probably no more than a pious legend".[27][nb 6] 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.[29]

The Millennium Cross of 2000, with Reculver towers in the background. Part of the King Ethelbert Inn is visible to the right, behind the cross.

The monastery "developed as the [centre] of a large estate, a manor and a parish",[27] but, by the early 9th century, it was in the hands of the archbishops of Canterbury.[30] By the 10th century the church was no longer a monastery, possibly due to Viking attacks, and both the church and the estate were in the hands of the kings of Wessex.[31] The church became St Mary's parish church of Reculver in the mid 10th century, when it was given back to the archbishops of Canterbury by King Eadred of England, at which time the landed estate centred on Reculver included Hoath, Herne and land in the west of the Isle of Thanet.[32] In 1086, the estate centred on Reculver was valued in Domesday Book at £42.7s. (£42.35), and, by the 13th century, the parish was of "exceptional wealth".[33] The church building was extended considerably during the Middle Ages, including the addition of the towers in the 12th century,[34] suggesting that "a thriving township must have developed nearby."[27] The parish was broken up in the late 13th century, when chapelries at Herne and St Nicholas-at-Wade, on the Isle of Thanet, were converted into parishes, though Hoath was still a perpetual curacy belonging to Reculver parish in the 19th century.[35]

Loss to the sea

By 1540, when John Leland recorded a visit to Reculver, it was "withyn a Quarter of a Myle or litle more of the Se Syde [and] The Towne at this tyme [was] but Village lyke."[36] A map made in "about 1630"[37] shows that the church then stood only about 500 feet (152 m) from the shore, 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."[27] The village was mostly abandoned around the end of the 18th century, its residents moving to Hillborough, about 1.25 miles (2 km) south-west of Reculver, but within Reculver parish, and a new church was built at Hillborough early in the 19th century.[38] Work began to demolish the old church, but 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.[39]

The vicarage was abandoned at the same time as the church, or a little earlier.[27][nb 7] When the Hoy and Anchor Inn fell into the sea, the redundant vicarage was used as a temporary replacement under the same name until a new Hoy and Anchor Inn was built.[40][nb 8] 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.[27] It was later extended, "probably in … 1883",[27] into the form in which it stands today.[27][nb 9] Today the site of the church is managed by English Heritage, and the village has all but disappeared. In 2000 the surviving fragments of an early medieval cross which once stood inside the old church 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.[41]

Bouncing bombs

Main article: Bouncing bomb
A prototype bouncing bomb on display in Herne Bay Museum and Gallery. Reculver towers can be seen in the background of the accompanying artist's impression.

During the Second World War, the Reculver coastline was one location used to test Barnes Wallis's "bouncing bomb" prototypes.[42] Different, inert versions of the bomb were tested at Reculver, leading to the development of the operational version known as "Upkeep".[43] 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. The operation was 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.[44]

Four prototype bouncing bombs were recovered from the shoreline at Reculver in 1997, one of which is displayed in Herne Bay Museum and Gallery, a little over 3 miles (5 km) to the west of Reculver.[45] Others are on display in Dover Castle and in the Spitfire & Hurricane Memorial Museum at the former RAF Manston, on the Isle of Thanet.[46]

Governance

Reculver is in the English parliamentary constituency of North Thanet, for which Roger Gale (Conservative) has been MP since 1983.[47] 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%).[47] 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 10] and Peter Skinner (Labour).[49]

Reculver is in an electoral ward of the same name, in the local government district of Canterbury. As well as Reculver, the ward includes Beltinge, Bishopstone, Hillborough and most of the eastern part of the town of Herne Bay, and it 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.[50]

Geography

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.[51] In the Iron Age 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.[52][nb 11] 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."[53]

Sediments laid down around 55 million years ago are particularly well displayed in the cliffs at Reculver.[54] 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.[55] It rests unconformably on the Chalk Group,[55] and forms the base of the cliffs in the Reculver and Herne Bay area.[56] Above the Thanet Sand are the Upnor Formation, a medium sandstone,[57] and the sandy clays of the Harwich Formation at the Paleocene/Eocene boundary.[58] The highest cliffs, rising to a maximum height of about 115 feet (35 m) to the west of Reculver,[59] have a cap of London Clay,[56] a fine silty clay of Eocene age.[60]

These rocks are easily washed away by the sea.[61] 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.[62] 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 the medieval church – will be protected from further erosion.[63] New sea defences were built in the 1990s, including covering the beaches around the church with boulders.[64]

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).[65] Average maximum and minimum temperatures are about 0.5 °C higher than they are nationally.[66] 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.[67] Average annual rainfall in Kent is about 728 millimetres (29 in), with the highest rainfall from October to January.[65] This is lower than the national average annual rainfall of 838 millimetres (33 in),[66] and occasional drought conditions can lead to the imposition of hosepipe bans.[68]

Demography

Postcard of Reculver from 1913, with a tourist cafe in the foreground

In the census of 1801, the number of people present in the parish of Reculver, which also included Beltinge, Bishopstone and Hillborough, 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.[69][nb 12]

In the census of 2001, the relevant census area covered 7.2 square kilometres (3 sq mi),[1] including only Reculver and outlying farms and houses, and only 135 people were found, almost a quarter of whom were in caravans.[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; 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 ward of Reculver, which includes Beltinge, Bishopstone, Hillborough and most of the eastern part of the town of Herne Bay, was estimated by the Office for National Statistics as £560,[70] or £29,120 per year.

Economy

Reculver is dominated by caravan parks, the first of which appeared after the Second World War.[71][nb 13] Also present are a country park, The King Ethelbert public house, which is a "free house", and a nearby shop and cafe.[6] To the east is a hatchery for oysters, belonging to a shellfish company which is based in Reculver.[72] Young oysters are transplanted from there to the sea bed at Whitstable.[73] Reculver has been defined as a "key heritage area", and there are plans for its development as a destination for green tourism.[74][nb 14]

Culture and community

Culture

Twin Sisters

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

A byname for the towers of the ruined church is the "Twin Sisters", and an account of how this first arose was "current about a hundred years after its supposed happening [in the late 15th century], but in its usual form it is very largely [a] creation… [involving] pseudo-historical detail".[75][nb 15] 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.[79]

Crying baby

It is reported that the sound of a crying baby is often heard in the grounds of the fort and among the ruins of the church.[80] 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.[81] It is unknown whether the babies were selected for burial because they were already dead, perhaps stillborn, or if they were killed for the purpose, but they were probably buried in the buildings' foundations as ritual sacrifices, at the start of construction.[82][nb 16] 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."[84]

Community facilities

The nearest post office to Reculver is in Beltinge, about 1.9 miles (3 km) to the west-southwest.[85] The nearest general practitioner (GP) surgery is about 1.5 miles (2 km) to the south-west, between Bishopstone and Hillborough, with others located in Beltinge, Herne Bay, Broomfield and St Nicholas-at-Wade.[86] The nearest hospital is the Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital, about 2.5 miles (4 km) to the west in Herne Bay. This is a general hospital, and has an accident and emergency (A&E) department.[87] The nearest community hall is in Beltinge, about 1.9 miles (3 km) west-southwest.[88]

Landmarks

Ruined church of St Mary

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 were removed some time after 1928,[89] but the ruins remain in a similar state today.
The south wall of the church incorporates Roman tiles.

The medieval towers of the ruined church of St Mary are Reculver's "most dominant features".[90] These towers were added in the 12th century to an existing church, which was founded in 669, when King Ecgberht of Kent granted land at Reculver for the foundation of a monastery.[29] The foundation of this church, sited within the remains of the Roman fort of Regulbium, "illustrates the widespread practice [in Anglo-Saxon England] of re-using Roman walled places for major churches",[91] and the new church was built "almost completely from demolished Roman structures".[92] The original structure formed a nave, measuring 37.5 feet (11 m) by 24 feet (7 m), and an apsidal chancel, which was externally polygonal but round inside, and was entered from the nave by a triple arch formed by two columns.[93] Around the inside of the apse was a stone bench, and two small rooms, or "porticus", were built out from the north and south sides of the chancel, from which they could be accessed. Given the date at which this church was built, the addition of porticus is "without parallel in western Europe,"[94] except among contemporary churches in Kent and at Bradwell, in Essex.[95] This, and the stone bench around the inside of the apse, have been attributed to influence from the Syrian Church, at a time when its followers were being displaced.[96]

Ten years after the foundation of the monastery, in 679, King Hlothhere of Kent granted it 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 Channel to the east.[97][nb 17] The grant was made at Reculver, the charter in which it was recorded 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".[98][nb 18] 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.[99] In 692 Reculver's abbot, Berhtwald, a former abbot of Glastonbury in Somerset, was elected Archbishop of Canterbury.[100] 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."[101][nb 19]

Further charters show that the monastery at Reculver continued to benefit from Kentish kings in the 8th century, under abbots Heahberht, Deneheah and Hwitred,[102] but, from the early 9th century, "the minster is referred to in the sources as essentially a piece of property".[30] 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;[103] and, at about this time, Reculver featured in a "monumental showdown",[104] between Archbishop Wulfred and King Coenwulf of Mercia, over the control of monasteries.[30] 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.[31][nb 20] 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 Hoath and Herne, land at Sarre, in Thanet, and land "at Chilmington for the repair of the church".[106][nb 21]

Domesday Book records the Archbishop of Canterbury's annual income from Reculver in 1086 as £42.7s. (£42.35): this value can be compared with, for example, the £20 due to him from the manor of Maidstone, and £50 from the borough of Sandwich.[107][nb 22] 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".[108][nb 23] By the 13th century Reculver parish provided an ecclesiastical benefice of "exceptional wealth",[109] which led to disputes between lay and Church interests.[110] In 1291, the Taxatio of Pope Nicholas IV put the total income due to the rector and vicar at about £130.[111] Included in the parish were chapels of ease at St Nicholas-at-Wade and All Saints, both on the Isle of Thanet, as well as at Hoath and Herne.[112][nb 24] The parish was broken up in the late 13th century by Robert Winchelsey, archbishop of Canterbury from 1294 to 1313, who converted Reculver's chapelries at Herne and St Nicholas-at-Wade, on the Isle of Thanet, into parishes, though Reculver retained a perpetual curacy at Hoath in the 19th century.[35]

The church was considerably enlarged over time, with towers added in the 12th century.[113][nb 25] According to local legend they were topped with spires "in the early years of the 16th century",[114] since when they have been known locally as the "Twin Sisters".[115] 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."[27] 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":[116]

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.

— John Leland, "Itinerary", 1640[117]

In 1927 archaeologists discovered what was believed to be the base of a 7th–century cross,[118] and it has been suggested that Reculver monastery was originally built around this cross.[119] The Reculver cross has been compared with the Ruthwell Cross – an open-air preaching cross in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.[120] 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.[121][nb 26] In the early 19th century, almost all of the church was demolished, using gunpowder:[123]

[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.

— Nigel & Mary Kerr, A Guide to Anglo-Saxon Sites, 1982[71]

The demolition of this "shrine of early Christendom", and exemplar of Anglo-Saxon church architecture and sculpture,[91][nb 27] was otherwise thorough, and it is now represented only by the ruins on the site, some fragments of the cross which had enthused Leland, and the parts of two massive stone columns. The columns, made of limestone from Marquise, in the Pas-de-Calais region of northern France,[124][nb 28] and fragments of the cross are on display in the crypt at Canterbury Cathedral.[125][nb 29]

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.[127][nb 30] These structures remained until they were removed some time after 1928.[128] The ruins of the church, and the site of the Roman fort within which it was built, are now in the care of English Heritage.[129]

Country park

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, and is managed by Canterbury City Council in partnership with Kent Wildlife Trust and English Heritage.[130] It 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. In winter Brent Geese and wading birds such as Turnstones may be seen, during the summer months Sand Martins nest in the soft cliffs,[131] 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.[132][nb 31]

A visitor centre in the country park highlights the archaeological, historical, geological and wildlife conservation value of the area.[133] The park first won a Green Flag Award in 2005, and it is estimated that over 10,000 people visit it each year, including up to 3,500 students for educational trips.[134]

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".[135] First recorded in UK waters in 2008, the Carpet sea squirt is indigenous to the sea around Japan, but it has been carried to other parts of the world, including New Zealand and the USA,[136] 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."[136][nb 32]

Centre for renewable energy

The Reculver Centre for Renewable Energy and Interpretation opened in July 2009, "marking 200 years of the moving of Reculver village".[137][nb 33] The centre features a log burner fuelled by logs from the Blean woodland, solar and photovoltaic panels provide electrical power for the centre, and it has displays and information describing the history, geography and wildlife of the area.[138]

Education

Reculver Church of England Primary School is adjacent to the church at Hillborough, in Reculver parish, where Reculver residents relocated in the early 19th century due to coastal erosion.[38] It caters for children aged between 4 and 11, including those from outside the immediate area.[139][nb 34] In 2006, the school was ranked above both the local and national averages in most criteria,[141] but it was rated as "satisfactory" (Grade 3) in most aspects by an Ofsted report in July 2010, when it had 489 pupils.[142] A "Section 8" report[143] of November 2011 described progress at the school as "satisfactory … [Provisional] results in the 2011 national tests [showed] an upward swing, bringing attainment broadly in line with national averages."[142] The school's site also hosts Beltinge Day Nursery,[144] and Reculver Breakfast and Afterschool Club.[145] The nearest school for older children is Herne Bay High School.[146]

Transport

The nearest railway stations to Reculver are at Herne Bay, about 3.75 miles (6 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.[147] The railway first reached Herne Bay from the west in 1861, and was extended to Ramsgate, on the south-eastern coast of the Isle of Thanet, by 1863,[148] but no provision was made for direct access from Reculver. A short-lived goods station for Reculver was opened on the main line in 1864, and in 1884 the South Eastern Railway proposed a branch from its Ashford to Ramsgate line to serve Reculver and Herne Bay, but this was never built.[149]

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.[150] 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".

Parramatta cathedral

St Johns, Parramatta, NSW, Australia
Stone from Reculver and commemorative plaque in St Johns, Parramatta, NSW, Australia

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.[151] A campaign to save Reculver church had been under way when Governor Lachlan Macquarie and his wife Elizabeth left England for Australia in 1809:

Mrs Elizabeth Macquarie showed Lieutenant John Watts, Aide De Camp of the 46th Regiment a watercolour of the church and asked him to design some towers for [St Johns, Parramatta]. A watercolour of Reculver Church in the [Mitchell Library section of the State Library of New South Wales] has a note in Macquarie's hand that he laid the foundation stone on 23 December 1818. Mrs Macquarie chose the plan and Lt. Watts was responsible for implementing the design…

— NSW Department of Planning, Heritage Branch, "St. John's Anglican Cathedral"[151][nb 35]

In 1990, a stone from Reculver was presented to St John's Cathedral by the Historic Building and Monuments Commission for England, now English Heritage.[153]

See also

References

Footnotes
  1. ^ "Many more [Old English] forms are on record."[4]
  2. ^ The reconstructed plaque mentions the basilica and an "aedes principiorum", for which sacellum, or "headquarters shrine", is understood.[10]
  3. ^ "The evidence suggests that [most of the Saxon Shore forts] were constructed c. 225-290, and this means that the system was conceived about sixty years before the historical records refer to Germanic raiding. The discrepancy cannot be explained if they were a purpose-built defensive system, but it can be explained if they were a series of state trans-shipment centres."[15]
  4. ^ "[A] Roman building with a hypocaust and tesselated pavement stood considerably to the northward of the fort".[21]
  5. ^ While "[it] must be certain that the Roman fort had a supporting harbour, probably a natural feature improved by quays and jetties",[25] "[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…"[24]
  6. ^ The Roman remains at Reculver would have been "the only substantial building for miles around",[27] but "Anglo-Saxon kings seem to have shown little interest in establishing themselves in old Roman forts."[28]
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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."
  9. ^ "On the entrance door [of the King Ethelbert Inn] are the words 'Hoy and Anchor Bar'".[27]
  10. ^ 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.[48]
  11. ^ Philp 2005, Fig. 4 shows a conjectured Roman coastline around Reculver, where the fort is located near the root of a promontory projecting about 1.25 miles (2 km) north-eastwards into the sea. This promontory is defined on its north-western side by a long inlet of the sea, and on its south-eastern side by the Wantsum Channel, and is made a peninsula by an inlet of the Wantsum Channel just south of the Roman fort. According to Philp 2005, p. 2, a map dated 1685 describes what then remained of the inlet on the north-western side as "a place anciently for a harber of ships, called now The Old Pen".
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ "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."[71]
  14. ^ "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."[74]
  15. ^ This byname is also found as "The Sisters" and the "Two Sisters", but the towers are also sometimes known as simply "The Reculvers".[76]The "usual form" of this story concerns twin sisters named Frances and Isabella, orphaned daughters of Sir Geoffrey St Clare. Frances became prioress of the Benedictine priory of Davington, near Faversham, while Isabella was a ward of "Abbot John of Canterbury", who was the sisters' uncle. Isabella became betrothed to Henry de Belville, but he died 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 became ill. The sisters vowed 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 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 night fell and 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".[77] Mention of a sandbank near Reculver named "The Horse" may be a "pseudo-historical detail", and no such sandbank is marked in this location on modern charts; but it is in their nature to move over time, and it is shown in a chart from 1790.[78] 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.
  16. ^ "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."[83]
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ "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."[98]
  19. ^ See also Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum, v, 8. (2011). Wikisource. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
  20. ^ "[The abbot and monastic community of Reculver] 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."[105]
  21. ^ 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.P. (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.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ 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, A. (ed.), Collectanea Historica: Essays in Memory of Stuart Rigold, Maidstone: Kent Archaeological Society, pp. 147–54.
  25. ^ 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.
  26. ^ "Some later 7th- or early 8th-century work… contains a few blocks of freestone less likely to have been found among Roman ruins. … [Fine] stone from northern France was used for the cross-head".[122]
  27. ^ 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.
  28. ^ The columns are probably Roman in origin, like the cross, since the church seems to have been built "almost completely from demolished Roman structures."[92]
  29. ^ 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.[126]
  30. ^ 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."[127]
  31. ^ For more on the wildlife, see Reculver Country Park Wildlife Resource Pack. (not dated). Kent Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  32. ^ Carpet sea squirt is classified as an "alert species", and the public are requested to "report any sightings as soon as possible."[136]
  33. ^ There is no record of the settlement of Reculver being moved to a new site: rather, "the gradual erosion of the coastline meant that [Reculver's] residents began to abandon it, moving instead to Hillborough."[38]
  34. ^ The school's brochure states, in effect, that proximity to the school only becomes an admission criterion in the event that the school is over-subscribed.[140]
  35. ^ 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".[152] For Lt. John Watts, see also "The Military at Parramatta". (2010). Royal New South Wales Lancers. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
Notes
  1. ^ a b "Key Figures for Physical Environment". (2007). Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  2. ^ a b "Census 2001". (2001). Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
  3. ^ Ekwall 1960, p. 383; Mills 1998, p. 285; Glover 1976, p. 155; Jessup 1936, p. 190.
  4. ^ Ekwall 1960, p. 383.
  5. ^ Ekwall 1960, pp. xxvii, 92.
  6. ^ a b Reculver Masterplan Report Volume 1, Section 2.0 "Historical Context". (2008). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
  7. ^ a b Philp 2005, p. 192.
  8. ^ Philp 2005, pp. 192–3.
  9. ^ Philp 2005, pp. 206–18 (esp. 210–3); Philp 1969a; Philp 1969b; "Regulbium". ( 2007). English Heritage PastScape. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
  10. ^ a b Philp 1969b.
  11. ^ Philp 2005, pp. 54–9, 60–3, 73–80.
  12. ^ Philp 2005, pp. 92–5.
  13. ^ Cotterill, J. (1993), "Saxon Raiding and the Role of the Late Roman Coastal Forts of Britain", Britannia 24, p. 236.
  14. ^ Bagshaw 1847, p. 224.
  15. ^ Cotterill, J. (1993), "Saxon Raiding and the Role of the Late Roman Coastal Forts of Britain", Britannia 24, p. 238.
  16. ^ Harris 2001, p. 33.
  17. ^ Philp 2005, p. 3.
  18. ^ Philp 2005, p. 3; Harris 2001, p. 32.
  19. ^ Philp 2005, p. 95.
  20. ^ Philp 2005, pp. 95–7.
  21. ^ Jessup 1936, p. 188, citing Battely, J. (1774), Antiquitates Rutupinae, Oxford, p. 54.
  22. ^ "Ahead of his time: Carausius was a pirate, a rebel and the first ruler of a unified Britain". (2010). The Independent. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  23. ^ Cotterill, J. (1993), "Saxon Raiding and the Role of the Late Roman Coastal Forts of Britain", Britannia 24, pp. 227–39 (esp. 235).
  24. ^ a b Kelly 2008, p. 73.
  25. ^ Philp 2005, p. 3.
  26. ^ Hasted 1800, pp. 109–125.
  27. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Gough 2001.
  28. ^ Kelly 2008, p. 73.
  29. ^ a b Garmonsway, G.N. (1972, 1975), The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Dent, Dutton, pp. 34–5; Fletcher 1965, pp. 16–31; Page 1926, pp. 141–2.
  30. ^ a b c Kelly 2008, p. 80.
  31. ^ a b 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.
  32. ^ Kelly 2008, p. 82.
  33. ^ Graham 1944, p. 1.
  34. ^ Jessup 1936, pp. 180–2.
  35. ^ a b Bagshaw 1847, p. 217.
  36. ^ Hearne 1711, p. 137; Jessup 1936, p. 187.
  37. ^ Jessup 1936, p. 189.
  38. ^ a b c Harris 2001, p. 36.
  39. ^ Jessup 1936, p. 187.
  40. ^ Lewis 1911, p. 62.
  41. ^ Reculver Masterplan Report Volume 1, Section 2.1 "Bronze Age to Late Norman". (2008). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
  42. ^ Flower, S. (2002), A Hell Of A Bomb, Stroud: Tempus, p. 21.
  43. ^ "Media". (2007). The Dambusters (617 Squadron). Retrieved 16 July 2010. "Upkeep test drop 1" & "Upkeep test drop 2".
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  46. ^ "People's Museum - Week two gallery The Bouncing Bomb". (2006). BBC History. Retrieved 24 December 2011; "Other Exhibits The Dambusters Bouncing Bomb". (not dated). RAF Manston Spitfire & Hurricane Memorial Museum. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
  47. ^ a b "Roger Gale". (not dated). www.parliament.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  48. ^ "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.
  49. ^ "European Parliamentary Election South East Region". (2009). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  50. ^ "City Council Election". (2007). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  51. ^ Jessup 1936, pp. 179(note), 193.
  52. ^ Jessup 1936, pp. 179(note), 193; Philp 2005, Fig. 4.
  53. ^ Jessup 1936, p. 188.
  54. ^ "The Geology of Kent". (not dated). Kent Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
  55. ^ 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)
  56. ^ a b Ward 1978.
  57. ^ 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)
  58. ^ 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)
  59. ^ Reculver Masterplan Report Volume 1, Section 4.1 "Topography, Landscape and Sea" (2008). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
  60. ^ 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)
  61. ^ Reculver Country Park Geology Resource Pack. (not dated). Kent Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  62. ^ Jessup 1936, pp. 186–8.
  63. ^ Reculver Masterplan Report Volume 1, Section 3.8 "Coastal Protection" (2008). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
  64. ^ Reculver Masterplan Report Volume 2, "Project Plans". (2008). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
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  66. ^ a b "England 1971–2000 averages". (not dated). Met Office. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
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  68. ^ Final Drought Plan, "7.2 Historic Droughts", pp. 67–8. (2007). South East Water. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  69. ^ "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.
  70. ^ "Neighbourhood Statistics Area: Reculver (ward)". (not dated). Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  71. ^ a b c Kerr 1982, p. 194
  72. ^ "Invasive carpet seasquirt spreads rapidly on the Herne Bay coast". (2011). Kentish Gazette. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
  73. ^ "The Return of the Natives: Whitstable's oysters back in fashion". (2009). Mail Online. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
  74. ^ a b Reculver Masterplan Report Volume 1, Section 3.4 "Natural East Kent (NEK)" (2008). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  75. ^ Jessup 1936, pp. 179–80.
  76. ^ Jessup 1936, p. 179; Hasted 1800, pp. 109–125.
  77. ^ 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.
  78. ^ "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.
  79. ^ "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).
  80. ^ "Ten spooky places to scare yourself". (2009). The Guardian. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
  81. ^ Philp 1966; Philp 1969a; Merrifield, R. (1987), The Archaeology of Ritual and Magic, London: Batsford, pp. 50–7 (esp. 51).
  82. ^ Philp 2005, p. 225; Merrifield, R. (1987), The Archaeology of Ritual and Magic, London: Batsford, p. 51.
  83. ^ Merrifield, R. (1987), The Archaeology of Ritual and Magic, London: Batsford, p. 51.
  84. ^ Philp 1966.
  85. ^ "Directions". (2011). Post Office. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
  86. ^ "GP practices in and around Reculver". (not dated). NHS. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
  87. ^ "Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital". (2011). NHS. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
  88. ^ "Reculver & Beltinge Memorial hall". (not dated). Canterbury District Community Portal. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
  89. ^ Jessup 1936, Plate I.
  90. ^ Harris 2001, p. 26.
  91. ^ a b Blair 1999, p. 386.
  92. ^ a b Philp 2005, p. 204.
  93. ^ Fletcher 1965, p. 24.
  94. ^ Fletcher 1965, p. 26.
  95. ^ Fletcher 1965, pp. 26, 30.
  96. ^ Fletcher 1965, pp. 24, 27–30.
  97. ^ Sawyer 1968, S 8; Kelly 2008, p. 74.
  98. ^ a b Kelly 2008, pp. 74–5.
  99. ^ Kelly 2008, p. 74.
  100. ^ Brooks, N.P. (1984), The Early History of the Church of Canterbury, Leicester University Press, pp. 76–80.
  101. ^ Bede (translated by Leo Sherley-Price, 1968 [1955]), A History of the English Church and People, London: Penguin, p. 282.
  102. ^ Sawyer 1968, S 31, 1612, 38.
  103. ^ Sawyer 1968, S 1264.
  104. ^ Kelly 2008, p. 80; Sawyer 1968, S 1436.
  105. ^ Kelly 2008, p. 81.
  106. ^ Sawyer 1968, S 546; Kelly 2008, p. 82.
  107. ^ Williams, A. & Martin, G.H. (eds.) (2002) [1992], Domesday Book A Complete Translation, London: Penguin, p. 8.
  108. ^ Eales, R. (1992), "An Introduction to the Kent Domesday", in The Kent Domesday, London: Alecto, p. 21.
  109. ^ Graham 1944, p. 1.
  110. ^ Graham 1944, pp. 1–12.
  111. ^ "The Taxatio Database (Reculver)". (not dated). Humanities Research Institute. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
  112. ^ Graham 1944, pp. 1–12.
  113. ^ Jessup 1936, pp. 180–2.
  114. ^ Jessup 1936, pp. 179–80.
  115. ^ Hasted 1800, pp. 109–125; Jessup 1936, p. 179.
  116. ^ Graham 1944, p. 3.
  117. ^ Hearne 1711, p. 137.
  118. ^ Peers, C.R., "Reculver: its Saxon church and Cross", in Archaeologia 77, 1927, pp. 241–56.
  119. ^ "Church of St Mary". (2007). English Heritage PastScape. Retrieved 12 September 2010. Click on the "+" symbol to read "More Information and Sources".
  120. ^ Jessup 1936, pp. 185–6.
  121. ^ Kelly 2008, pp. 69, 80–1.
  122. ^ Jope, E.M. (1964), "The Saxon Building-Stone Industry In Southern and Midland England", in Medieval Archaeology 8, p. 98.
  123. ^ Harris 2001, p. 36.
  124. ^ Harris 2001, p. 34.
  125. ^ Jessup 1936; Reculver Masterplan Report Volume 1, Section 2.0 "Historical Context" (2008). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
  126. ^ Jessup 1936, p. 184.
  127. ^ a b "Reculver towers plaque". (2011). Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  128. ^ Jessup 1936, Plate I.
  129. ^ "Reculver Towers and Roman Fort". (not dated). English Heritage. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
  130. ^ "Places to visit and things to do". (2009). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
  131. ^ "Explorers nest in the cliffs of Reculver". (not dated). Kent Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  132. ^ "North Kent Coast Maritime Natural Area". (1997). Natural England. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
  133. ^ "Reculver". (not dated). Kent Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
  134. ^ "Green Flag to fly at Reculver". (2005); "Places to visit and things to do". (2009). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
  135. ^ "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.
  136. ^ a b c "Carpet sea squirt, Didemnum vexillum". (2011). Non-Native Species Secretariat. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  137. ^ "Reculver Centre: for renewable energy and interpretation". (2009). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  138. ^ "Reculver Centre: for renewable energy and interpretation". (2009). Canterbury City Council Online. Retrieved 5 September 2010; "Reculver". (not dated). Kent Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
  139. ^ "Reculver C.E. Primary School". (2009). reculver.kent.sch.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  140. ^ "Welcome". (2009). reculver.kent.sch.uk. Retrieved 16 December 2011. Click on the link "School Brochure 2011" to download the brochure in PDF format.
  141. ^ "Reculver Church of England Primary School". (2006). BBC News Online. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
  142. ^ 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.
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Bibliography
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