River is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, England, situated between the historic town of

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maids ...

and the neighbouring village of

Temple Ewell A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temple ...

. The 2011 census recorded a population of 3,876 in the village. River is 1 mile south west of the A2 and 2 miles north of the A20, and a railway station at Kearsney provides direct access to London.

History

There are two churches in the village, the 11th-century

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of t ...

parish church of St Peter & St Paul, and a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

church with a history dating back to 1834. The oldest residential sections of River date from the 1800s or earlier. Later development possibly dates to the 1930s, as well as recent developments from the 1960s and 1970s.

Geography

River is situated in a steep wooded valley formed by the River Dour. At its north-west end the valley splits into the Dour Valley, in which

lies, and the

Alkham Valley thumb The Alkham Valley is in the Kent Downs (the eastern part of the North Downs), an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, in South East Kent, England. The valley lies between Folkestone and Dover. The Valley is a dry valley A dry valley may d ...

, which for much of the time is dry but which contains the

Drellingore Drellingore is a village in South East Kent, England. It lies in the Alkham Valley, an area of outstanding natural beauty between Folkestone and Dover. Although the Alkham Valley is a ''dry valley'' most of the surrounding land forms a water catch ...

, a highly seasonal stream characteristic of chalk downland (another example being the nearby Nailbourne). The confluence of the Dour and Drellingore rivers is situated in Kearsney Abbey. At the valley floor, River is on average about above sea level. Along the axis of the Dour, the land slopes gradually down towards the sea about distant. The common land areas above Kearsney Abbey provide a view of Dover and its

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

, and much of the area consists of delicate chalk grassland.

Governance

River comes under the jurisdiction of Dover District Council and is in the Dover and Deal parliamentary constituency. River has had its own Parish Council since 1987. An

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to ...

in the same name exists. This ward includes

Hougham Without Hougham Without is a civil parish between Dover and Folkestone in southeast England. The main settlements are the villages of Church Hougham and West Hougham, collectively known simply as "Hougham". Great Hougham Court Farm is located to the sou ...

and has a total population at the 2011 census of 4,564.

Economy

River once had a number of shops, but most have gradually closed; a small

Co-op A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...

supermarket, as well as two other grocery stores exist in the town today. River retains its post office, as well as a pharmacy and a Chinese take-away. The village has a park, Kearsney Abbey, and two other parks nearby.

Recreation and culture

There are two significant green areas, the River Recreation Ground (which is home to the River Bowling Club) and Kearsney Abbey. Despite its name, Kearsney Abbey was never a monastic estate but was the name given to a manor house, built by the Fector family in the early 19th century. The house fell into disrepair after World War II and was demolished around 1960. All that remains of the building today is the billiard room. The nearby stadium of Crabble Athletic Ground is home to Dover Athletic F.C., and is situated at the Dover end of Lewisham Road. Crabble once had a cricket ground, the home of the now defunct Dover Cricket Club, which used to host First Class cricket. The park of Russell Gardens is situated on the Alkham Valley Road beyond Kearsney Abbey. In 2021 a number of painted paving slabs were erected in the old bus terminus which were created by local resident Vicky Thomas during the 2020 COVID lockdown. The village has a primary school of about 400 pupils.

Mills

River owes its early existence to milling. The River Dour, which runs through the village and along which Lower Road is built, once supported several water-powered flour and paper mills. One of them, formerly known as Mannering's Mill but now known as Crabble Corn Mill (built in 1812), survives in working form. It now promotes itself as a visitor attraction and restaurant. The site of the other major mill in River is disused, situated at the downstream end of Kearsney Abbey. It forms a habitat for water birds such as grey wagtails and kingfishers. Other mills existed further downstream, but all have been either demolished or converted for other industry or housing.

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Kent Civil parishes in Kent