Barming is a

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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, l ...

District of

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. It lies to the west of

and at the 2011 census had a population of 2,690. The eastern end of the parish is part of the built-up area of Maidstone, although the remainder is much more rural. The

River Medway The River Medway is a river in South East England. It rises in the High Weald AONB, High Weald, West Sussex and flows through Tonbridge, Maidstone and the Medway conurbation in Kent, before emptying into the Thames Estuary near Sheerness, a to ...

forms its southern boundary. Barming is mentioned in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

, and was then described as being divided into East and West; the latter being known as Little Barming, and having its own church until the 16th century. Barming Primary School dates back to 1854 but is no longer located on its original site. The area has undergone increased residential development in recent years due to its proximity to both Maidstone Hospital and the Maidstone East rail line to central London. The area has also suffered from significant disruption caused by sinkholes in the late 2010s, including the closure of the A26 road in the summer of 2018 as the road was repaired.

Transport

Barming railway station, on the Maidstone East line, was opened on 1 June 1874 but is not actually located in the district. It lies a mile to the north and is in the neighbouring borough of Tonbridge & Malling. The railway station named East Farleigh lies in Barming parish, at the extreme southern boundary adjacent to the River Medway. This is on the Medway Valley Line linking Strood, Maidstone and Paddock Wood. The A26 road crosses the parish. Local bus services are provided by Arriva Southern Counties and Nu-Venture.

St. Margaret's Church

Surrounded by fields, the church was built in the Norman period (12th Century) and has a characteristic triangle of east windows and a tower in the perpendicular style has been added. The Church is Grade II* listed and some of the gravestones are Grade I. Amongst many items that you can see are three bench ends made in Germany in 1300. In the churchyard is a mounting block – four stone steps built in the 19th century to help riders to mount their horses.

Culture

At 7.15 p.m. on 1 May each year, local Morris dancers Kettle Bridge Clogs Kettle Bridge Clogs
/ref> used to dance across Barming Bridge (otherwise known as the Kettle Bridge) which spans the River Medway at the southern end of South Street. The event marked the official start of their Morris dancing season. The tradition has not been followed in recent years. In and around Barming (as well as much of the UK), it is believed that the word "barming" or "barmy" (meaning mad or crazy) were named after the village of Barming due to the location of the County of Kent's psychiatric hospital being in Barming. Whilst this story is generally understood to be apocryphal, many still consider it true.

Notable people

* Mark Noble (1754–1827), Rector of Barming and author * Gilbert Elliot (1800–1891), Rector of Barming * Charles Whittaker (1819–1886), cricketer, born and lived here * Robinson Ellis (1834–1913), scholar, born here * David Clark (1919–2013), cricketer, born here * Fred Ridgway (1923–2015), Kent and England cricketer, lived here

References

External links

Barming Parish CouncilBarming village website
{{Geographic location , title = Nearest Settlements , Centre = Barming , North = Aylesford , Northeast = Sandling , East =