Iwade is a village and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...
north of the town of
Sittingbourne in the
English county of
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 ...
.
History
Iwade was established in the late Medieval period, when it was a settlement linking
Watling Street
Watling Street is a historic route in England that crosses the River Thames at London and which was used in Classical Antiquity, Late Antiquity, and throughout the Middle Ages. It was used by the ancient Britons and paved as one of the main ...
to the coast via Key Street (a street towards a Quay). A moated dwelling is believed to have existed here during the 13th to 15th centuries. According to
Edward Hasted, in 1798 the manor of Warde (Iwade) was within the
hundred of
Teynham. It had sixteen houses, and about 60 or 70 inhabitants.
The village lies on the former route of the
A249 road, a major road from
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 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the c ...
to the
Isle of Sheppey. A bypass was constructed in 1992, and improved again in 2006 during construction of the
Sheppey Crossing. Iwade is the nearest settlement to
Swale railway station
Swale railway station is in north Kent, England, on the Sheerness Line from , at the southern end of the Kingsferry Bridge which, along with the more modern Sheppey Crossing, connects the Isle of Sheppey to mainland Kent. The nearest settlemen ...
.
In 2014, a prehistoric
henge was discovered during the development of new homes. It is believed to date from around 6000BC and is in diameter.
Facilities
Iwade has a village hall and a public house (The Woolpack). The village church is dedicated to All Saints and was established around the 13th century. It was restored in 1874, with a south porch being added in 1893. The church has been a
Grade I listed building since 1967.
It is within the diocese of
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...
, and deanery of Sittingbourne.
[
The Sittingbourne Speedway track is close to Iwade. It offers speedway training facilities for riders, and has been the base of the speedway team Sittingbourne Crusaders who raced in the Conference League. To the north of the village is a Grade II listed Heavy Anti-aircraft gunsite used in ]World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. It is one of only nine such sites in the country still existing in its original state, and one of two in Kent.
References
External links
Iwade Village
Sittingbourne Speedway
{{authority control
Villages in Kent
Civil parishes in Kent