St Nicholas-at-Wade (or St Nicholas) is both a village and 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 Thanet 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. The parish had a recorded population of 782 at the 2001 Census, increasing to 852 at the 2011 census. The village of Sarre is part of the civil parish. The village is best known locally for the local custom of

Hoodening Hoodening (), also spelled ''hodening'' and ''oodening'', is a tradition, folk custom found in Kent, a county in South East England. The tradition entails the use of a wooden hobby horse known as a hooden horse that is mounted on a pole and car ...

, a type of

mumming Mummers were bands of men and women from the medieval to early modern era who (during public festivities) dressed in fantastic clothes and costumes and serenaded people outside their houses, or joined the party inside. Costumes were varied and mi ...

, as well as for its prolific potato production. The village continues to play host to several folk groups, including Offcumduns Border Morris Dancers.

History

The name derives from its location on the western border of the

Isle of Thanet The Isle of Thanet () is a peninsula forming the easternmost part of Kent, England. While in the past it was separated from the mainland by the Wantsum Channel, it is no longer an island. Archaeological remains testify to its settlement in a ...

(originally separated from the Kent mainland). Before the channels of the River Wantsum and River Stour silted up, one would have been able to '

wade Wade, WADE, or Wades may refer to: Places in the United States * Wade, Maine, a town * Wade, Mississippi, a census-designated place * Wade, North Carolina, a town * Wade, Ohio, an unincorporated community * Wade Township, Clinton County, Ill ...

' at this point, over a

ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

. In Roman times the channel was navigable and the site likely very busy with the

Saxon Shore forts The Saxon Shore () was a military command of the Later Roman Empire, Late Roman Empire, consisting of a series of fortifications on both sides of the English Channel. It was established in the late 3rd century and was led by the "Count of the Sa ...

Regulbium Regulbium was the name of an ancient Roman fort of the Saxon Shore in the vicinity of the modern English resort of Reculver in Kent. Its name derives from the local Brythonic language, meaning "great headland" (*''Rogulbion''). History The f ...

(

Reculver Reculver is a village and coastal resort about east of Herne Bay on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. It is in the Wards of the United Kingdom, ward of the same name, in the City of Canterbury district of Kent. Reculver once o ...

) and

Rutupiae Richborough Castle is a Roman Saxon Shore fort better known as Richborough Roman Fort. It is situated in Richborough near Sandwich, Kent. Substantial remains of the massive fort walls still stand to a height of several metres. It is ...

(

Richborough Richborough () is a settlement north of Sandwich on the east coast of the county of Kent, England. Richborough lies close to the Isle of Thanet. The population of the settlement is included in the civil parish of Ash. Although now some dist ...

) both close by. Remains of Roman shipbuilding yards are said to have been found between St. Nicholas-at-Wade and the nearby village of Sarre

Village

The village can be entered from either the A299 (Thanet Way) or the A28 (Canterbury Road). These approaches to the village stand out with their colourful planters welcoming visitors. St John's Green at the A28 entry point displays several items including a 1919 restored cultivator in its original makers colours. There are two public houses, 'The Bell' and 'The Sun'. There is also a post office, an antiques shop and a farm marketing office. One of the main potato suppliers in the country used to have its headquarters near St Nicholas Court in the northwest of the village, but the site closed in late 2015. Hedgend Industrial Estate is on the northern outskirts. There is the local St Nicholas CE Primary School. The village hall (dating from 1930) houses weekly events including various dance classes, keep fit, Art groups and senior citizens coffee mornings and is also used as a

polling station A polling place is where voters cast their ballots in elections. The phrase polling station is also used in American English, British English and Canadian English although a polling place is the building and polling station is the specific ...

. There is a static caravan park at Frost Farm and a camping site at Streete Farm. A sports field in Bell Meadow plays host to

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

and

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

matches, the cricket pavilion was constructed in the 1980s with the aid of Thanet District Council.

Churches

The 13th-century parish church of St Nicholas, after which the village and parish are named, was a

chapel of ease A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently, generally due to trav ...

for St Mary's Church at

. The first rector is recorded as Adam de Brancestre in 1294. Built in flint, the church houses some fine 16th-century brasses, a carved oak

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...

dated 1615, and a

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...

. The parish has twice been enlarged, firstly in medieval times, when it was separated from the parish of Reculver and joined with the little-known

chapelry A chapelry was a subdivision of an ecclesiastical parish in England and parts of Lowland Scotland up to the mid 19th century. Status A chapelry had a similar status to a Township (England), township, but was so named as it had a chapel of ease ...

of All Saints, Shuart in 1310, and again in the mid-16th century, when it was joined with the parish of St Giles, Sarre. The church is currently part of th
Wantsum Benefice
St Nicholas Court has a fine example of a medieval underground chapel; however, little is known about the origins or past use of this building. The chapel is on private land but has been opened to visitors on some important local occasions.

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Kent Civil parishes in Kent