Brook, Kent Explained

Official Name:Brook
Static Image Name:St Mary Brook 1.jpg
Static Image Width:220px
Static Image Caption:St Mary's Church, Brook
Country:England
Coordinates:51.1606°N 0.9531°W
Population:310
Area Total Km2:4.01
Population Ref:(Civil Parish 2011)[1]
Shire District:Ashford
Region:South East England
Shire County:Kent
Constituency Westminster:Ashford
Post Town:ASHFORD
Postcode District:TN25
Postcode Area:TN
Dial Code:01233

Brook is a small village and civil parish in the borough of Ashford in Kent, England, centred east-northeast of the town of Ashford.

Geography

Brook is in a gently rolling valley top immediately south of the North Downs. The brook referred to rises here and flows east to join the combined East and West Stour, that is, the River Great Stour. The south-east fifth of the parish is woodland. Brook has a small village museum. The human population of this area rose by 3 during the 10 years to the United Kingdom Census 2011.

History

The 11th century Grade I listed parish church is dedicated to St Mary. There is also a Baptist chapel. The church of St. Mary, erected about 1075, is of stone, in the Early Norman style, and has a tower containing 3 bells: the tower was struck by lightning in 1896, and the northwest corner destroyed, but was restored in 1899: there are 160 sittings. John Betjeman described the church as "unaltered early Norman church ... a massive church which carries its longevity more convincingly than many older and tidier churches".[2]

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk Key Statistics; Quick Statistics: Population Density
  2. Betjeman, J. (ed.) (1968) Collins Pocket Guide to English Parish Churches: the South. London: Collins; p. 247