Swingfield Explained

Country:England
Coordinates:51.1464°N 1.1897°W
Official Name:Swingfield
Population:1227
Population Ref:(2011)[1]
Static Image Name:The_road_through_Swingfield_Street_-_geograph.org.uk_-_837470.jpg
Static Image Caption:A street of Swingfield
Shire District:Folkestone and Hythe
Shire County:Kent
Region:South East England
Constituency Westminster:Folkestone and Hythe
Post Town:Dover
Postcode District:CT15
Postcode Area:CT

Swingfield is a village and civil parish in the district of Folkestone and Hythe[2] in Kent, England. The parish includes the settlements of Densole on the A260 towards Hawkinge, and Selsted.

The village is located approximately 5 miles north of Folkestone on the North Downs. Notable buildings include St Peter's Church and Swingfield Preceptory.

History

The place-name 'Swingfield' is first attested in 1202 in the Curia Regis Rolls, and in 1242 in the Book of Fees, in both instances appearing as Swinesfeld. The name means "pigs' field or open land".[3] The tower of St Peter's Church was a measuring point for the Anglo-French Survey (1784–1790) linking the Royal Greenwich Observatory and the Paris Observatory.

Amenities

Densole has the Black Horse pub, a butterfly centre and camp sites. Also nearby is Reinden Woods, an important habitat for woodland plants and butterflies which is part of the Army's East Kent Dry Training Area.

There is a primary school at Selsted.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Civil Parish population 2011. 1 April 2017.
  2. http://data.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/doc/7000000000018020 Ordnance Survey linked data
  3. [Eilert Ekwall]