Brabourne Explained

Country:England
Official Name:Brabourne
Population:1309
Area Total Km2:14.77
Population Ref:(Civil Parish 2011)[1]
Static Image Name:Fingerpost, Brabourne.JPG
Shire District:Ashford
Region:South East England
Shire County:Kent
Constituency Westminster:Ashford
Post Town:ASHFORD
Postcode District:TN25
Postcode Area:TN
Dial Code:01303
Os Grid Reference:TR085405
Coordinates:51.1383°N 1.0008°W

Brabourne is a village and civil parish in the Ashford district of Kent, England. The village centre is east of Ashford town centre.

Geography

The village originated around the village church and this area is now usually referred to as East Brabourne. The original village has been outgrown by Brabourne Lees, a development on former common land, closer to the A20 and M20 roads. The western part of the parish is a rural area with scattered farms.

Church

thumb|left|St Mary the Virgin's ChurchThe parish church is dedicated to St Mary the Blessed Virgin; there is also a Zion Strict Baptist Chapel in Brabourne Lees. The church of St. Mary is a building of stone, in the Norman and Early English styles, and has a tower which was restored in 1923-24, containing six bells, increased to eight in 2002. There are numerous monuments to the Scott family, some brasses and several stained glass windows, one of which contains very early glass; the church affords seating for 200. The restoration was carried out by Sir Gilbert Scott.[2]

In popular culture

Author Russell Hoban repurposes Brabourne as "Brabbas Horn" in his 1980, post apocalyptic novel Riddley Walker.[3]

External links

51.1383°N 1.0008°W

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
  3. Web site: Places - Riddley Walker Annotations. Errorbar. 21 August 2022. 29 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210729025537/http://www.errorbar.net/rw/Places. live.