| Brenzett | |
|---|---|
 Brenzett Aeronautical Museum | |
  Brenzett Location withinKent | |
| Population | 379 (2011)[1] |
| OS grid reference | TR003273 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Romney Marsh |
| Postcode district | TN29 |
| Police | Kent |
| Fire | Kent |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| UK Parliament | |
| 51°00′36″N0°51′14″E / 51.01°N 0.854°E /51.01; 0.854 | |
Brenzett (/ˈbrɛnzɪt/BREN-zit[2]) is a village[3] andcivil parish in theFolkestone and Hythe District ofKent, England. The village lies on theRomney Marsh, three miles (4.8 km) west ofNew Romney. The population of the civil parish includes the hamlet ofSnave.
The place-name 'Brenzett' is first attested in theDomesday Book of 1086, where it appears asBrensete. The name is thought to mean 'burnt house' inOld English.[4]
It is the home to the Romney Marsh Wartime Collection incorporating the Brenzett Aeronautical Museum Trust, which as well as exhibiting the remains of variousWorld War II combat aircraft that have been excavated from the surroundingmarshland also includes ade Havilland Vampire T.11 and anEnglish Electric Canberra B.2 on display in the museum grounds.
Brenzett was also the site of aRoyal Air Force Advanced Landing Ground (ALG)airfield during theSecond World War,RAF Brenzett, at one time operatingP-51 Mustangs.
Whilst Brenzett is a busy transport hub, it has surrendered its public house (Fleur de Lis), Little Chef restaurant and Post Office, but retains a petrol station and school.The parish church of St Eanswythe is located on the road to Brenzett Green, a remnant of the original A2070 toHamstreet andAshford, which was rebuilt entirely in the 1990s. The village’s location as a junction was reflected in prominent signage for Brenzett from Ashford. Many more recent signs show Hastings as the main destination instead.
Brenzett was the setting forE. Nesbit'sghost story "Man-size in Marble" from theGrim Tales collection of1893.
Rudyard Kipling mentions Brenzett in his poem,A three part song.[5]
In the 1981 BBC television comedy dramaPrivate Schulz – which dramatised the genuine but unrealised Second World War plot by the Germans (Operation Bernhard) to print and distribute millions of fake British pound notes – several million pounds' worth of fake pound notes were buried near Brenzett by the character of Private Schulz after he parachuted into Kent, in preparation for their dispersal throughout the British economy.
Media related toBrenzett at Wikimedia Commons
