| Faversham | |
|---|---|
| Market town | |
.jpg) Faversham Guildhall and Market | |
  Faversham Location withinKent | |
| Population | 23,024 (2024 Estimate)[1] |
| OS grid reference | TR015615 |
| • London | 48 miles (77 km) |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | FAVERSHAM |
| Postcode district | ME13 |
| Dialling code | 01795 |
| Police | Kent |
| Fire | Kent |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| UK Parliament | |
| 51°19′04″N0°53′34″E / 51.3177°N 0.8928°E /51.3177; 0.8928 | |
Faversham (/ˈfævərʃəm/ ⓘ) is amarket town inKent, England, 8 miles (13 km) fromSittingbourne, 48 miles (77 km) from London and 10 miles (16 km) fromCanterbury, next tothe Swale, a strip of sea separating mainland Kent from theIsle of Sheppey in theThames Estuary. It is close to theA2, which follows an ancient British trackway now known asWatling Street, which was used by the Romans and the Anglo-Saxons.
There has been a settlement at Faversham since pre-Roman times, next to the ancient sea port on Faversham Creek. The Roman name was Durolevum.[2] The modern name is ofOld English origin, probably meaning "the metal-worker's village". It was inhabited by theJutes and mentioned in theDomesday Book of 1086 asFavreshant. The town was favoured byKing Stephen who establishedFaversham Abbey, which survived until theDissolution of the Monasteries in 1538. Subsequently, the town became an important seaport and established itself as a centre forbrewing, and theShepherd Neame Brewery, founded in 1698, remains a significant major employer.
The town was also the centre of theexplosives industry between the 17th and early 20th century, declining after an accident in 1916 which killed over 100 workers. This coincided with a revival of the shipping industry in the town. Faversham has a number of landmarks, with several historic churches including St Mary of Charity,Faversham Parish Church, theMaison Dieu and Faversham Recreation Ground. Faversham Market has been established for over 900 years and is still based in the town centre. There are good road and rail links, including aSoutheastern service to theHigh Speed 1 line atEbbsfleet International and London.
The nameFaversham, first attested in 811 asFefresham, derives fromOld English. The second element is the Old English wordhām ('settlement'), which is common in place-names. The first element, however, is unique. It has been inferred to derive from an otherwise lost Old English word *fæfere ('smith'), which in turn derived from theLatinfaber ('craftsman, smith'). Thus the name once meant 'smith's homestead'. Given its Latin derivation, however, the name may have referred specifically to Roman smiths.[3][4]
Faversham was established as a settlement before theRoman conquest of Britain.[5] The Romans established several towns in Kent including Faversham, with traffic through theSaxon Shore ports ofReculver,Richborough,Dover andLympne converging on Canterbury before heading upWatling Street to London. The town was less than 10 miles (16 km) from Canterbury,[6] and consequently Faversham had become established on this road network by 50 AD following the initial conquest byClaudius in 43 AD.[7] Numerous remains of Roman buildings have been discovered in and around Faversham, including under St Mary of Charity Church where coins and urns were discovered during reconstruction of the western tower in 1794.[8] In 2013, the remains of a 2,000-year-old Roman theatre, able to accommodate some 12,000 people, were discovered at a hillside near the town. The cockpit-style outdoor auditorium, the first of its kind found in Britain, was a style the Romans used elsewhere in their empire on the Continent.[9]
There is archaeological evidence to suggest that Faversham was a summer capital for the Saxonkings of Kent.[10][11] It was held inroyaldemesne in 811, and is further cited in a charter granted byCoenwulf, the King of Mercia.[12] Coenwulf described the town as 'the King's little town of Fefresham',[13] while it was recorded in theDomesday Book asFavreshant.[14] The town had established itself as a seaport by theMiddle Ages, and became part of the Confederation of theCinque Ports in the 13th century, providing a vessel toDover.[15] TheGough Map of Britain, printed in 1360, showsthe Swale as an important shipping channel for trade.[16]
Themanor was recorded asTerra Regis, meaning it was part of the ancient royal estates.King Stephen gave it to his chief lieutenant,William of Ypres, but soon made him swap it with Lillechurch (nowHigham) so that the manor of Faversham could form part of the endowment ofFaversham Abbey.[17] Stephen established the abbey in 1148,[18] and is buried there with his consortMatilda of Boulogne, and his son,Eustace, the Count of Boulogne.[19] Stephen favoured the town because of the abbey, and so it was historically important during his reign.[19] King John tried to give the church toSimon of Wells in 1201, but it was owned by the monks ofSt Augustine's Abbey at Canterbury, who appealed to Rome and the request was denied.[20] Abbey Street was constructed about this time in order to provide an appropriate approach to the abbey from the town. It still houses timber-framed buildings and has been described as "the finest medieval street in southeast England".[21]
Thomas Culpeper was granted Faversham Abbey byHenry VIII during theDissolution of the Monasteries in 1538. Most of the abbey was demolished, and the remains of Stephen were rumoured to have been thrown into Faversham Creek. An excavation of the abbey in 1964 uncovered the empty graves.[19] The entrance gates survived the demolition and lasted until the mid-18th century, but otherwise only a small section of outer wall survived.[22] The abbey's masonry was taken toCalais to reinforce defence of the town, then in British possession, against the French army.[23] In 1539, the ground upon which the abbey had stood, along with nearby land, passed to SirThomas Cheney,Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports.[22]
Among the few surviving buildings of Faversham Abbey are the two barns at Abbey Farm. Minor Barn was built about 1425; Major Barn, the larger of the two, dates from 1476. Next to the barns is the Abbey Farmhouse, part of which dates from the 14th century.[24] The Abbey Guest house, on the east side of the Abbey's Outer Gateway, has survived as Arden's House.[25] This house, now a private residence in Abbey Street, was the location of the murder ofThomas Arden in 1551.[26] TheFaversham Almshouses were founded and endowed by Thomas Manfield in 1614, with additional houses built by Henry Wright in 1823.[27]
The poor quality of roads in the Middle Ages meant travel by sea was an important transport corridor.Richard Tylman (or Tillman), mayor in 1581, expanded the port at Faversham, building two wharfs. He became a key figure in exporting corn, wheat and malt to London from the town.[28]
Several notable people in the Middle Ages had origins in Faversham.Haymo of Faversham was born in Faversham and later moved to Paris to join theFranciscans, becoming the "Aristotelian of Aristotelians".[29]Simon of Faversham was born in the town in the middle of the 13th century and later becameChancellor of the University of Oxford in 1304.[30] The notoriouspirateJack Ward is believed to have been born in Faversham about 1553.[31]John Wilson,lutenist and teacher was born in Faversham in 1595 who was the principalcomposer for theKing's Men and a professor of music at Oxford.[32] There is now a plaque at the site of the house in Abbey Street where he was born.[33]
Faversham also had notable visitors during this period.Queen Mary andKing Philip visited the town in July 1557 en route to Dover.Queen Elizabeth I visited Faversham in September 1573 during a summer tour of Kent, accompanied byLord Burghley, the Lord Treasurer.Charles II passed the town on his way from Dover to London, on his way to be crowned.[34]
Agunpowder plant had been established around 1573 in Faversham. The town had a stream which could be dammed at intervals to provide power for watermills.[35] It became known as the Home Works in the 18th century and was nationalised in 1759.[36] By the 19th century, the site stretched for around a mile along the waterfront.[35] A second explosive works was established atOare to the northwest of town in the late 17th century, with the Marsh Works following in 1786.[35] Towards the end of the 19th century, two new factories were built alongside the Swale to manage production ofTNT andcordite. Faversham developed six explosive factories, and from 1874 to 1919, the town was the centre of the explosives industry in the UK.[35][37]
The first production ofguncotton took place in the Marsh Works in 1847. Due to a lack of experience with production methods, an explosion took place soon after work started, with several fatalities.[38] On Sunday 2 April 1916, an explosion occurred at one of the Swale factories in Uplees after sparks from a chimney ignited the works containing around 150 tonnes of high explosives.[39] The incident killed over 100 people, which led to decline of the explosives industry in the town.[35][40] Later accounts suggested that had the incident not happened on a Sunday, there would have been many more casualties.[39]
All three gunpowder factories shut in 1934 due to the impending threat ofWorld War II. Production was moved toArdeer inAyrshire, Scotland, and the munition industry around Faversham is now extinct.[40] The town is now a harbour and market community; old sail-poweredThames barges are repaired, rebuilt and moored along the creekside.[41]
Kent is the centre ofhop-growing in England, being centred on nearby Canterbury[42] and Faversham has been the home of several breweries. TheShepherd Neame Brewery was officially founded in 1698, though brewing activities in Faversham pre-date this. The brewery claims to be the oldest in Britain and continues to be family-owned.[43] The Rigden brewery was founded in the early 18th century by Edward Rigden. It subsequently merged with the Canterbury-based George Beer in 1922[44] to become George Beer & Rigden before being purchased by theMaidstone basedFremlin's.[45]Whitbread bought out Fremlin's in 1967, and closed the Faversham brewery in 1990. The site is now aTesco superstore.[46] Shepherd Neame remains a significant regional brewer despite a decline in consumption of traditional bitter beer, producing around 230,000 barrels a year.[47] It now also makesIndia Pale Ale under licence.[48]Lieutenant-GeneralSir Philip Neame, recipient of theVictoria Cross, was born in Faversham and a memorial to him was placed in the town centre in 2014.[49]
A shipyard was established in Faversham by James Pollock & Sons (Shipbuilders) in 1916 at the request of Lord Fisher, the First Lord of The Admiralty, for manufacturingbarges forlanding craft.[50] Faversham already had a tradition of shipbuilding, and it soon became a major contributor to markets throughout the world, producing vessels such as the Molliette and the Violette, both constructed of concrete.[51] Over 1200 ships were built and launched from Faversham between 1916 and 1969.[52]
Faversham Market is still held in the town centre. It is now the oldest street market in Kent, dating back over 900 years.[53] Monthly markets are also held in Preston Street and Court Street.[54]
Having been an important thoroughfare since the 12th century, Abbey Street went into decline around the start of the 20th.[21] Some buildings on the street adjoining Quay Lane were demolished in 1892 and much of the entire street was intended for demolition as recently as the 1950s, until intervention from the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings.[55] Local people began a determined fight to restore and preserve the area.[21]
In May 2019, theKent Archaeological Field School uncovered a 150 by 50 feet (46 by 15 m)Roman building at Abbey Farm. According to Dr Paul Wilkinson, the building contained broken stone walls covering huge amounts of box flue tiles, which were used to direct hot air up the indoor walls, glazedterracotta floors, an untouched underfloor withhypocaust heating, and tons of ceramic roof tiles. Although the plaster painted from these walls was mostly white, plaster walls coloured with green, red and yellow panels were found in the hot sauna room on the north side of the building.[56]
In 2009Faversham Society Archaeology Research Group (FSARG) uncovered evidence of the town's medieval tannery in the back gardens of Tanner Street.[57] Evidence of Anglo-Saxon occupation was discovered during the Hunt the Saxons project between 2005 and 2007[58] and a high-status rubbish pit excavated in the "Searching for the Kings Manor" project in 2017–2019.[59]
A charter was granted to theMayor, Jurats and Freemen of the Town of Faversham in 1546,[60] and regranted in 1685; the town council was established under theMunicipal Corporations Act 1835.[61] Theparliamentary constituency of Faversham was created for the1885 general election and replaced by the new constituencies ofSittingbourne and Sheppey andFaversham and Mid Kent at the1997 general election. The town has been represented by aMember of Parliament from theConservative Party other than between 1945 and 1970. Since 2015 the constituency's MP has been a Conservative,Helen Whately.[62][63]
Faversham is within theSwalelocal government district. The town contains the four electoralwards of Abbey,Davington Priory, St Ann's and Watling.[64]
Faversham was a large ancient parish, which included rural areas and surrounding villages. It became a civil parish in 1866, but in 1894 it was divided into Faversham Within andFaversham Without. In 1935 the civil parish of Faversham was recreated, and absorbed the civil parishes of Faversham Within, Davington,Preston Within, North Preston Without and South Preston Without, and parts of the civil parishes of Faversham Without,Luddenham andOspringe (including the village of Ospringe).[65]
The arms of Faversham Town Council, which holds its meetings atFaversham Guildhall, are based on theRoyal Arms of England, alluding to the town's regal history.[66]
Faversham is roughly equidistant betweenSittingbourne andCanterbury.[67] It lies 48 miles (77 km) south east of London, 18 miles (29 km) east ofMaidstone,[68] and 14 miles (23 km) north fromAshford.[69] Nearby villages includeOare across Oare Creek to the north,Luddenham,Mockbeggar andOspringe.
Geographically, Faversham sits at a boundary betweenmarshland to the north and a mixture ofbrick earth, gravel and chalk to the south which leads into theNorth Downs. Faversham Creek connects the town tothe Swale that separates mainland Kent from theIsle of Sheppey. The surrounding area is part of the South Swale Nature Reserve, popular with wildfowl and wading birds. The South Swale Nature Reserve is managed by theEnvironment Agency andNatural England[70] The coastline around Faversham is a by-product of the changes to sea level around Britain since the end of the lastice age. DuringRoman Britain and into the first millennium, the Faversham coast was a largeestuary with Oare and Graveney being peninsulas. Land reclamation during theMiddle Ages, which closed theRiver Wantsum and connected theIsle of Thanet to mainland Kent, resulted in less tidal waters reaching Faversham. This led to the gradual silting up of estuaries; Faversham Creek and its tributaries have been reduced from 1,378 acres (558 ha) to 43 acres (17 ha).[16] To stop the creek silting up completely and making navigation impossible, a number ofsluices have been installed since the 16th century.[71]
Faversham formerly held the weather record for the highest ever UK temperature (in 2003) at 38.5 °C (101.3 °F).[72] This was the first time the recorded temperature had ever exceeded 100 °F (38 °C) reliably in the UK. This record had stood for nearly 16 years, but was beaten by 0.2 °C (0.4 °F) with a temperature of 38.7 °C (101.7 °F) recorded in theCambridge University Botanic Garden on 25 July 2019. Faversham still holds the record for the highest maximum temperature in the UK for August with the previous record in 2003.[73]
The absolute minimum temperature of −16.1 °C (3.0 °F) was set on 19 January 1966,[74] and the absolute maximum of 39.0 °C (102.2 °F) was set on 19 July 2022.[75]
| Climate data for Faversham (1991–2020) (extremes 1959-2023) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 16.8 (62.2) | 18.6 (65.5) | 21.7 (71.1) | 25.8 (78.4) | 30.0 (86.0) | 32.2 (90.0) | 39.0 (102.2) | 38.5 (101.3) | 33.5 (92.3) | 29.0 (84.2) | 18.3 (64.9) | 15.9 (60.6) | 39.0 (102.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.9 (46.2) | 8.4 (47.1) | 11.0 (51.8) | 14.2 (57.6) | 17.3 (63.1) | 20.5 (68.9) | 23.1 (73.6) | 23.1 (73.6) | 19.6 (67.3) | 15.4 (59.7) | 11.1 (52.0) | 8.5 (47.3) | 15.1 (59.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 5.1 (41.2) | 5.3 (41.5) | 7.3 (45.1) | 9.7 (49.5) | 12.6 (54.7) | 15.6 (60.1) | 18.1 (64.6) | 18.1 (64.6) | 15.2 (59.4) | 11.8 (53.2) | 8.1 (46.6) | 5.6 (42.1) | 11.1 (52.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.3 (36.1) | 2.2 (36.0) | 3.6 (38.5) | 5.2 (41.4) | 8.0 (46.4) | 10.8 (51.4) | 13.0 (55.4) | 13.1 (55.6) | 10.7 (51.3) | 8.2 (46.8) | 5.0 (41.0) | 2.7 (36.9) | 7.1 (44.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −16.1 (3.0) | −15.1 (4.8) | −8.9 (16.0) | −4.6 (23.7) | −2.2 (28.0) | 0.0 (32.0) | 3.9 (39.0) | 3.9 (39.0) | 1.5 (34.7) | −2.8 (27.0) | −6.3 (20.7) | −10.6 (12.9) | −16.1 (3.0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 64.4 (2.54) | 50.0 (1.97) | 39.2 (1.54) | 44.6 (1.76) | 49.6 (1.95) | 45.3 (1.78) | 43.3 (1.70) | 57.0 (2.24) | 55.3 (2.18) | 79.9 (3.15) | 74.8 (2.94) | 71.9 (2.83) | 675.3 (26.59) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 11.6 | 9.5 | 7.4 | 8.4 | 8.0 | 7.5 | 7.2 | 8.1 | 7.8 | 11.5 | 11.2 | 12.1 | 110.2 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 59.1 | 81.1 | 123.2 | 183.5 | 214.3 | 219.0 | 228.1 | 219.2 | 162.3 | 123.7 | 67.7 | 56.3 | 1,737.3 |
| Source 1:Met Office[76] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Starlings Roost Weather[77] | |||||||||||||
At the2011 UK census, Faversham had a population of 19,316, an increase of 1,606 from the2001 census. The population figures were split into Abbey (6,084), Davington Priory (2,593), St Ann's (5,268) and Watling (5,371).[64] 9,770 people were employed within the town, split into retail (1,416), education (1,239), health and social work (1,200), construction (836) and manufacturing (692).[78][79] 17,868 of the town's residents were born in England.[80]
Arden of Feversham is a play about the murder of Thomas Arden written around 1590, possibly byWilliam Shakespeare or Canterbury-bornChristopher Marlowe.[81][82] It gives its name to the modern Arden Theatre in the town,[83] Local theatre groups perform in the theatre as part of theCanterbury Festival each autumn.[84]
The Royal Cinema is based near the town square. It opened in 1936 and is now Grade II listed. It is one of only twomock Tudor cinemas to survive in the UK.[85]
The Faversham Society was established in 1962, and is one of the oldestcivic societies in the UK. It owns and manages the Fleur de Lis Heritage Centre as its headquarters.[86] The Centre hosts a large museum depicting the town's history and culture and hosts the town's Visitor Information Centre, including a bookshop.[87]
TheMaison Dieu ('House of God'), located on the A2 to the southwest of the town centre, is a hospital, monastery, hostel, retirement home and Royal lodge commissioned byHenry III in 1234 and now in the care ofEnglish Heritage.[88][89] It is now managed by the Maison Dieu Trust and closely associated to the Faversham Society as a museum ofRoman artefacts from the surrounding area.[90]
Davington Priory lies to the northwest of the town centre and was founded in the mid 12th century.[91] It is currently owned and occupied by musician and activistBob Geldof.[92]
Brogdale Farm, to the south of the town centre, has hosted theDEFRA National Fruit Collection since 1954. It has over 2,040 varieties of apple, 502 of pear, 350 of plum, 322 of cherry and smaller collections of bush fruits, nuts and grapes, all grown in 150 acres (61 ha) of orchards.[93] The farm hosts a number of fruit festivals throughout the year, guided tours and activities for schools. It also hosts the 9-inchFaversham miniature railway which runs through the orchards.[94]
In 2011 it was discovered that the town owns an original version ofMagna Carta, potentially worth about £20m, rather than a copy worth only £10,000.[95] In 2015, the copy went on display to the public at the town's Alexander Centre – the first time it had been on display for 715 years.[96] The Magna Carta and other town charters are now on permanent display in 12 Market Place in Faversham.[97]
The 2021 Tamil FilmJagame Thandhiram starringDhanush was partly filmed in Faversham, including the Iron Wharf.[98]
In August 2023 a copy of a prayer book written byKatharine Parr was found and put on display in the Fleur de Lis Heritage Centre in Faversham. This is the first book printed in English written by a woman.[99]
Local news and television programmes are provided byBBC South East andITV1 Meridian. Television signals are received from theDover andBluebell Hill transmitters as well as a local relay situated to the south west of the town.[100][101]
Faversham's local radio stations areBBC Radio Kent,Heart South,Gold,KMFM Canterbury and Radio Faversham is a community based radio station.[102] The local newspapers areFaversham Times, The Faversham News, Eye andyourswale.[103]
Faversham Recreation Ground (locally known as Faversham Rec, or simply The Rec) is to the east of the town centre. It was established in 1860 by a local solicitor, Henry Wreight, who bequeathed his £70,000 estate, including twoalmshouses housing 70 people, to the town in order that locals would have an area to enjoy.[104][105] The rec has been preserved and is now run by the town's Municipal Charities. A bandstand was added towards the end of the 19th century, and sporting events began to be held on the rec. A week-long party was held to celebrate theCoronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, which drew praise fromPrincess Andrei of Russia, then living near Faversham. A 50-year extension on the lease, signed in 2010, confirmed its continued use by the public.[104]
TheOare Gunpowder Works, close to the scene of the 1916 explosion at Uplees, is now a country park and nature reserve open to the public free of charge. TheOare Marshes are an important reserve for birds.[106] There is an information centre near the site of the formerHarty ferry over the Swale to theIsle of Sheppey. Remains of the process houses and other millleats have been conserved, and various trails are signposted.[107] An early 20th century electric-powered gunpowder mill which was transferred to Ardeer in 1934 has been repatriated to the country park and is on display. The 18th-century works bell has also been repatriated and is on display at Faversham's Fleur de Lis Heritage Centre.[108] Stonebridge Pond, on the site of the original Chart Mills, was donated to Swale Borough Council in the early 1980s. It is now a haven forwading birds.[109]
Faversham Stone Chapel (inNorton, Buckland and Stone) is the remains of the Church of Our Lady of Elwarton, anancient monument managed by The Faversham Society. It was originally used for pagan rituals in pre-Roman Britain, and is the only remaining evidence in Britain of a church incorporating a pagan shrine. The building was converted into a church around AD601 whenPope Gregory I encouraged pagan buildings to be converted rather than destroyed. The church has not seen service since the 16th century and was reported as "being in a state of disrepair" and unused sincethe Reformation.[110]
AlthoughFaversham Abbey was dissolved byHenry VIII the nearby St Mary of Charity,Faversham Parish Church remains, and has been a Grade I listed building since 1950.[111] The church was established in 1147 by King Stephen and Queen Matilda, with a distinctive spire added around 1794 – 97 that can be easily seen from many places around the town.[112] The interior wasrestored in the mid-19th century by the architect SirGeorge Gilbert Scott, who redesigned the nave and transepts and added a stone encasing to the spire.[111] The church reputedly contains the remains of King Stephen, which were recovered from Faversham Creek after the dissolution of the abbey.[113] The church holds an altar dedicated to SaintsCrispin and Crispinian, who reportedly fled to Faversham in the 3rd century.[114]
St Catherine's Church dates from the Norman period and was extensivelyrestored in the 1860s.[115] The nearbyOspringe Church, to the southwest of town, dates from Norman Britain, aside from a replacement tower built in 1866.[116] TheNational Shrine of Saint Jude is a Roman Catholic shrine in the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. It was established in 1955 and regularly attracts Christian pilgrims and various tourists. It is part of a number pilgrimage routes (from London, Aylesford, Ramsgate).[117]
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The Grade II listed St John the Evangelist church on Upper Brents was built in 1881 by Kirk and Son of Sleaford, It was founded by Mrs Hall of Syndale House, Faversham, the widow of a gunpowder manufacturer.[118]
The historic central area, especially the part-pedestrian parts between the station and the creek, attracts visitors, who can learn about the town's history and features at the Fleur-de-Lis centre, which provides tourist information and houses a museum.[119] There is still a regular market several days each week in the market square where the Guildhall stands.[120] Nearby streets feature old pubs, almshouses, shops and a growing collection of art galleries and restaurants.
Faversham Cottage Hospital opened in 1887. It was extended in 1922 and included aWorld War I memorial, which was unveiled by Vice AdmiralHugh Evan-Thomas. The memorial was later adapted to commemorateWorld War II casualties.[121] In 2014, the memorial became Grade II listed.[122]
Faversham Cemetery opened in 1898. The chapel was designed by Edwin Pover. 73 victims of the 1916 gunpowder explosion are buried in the cemetery, where they are commemorated by the Grade II* listedFaversham Munitions Explosion Memorial. Also interred at the cemetery is the Irish novelistKate O'Brien.[123][124]
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Faversham is close to theA2 road, a historically important route from London to Canterbury and the Channel ports. The route began as anancient trackway which the Romans later paved and marked asIter II (Second Route) on theAntonine Itinerary.[125][126] The Anglo-Saxons named itWæcelinga Stræt (Watling Street) and it was marked as such byMatthew Paris in hisSchema Britannie in 1250.[127] The road continued to be an important thoroughfare, and is shown next to Faversham on Philip Symonson's map of Kent published in 1596.[128]
The A2 road still carries traffic between Sittingbourne and Canterbury, though London bound traffic now takes theM2 motorway. TheA299 Thanet Way provides access to the Isle of Thanet and the A251 Ashford Road is a local road toAshford.[129] The Mall is one of the main roads to the town centre from the A2. It was built in the late 18th century as a dignified approach road, and attracted development of villas along its length.[130]
Faversham railway station opened in 1858. It was completely rebuilt in 1898 and is listed Grade II. A former goods shed built as part of the original railway works is also Grade II listed.[131]Southeastern services travel to London, terminating at eitherVictoria orSt Pancras. In the other direction, trains travel either toDover Priory (viaCanterbury East) or toRamsgate (viaMargate). Since 2009 services viaHigh Speed 1 services have linked Faversham toEbbsfleet International,Stratford International and London St Pancras.[132][133]
The town is served by a number of buses.Arriva Southern Counties runs service 333 toSittingbourne andStagecoach in East Kent operates routes 3, 3X, 3A, 3B toCanterbury, and route 666 toAshford. Regent also runs service 638 toWhitstable and 660 toStalisfield Green and Graveney.[134][135]National Cycle Route 1 passes through the town, en route from Whitstable to Sittingbourne.[136] Swale Borough Council have expressed concern over the lack of bus and cycle facilities in the town, when compared to road and rail, and there is a particular lack of public transport to nearby rural areas.[137]
There has been a school in Faversham since the twelfth century. Archival evidence has shown this had become agrammar school by 1420. In 1526, John Cole, chaplain to Henry VII and Henry VIII and Warden ofAll Souls College, Oxford, established a new grammar school on the estate of Ewell Farm. The property fell into disuse after the dissolution of the abbey, and a replacement grammar school was not established until 1587. The Wreights School, a commercial school, was founded in 1856, while a corresponding girls' school, The Gibbs School was established in 1883. The two boys' schools were amalgamated in 1920, formingQueen Elizabeth's Grammar School. The current school dates from 1967, when the boys and girls schools were merged, forming the first co-educational grammar school in Kent.[138]
The Abbey School is a Business and Enterprise Academy formed in September 1983 by the amalgamation of the Ethelbert Road Boys School and Lady Capel School for Girls. It has over 1000 pupils and is located in the south of the town, beside the A2 London Road.[139]
The Faversham Institute was founded in 1862 in East Street, Faversham. Membership was open to everybody with a small subscription fee. It consisted of meeting rooms, halls and a library. Exams could be studied for and sat at the Institute. The Institute published a monthly journal until December 1919. After a local government reorganisation the Institute was demolished in 1979.
Faversham Library is part ofKent Libraries and a branch library managed byKent County Council. The current building is on Newton Road and opened in February 1973.[140]
Faversham Town F.C. were formed in 1884 and compete in Division One South of theIsthmian League. They have a 2000-capacity stadium to the south of the town and are the only team besides the England national football team to wear the 3 lions badge.Faversham Ladies Hockey Club currently play in Division 6 of the South East Hockey League, finishing second at the end of the 2023/24 season. Faversham Ladies are the current holders of the Mina-Jones trophy, beating neighbours Sittingbourne 2-0 in April 2024. The small ladies team play their home games in nearby Sittingbourne, due to a lack of Astro in the town. The King George V playing fields are all that remain of theMount Field,[141] which in 1876 hosted afirst-class match betweenKent andHampshire County Cricket Club.[142]
AuthorRussell Hoban repurposes Faversham as "Fathers Ham" in his 1980, post apocalyptic novelRiddley Walker.[143]
Citations
Osborne de Camera obit circiter A.D 1201. Simon Fritz-Robert per Regum presentanus fed non admittus
Faversham .
Sources
Faversham travel guide from Wikivoyage| International | |
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