Wye, Kent

infobox UK place
country = England
official_name= Wye
static_

static_image_caption=Wye parish church
latitude= 51.1815
longitude= 0.9413
population = 2,384 (Parish) [ [http://www.ashford.gov.uk/about_the_borough/towns_and_villages/wye.aspx Ashford Borough Council] Census 2001]
civil_parish= Wye with Hinxhill
shire_district= Ashford
shire_county= Kent
region= South East England
constituency_westminster= Ashford
post_town= TONBRIDGE
postcode_district = TN25
postcode_area= TN
dial_code= 01233
os_grid_reference= TR055466

Wye is an historic village in Kent, England, located some convert|12|mi|km from Canterbury, and is also the main village in the civil parish of Wye with Hinxhill [ [http://www.wyeweb.org/ Village community website] ] . The parish population was 2,384 (for the entire parish:2001), although the students at Wye College (see below) add to this total.

History

Wye became an important ancient communications centre because of the ford across the Great Stour river connecting the parts of the ancient trackway across the North Downs at this point. The Romans constructed their road between Canterbury and Hastings using the gap through the North Downs; remains of a Roman camp and villa have been found. By medieval times the town was a market, but in the later 18th century the new turnpike had bypassed the village on the opposite bank of the river; the main A28 road does the same today. Wye railway station was built when the line from Ashford to Margate was opened on 1 December 1846 by the South Eastern Railway. [ [http://www.wye.org/history/index.htm History of Wye] ]

Wye Racecourse was here: the first race was run on 29 May 1849, the last 2 May 1974. It is described thus: "Less than one mile (1.6 km) round, and more suited to a greyhound track than a racecourse, Wye could not be entirely classed as the ideal preparation for a tilt at the Champion Hurdle" [ [http://www.greyhoundderby.com/Wye%201967.htm History of Wye Racecourse] ] .

Wye College

The "Wye Campus of the Imperial College of London" ("Wye College") was founded in 1447 as a Latin school and seminary by John Cardinal Kempe, Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chancellor [ [http://www.imperial.ac.uk/wyecampus/about/history.htm History of the College] ] . It has been part of London University since 1900. Until 2005 it was an agricultural college: events in 2005 changed that, but the somewhat fraught situation that arose in 2005 regarding the possibility of large scale development has now been resolved by the formation of the ‘’Wye Community Land Trust’’ by local people. [ [http://www.wyecommunitylandtrust.org.uk/latestnews.htm Wye Community Land Trust] ]

The village

The parish church is dedicated to SS Gregory and MartinOn the Downs east of the village is a crown (hill figure) carved in the chalk by students in 1902 to commemorate the coronation of Edward VII.

Demography

As of the 2001 UK census, the Wye electoral ward had a population of 2,405. The ethnicity was 94.9% white, 1.5% mixed race, 1.8% Asian, 1.2% black and 0.6% other. The place of birth of residents was 85.4% United Kingdom, 1.1% Republic of Ireland, 4.5% other Western European countries, and 9% elsewhere. Religion was recorded as 75.2% Christian, 0.4% Buddhist, 0.4% Hindu, 0% Sikh and 0.2% Jewish, 1.1% Muslim. 15.3% were recorded as having no religion, 0.2% had an alternative religion and 7.2% did not state their religion.cite web | title = Neighbourhood Statistics | publisher = Statistics.gov.uk | url = http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadDatasetList.do?a=3&b=5945409&c=Wye&d=14&g=457076&i=1001x1003&m=0&r=1&s=1203675323775&enc=1&domainId=16 | accessdate = 2008-02-21 ]

The economic activity of residents aged 16–74 was 28.2% in full-time employment, 9.3% in part-time employment, 9.6% self-employed, 1.7% unemployed, 7.7% students with jobs, 16.6% students without jobs, 16.8% retired, 5.4% looking after home or family, 2.8% permanently sick or disabled and 2% economically inactive for other reasons. The industry of employment of residents was 12.8% retail, 9.3% manufacturing, 5.3% construction, 14.1% real estate, 9.9% health and social work, 17.7% education, 4.8% transport and communications, 5.5% public administration, 6.2% hotels and restaurants, 2.4% finance, 6.2% agriculture and 5.8% other. Compared with national figures, the ward had a relatively high proportion of workers in agriculture, education, hotels and restaurants. There were a relatively low proportion in manufacturing, construction, retail, finance, transport and communications. Of the ward's residents aged 16–74, 33.5% had a higher education qualification or the equivalent, compared with 19.9% nationwide.

Events

A farmers market is held in Wye on the first and third Saturday of every month; and an annnual summer festival of blues music and real ale, is held in the grounds of Withersdane, Wye, with profits to charity [ [http://wyeblues.co.uk Annual blues festival] ]

Walks

Wye is on the Pilgrims' Way and at a junction of the North Downs Way, a long distance walk from Farnham in Surrey east to Dover, and the Stour Valley Walk from Lenham via Ashford and Canterbury to Sandwich and finally the English Channel.

Notable Residents

* Aphra Behn, (1640-1689)Restoration dramatist and spy.
* John Kemp, (c1380-1484) English cardinal, Archbishop of Canterbury and Chancellor.
* Catherine Macaulay, (1731-1791) English historian and republican
* Bryan Keith-Lucas, (1912-1996) Political scientist
* David Hewson, (1953-) Author

ee also

* Ashford, Kent
* Chalk figures in the United Kingdom
* Wye weather station

References