Leysdown-on-Sea

infobox UK place
country = England
latitude= 51.4
longitude= 0.91667
official_name= Leysdown-on-Sea
population =
shire_district= Swale
shire_county = Kent
region= South East England
constituency_westminster=
post_town= Sheerness
postcode_district = Medway
postcode_area=
dial_code= 01795 510
os_grid_reference=

Leysdown-on-Sea is a coastal village on the east side of the Isle of Sheppey in the Borough of Swale in Kent, England.

History

It was noted in the Domesday book as being called Legesdun [cite book
last = Rymill
first = John
title = The Three Sheppey Islands in the 19th and 20th Centuries
publisher = Green Arrow Publishing
year = 2006
isbn = 0-9551431-5-2 ] and the name is thought to be derived from the Saxon words "Leswe" [cite book
last = Rymill
first = John
title = The Three Sheppey Islands in the 19th and 20th Centuries
publisher = Green Arrow Publishing
year = 2006
isbn = 0-9551431-5-2 ] (pasture) and "Dun" [cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/kent/places/names/names_l.shtml |title= BBC - Kent Places - Place names - L|accessdate=2008-02-08 |format= HTML|work= BBC Kent website ] (hill).

A very small hamlet up to late Victorian times, it was developed a little after the arrival of the Sheppey Light Railway in 1903, though grand plans for the establishment of a large resort with hotels never materialised. The railway was closed in the 1950s.

Geography

Leysdown is located a mile to the SSE of Warden and three miles to the ESE of Eastchurch. To the SSE lies the hamlet of Shellness and to the southwest is an area of marshland known as the Leysdown marshes. To the northeast is the North Sea, with a shingle beach and mudflats extending out to sea.

Economy

The economy of Leysdown is primarily driven by tourism in the summer months, with a great deal of visitors coming from London. During the winter months the shops, clubs and pubs stay open, with the population of Leysdown, Warden and Bay View providing custom. In the past few years a boot fair has become a regular fixture on Sundays and there's also a market on Saturdays. [cite web |url=http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/rentals/isle-of-sheppey/17679 |title=Holiday lettings on Sheppey |accessdate=2008-02-08 ] In addition, there are several large farms surrounding the village, with a mixture of pasture and arable land.

Briefly in the early 20th century a significant part of the economy came from the embryonic aviation industry, with the UK's first aircraft factory built in Leysdown in 1909 by the Short Brothers. [cite web |url=http://www.eastchurchpc.kentparishes.gov.uk/default.cfm?pid=526 |title= Kent Parish Councils|accessdate=2008-02-08 ] By the following year, however, operations had moved to nearby Eastchurch.

Landmarks

The Spinney is an area of open space in the middle of Leysdown, with a children's play area and benches. It takes its name from the woodland that was present there until the 1960s. [cite web |url=http://www.pbase.com/luckytrev/image/42994697 |title= Photo of Leysdown in the 1960s|accessdate=2008-02-08 ]

Transport

The B2231 road provides the only transport link into Leysdown, with regular bus services from Arriva providing public transport links to the rest of the Isle and the mainland. There was formerly a bus station in Leysdown but it was demolished in the early 1990s; all that's left now is a large concrete area.The Sheppey Light Railway formerly provided a rail link to the rest of the Island but that was dismantled in the 1950s.

Education

There are no schools in Leysdown, with the nearest being Eastchurch Primary School. The nearest secondary school is Minster College.

Religious sites

On the outskirts of Leysdown is the church graveyard. It's all that remains of St Clements Church, which was demolished in the 1980s.

Sheppey Evangelical Church is the nearest active religious site, with All Saint's Church in Eastchurch being the nearest traditional church.

References