Coordinates: 51°13′30″N 1°19′12″E / 51.225°N 1.32°E
| Betteshanger | |
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  Betteshanger shown within Kent |
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| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| District | Dover |
| Shire county | Kent |
| Region | South East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Kent |
| Fire | Kent |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| European Parliament | South East England |
| List of places: UK • England • Kent | |
Betteshanger is a village near Deal in East Kent, England. It gave its name to the largest of the four chief collieries of the Kent coalfield.[1]
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Before the coal mine
Betteshanger parish existed since domesday times and remained a small scattered parish until the advent of the Keny Coalfield. St Mary's church sits almost alone in woodland in the centre of the parish. At 'Little Betteshanger' a cluster of houses surround Betteshanger Farm and are very close to Northbourne Primary School.
Mining in Betteshanger
Betteshanger colliery opened in the late 1920s and was the largest of the Kent collieries. It had two shafts of almost 2000feet, plaques can still be seen where the shafts were once sunk. Betteshanger had a proud tradition of union militancy; it was the first pit to come out on strike during the second world war and took active part in the miners' strikes of 1972, 1974 and 1984/5. It was the last Kent colliery to close, closing for good in 1989.
Village layout
The miners' houses were laid out in three streets: Circular Road, Northway, and Broad Lane. Circular Road, often known simply as 'the circle' is in fact oval in shape and is a one-way street. Houses have even numbers on inside of the circle, and odd on the outside. Northway connects the circle with the rest of the world and is a short two-way street. As a road Broad Lane predates the coal mine and has miners houses on just one side. Additionally, the former village shop is now a domestic dwelling and although numbered as part of Circular Road, sits on an unnamed stub-road which used to serve as the entrance to the colliery itself.
Betteshanger Park Development
With support from SEEDA, a children's play area, including play equipment and a skateboard ramp, and more recently an industrial park, have opened on the site of the former colliery.
References
- ^ Betteshanger Colliery, Coalfields Heritage Initiative Kent
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