Aylesham

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Aylesham ( /ˈeɪlʃəm/) is a village and civil parish near the cathedral town of Canterbury. Aylesham has its administrative and political seat in the Dover district of Kent in England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 3,884.

The village was once associated with coal-mining. Apart from Aylesham itself the parish includes Snowdown. Both villages are served by railway stations – Aylesham railway station only 10 minutes from Canterbury in a northerly direction and 5 minutes to Snowdown railway station.

History

The village was established in 1926. Designed by Dorman and Long, the village was settled to provide housing for the newly sunk coal mine at nearby Snowdown Colliery. Miners from all parts of the UK, notably South Wales, Scotland and the Northeast, seeking better wages and safer conditions, travelled to the village to work at nearby Snowdown Colliery. Due to this the people of Aylesham have developed a unique accent and vocabulary. The miners bought with them the traditional Male Voice choir, Brass band and Rugby pastimes, all of which are still in evidence today, each of these organisations keeping the colliery name as their identity.

During the Second World War the Aylesham coalminers formed a Home Guard contingent that took part in many rescue operations during the German bombings, especially in Canterbury. Old pillboxes can be found in the fields and woods around the village.

Aylesham has been known to produce a number of talented sports men and women, most notably though an array of talented young footballers. During the 30's and 40's numerous men from the village represented both Tottenham Hotspur, and Coventry City along with a host of other league clubs. Several footballers were sponsored by the Latrobe Soccer Club of Brisbane, Australia to migrate in the early 1960s. Both Henry Brown and Robert Yore came via this way. Brown played and coached at Latrobe, Polonia and Wynnum. Many of the 1960s emigrants settled in a suburb of Brisbane called Acacia Ridge. The resettled families often affectionately referred to this suburb as "Little Aylesham."

Aylesham has been identified by the Dover Local Plan as a location for expansion.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Aylesham

• www.dover.gov.uk/aylesham/

v d e Settlements in the Dover district of Kent Towns Deal Dover Sandwich Walmer Villages and hamlets Alkham Ash Ashley Aycliff Aylesham Barfrestone Barnsole Betteshanger Buckland Buttsole Capel-le-Ferne Chillenden Church Whitfield Coldred Coombe Denton Drellingore East Langdon Eastry East Studdal Elmstone Elvington Ewell Minnis Eythorne Farthingloe Finglesham Frogham Goodnestone Great Mongeham Little Mongeham Guston Hacklinge Ham Hoaden Hougham Kearsney Kingsdown Knowlton Langdon Lydden Marley Marshborough Martin Martin Mill Maxton Nonington Northbourne Preston-next-Wingham Richborough Ringwould Ripple River Shepherdswell Sholden Sibertswold Snowdown St Margaret-at-Cliffe Staple Stourmouth Sutton Swingate Temple Ewell Tilmanstone Waldershare Ware West Langdon West Studdal Westcliffe Westmarsh Whitfield Wingham Woodnesborough Wootton Worth Civil parishes List of civil parishes in Kent List of places in Kent

Coordinates: 51°13′31″N 1°12′6″E / 51.22528°N 1.20167°E / 51.22528; 1.20167