Cheriton, Kent

Cheriton
Kent
St Martin's Church, Cheriton
Location
Grid reference:	TR200368
Location:	51°5’17"N, 1°8’31"E
Data
Post town:	Folkestone
Postcode:	CT19
Dialling code:	01303
Local Government
Council:	Folkestone and Hythe
Parliamentary constituency:	Folkestone and Hythe

Cheriton is a northern suburb of Folkestone in Kent. It is the location of the British terminal of the Channel Tunnel, as well as of the major army barracks, Shorncliffe Camp.

The name of the village is from the Old English Cirice tun, meaning 'Church village'.

The village stands on a level shelf halfway up the escarpment of Folkestone Downs, between Cheriton Hill on the landward side and Sandgate Hill going down to the sea. The Folkestone Downs are the southern end of the North Downs. The Seabrook Stream flows through the west of the district, cutting a scenic valley between Dibgate Camp and St Martin's Plain.

Today, the local economy is dominated by the barracks and Channel Tunnel terminal.

History

The coastal plain where the North Downs meet the Strait of Dover has been of strategic importance since ancient times. Portus Lemanis was a major Roman harbour, overlooked by a fort near where Lympne Castle now stands. The Normans built Folkestone Castle on a spur of Cheriton Hill. The church of St Martin dates back to Saxon times and the name Cheriton means "Church Farm".

The government purchased a large piece of land at Shorncliffe in 1794 and fortified it in preparation for the expected French invasion. Shorncliffe Redoubt is significant as the birthplace of modern infantry tactics. A Royal Commission was set up in 1859 during another invasion panic, which led to the construction of the Palmerston Forts and Shorncliffe Army Camp.

The Army presence led to a dramatic growth of Cheriton in the second half of the 19th century. This led to the distinction being lost between Cheriton and Folkestone, whose expansion was funnelled westward by the escarpment of the Downs.

Construction of the Channel Tunnel began in 1988 and it opened in 1994. The passenger terminal is wedged between the Downs and the M20 motorway just west of Castle Hill, and freight trains are marshalled at Dollands Moor Freight Yard further west.

About the village

The Folkestone White Horse overlooks Cheriton from the Downs north of the Channel Tunnel terminal. The earthworks of Folkestone Castle are just to the east.

Cheriton Halt railway station served the village between 1908 and 1947. It was just east of the bridge on Risborough Lane. The Elham Valley Way is a long-distance path that runs between Cheriton and Sandgate on its way up to Canterbury.

Churches

• Church of England:
  • St Martin's Church
  • All Souls
  • St Nicholas, in the outlying village of Newington.
  • (Garrison church; closed in 2001 and converted to a theatre)
• Baptist: Cheriton Baptist Church
• Roman Catholic: St Joseph's

The Church of St Martin is very ancient, the base of the thirteenth-century tower may have been a Saxon porch. The decorative arcading in the chancel is made of Bethersden marble and is very finely carved. The church gives its name to the military training area of St Martin's Plain and now serves Shorncliffe Camp.

All Souls’ Church of 1895 was built in response to the population growth of the late 19th century. A farmer's widow, Mrs Thompson, died in 1887 leaving a plot of land on the High Street and a bequest of £10,000 for the construction of a church.

Culture and community

The Folkestone & Hythe Operatic & Dramatic Society bought the garrison church in 2001 and converted it into the Tower Theatre. There is a branch library in the High Street.

Sport

• Bowls: Cheriton Bowls Club
• Cricket: Kent County Cricket Club Sussex on Sandgate Plain in 1862, but the last match recorded there was in 1870
• Football: Cheriton Road football stadium; the home ground of Folkestone Invicta

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Kent Cheriton, Kent)