Cooling
| Cooling | |
| Kent | |
|---|---|
 The Horseshoe and Castle, Cooling | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TQ755760 |
| Location: | 51°27’19"N, 0°31’34"E |
| Data | |
| Population: | 216 (2011) |
| Post town: | Rochester |
| Postcode: | ME3 |
| Dialling code: | 01634 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Medway |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Rochester and Strood |
Cooling is a village on the Hoo Peninsula of Kent, overlooking the North Kent Marshes six miles north of Rochester. According to the 2011 census the parish had a population of 216.
The manor is recorded in the Domesday Book[1] when it was held by Bishop Odo of Bayeux (half-brother of William the Conqueror). The most notable surviving feature of the village is Cooling Castle, built on the edge of the marshes during the 12th century to defend the neighbouring port of Cliffe from the threat of French raiders.
About the village
- Main article: Cooling Castle
Cooling Castle, at the west end of the village, was built by Sir John Cobham in the 1380s following a French raid on the Thames Estuary. In the early 15th century it was a home for Sir John Oldcastle. In January 1554 it was attacked and badly damaged in a brief siege by Sir Thomas Wyatt during his unsuccessful rebellion against Queen Mary. The castle was subsequently abandoned. A farmhouse and outbuildings were constructed within the ruins. Today the outer gatehouse of the castle can be seen from the side of the road between Cooling and Cliffe.
The parish church of St James dates from the late 13th century.[2] Although it has long been classified 'redundant', and no longer used for regular worship.
The church is maintained by the Churches Conservation Trust and is open to visitors daily. In the churchyard are a group of children's gravestones which are widely considered to have inspired Charles Dickens' description of the churchyard in the opening scene of the novel Great Expectations.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Cooling) |
References
- ↑ Cooling in the Domesday Book
- ↑ "St James, Cooling". Churches Conservation Trust. Archived from the original on 2010-01-15. http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100115232852/http%3A//www.visitchurches.org.uk/findachurch/st%2Djames%2Dcooling/?region%3DKent.