Kent: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 17:22, 19 November 2025

Template:Short description Script error: No such module "about". Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox English county

Kent is a ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Greater London to the north-west.

The county has an area of Template:Convert and had population of 1,875,893 in 2022. The north-west of Kent is densely populated, with Dartford and Gravesend belonging to the Greater London conurbation and Chatham, Gillingham and Rochester forming a second conurbation around the River Medway; the town of Maidstone is located to their south. The remainder of the county is more rural, and its principal settlements include the city of Canterbury in the north-east, the seaside resort of Margate on the north-east coast, and the ports of Dover and Folkestone on the east coast. For local government purposes Kent consists of a non-metropolitan county, with twelve districts, and the unitary authority area of Medway. The county historically included south-east Greater London, and is one of the home counties.

The north of Kent is a plain bordering the Thames Estuary. South of this is the North Downs, a chalk downland ridge which crosses the county from north-west to south-east and which forms dramatic chalk cliffs, including the White Cliffs of Dover, where it meets the English Channel.^[1] The south-west of the county contains part of the Greensand Ridge and the Weald, the area between the North and South Downs.^[2]^[3]^[4] The south-east of the county contains the low-lying Romney Marsh.^[5] The North Downs and High Weald have been designated national landscapes. The geography of the county lends itself to the cultivation of fruit orchards, and it has been nicknamed "the Garden of England".^[6] In north-west Kent, industries include aggregate building material extraction, printing, and scientific research. Coal mining has also played its part in the county's industrial heritage.

Kent's location between London and the Strait of Dover, the narrowest crossing point between England and mainland Europe, has led to the county being the point of entry for many prominent figures and groups in British history. It was one of the first British territories to be settled by Germanic tribes, most notably the Jutes, following the withdrawal of the Romans.^[7] In the 6th century, Saint Augustine landed in the county to begin the conversion of England to Christianity and became the first archbishop of Canterbury; Canterbury Cathedral is now a World Heritage Site. England relied on the county's ports to provide warships through much of its history; the Cinque Ports in the 10th^[8]–14th centuries and Chatham Dockyard in the 16th–20th centuries were of particular importance. Dover Castle has been described as the "key of England" due to its strategic significance.^[9]

Etymology

File:BnF gr 1397 42r Kent in Strabo's Geographica (1.4.3).jpg

Kent in Strabo's Geographica (1.4.3) from a 10th century manuscript.

File:Anglo-Saxon Chronicle - kentland (British Library Cotton MS Tiberius A VI, folio 4r).jpg

Kent, as it appears in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle between 11th and 12th centuries

The name is of Celtic origin and is one of the oldest place names of the British Isles still in use today, being first recorded in a periplus in ancient Greek of the Template:Circa by Pytheas. The original work, which does not survive, he is quoted explicitly by Strabo (Geog. 1.4.3)^[10] and implicitly by Diodorus (BH 5.21).^[11]

ὁ δὲ πλειόνων ἢ δισμυρίων τὸ μῆκος ἀποφαίνει τῆς νήσου, καὶ τὸ Κάντιον ἡμερῶν τινων πλοῦν ἀπέχειν τῆς Κελτικῆς φησι^[12]

Translation:

Yet he [Pytheas] declares that the extent of the island is more than 20,000 stadia and says that Kantion is several days' sail from Keltike.^[13]

As such, it has been claimed as the "oldest recorded name still in use in England".^[14]

The meaning has been explained as 'coastal district', 'corner-land' or 'land on the edge' (Template:Langx 'bordering of a circle, tyre, edge'; Template:Langx 'circle'; Template:Langx 'side, edge'). In Latin sources the area is called Script error: No such module "Lang". or Script error: No such module "Lang"., while the Anglo-Saxons referred to it as Script error: No such module "Lang"., Script error: No such module "Lang". or Script error: No such module "Lang"..^[15]^[16]

History

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The area was first occupied by early humans, intermittently due to periods of extreme cold, during the Palaeolithic (Old Stone Age), as attested by an early Neanderthal skull found in the quarries at Swanscombe. The Medway megaliths were built during the Neolithic era. There is a rich sequence of Bronze Age, Celtic Iron Age, and Britto-Roman era occupation, as indicated by finds and features such as the Ringlemere gold cup and the Roman villas of the Darent valley.^[17]

Julius Caesar described the area as Script error: No such module "Lang"., or the home of the Cantiaci, in 51 BC.^[18] The extreme west of the modern county was by the time of Roman Britain occupied by a Celtic Iron Age tribe known as the Regni. Caesar wrote that the people of Kent were "by far the most civilised inhabitants of Britain".^[16]

File:FlagOfKent.svg

The flag of the historic county of Kent

Following the withdrawal of the Romans, large numbers of Germanic speakers from mainland Europe settled in Kent, bringing their language, which came to be Old English. While they expelled the native Romano-British population, some likely remained in the area, eventually assimilating with the newcomers.^[19] Of the invading tribes, the Jutes were the most prominent, and the area became a Jutish kingdom^[20] recorded as Cantia in about 730 and Cent in 835. The early medieval inhabitants of the county were referred to as the Cantwara, or Kentish people. The city of Canterbury was the largest in Kent.^[21]

In 597, Pope Gregory I appointed the religious missionary (who became Saint Augustine of Canterbury after his death) as the first Archbishop of Canterbury. In the previous year, Augustine successfully converted the pagan King Æthelberht of Kent to Christianity. The Diocese of Canterbury became England's first Episcopal See with first cathedral and has since remained England's centre of Christianity.^[22] The second designated English cathedral was for West Kent at Rochester Cathedral.^[23]

Kent was traditionally partitioned into East and West Kent, and into lathes and hundreds. The traditional border of East and West Kent was the county's main river, the Medway. Men and women from east of the Medway are Men (or Maids) of Kent, those from the west are Kentishmen or Kentish Maids.^[16] The divide has been explained by some as originating in the Anglo-Saxon migrations, with Jutes mainly settling east of the Medway and Saxons settling west of it.^[24]^[25]

In the 11th century, the people of Kent (or Chenth, per the Domesday Book) adopted the motto Invicta, meaning "undefeated" or "unconquered". The adoption of this motto followed the invasion of Britain by William of Normandy, as he was unable to subdue the county and they negotiated favourable terms. The continued resistance of the Kentish people against the Normans led to Kent's designation as a semi-autonomous county palatine in 1067. Under the nominal rule of William's half-brother Odo of Bayeux, the county was granted similar powers to those granted in the areas bordering Wales and Scotland.^[26]

During the medieval and early modern period, Kent played a major role in several of England's most notable rebellions, including the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, led by Wat Tyler,^[27] Jack Cade's Kent rebellion of 1450, and Wyatt's Rebellion of 1554 against Queen Mary I.^[28]

File:HistorieKent1576.jpg

Title page of William Lambarde's Perambulation of Kent (completed in 1570 and published in 1576), a historical description of Kent and the first published county history

The Royal Navy first used the River Medway in 1547. By the reign of Elizabeth I (1558–1603) a small dockyard had been established at Chatham. By 1618, storehouses, a ropewalk, a drydock, and houses for officials had been built downstream from Chatham.^[29]

File:Cantium southsexia surria meddlesexia Atlas.jpg

Hand-drawn map of Kent, Sussex, Surrey and Middlesex from 1575

By the 17th century, tensions between Britain and the powers of the Netherlands and France led to increasing military build-up in the county. Forts were built all along the coast following the raid on the Medway, a successful attack by the Dutch navy on the shipyards of the Medway towns in 1667.^[30]

The 18th century was dominated by wars with France, during which the Medway became the primary base for a fleet that could act along the Dutch and French coasts. When the theatre of operation moved to the Atlantic, this role was assumed by Portsmouth and Plymouth, with Chatham concentrating on shipbuilding and ship repair. As an indication of the area's military importance, the first Ordnance Survey map ever drawn was a one-inch map of Kent, published in 1801.^[31] Many of the Georgian naval buildings still stand.

In the early 19th century, smugglers were very active on the Kent coastline. Gangs such as The Aldington Gang brought spirits, tobacco and salt to the county, and transported goods such as wool across the sea to France.^[32]

In 1889, the County of London was created and took over responsibility for local administration of parts of north-west Kent. These included the towns of Greenwich, Woolwich, Plumstead, Deptford, Lee, Eltham, Charlton, and Kidbrooke. In 1900, however, Kent absorbed the district of Penge. Some of Kent is contiguous with the Greater London sprawl, notably parts of Dartford.

Originally, the border between Kent and Sussex (later East Sussex) ran through the towns of Tunbridge Wells and Lamberhurst. In 1894, by the Local Government Act, the parts of these towns that lay in East Sussex were absorbed by Kent.

During the Second World War, much of the Battle of Britain was fought in the skies over Kent.

Between June 1944 and March 1945, more than 10,000 V1 flying bombs, or "Doodlebugs", were fired towards London from bases in Northern France. Although many were destroyed by aircraft, anti-aircraft guns and barrage balloons, both London and Kent were hit by around 2,500 of these bombs.

After the war, Kent's borders changed several more times. In 1965, the London boroughs of Bromley and Bexley were created from nine towns formerly in Kent.^[33]^[34] In 1998, Rochester, Strood, Chatham, Gillingham and Rainham left the administrative county of Kent to form the unitary authority of Medway. Plans for another unitary authority in north-west Kent were dropped, but in 2016 consultations began between five Kent local authorities (Canterbury, Thanet, Dover, Folkestone & Hythe, and Ashford) with a view to forming a new unified authority for East Kent, although remaining within the auspices of Kent County Council. This idea was eventually dropped.

For almost nine centuries, a small part of present-day East London (the North Woolwich, London E16 area), formed part of Kent.

Geography

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File:White cliffs of dover 09 2004.jpg

The White Cliffs of Dover

File:France manche vue dover.JPG

View of the White Cliffs of Dover from France

File:A map of Romney Marsh (1662).jpg

A map of Romney Marsh "The history of imbanking and drayning" by William Dugdale (1662)

Kent is in the southeastern corner of England. It borders the Thames Estuary and the North Sea to the north, and the Straits of Dover and the English Channel to the south. France is Template:Convert across the Strait.^[35]

The major geographical features of the county are based on a series of ridges and valleys running east–west across the county. These are the results of erosion of the Wealden dome, a dome across Kent and Sussex created by alpine movements 20–10 million years ago. This dome consists of an upper layer of chalk above successive layers of Upper Greensand, Gault Clay, Lower Greensand, Weald Clay, and Wealden sandstone. The ridges and valleys formed when the exposed clay eroded faster than the exposed chalk, greensand, or sandstone.

Sevenoaks, Maidstone, Ashford, and Folkestone are built on greensand,^[36] while Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells are built on sandstone.^[37] Dartford, Gravesend, the Medway towns, Sittingbourne, Faversham, Canterbury, Deal, and Dover are built on chalk.^[36]^[37] The easterly section of the Wealden dome has been eroded away by the sea, and cliffs such as the White Cliffs of Dover are present where a chalk ridge known as the North Downs meets the coast. Spanning Dover and Westerham is the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.^[38]

The Wealden dome is a Mesozoic structure lying on a Palaeozoic foundation, which can often create the right conditions for coal formation. This is found in East Kent roughly between Deal, Canterbury, and Dover. The Coal Measures within the Westphalian Sandstone are about Template:Convert deep, and are subject to flooding. They occur in two major troughs, which extend under the English Channel.^[39]

Seismic activity has occasionally been recorded in Kent, though the epicentres were offshore. In 1382 and 1580 there were two earthquakes exceeding 6.0 on the Richter Scale. In 1776, 1950, and on 28 April 2007 there were earthquakes of around 4.3. The 2007 earthquake caused physical damage in Folkestone.^[40] A further quake on 22 May 2015 measured 4.2 on the Richter Scale.^[41] It was centred in the Sandwich area of east Kent at about ten miles below the surface. There was little if any damage reported.

File:KentGeologyWealdenDome.svg

Geological cross-section of Kent, showing how it relates to major towns

The coastline of Kent is continuously changing, due to tectonic uplift and coastal erosion. Until about 960, the Isle of Thanet was an island, separated by the Wantsum channel, formed around a deposit of chalk; over time, the channels silted up with alluvium. Similarly Romney Marsh and Dungeness have been formed by accumulation of alluvium.^[37]

Kent's principal river, the River Medway, rises near East Grinstead in Sussex and flows eastwards to Maidstone. Here it turns north and breaks through the North Downs at Rochester, then joins the estuary of the River Thames near Sheerness. The Medway is some Template:Convert long.^[42]^[43] The river is tidal as far as Allington lock, but in earlier times, cargo-carrying vessels reached as far upstream as Tonbridge.^[42] The Medway has captured the head waters of other rivers such as the River Darent. Other rivers of Kent include the River Stour in the east.

A 2014 study found that Kent shares significant reserves of shale oil with other neighbouring counties, totalling 4.4 billion barrels of oil, which then Business and Energy Minister Michael Fallon said "will bring jobs and business opportunities" and significantly help with UK energy self-sufficiency. Fracking in the area is required to achieve these objectives; it has been opposed by environmental groups.^[44]

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Climate

Kent is one of the warmest parts of Britain. On 10 August 2003, in the hamlet of Brogdale near Faversham the temperature reached Template:Convert, at that time the highest temperature ever officially recorded in the United Kingdom. The record still stands as the hottest August day ever recorded.^[45] Template:Weather box

Governance

File:Arms of Kent County Council.svg

The coat of arms of Kent County Council

Kent County Council and its twelve district councils administer most of the county (3352 km²), whilst the Medway Council administers the more densely populated Medway unitary authority (192 km²), independently of the county council.^[46] Together they have around 300 town and parish councils. Kent County Council's headquarters are in Maidstone,^[47] while Medway's offices are at Gun Wharf, Chatham.

For most of its history since the local government reforms instituted by the Local Government Act 1972, Kent County Council has used to be under Conservative Party control until the latest election. At the most recent county council election in 2025, the Reform UK won the election with 57 seats. Also elected were twelve Liberal Democrats, five from the Conservatives, five from the Green Party and two from the Labour Party.

Of Kent's thirteen districts, two are under Conservative control (Sevenoaks, Dartford), four are under Labour control (Gravesham, Medway, Thanet, Dover), one is under Liberal Democrat control (Tunbridge Wells), and six are under no overall control and are administered by coalitions (Tonbridge and Malling, Maidstone, Swale, Ashford, Canterbury, Folkestone and Hythe). Notably, Thanet is the only council in the United Kingdom to have come under UK Independence Party (UKIP) control, which it did in 2015.^[48]

At the national level, Kent is represented in the House of Commons by eighteen Members of Parliament (MPs). The county has historically been dominated by the Conservative Party at general elections. Prior to 2024, the party had won a majority of Kentish seats in every election since the local government reforms of 1974, including during Labour's landslide victories of 1997 and 2001. In both 2010 and 2015, the Conservatives won every seat in the county.^[49] The 2024 election saw a sharp decline in support for the Conservatives, and the county is currently represented by eleven Labour MPs, six Conservatives and one Liberal Democrat.

General Election 2015: Kent
Party	style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"\|Conservative	style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"\|UKIP	style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"\|Labour	style="background:Template:Party color"\|Lib Dem	style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"\|Green	Others	Turnout
Votes	422,119 Template:Wbr(49.2%)	174,476 Template:Wbr(20.3%)	171,990 Template:Wbr(20.0%)	54,151 Template:Wbr(6.3%)	31,069 Template:Wbr(3.6%)	4,221 Template:Wbr(0.5%)	858,026
Seats	17 Steady	0 Steady	0 Steady	0 Steady	0 Steady	0 Steady

General Election 2017: Kent
Party	style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"\|Conservative	style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"\|Labour	style="background:Template:Party color"\|Lib Dem	style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"\|UKIP	style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"\|Green	Others	Turnout
Votes	503,068 Template:Wbr(56.4%) Increase80,949	282,296 Template:Wbr(31.7%) Increase110,306	49,153 Template:Wbr(5.5%) Decrease4,998	31,732 Template:Wbr(3.6%) Decrease142,744	19,469 Template:Wbr(2.2%) Decrease11,600	5,818 Template:Wbr(0.7%)	891,536 Increase33,510
Seats	16 Decrease1	1 Increase1	0 Steady	0 Steady	0 Steady	0 Steady

General Election 2019: Kent
Party	style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"\|Conservative	style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"\|Labour	style="background:Template:Party color"\|Lib Dem	style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"\|Green	Others	Turnout
Votes	532,342 Template:Wbr(60.1%) Increase29,274	221,554 Template:Wbr(25.0%) Decrease60,742	91,974 Template:Wbr(10.4%) Increase42,821	28,264 Template:Wbr(3.2%) Increase8,795	11,063 Template:Wbr(1.2%)	885,197 Decrease6,339
Seats	16 Steady	1 Steady	0 Steady	0 Steady	0 Steady

General Election 2024: Kent
Party	style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"\|Conservative	style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"\|Labour	style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"\|Reform	style="background:Template:Party color"\|Lib Dem	style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"\|Green	Others	Turnout
Votes	251,130 Template:Wbr(30.3%) Decrease281,212	249,069 Template:Wbr(30.1%) Increase27,515	168,652 Template:Wbr(20.4%) New party	81,309 Template:Wbr(9.8%) Decrease10,665	64,303 Template:Wbr(7.8%) Increase36,039	13,147 Template:Wbr(1.6%)	827,610 Decrease57,587
Seats	6 Decrease10	11 Increase10	0 Steady	1 Increase1	0 Steady	0 Steady

Demography

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Template:Location map+

At the 2011 census,^[50] Kent, including Medway, had 1,727,665 residents (18.0% of which in Medway); had 711,847 households (17.5% of which in Medway) and had 743,436 dwellings (14.8% of which in Medway). 51.1% of Kent's population excluding Medway was female — as to Medway, this proportion was 50.4%.

The tables below provide statistics for the administrative county of Kent, that is, excluding Medway.

*Main household types*^[50]
Married couples with/without children	Sole occupants	Unmarried couples with/without children	Lone parents	Shared homes and institutions
210,671	174,331 of which 79,310 over aged 65	63,750	60,645	77,877

*Claimants of JSA or Income Support (DWP)*^[50]
Unit	Claimants		Population (April 2011)
Unit	August 2012	August 2001	Population (April 2011)
Kent	55,100	89,470	1,463,740
% of 2011 Kent resident population (2001 population where applicable)	3.8%	6.7%	-
Three highest-ranking districts
Thanet	6.5%	11.3%	134,186
Folkestone and Hythe	4.9%	8.9%	107,969
Swale	4.8%	7.5%	135,835
Three lowest-ranking districts
Tonbridge and Malling	2.5%	4.4%	120,805
Sevenoaks	2.3%	4.3%	114,893
Tunbridge Wells	2.2%	5.1%	115,049

Economy

File:StreetFarmOastFrittendenKent(ValVannet)Apr2006.jpg

Converted oast houses at Frittenden

At the 2001 UK census Template:Category handler Template:Category handler^{[<span title="Script error: No such module "string".">out of date]}Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".,^[50] employment statistics for the residents in Kent, including Medway, were as follows: 41.1% in full-time employment, 12.4% in part-time employment, 9.1% self-employed, 2.9% unemployed, 2.3% students with jobs, 3.7% students without jobs, 12.3% retired, 7.3% looking after home or family, 4.3% permanently sick or disabled, and 2.7% economically inactive for other reasons. Of residents aged 16–74, 16% had a higher education qualification or the equivalent, compared to 20% nationwide.^[50]

The average hours worked per week by residents of Kent were 43.1 for males and 30.9 for females. Their industry of employment was 17.3% retail, 12.4% manufacturing, 11.8% real estate, 10.3% health and social work, 8.9% construction, 8.2% transport and communications, 7.9% education, 6.0% public administration and defence, 5.6% finance, 4.8% other community and personal service activities, 4.1% hotels and restaurants, 1.6% agriculture, 0.8% energy and water supply, 0.2% mining, and 0.1% private households. This is higher than the whole of England for construction and transport/communications and lower for manufacturing.

Kent is sometimes known as the "Garden of England" for its abundance of orchards and hop gardens. In particular the county produces tree-grown fruits,^[51] strawberries and hazelnuts.^[52] Distinctive hop-drying buildings called oasts are common in the countryside, although many have been converted into dwellings. Nearer to London, market gardens also flourish. Kent is the main area for hazelnut production in the UK.

However, in recent years, there has been a significant drop in agriculture, and industry and services are increasing their utilisation of the area. This is illustrated by the following table of economic indicator gross value added (GVA) between 1995 and 2003Template:Category handler Template:Category handler^{[<span title="Script error: No such module "string".">out of date]}Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". (figures are in £ millions):^[53]

Year	Regional GVA<templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>^[A]	Agriculture		Industry<templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>^[B]		Services<templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>^[C]
County of Kent (excluding Medway)
1995	12,369	379	3.1%	3,886	31.4%	8,104	65.5%
2000	15,259	259	1.7%	4,601	30.2%	10,399	68.1%
2003	18,126	287	1.6%	5,057	27.9%	12,783	70.5%
Medway
1995	1,823	21	3.1%	560	31.4%	1,243	68.2%
2000	2,348	8	1.7%	745	30.2%	1,595	67.9%
2003	2,671	10	1.6%	802	27.9%	1,859	69.6%

<templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>^A Components may not sum to totals due to rounding

<templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>^B includes energy and construction

<templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>^C includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured

North Kent is heavily industrialised, with cement-making at Northfleet and Cuxton, brickmaking at Sittingbourne, shipbuilding on the Medway and Swale, engineering and aircraft design and construction at Rochester, chemicals at Dartford, papermaking at Swanley, and oil refining at Grain.^[33] There is a steel mini mill in Sheerness and a rolling mill in Queenborough. There are two nuclear power stations at Dungeness, although the older one, Dungeness A, built in 1965, was decommissioned in 2006.^[54]

Cement-making, papermaking, and coal-mining were important industries in Kent during the 19th and 20th centuries. Cement came to the fore in the 19th century when massive building projects were undertaken. The ready supply of chalk and huge pits between Stone and Gravesend bear testament to that industry. There were also other workings around Burham on the tidal Medway.^[55] Chalk, gravel and clay were excavated on Dartford Heath for centuries.

Kent's original paper mills stood on streams like the River Darent, tributaries of the River Medway, and on the River Stour. Two 18th century mills were on the River Len and at Tovil on the River Loose. In the late 19th century huge modern mills were built at Dartford and Northfleet on the River Thames and at Kemsley on The Swale. In pre-industrial times, almost every village and town had its own windmill or watermill, with over 400 windmills known to have stood at some time. Twenty-eight survive within the county today, plus two replica mills and a further two in that part of Kent now absorbed into London. All the major rivers in the county were used to power watermills.

From about 1900, several coal pits operated in East Kent. The Kent Coalfield was mined during the 20th century at several collieries,^[56] including Chislet, Tilmanstone, Betteshanger, and the Snowdown Colliery, which ran from 1908 to 1986.^[57]

The west of the county (including Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, and Sevenoaks) has less than 50% of the average claimant count for low incomes or worklessness as the coastal districts of Dover, Folkestone and Hythe, and Thanet (chiefly three resorts: Ramsgate, Broadstairs, and Margate). West and Central Kent have long had many City of London commuters.

Culture

Architecture

File:Canterbury Cathedral - Portal Nave Cross-spire.jpeg

Canterbury Cathedral

Kent's geographical location between the Straits of Dover and London has influenced its architecture, as has its Cretaceous geology and its good farming land and fine building clays. Kent's countryside pattern was determined by a gavelkind inheritance system that generated a proliferation of small settlements. There was no open-field system, and the large tracts were owned by the two great abbeys, Christ Church, Canterbury and St Augustine's Abbey, that did not pass into the hands of the king during the Reformation. Canterbury Cathedral is the United Kingdom's metropolitan cathedral; it was founded in AD 598 and displays architecture from all periods. There are nine Anglo-Saxon churches in Kent. Rochester Cathedral is England's second-oldest cathedral, the present building built in the Early English Style.^[58]

The sites of Richborough Castle and Dover Castle, along with two strategic sites along Watling Street, were fortified by the Romans and the Dukes of Kent. Other important sites include Canterbury city walls and Rochester Castle.^[59] Deal Castle, Walmer Castle, Sandown Castle (whose remains were eroded by the sea in the 1990s) were constructed in late mediaeval times, and HM Dockyard, at Chatham and its surrounding castles and forts—Upnor Castle, Great Lines, and Fort Amherst since then.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Kent has three unique vernacular architecture forms: the oast house, the Wealden hall house, and Kentish peg-tiles.

Kent has bridge trusts to maintain its bridges. The great bridge (1387) at Rochester was replaced. There are medieval structures at Aylesford, Yalding and Teston.^[60] With the motorways in the late twentieth century came the M2 motorway bridge spanning the Medway and the Dartford tunnel and the Dartford Bridge spanning the Thames.

Literature and publishing

Kent has provided inspiration for several notable writers and artists. It has been suggested that Kent inspired many settings in Shakespeare's plays, and he described it in the line 'Sweet is the country, and is full of riches / The people liberal, active, valiant, worthy.'^[61] Canterbury's religious role gave rise to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, a key development in the English language. The father of novelist Charles Dickens worked at the Chatham Dockyard; in many of his books, the celebrated novelist featured the scenery of Chatham, Rochester, and the Cliffe marshes.^[62] During the late 1930s, Nobel Prize-awarded novelist William Golding worked as a teacher at Maidstone Grammar School, where he met his future wife Ann Brookfield.^[63] William Caxton, who first introduced the printing press to England, was born in Kent; the recent invention was key in helping many Kent dialect words and spellings to become standard in English. Lord Northbourne hosted a biodynamic agriculture conference on his estate at Betteshanger in the summer of 1939, he coined the term 'organic farming' and published his manifesto of organic agriculture the following year spawning a global movement for sustainable agriculture and food.^[64]

Classical music

Many notable musicians have been associated with Kent.^[65] Walter Galpin Alcock, composer and organist, who played the organ at the coronations of Edward VII, George V and George VI, was born at Edenbridge in 1861. Richard Rodney Bennett, composer and pianist, was born at Broadstairs in 1936. Alfred Deller, counter-tenor singer, was born at Margate in 1912. Orlando Gibbons, composer and organist, died in Canterbury on 5 June 1625 and is buried in the cathedral. George Frideric Handel took the waters at Royal Tunbridge Wells in 1734 and 1735. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, together with his father, mother and sister, stayed at Bourne Park House near Canterbury, 25–30 July 1765. The nights of 24 and 30 July were spent in Canterbury, where they also went to the horse races. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, then an 18-year-old sea cadet, was anchored at Gravesend from November 1862 to February 1863; while there, he completed the slow movement of his First Symphony. Malcolm Sargent, conductor, was born at Ashford in 1895. Thomas Tallis, composer and organist, was a lay clerk of Canterbury Cathedral around 1541–2. Peter Warlock, composer and writer on music, and Ernest John Moeran, composer, resided at Eynsford from 1925 to 1928; Arnold Bax, William Walton and Constant Lambert visited them here. Percy Whitlock, organist and composer, was born at Chatham in 1903.

Visual arts

A number of significant artists came from Kent, including Thomas Sidney Cooper, a painter of landscapes, often incorporating farm animals,^[66] Richard Dadd, a maker of faery paintings, and Mary Tourtel, the creator of the children's book character, Rupert Bear. The artist Clive Head was also born in Kent. The landscape painter J. M. W. Turner spent part of his childhood in the town of Margate in East Kent, and regularly returned to visit it throughout his life. The East Kent coast inspired many of his works, including some of his most famous seascapes.^[67] Kent has also been the home to artists including Frank Auerbach, Tracey Emin and Stass Paraskos.

Kent was also the location of the largest number of art schools in the country during the nineteenth century, estimated by the art historian David Haste, to approach two hundred. This is believed to be the result of Kent being a front line county during the Napoleonic Wars. At this time, before the invention of photography, draughtsmen were used to draw maps and topographical representations of the fields of battle, and after the wars ended many of these settled permanently in the county in which they had been based. Once the idea of art schools had been established, even in small towns in Kent, the tradition continued, although most of the schools were very small one-man operations, each teaching a small number of daughters of the upper classes how to draw and make watercolour paintings. Nonetheless, some of these small art schools developed into much larger organisations, including Canterbury College of Art, founded by Thomas Sidney Cooper in 1868, which is today the University for the Creative Arts.^[68]

Blean near Canterbury was home to Smallfilms, the production company founded by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin and responsible for children's TV favourites Noggin the Nog, Ivor the Engine and Bagpuss.

Performing arts

The county's largest theatre is the Marlowe Theatre in the centre of Canterbury.^[69]

Music festivals that take place in Kent include Chilled in a Field Festival, Electric Gardens, Hop Farm Festival, In the Woods Festival, Lounge On The Farm and the annual Smugglers Festival near Deal. Other venues for live music include Leas Cliff Hall in Folkestone and the Assembly Hall in Tunbridge Wells.

Transport

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Roads

File:MedwayM2BridgeCloud0169.JPG

The M2 and High Speed 1 crossing the Medway Valley, south of Rochester

With the Roman invasion, a road network was constructed to connect London to the Channel ports of Dover, Lympne and Richborough. The London–Dover road was Watling Street. These roads are now approximately the A2, B2068, A257, and the A28. The A2 runs through Dartford (A207), Gravesend, Rochester, Canterbury, and Dover; the A20 through Eltham, Wrotham, Maidstone, Charing, Ashford. Hythe, Folkestone and Dover; the A21 around Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells and on to Hastings in East Sussex.^[33]

In the 1960s, two motorways were built; the M2 from Medway to Faversham, and the M20 from Swanley to Folkestone. Part of the M25 runs through Kent, from Westerham to the Dartford Crossing. The M26 motorway, built in 1980, provides a short link between the M25 at Sevenoaks and the M20 near Wrotham. Kent currently has more motorways by distance than any other county in the UK, with sections of the M2, M20, M25 and M26 totalling 173 km (107 mi) within the extents of the ceremonial county. ^[70]

In the run-up to Britain leaving the European Union, Government minister Michael Gove confirmed that the Government intended to impose a de facto border between Kent and the rest of England for freight lorries,^[71] in order to deal with expected lorry queues of 7,000 or more^[72] at Folkestone, Dover and other ports. Heavy goods vehicle operators need to apply for a 24-hour Kent Access Permit (KAP) to take a vehicle of 7.5 tonnes or more into Kent if their intention is to cross to the EU via Dover or the Eurotunnel.^[73]

Water

The medieval Cinque Ports, except for the Port of Dover, have all now silted up. The Medway Estuary has been an important port and naval base for 500 years. The River Medway is tidal up to Allington and navigable up to Tonbridge. Kent's two canals are the Royal Military Canal between Hythe and Rye, which still exists, and the Thames and Medway Canal between Strood and Gravesend. Built-in 1824, it was purchased in 1846 by the railways, which partially backfilled it.^[33] Container ports are at Ramsgate and Thamesport. Following the closures across the lower Medway, and the Swale to the Isle of Sheppey, during the 20th century, the Woolwich Ferry is the only domestic ferry that runs in the broadest definition of the county.

Railways

File:StroodCTRL2.JPG

A Template:Convert Eurostar train at km 48 (mile 30) on High Speed 1, near Strood

The earliest locomotive-driven passenger-carrying railway in Britain was the Canterbury & Whitstable Railway which opened in 1830.^[74] This and the London & Greenwich Railway later merged into South Eastern Railway (SER).^[75] By the 1850s, SER's networks had expanded to Ashford, Ramsgate, Canterbury, Tunbridge Wells, and the Medway towns. SER's major London termini were London Bridge, Charing Cross, and Cannon Street. Kent also had a second major railway, the London, Chatham & Dover Railway. Originally the East Kent Railway in 1858, it linked the northeast Kent coast with London terminals at Victoria and Blackfriars.

The two companies merged in 1899, forming the South Eastern & Chatham Railway, further amalgamated with other railways by the Railways Act 1921 to form the Southern Railway.^[75] Britain's railways were nationalised in 1948, forming British Railways. The railways were privatised in 1996 and most Kent passenger services were franchised to Connex South Eastern.^[76] Following financial difficulties, Connex lost the franchise and was replaced by South Eastern Trains and after Southeastern.^[77]

The Channel Tunnel was completed in 1994 and High Speed 1 in November 2007 with a London terminus at St Pancras. A new station, Ebbsfleet International, opened between Dartford and Gravesend, serving northern Kent.^[78] The high speed lines will be utilised to provide a faster train service to coastal towns like Ramsgate and Folkestone. This station is in addition to the existing station at Ashford International, which has suffered a massive cut in service as a result.

File:P9300406.JPG

Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway

In addition to the "main line" railways, there are several light, heritage, and industrial railways in Kent. There are three heritage, standard gauge railways; Spa Valley Railway near Tunbridge Wells on the old Tunbridge Wells West branch, East Kent Railway on the old East Kent coalfield area and the Kent & East Sussex Railway on the Weald around Tenterden. In addition, there is the Template:Convert gauge, Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway on the southeast Kent coast along the Dungeness peninsula. Finally, there is the Template:Convert, industrial Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway, previously the Bowaters Paper Railway.

Air

Charter flights are provided by Lydd Airport at Lydd.

In 2002, it was revealed that the government was considering building a new four-runway airport on the marshland near the village of Cliffe on Hoo Peninsula.^[79] This plan was dropped in 2003 following protests by cultural and environmental groups.^[80] However further plans for a Thames Estuary Airport on the Kent coast have subsequently emerged, including the Thames Hub Airport, again sited on the Isle of Grain and designed by Lord Foster,^[81]^[82] and the London Britannia Airport plan, colloquially known as "Boris Island" due to its being championed by the former Mayor of London Boris Johnson, which would see a six runway airport built on an artificial island to be towards the Shivering Sands area, north-east of Whitstable.^[82]^[83] Both of these options were dropped in 2014 in favour of expansion at either Gatwick or Heathrow Airport, the latter finally being the chosen option following Theresa May's installation as Prime Minister in summer 2016.

Manston Airport, located near the village of Manston in the Thanet district, was a former RAF facility that also handled some civilian flights. It closed in 2014.^[84]

Education

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Kent has four universities: Canterbury Christ Church University with campuses throughout East Kent; University of Kent, with campuses in Canterbury and Medway; University of Greenwich (a London University), with sites at Woolwich, Eltham, London and Medway; the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) also has three of its five campuses in the county.

Although much of Britain adopted a comprehensive education system in the 1970s, Kent County Council (KCC) and Medway Unitary Authority are among around fifteen^[85] local authorities still providing wholly selective education through the eleven-plus examination with students allocated a place at a secondary modern school or at a grammar school.

Together, the two Kent authorities have 38 of the 164 grammar schools remaining in Britain.^[85]^[86]

Kent County Council has the largest education department of any local council in Britain,^[87] providing school places for over 289,000 pupils.

In 2005–06, Kent County Council and Medway introduced a standardised school year, based on six terms, as recommended by the Local Government Association in its 2000 report, "The Rhythms of Schooling".^[88]

Kent County Council Local Education Authority maintains 96 secondary schools, of which 33 are selective schools and 63 are secondary modern schools.

Schools in Kent (data from 2000)^[89]
LEA	Nursery	Primary	Secondary (modern)	Secondary (grammar)	Special	Pupil Referral Units	Independent	City Technology College	Total
KCC	1	475	74	32	34	11	83	1	711
Medway	0	89	14	6	3	1	7	0	120

Music education is provided by Kent Music (formerly Kent Music School),^[90] which has its origins in the 1940s. Kent Music provides services across the county including Kent County Youth Orchestra, Kent Youth Choirs, and an annual summer school at Benenden School.

National Challenge schools

In 2010, Kent had the highest number of National Challenge schools in England: schools which are branded 'failing' based on the British Government's floor targets that 30% of pupils achieve at least 5 GCSE grades A* to C.^[91] Of the 63 secondary modern schools, 33 missed this target; thus 52% of Kent secondary modern schools (34% out of all 96 maintained secondary schools) are 'failing'.^[92]

Sport

File:Priestfield Stadium Medway Stand.jpg

Priestfield Stadium is the home of Gillingham FC, Kent's only Football League team.

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In association football, Kent's highest ranked football team is Gillingham FC (nicknamed 'The Gills') who play in Football League Two, having been demoted at the end of the 2021–22 season.^[93] Maidstone United was a Football League side from 1989 until going bankrupt in 1992. Kent clubs in the higher levels of non-league football include Ebbsfleet United, who were promoted in 2023. Tonbridge Angels and the current incarnation of Maidstone United currently play in National League South, the sixth tier of the English football pyramid.

Kent is represented in cricket by Kent County Cricket Club. The club was a founder member of the County Championship in 1890 and has won the competition, the major domestic first-class cricket competition, seven times. The club is based at the St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury and also plays matches at the Nevill Ground in Royal Tunbridge Wells and the County Cricket Ground, Beckenham.^[94] The Kent Women cricket team has won the Women's County Championship seven times since it was established in 1997. Cricket has traditionally been a popular sport in the county and Kent is considered one of the locations in which the game first developed. Teams have represented the county since the early 18th century. The Kent Cricket League is the top level of club competition within Kent and features teams from throughout the county, including areas such as Beckenham and Bexley which were formerly part of the county.

Canterbury Hockey Club and Holcombe Hockey Club have historically competed at the highest levels of English field hockey, with Holcombe's men's and women's first teams currently playing in the England Hockey Premier Divisions. Sevenoaks Hockey Club's women's first XI competes in Division 1 South, the second tier of the national league structure.^[95]^[96]^[97]

The Invicta Dynamos, based in Gillingham, are a semi-professional ice hockey team that plays in the National Ice Hockey League. They replaced the Medway Bears as the senior team in 1997. They share the home ice rink at Planet Ice Gillingham with the secondary senior team, Invicta Mustangss, and the ladies' ice hockey team, the Invicta Dynamics.^[98]

In rugby union, Tonbridge Juddians and Canterbury RFC play in the fourth tier of English rugby in the National League 2 East and similar level. Gravesend RFC play in the seventh-tier London 2 South-East (Regional 2 South East). Blackheath RFC, a club within the historic boundaries of the county, played in the third tier (National league 1) until being relegated at the end of the 2021–22 season. ^[99]^[100]^[101]^[102]

The Brands Hatch circuit near Swanley has played host to a number of national and international racing events and hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986.^[103]^[104]

There have been multiple American football teams based in Kent since the game was popularised in the UK. Currently, Canterbury is the home of the East Kent Mavericks, the 2023 BAFA National Leagues Southern Football Conference 2 Champions, as well as teams from both universities.^[105]

Kent is home to two national-league netball clubs, both based in northwest Kent: Telstars (Premier Division 2) and KCNC (Premier Division 3).^[106]^[107]

In basketball, the Kent Panthers participate in Division 3 of the National Basketball League.

The 2021–2022 season saw three Kentish clubs demoted from the third tier of their respective sports to the fourth tier, with rugby clubs Tonbridge Juddians and Blackheath RFC being relegated in rugby and Gillingham F.C. being relegated in football.^[108]^[109]^[110]

News and media

Television

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Radio

Kent has two county-wide stations – BBC Radio Kent, based in Tunbridge Wells; and the commercial station KMFM, owned by the KM Group. KMFM previously consisted of seven local stations which covered different areas of the county (and are still technically seven different licences) but have shared all programming since 2012^[117]

The county’s first commercial station was originally known as Invicta (Invicta Sound/Invicta FM) and began broadcasting on 1 October 1984. After various buy-outs it was rebranded as Heart Kent in June 2009 as part of Global’s Heart network roll-out, and in 2019 the station was merged with neighbouring Heart licences to form Heart South; Heart Kent’s Whitstable studios closed in late May 2019 with regional production consolidated elsewhere (the merged regional service broadcasts from Fareham).^[118]^[119]^[120]^[121]^[122]

There are several community radio stations in Kent including:

Academy FM (Folkestone).
Academy FM (Thanet)
Ashford FM (Ashford) on 107.1 FM.
BRFM 95.6 FM (Sheppey)
Cabin FM broadcasting to Herne Bay on 94.6FM.
Cinque Ports Radio 100.2FM for Romney Marsh, Rye and Hythe.
CSR 97.4FM (Canterbury) now only available via online listening.
Deal Radio (Deal): online only.
Dover Community Radio (DCR) Dover: currently online only; due to start broadcasting to Dover District on 104.9FM from May 2022.
Radio Faversham (Faversham): online only.
Maidstone Community Radio (MCR): online only.
Miskin Radio (Dartford and Gravesend): online only.
SFM 106.9FM (Sittingboune)
Sheppey FM 92.2 (Sheppey)
Shoreline Easy (Romney Marsh), online only.
West Kent Radio (WKCR) serving Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks. 95.5 and 106.7FM.
Whitstable Bay Radio (Whitstable): online only.

Newspapers

The KM Group, KOS Media and Kent Regional News and Media all provide local newspapers for most of the large towns and cities. County-wide papers include the Kent Messenger, Kent on Saturday, Kent on Sunday, and the Kent and Sussex Courier.

References

Template:Reflist

External links

Template:Prone to spam Template:Sister project Template:Wikivoyage

Kent County Council – local government website
BBC – origins of Kent placenames
Images of Kent at the English Heritage Archive

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[65] Gerald Norris, A Musical Gazetteer of Great Britain & Ireland (David & Charles, 1981).

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[94] We ended up with a lake – Kent CEO Jamie Clifford Template:Webarchive. BBC Sport (13 June 2012). Retrieved on 17 July 2013.

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   }}
 | image_caption = The [[White Cliffs of Dover]], [[English Gothic stained glass windows|stained glass]] depicting [[Thomas Becket]] in [[Canterbury Cathedral]], and [[Rochester Castle]]
+| motto = ''[[Invicta (motto)|Invicta]]''
 | coordinates = {{Coord|51|12|N|0|42|E|region:GB-KEN_source:enwiki-osgb36(TQ9147)_type:adm2nd|display=title, inline}}
 | region = [[South East England|South East]]
 | established_date = [[Historic counties of England|Ancient]]
+| county_town = [[Maidstone]]
+| largest_town = [[Maidstone]]
 | lord_lieutenant_office = Lord Lieutenant of Kent
 | lord_lieutenant_name = [[Annabel Warrender|Annabel Campbell, the Lady Colgrain]]
 | high_sheriff_office = High Sheriff of Kent
-| high_sheriff_name = Mrs Remony Millwater<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=62943|page=5161|date=13 March 2020}}</ref> (2020/21)
+| high_sheriff_name = Mrs Remony Millwater<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=62943|page=5161|date=13 March 2020}}</ref> (2020/21)<br>
+Jonathan Neame (2025/26)
 | area_total_km2 = 3736
 | area_total_rank = 10th
 | ethnicity_year = [[2021 United Kingdom census|2021]]
-| ethnicity_footnotes=<ref>{{Cite web |url= https://www.kent.gov.uk/about-the-council/information-and-data/facts-and-figures-about-kent/summary-of-kent-facts-and-figures#tab-2|title= Summary of Kent facts and figures |publisher=Kent County Council |access-date=27 May 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url= https://www.ons.gov.uk/visualisations/customprofiles/build/#E10000016|title= Explore local statistics|publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=27 May 2025 }}</ref>
+| ethnicity_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web |url= https://www.kent.gov.uk/about-the-council/information-and-data/facts-and-figures-about-kent/summary-of-kent-facts-and-figures#tab-2|title= Summary of Kent facts and figures |publisher=Kent County Council |access-date=27 May 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url= https://www.ons.gov.uk/visualisations/customprofiles/build/#E10000016|title= Explore local statistics|publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=27 May 2025 }}</ref>
 | ethnicity = {{ubl|89.4% [[White people in the United Kingdom|White]]
 {{Tree list}}
@@ Line 63: / Line 67: @@
 }}
-'''Kent''' is a [[Ceremonial counties of England|ceremonial county]] in [[South East England]]. It is bordered by [[Essex]] across the [[Thames Estuary]] to the north, the [[Strait of Dover]] to the south-east, [[East Sussex]] to the south-west, [[Surrey]] to the west, and [[Greater London]] to the north-west. The [[county town]] is [[Maidstone]].
+'''Kent''' is a [[Ceremonial counties of England|ceremonial county]] in [[South East England]]. It is bordered by [[Essex]] across the [[Thames Estuary]] to the north, the [[Strait of Dover]] to the south-east, [[East Sussex]] to the south-west, [[Surrey]] to the west, and [[Greater London]] to the north-west.
-The county has an area of {{Convert|3544|km2|sqmi}} and had population of 1,875,893 in 2022, making it the [[Ceremonial counties of England#Lieutenancy areas since 1997|fifth most populous county]] in England. The north of the county contains a conurbation which includes the towns of [[Chatham, Kent|Chatham]], [[Gillingham, Kent|Gillingham]], and [[Rochester, Kent|Rochester]]. Other large towns are Maidstone and [[Ashford, Kent|Ashford]], and the [[City of Canterbury|borough of Canterbury]] holds [[City status in the United Kingdom|city status]]. For local government purposes Kent consists of a [[non-metropolitan county]], with twelve districts, and the [[unitary authority area]] of [[Medway]]. The county historically included south-east Greater London, and is one of the [[home counties]].
+The county has an area of {{Convert|3544|km2|sqmi}} and had population of {{English cerem counties|POP=Kent}} in {{English cerem counties|POP=|TXT=Year}}. The north-west of Kent is densely populated, with [[Dartford]] and [[Gravesend]] belonging to the Greater London conurbation and [[Chatham, Kent|Chatham]], [[Gillingham, Kent|Gillingham]] and [[Rochester, Kent|Rochester]] forming a second conurbation around the [[River Medway]]; the town of [[Maidstone]] is located to their south. The remainder of the county is more rural, and its principal settlements include the city of [[Canterbury]] in the north-east, the seaside resort of [[Margate]] on the north-east coast, and the ports of [[Dover]] and [[Folkestone]] on the east coast. For local government purposes Kent consists of a [[non-metropolitan county]], with twelve districts, and the [[unitary authority area]] of [[Medway]]. The county historically included south-east Greater London, and is one of the [[home counties]].
 The north of Kent is a plain bordering the [[Thames Estuary]]. South of this is the [[North Downs]], a chalk downland ridge which crosses the county from north-west to south-east and which forms dramatic chalk cliffs, including the [[White Cliffs of Dover]], where it meets the English Channel.<ref>{{Cite web |title=North Downs |url=https://nationalcharacterareas.co.uk/North-Downs/ |access-date=2025-01-07 |website=[[Natural England]] |language=en-US}}</ref> The south-west of the county contains part of the [[Greensand Ridge]] and the [[Weald]], the area between the North and [[South Downs]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wealden Greensand |url=https://nationalcharacterareas.co.uk/Wealden-Greensand/ |access-date=2025-01-07 |website=[[Natural England]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Low Weald |url=https://nationalcharacterareas.co.uk/Low-Weald-/ |access-date=2025-01-07 |website=[[Natural England]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=High Weald |url=https://nationalcharacterareas.co.uk/High-Weald/ |access-date=2025-01-07 |website=[[Natural England]] |language=en-US}}</ref> The south-east of the county contains the low-lying [[Romney Marsh]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Romney Marshes |url=https://nationalcharacterareas.co.uk/Romney-Marshes/ |access-date=2025-01-07 |website=[[Natural England]] |language=en-US}}</ref> The [[North Downs]] and [[High Weald National Landscape|High Weald]] have been designated [[National Landscape|national landscapes]]. The geography of the county lends itself to the cultivation of fruit orchards, and it has been nicknamed "the Garden of England".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wainwright |first=Martin |date=1 June 2006 |title=Kent loses its Garden of England title to North Yorkshire |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/jun/01/ruralaffairs.travelnews |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113130016/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/jun/01/ruralaffairs.travelnews#article_continue |archive-date=13 January 2022 |access-date=28 May 2023 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> In north-west Kent, industries include aggregate building material extraction, printing, and scientific research. [[Coal mining]] has also played its part in the county's industrial heritage.
-Kent's location between London and the [[Strait of Dover]], the narrowest crossing point between England and mainland Europe, has led to the county being the point of entry for many prominent figures and groups in British history. It was one of the first British territories to be settled by Germanic tribes, most notably the [[Jutes]], following the withdrawal of the Romans.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Kent-county-England|title=Kent {{!}} county, England, United Kingdom |website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|access-date=1 January 2020|archive-date=22 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180422234912/https://www.britannica.com/place/Kent-county-England|url-status=live}}</ref> [[History of Christianity in Britain#England|In the 6th century]], [[Augustine of Canterbury|Saint Augustine]] landed in the county to begin the [[Christianisation of Anglo-Saxon England|conversion of England]] to [[Christianity]] and became the first [[archbishop of Canterbury]]; [[Canterbury Cathedral]] is now a [[World Heritage Site]]. England relied on the county's ports to provide warships through much of its history; the [[Cinque Ports]] in the 10th<ref>G. O. Sayles, ''The Medieval Foundations of England'' (London 1967). p. 186.</ref>–14th centuries and [[Chatham Dockyard]] in the 16th–20th centuries were of particular importance. [[Dover Castle]] has been described as the "key of England" due to its strategic significance.<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 July 2016 |title=How Dover Castle became the Key of England – the Great Siege of 1216 |url=https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/inspire-me/blog/blog-posts/the-great-siege-of-dover-castle-1216/ |access-date=2025-01-07 |website=[[English Heritage]]}}</ref>
+Kent's location between London and the [[Strait of Dover]], the narrowest crossing point between England and [[mainland Europe]], has led to the county being the point of entry for many prominent figures and groups in British history. It was one of the first British territories to be settled by Germanic tribes, most notably the [[Jutes]], following the withdrawal of the Romans.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Kent-county-England|title=Kent {{!}} county, England, United Kingdom |website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|access-date=1 January 2020|archive-date=22 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180422234912/https://www.britannica.com/place/Kent-county-England|url-status=live}}</ref> [[History of Christianity in Britain#England|In the 6th century]], [[Augustine of Canterbury|Saint Augustine]] landed in the county to begin the [[Christianisation of Anglo-Saxon England|conversion of England]] to [[Christianity]] and became the first [[archbishop of Canterbury]]; [[Canterbury Cathedral]] is now a [[World Heritage Site]]. England relied on the county's ports to provide warships through much of its history; the [[Cinque Ports]] in the 10th<ref>G. O. Sayles, ''The Medieval Foundations of England'' (London 1967). p. 186.</ref>–14th centuries and [[Chatham Dockyard]] in the 16th–20th centuries were of particular importance. [[Dover Castle]] has been described as the "key of England" due to its strategic significance.<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 July 2016 |title=How Dover Castle became the Key of England – the Great Siege of 1216 |url=https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/inspire-me/blog/blog-posts/the-great-siege-of-dover-castle-1216/ |access-date=2025-01-07 |website=[[English Heritage]]}}</ref>
 ==Etymology==
+[[File:BnF gr 1397 42r Kent in Strabo's Geographica (1.4.3).jpg|thumb|left|Kent in Strabo's ''[[Geographica]]'' (1.4.3) from a 10th century manuscript.]]
 [[File:Anglo-Saxon Chronicle - kentland (British Library Cotton MS Tiberius A VI, folio 4r).jpg|thumb|left|Kent, as it appears in the ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'' between 11th and 12th centuries]]
+The name is of [[Common Celtic|Celtic]] origin and is one of the oldest [[toponymy|place names]] of the British Isles still in use today, being first recorded in a [[periplus]] in [[ancient Greek]] of the {{circa|320s B.C.}} by [[Pytheas]]. The original work, which does not survive, he is quoted explicitly by [[Strabo]] (''[[Geographica|Geog]].'' 1.4.3)<ref>{{Cite web |script-title=grc:Γεωγραφικά |title=Geographika |url=https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0099.tlg001.perseus-grc2:1.4.3/ |access-date=2025-07-02 |website=scaife.perseus.org}}</ref> and implicitly by [[Diodorus Siculus|Diodorus]] (''[[Bibliotheca historica|BH]]'' 5.21).<ref>{{Cite web |script-title=grc:Βιβλιοθήκη Ἱστορική |title=Bibliotheca historica (Books 1–5) |url=https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.perseus-grc5:5.21/ |access-date=2025-07-02 |website=scaife.perseus.org}}</ref>
-The name is of [[Common Celtic|Celtic]] origin and dates back to at least the 4th century BC. It is one of the earliest names recorded in Britain, known to the Greeks since the explorer [[Pytheas]] recorded it as ''Kantion''{{clarify|reason=did Pytheas use Latin alphabet?|date=May 2025}} during his voyage around the British Isles in about 325&nbsp;BC. As such, it has been claimed as the "oldest recorded name still in use in England".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Matthews |first1=C. M. |title=Place-names of the English-speaking world |date=1972 |publisher=Weidenfeld & Nicolson |location=London |isbn=9780297995067 |pages=3, 90}}</ref>
+<blockquote lang="grc">ὁ δὲ πλειόνων ἢ δισμυρίων τὸ μῆκος ἀποφαίνει τῆς νήσου, καὶ τὸ '''Κάντιον''' ἡμερῶν τινων πλοῦν ἀπέχειν τῆς [[Gallia Celtica|Κελτικῆς]] φησι<ref>{{Cite web |author=Strabo |author-link=Strabo |title=Geographika |at=book 1, chapter 4, section 3 |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0197:book=1:chapter=4:section=3 |access-date=2025-07-02 |via=www.perseus.tufts.edu }}</ref></blockquote>
-The meaning has been explained as 'coastal district', 'corner-land' or 'land on the edge' ({{langx|cy|cant}} 'bordering of a circle, tyre, edge'; {{langx|br|cant}} 'circle'; {{langx|nl|kant}} 'side, edge'). In Latin sources the area is called {{lang|la|Cantia}} or {{lang|la|Cantium}}, while the Anglo-Saxons referred to it as {{lang|ang|Cent}}, {{lang|ang|Cent lond}} or {{lang|ang|Centrice}}.<ref>{{cite web |date=12 November 1949 |title=Kent |url=http://etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=Kent |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916095416/http://etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=Kent |archive-date=16 September 2017 |access-date=16 September 2017 |publisher=[[Etymonline]]}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Howe |first=Ian |title=Kent Dialect |publisher=Bradwell Books |year=2012 |isbn=9781902674346 |pages=26 |language=en}}</ref>
+Translation:
+<blockquote>Yet he [<nowiki/>[[Pytheas]]] declares that the extent of the island is more&nbsp;than 20,000 [[stadion (unit)|stadia]] and says that Kantion is several days' sail from [[Gallia Celtica|Keltike]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Geography_of_Strabo.html?id=33GFAwAAQBAJ |title=The Geography of Strabo: An English Translation, with Introduction and Notes |date=2014-05-29 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-139-95249-1 |pages=89 |language=en}}</ref></blockquote>
+As such, it has been claimed as the "oldest recorded name still in use in England".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Matthews |first1=C. M. |title=Place-names of the English-speaking world |date=1972 |publisher=Weidenfeld & Nicolson |isbn=9780297995067 |location=London |pages=3, 90}}</ref>
+The meaning has been explained as 'coastal district', 'corner-land' or 'land on the edge' ({{langx|cy|cant}} 'bordering of a circle, tyre, edge'; {{langx|br|cant}} 'circle'; {{langx|nl|kant}} 'side, edge'). In Latin sources the area is called {{lang|la|Cantia}} or {{lang|la|Cantium}}, while the Anglo-Saxons referred to it as {{lang|ang|Cent}}, {{lang|ang|Cent lond}} or {{lang|ang|Centrīċe}}.<ref>{{cite web |date=12 November 1949 |title=Kent |url=http://etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=Kent |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916095416/http://etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=Kent |archive-date=16 September 2017 |access-date=16 September 2017 |publisher=[[Etymonline]]}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Howe |first=Ian |title=Kent Dialect |publisher=Bradwell Books |year=2012 |isbn=9781902674346 |pages=26 |language=en}}</ref>
 ==History==
 {{Main|History of Kent}}
-The area was first occupied by [[Archaic humans|early humans]], intermittently due to periods of extreme cold, during the [[Palaeolithic]] (Old Stone Age), as attested by an early Neanderthal skull found in the quarries at [[Swanscombe]]. The [[Medway megaliths]] were built during the [[Neolithic]] era. There is a rich sequence of [[Bronze Age]], Celtic [[Iron Age]], and Britto-[[Roman Empire|Roman]] era occupation, as indicated by finds and features such as the [[Ringlemere gold cup]] and the Roman villas of the [[River Darent|Darent valley]].<ref name="prehistoric">{{cite book |last=Ashbee |first=Paul |title=Kent in prehistoric times |publisher=Tempus |year=2005 |isbn=9780752431369 |language=en}}</ref>
+The area was first occupied by [[archaic humans|early humans]], intermittently due to periods of extreme cold, during the [[Palaeolithic]] (Old Stone Age), as attested by an early Neanderthal skull found in the quarries at [[Swanscombe]]. The [[Medway megaliths]] were built during the [[Neolithic]] era. There is a rich sequence of [[Bronze Age]], Celtic [[Iron Age]], and Britto-[[Roman Empire|Roman]] era occupation, as indicated by finds and features such as the [[Ringlemere gold cup]] and the Roman villas of the [[River Darent|Darent valley]].<ref name="prehistoric">{{cite book |last=Ashbee |first=Paul |title=Kent in prehistoric times |publisher=Tempus |year=2005 |isbn=9780752431369 |language=en}}</ref>
 [[Julius Caesar]] described the area as {{lang|la|Cantium}}, or the home of the [[Cantiaci]], in 51&nbsp;BC.<ref name="name">{{cite book |last=Glover |first=Judith |title=Place names of Kent |publisher=B. T. Batsford |year=1976 |isbn=9780713430691 |language=en}}</ref> The extreme west of the modern county was by the time of [[Roman Britain]] occupied by a Celtic Iron Age tribe known as the [[Regni]]. Caesar wrote that the people of Kent were "by far the most civilised inhabitants of Britain".<ref name=":0" />
@@ Line 116: / Line 127: @@
 Between June 1944 and March 1945, more than 10,000 [[V1 flying bomb]]s, or "Doodlebugs", were fired towards London from bases in [[Pas-de-Calais|Northern France]]. Although many were destroyed by aircraft, anti-aircraft guns and [[barrage balloon]]s, both London and Kent were hit by around 2,500 of these bombs.<!-- What areas? --><!-- These areas became known as ''Doodlebug Alley''. --><!--<ref name="doodle">{{cite web |title=WW2 People's War |publisher=BBC |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/00/a7642000.shtml |date=9 December 2005 |access-date=19 April 2007}}</ref>-->
-After the war, Kent's borders changed several more times. In 1965, the London boroughs of [[London Borough of Bromley|Bromley]] and [[London Borough of Bexley|Bexley]] were created from nine towns formerly in Kent.<ref name="KHI">{{cite book |last=Jessup |first=Frank W. |title =Kent History Illustrated |publisher=Kent County Council| year=1966}}</ref><ref name="unitary">{{cite web |title=Medway |publisher=Communities and Local Government |url=http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1170128 |access-date=20 April 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070427044224/http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1170128 |archive-date=27 April 2007}}</ref> In 1998, Rochester, Strood, Chatham, Gillingham and [[Rainham, Kent|Rainham]] left the administrative county of Kent to form the [[Unitary Authority]] of [[Medway]]. Plans for another unitary authority in [[North West Kent|north-west Kent]] were dropped, but in 2016 consultations began between five Kent local authorities (Canterbury, Thanet, Dover, Folkestone & Hythe, and Ashford) with a view to forming a new unified authority for East Kent, although remaining within the auspices of Kent County Council. This idea was eventually dropped.
+After the war, Kent's borders changed several more times. In 1965, the London boroughs of [[London Borough of Bromley|Bromley]] and [[London Borough of Bexley|Bexley]] were created from nine towns formerly in Kent.<ref name="KHI">{{cite book |last=Jessup |first=Frank W. |title =Kent History Illustrated |publisher=Kent County Council| year=1966}}</ref><ref name="unitary">{{cite web |title=Medway |publisher=Communities and Local Government |url=http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1170128 |access-date=20 April 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070427044224/http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1170128 |archive-date=27 April 2007}}</ref> In 1998, Rochester, Strood, Chatham, Gillingham and [[Rainham, Kent|Rainham]] left the administrative county of Kent to form the [[unitary authority]] of [[Medway]]. Plans for another unitary authority in [[north West Kent|north-west Kent]] were dropped, but in 2016 consultations began between five Kent local authorities (Canterbury, Thanet, Dover, Folkestone & Hythe, and Ashford) with a view to forming a new unified authority for East Kent, although remaining within the auspices of Kent County Council. This idea was eventually dropped.
 <!--
 Kent is traditionally divided into [[West Kent]] and [[East Kent]] by the River Medway. Residents east of the Medway are called "Men of Kent" and "Maids of Kent", while those to the west are called "Kentish Men" and "Kentish Maids".<ref name="man">{{cite news | first=Stephen |last=Rayner |title=Men of Kent: Sorry ... but we're joining a new tribe |work=Medway News |date=October 2004}}</ref>
@@ Line 125: / Line 136: @@
 == Geography ==
 {{Main|Geography of Kent}}
 [[File:White cliffs of dover 09 2004.jpg|thumb|right|The [[White Cliffs of Dover]]]]
 [[File:France manche vue dover.JPG|thumb|right|upright=1.35|View of the White Cliffs of Dover from France]]
@@ Line 239: / Line 251: @@
 [[Kent County Council]] and its twelve [[Local government in the United Kingdom|district councils]] administer most of the county (3352&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), whilst the [[Medway Council]] administers the more densely populated [[Medway]] unitary authority (192&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), independently of the county council.<ref>Kent (Borough of Gillingham and City of Rochester upon Medway) (Structural Change) Order 1996 {{cite web |title=Kent (Borough of Gillingham and City of Rochester upon Medway) (Structural Change) Order 1996 |url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1996/1876/contents/made |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101219141538/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1996/1876/contents/made |archive-date=19 December 2010 |access-date=17 March 2010 |publisher=HMSO }}</ref> Together they have around 300 [[town council|town]] and [[Parish councils in England|parish councils]]. Kent County Council's headquarters are in [[Maidstone]],<ref name="kccdem">{{cite web |title=Council and democracy |url=http://www.kent.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070206185542/http://www.kent.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/ |archive-date=6 February 2007 |access-date=19 April 2007 |publisher=Kent County Council}}</ref> while Medway's offices are at Gun Wharf, [[Chatham, Kent|Chatham]].
-For most of its history since the local government reforms instituted by the [[Local Government Act 1972]], Kent County Council has been under [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] control; the exception was between 1993 and 1997 when the party came under [[no overall control]] with [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] leadership. At the [[2021 Kent County Council election|most recent county council election in 2021]], the Conservatives won 62 out of 81 seats. Also elected were seven Labour councillors, six [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]], four from the [[Green Party of England and Wales|Green Party]], one [[Swale Independents|Swale Independent]] and one [[residents' association]] representative.
+For most of its history since the local government reforms instituted by the [[Local Government Act 1972]], Kent County Council has used to be under [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] control until the latest election. At the [[2025 Kent County Council election|most recent county council election in 2025]], the Reform UK won the election with 57 seats. Also elected were twelve [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]], five from the Conservatives, five from the [[Green Party of England and Wales|Green Party]] and two  from the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party.]]
 Of Kent's thirteen districts, two are under Conservative control (Sevenoaks, Dartford), four are under Labour control (Gravesham, Medway, Thanet, Dover), one is under Liberal Democrat control (Tunbridge Wells), and six are under no overall control and are administered by coalitions (Tonbridge and Malling, Maidstone, Swale, Ashford, Canterbury, Folkestone and Hythe). Notably, Thanet is the only council in the United Kingdom to have come under [[UK Independence Party]] (UKIP) control, which it did in [[2015 Thanet District Council election|2015]].<ref>{{cite news | title=Ukip Takes Control of Thanet Council the Day After Nigel Farage Lost MP Bid | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/ukip/11594819/Ukip-takes-control-of-Thanet-council-the-day-after-Nigel-Farage-lost-MP-bid.html | date=9 May 2015 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph | access-date=9 May 2015 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150510233514/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/ukip/11594819/Ukip-takes-control-of-Thanet-council-the-day-after-Nigel-Farage-lost-MP-bid.html | archive-date=10 May 2015 }}</ref>
@@ Line 538: / Line 550: @@
 ===Architecture===
 [[File:Canterbury Cathedral - Portal Nave Cross-spire.jpeg|thumb|[[Canterbury Cathedral]]]]
-Kent's geographical location between the Straits of Dover and London has influenced its architecture, as has its [[Cretaceous]] geology and its good farming land and fine building clays. Kent's countryside pattern was determined by a [[gavelkind]] inheritance system that generated a proliferation of small settlements. There was no open-field system, and the large tracts were owned by the two great abbeys, [[Christ Church, Canterbury]] and [[St Augustine's Abbey]], that did not pass into the hands of the king during the [[Reformation]]. [[Canterbury Cathedral]] is the United Kingdom's [[Suffragan|metropolitan cathedral]]; it was founded in AD 598 and displays architecture from all periods. There are nine Anglo-Saxon churches in Kent. [[Rochester Cathedral]] is England's second-oldest cathedral, the present building built in the Early English Style.<ref name="Pevsner">{{cite book |last=Newman |first=John |title=North East and East Kent|editor=Pevsner |publisher=Penguin Books |location=Harmondsworth, England |date=1969 |edition=3 |series=Buildings of England |page=35 |chapter=The Buildings of Kent |isbn=978-0140710397}}</ref> These two dioceses ensured that every village had a parish church.
+Kent's geographical location between the Straits of Dover and London has influenced its architecture, as has its [[Cretaceous]] geology and its good farming land and fine building clays. Kent's countryside pattern was determined by a [[gavelkind]] inheritance system that generated a proliferation of small settlements. There was no open-field system, and the large tracts were owned by the two great abbeys, [[Christ Church, Canterbury]] and [[St Augustine's Abbey]], that did not pass into the hands of the king during the [[Reformation]]. [[Canterbury Cathedral]] is the United Kingdom's [[Suffragan|metropolitan cathedral]]; it was founded in AD 598 and displays architecture from all periods. There are nine Anglo-Saxon churches in Kent. [[Rochester Cathedral]] is England's second-oldest cathedral, the present building built in the Early English Style.<ref name="Pevsner">{{cite book |last=Newman |first=John |title=North East and East Kent|editor=Pevsner |publisher=Penguin Books |location=Harmondsworth, England |date=1969 |edition=3 |series=Buildings of England |page=35 |chapter=The Buildings of Kent |isbn=978-0140710397}}</ref>
-The sites of [[Richborough Castle]] and [[Dover Castle]], along with two strategic sites along Watling Street, were fortified by the Romans and the Dukes of Kent. Other important sites include [[Canterbury city walls]] and [[Rochester Castle]].<ref name=autogenerated3>{{cite book |last=Newman |first=John |title=North East and East Kent |editor=Pevsner |publisher=Penguin Books |location=Harmondsworth, England |date=1969 |edition=3 |series=Buildings of England |pages=36–123 |chapter=The Buildings of Kent |isbn=978-0140710397}}</ref> There remained a need to defend London and thus Kent. [[Deal Castle]], [[Walmer Castle]], [[Sandown Castle, Kent|Sandown Castle]] (whose remains were eroded by the sea in the 1990s) were constructed in late mediaeval times, and [[Chatham Historic Dockyard|HM Dockyard, at Chatham]] and its surrounding castles and forts—[[Upnor Castle]], [[Great Lines Heritage Park|Great Lines]], and [[Fort Amherst]]—more recently.
+The sites of [[Richborough Castle]] and [[Dover Castle]], along with two strategic sites along Watling Street, were fortified by the Romans and the Dukes of Kent. Other important sites include [[Canterbury city walls]] and [[Rochester Castle]].<ref name=autogenerated3>{{cite book |last=Newman |first=John |title=North East and East Kent |editor=Pevsner |publisher=Penguin Books |location=Harmondsworth, England |date=1969 |edition=3 |series=Buildings of England |pages=36–123 |chapter=The Buildings of Kent |isbn=978-0140710397}}</ref> [[Deal Castle]], [[Walmer Castle]], [[Sandown Castle, Kent|Sandown Castle]] (whose remains were eroded by the sea in the 1990s) were constructed in late mediaeval times, and [[Chatham Historic Dockyard|HM Dockyard, at Chatham]] and its surrounding castles and forts—[[Upnor Castle]], [[Great Lines Heritage Park|Great Lines]], and [[Fort Amherst]] since then.{{cn|date=August 2025}}
 Kent has three unique vernacular architecture forms: the [[oast house]], the [[Wealden hall house]], and [[peg tile#Peg tile|Kentish peg-tiles]].
-Kent has bridge trusts to maintain its bridges, and though the great bridge (1387) at [[Rochester Bridge|Rochester]] was replaced there are medieval structures at [[Aylesford]], [[Yalding]] and [[Teston]].<ref name=autogenerated4>{{cite book |last=Newman |first=John |title=North East and East Kent |editor=Pevsner |publisher=Penguin Books |location=Harmondsworth, England |date=1969 |edition=3 |series=Buildings of England |page=58 |chapter=The Buildings of Kent |isbn=978-0140710397}}</ref> With the motorways in the late twentieth century came the [[M2 motorway (Great Britain)|M2 motorway bridge]] spanning the Medway and the Dartford tunnel and the [[Dartford Crossing|Dartford Bridge]] spanning the Thames.
+Kent has bridge trusts to maintain its bridges. The great bridge (1387) at [[Rochester Bridge|Rochester]] was replaced.  There are medieval structures at [[Aylesford]], [[Yalding]] and [[Teston]].<ref name=autogenerated4>{{cite book |last=Newman |first=John |title=North East and East Kent |editor=Pevsner |publisher=Penguin Books |location=Harmondsworth, England |date=1969 |edition=3 |series=Buildings of England |page=58 |chapter=The Buildings of Kent |isbn=978-0140710397}}</ref> With the motorways in the late twentieth century came the [[M2 motorway (Great Britain)|M2 motorway bridge]] spanning the Medway and the Dartford tunnel and the [[Dartford Crossing|Dartford Bridge]] spanning the Thames.
 ===Literature and publishing===
@@ Line 563: / Line 575: @@
 [[Music festival]]s that take place in Kent include [[Chilled in a Field Festival]], [[Electric Gardens]], [[Hop Farm Festival]], [[In the Woods Festival]], [[Lounge On The Farm]] and the annual [[Smugglers Festival]] near Deal. Other venues for live music include [[Leas Cliff Hall]] in Folkestone and the [[Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells|Assembly Hall]] in Tunbridge Wells.
-=== Kentish independence ===
-Many Kentish people have long viewed themselves as Kentish first and British second, and to this day refer to themselves as either 'Men of Kent' or 'Kentish men' depending on whether they live to the East or West of the [[River Medway]].<ref name="k228500"/> After the [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|2016 Brexit referendum]] and subsequent proposals for "border checks" on the Kentish border, effectively making Kent a country within a country,<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 September 2020 |title=Lorry drivers will face de facto Brexit border in Kent, Gove confirms |url=http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/sep/23/truck-queues-could-be-7000-long-when-brexit-transition-ends-ministers-warn |access-date=4 June 2022 |website=The Guardian |language=en |first1=Lisa |last1=O'Carroll }}</ref> this pride in being Kentish began to form into calls from some areas for an independent Kent or an autonomous republic within the UK, especially from the county's prominent newspapers, with the idea being discussed in detail in some areas<ref>{{Cite web |last=West |first=Patrick |title=An independent Kent isn't as ridiculous as it sounds |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/an-independent-kent-isn-t-as-ridiculous-as-it-sounds |access-date=4 June 2022 |website= The Spectator |date=24 September 2020 |language=en}}</ref> – with some ideas such as mock passports<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 September 2020 |title=Welcome to the Republic of Kent! |url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/welcome-to-the-republic-of-kent-234343/ |access-date=4 June 2022 |website=Kent Online |language=en}}</ref> and [[tongue-in-cheek]] manifestos being created.<ref>{{Cite web |last=James |first=John |date=24 September 2020 |title=The radical steps Kent must take to thrive as an 'independent nation' |url=https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/radical-manifesto-see-kent-thrive-4544383 |access-date=4 June 2022 |website=KentLive |language=en}}</ref> These calls for independence can be explained by the individualistic and rebellious mentality that has always existed in the county, which can be explained by the county's position in the very south-east of the [[United Kingdom]], having been a [[Kingdom of Kent|prominent and independent kingdom]] for centuries as well as being the source of many major rebellions that have occurred in the United Kingdom.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
 ==Transport==
@@ Line 575: / Line 584: @@
 With the Roman invasion, a road network was constructed to connect London to the Channel ports of Dover, [[Lympne]] and Richborough. The London–Dover road was [[Watling Street]]. These roads are now approximately the A2, B2068, A257, and the A28. The [[A2 road (Great Britain)|A2]] runs through Dartford (A207), Gravesend, Rochester, Canterbury, and Dover; the A20 through [[Eltham]], Wrotham, Maidstone, [[Charing]], Ashford. [[Hythe, Kent|Hythe]], Folkestone and Dover; the [[A21 road (England)|A21]] around Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells and on to Hastings in East Sussex.<ref name=KHI/>
-In the 1960s, two motorways were built; the [[M2 motorway (Great Britain)|M2]] from [[Medway]] to Faversham, and the [[M20 motorway|M20]] from [[Swanley]] to Folkestone. Part of the [[M25 motorway|M25]] runs through Kent, from Westerham to the [[Dartford Crossing]]. The [[M26 motorway]], built in 1980, provides a short link between the M25 at [[Sevenoaks]] and the M20 near [[Wrotham]]. Kent currently has more motorways by distance than any other county in the UK, with sections of the M2, M20, M25 and M26 totalling {{convert|173|km|mi|abbr=on}} within the extents of the ceremonial county.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
+In the 1960s, two motorways were built; the [[M2 motorway (Great Britain)|M2]] from [[Medway]] to Faversham, and the [[M20 motorway|M20]] from [[Swanley]] to Folkestone. Part of the [[M25 motorway|M25]] runs through Kent, from Westerham to the [[Dartford Crossing]]. The [[M26 motorway]], built in 1980, provides a short link between the M25 at [[Sevenoaks]] and the M20 near [[Wrotham]]. Kent currently has more motorways by distance than any other county in the UK, with sections of the M2, M20, M25 and M26 totalling 173 km (107 mi) within the extents of the ceremonial county. <ref>{{cite web |date=2019 |title=Kent Strategic Transport–Business Case 2019-20 |url=https://www.southeastlep.com/app/uploads/2019/01/KSCMP-Transport-Business-Case-2019_20.pdf |access-date=24 October 2025 |website=South East Local Enterprise Partnership}}</ref>
 In the run-up to [[Brexit|Britain leaving the European Union]], Government minister [[Michael Gove]] confirmed that the Government intended to impose a ''de facto'' border between Kent and the rest of England for freight lorries,<ref>{{cite news |last=McConnell |first=Ed |url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/border-to-be-set-up-inside-kent-could-see-7-000-lorry-queues-234290/ |title=Worst case post-Brexit lorry havoc scenario for Kent revealed by Michael Gove to House of Commons |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927143442/https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/border-to-be-set-up-inside-kent-could-see-7-000-lorry-queues-234290/ |archive-date=27 September 2020 |website=kentonline.co.uk |date=3 September 2020 |access-date=7 February 2021}}</ref> in order to deal with expected lorry queues of 7,000 or more<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54260470 |title=Brexit: Lorry drivers will need a permit to enter Kent after transition period |work=BBC News |date=23 September 2020 |access-date=7 January 2021 |archive-date=4 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210104154956/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54260470 |url-status=live }}</ref> at Folkestone, Dover and other ports. [[Heavy goods vehicle]] operators need to apply for a 24-hour Kent Access Permit (KAP) to take a vehicle of 7.5 tonnes or more into Kent if their intention is to cross to the EU via Dover or the [[Eurotunnel]].<ref>{{cite web |work=GOV.UK |url=https://www.gov.uk/check-hgv-border |title=Check an HGV is ready to cross the border (Kent Access Permit) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210130144042/https://www.gov.uk/check-hgv-border |archive-date=30 January 2021 |access-date=7 February 2021 |date=31 December 2020}}</ref>
@@ Line 640: / Line 649: @@
 {{more citations needed|section|date=March 2025}}
-In association football, Kent's highest ranked football team is [[Gillingham FC]] (nicknamed 'The Gills') who play in [[EFL League Two|Football League Two]], having been demoted at the end of the 2021–22 season.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Report {{!}} Gillingham 0-2 Rotherham United |url=https://www.gillinghamfootballclub.com/news/2022/april/report--gills-0-2-rotherham/ |access-date=6 June 2022 |website=www.gillinghamfootballclub.com |language=en-gb}}</ref> [[Maidstone United F.C. (1897)|Maidstone United]] was a Football League side from 1989 until going bankrupt in 1992. Kent clubs in the higher levels of [[non-league football]] include [[Ebbsfleet United F.C.|Ebbsfleet United]], who were promoted in 2023. [[Tonbridge Angels F.C.|Tonbridge Angels]] and the current incarnation of Maidstone United currently play in [[National League South]], the sixth tier of the English football pyramid.
+In association football, Kent's highest ranked football team is [[Gillingham FC]] (nicknamed 'The Gills') who play in [[EFL League Two|Football League Two]], having been demoted at the end of the 2021–22 season.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Report {{!}} Gillingham 0-2 Rotherham United |url=https://www.gillinghamfootballclub.com/news/2022/april/report--gills-0-2-rotherham/ |access-date=6 June 2022 |website=www.gillinghamfootballclub.com |language=en-gb}}</ref> [[Maidstone United F.C. (1897)|Maidstone United]] was a Football League side from 1989 until going bankrupt in 1992. Kent clubs in the higher levels of [[non-league football]] include [[Ebbsfleet United F.C.|Ebbsfleet United]], who were promoted in 2023. [[Tonbridge Angels F.C.|Tonbridge Angels]] and [[Maidstone United F.C.|the current incarnation of Maidstone United]] currently play in [[National League South]], the sixth tier of the English football pyramid.
 Kent is represented in [[cricket]] by [[Kent County Cricket Club]]. The club was a founder member of the [[County Championship]] in 1890 and has won the competition, the major domestic [[first-class cricket]] competition, seven times. The club is based at the [[St Lawrence Ground]] in Canterbury and also plays matches at the [[Nevill Ground]] in Royal Tunbridge Wells and the [[County Cricket Ground, Beckenham]].<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/18424594 We ended up with a lake – Kent CEO Jamie Clifford] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120619060919/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/18424594 |date=19 June 2012}}. BBC Sport (13 June 2012). Retrieved on 17 July 2013.</ref> The [[Kent Women cricket team]] has won the [[Women's County Championship]] seven times since it was established in 1997. Cricket has traditionally been a popular sport in the county and Kent is considered one of the locations in which the game first developed. Teams have represented the county since the early 18th century. The [[Kent Cricket League]] is the top level of club competition within Kent and features teams from throughout the county, including areas such as [[Beckenham]] and [[Bexley]] which were formerly part of the county.
-[[Canterbury Hockey Club]] and [[Holcombe Hockey Club]] both play in the top division in both the [[Men's England Hockey League|men's]] and [[Women's England Hockey League|women's]] England Hockey Leagues. Sevenoaks Hockey Club's women first XI plays in the second tier of national competition.
+[[Canterbury Hockey Club]] and [[Holcombe Hockey Club]] have historically competed at the highest levels of English field hockey, with Holcombe's [[Men's England Hockey League|men's]] and [[Women's England Hockey League|women's]] first teams currently playing in the England Hockey Premier Divisions. Sevenoaks Hockey Club's women's first XI competes in Division 1 South, the second tier of the national league structure.<ref>{{cite web |title=Holcombe Hockey Club – Welcome |url=https://holcombe.hockey/welcome/ |access-date=24 October 2025 |website=Holcombe Hockey Club}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sevenoaks Hockey Club – Women's 1st XI |url=https://www.sevenoakshockey.club/teams/213981 |access-date=24 October 2025 |website=Sevenoaks Hockey Club}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Canterbury Hockey Club – About |url=https://canterburyhockeyclub.co.uk/about |access-date=24 October 2025 |website=Canterbury Hockey Club}}</ref>
-The [[Invicta Dynamos]], based in Gillingham, are a semi-professional [[ice hockey]] team that plays in the [[National Ice Hockey League]]. They replaced the Medway Bears as the senior team in 1997. They share the home ice rink at [[Planet Ice Gillingham]] with the secondary senior team, [[Invicta Mustangs]] and the ladies ice hockey team, the [[Invicta Dynamics]].
+The [[Invicta Dynamos]], based in Gillingham, are a semi-professional [[ice hockey]] team that plays in the [[National Ice Hockey League]]. They replaced the Medway Bears as the senior team in 1997. They share the home ice rink at Planet Ice Gillingham with the secondary senior team, [[Invicta Mustangs]]<nowiki/>s, and the ladies' ice hockey team, the [[Invicta Dynamics]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Invicta Dynamos Official Website |url=https://invictadynamos.co.uk/ |access-date=24 October 2025 |website=Invicta Dynamos}}</ref>
-In [[rugby union]], [[Tonbridge Juddians Rugby Football Club|Tonbridge Juddians]] and [[Canterbury RFC]] play in the fourth-tier of English rugby in the [[National League 2 South]]. [[Gravesend RFC]] play in the seventh-tier [[London 2 South East|London 2 South-East.]] [[Blackheath FC]], a club within the historic boundaries of the county, play in fourth-tier [[National League 2 South]]. Both Tonbridge Juddians and Blackheath RFC played in [[National League 1|National league 1]] (the third-tier of English rugby) up until the end of the 2021–2022 season.
+In [[rugby union]], [[Tonbridge Juddians Rugby Football Club|Tonbridge Juddians]] and [[Canterbury RFC]] play in the fourth tier of English rugby in the National League 2 East and similar level. [[Gravesend RFC]] play in the seventh-tier [[London 2 South East|London 2 South-East]] (Regional 2 South East). [[Blackheath FC|Blackheath RFC]], a club within the historic boundaries of the county, played in the third tier ([[National League 1|National league 1]]) until being relegated at the end of the 2021–22 season. <ref>{{cite web |title=Tonbridge Juddians RFC profile |url=https://www.communityad.co.uk/exclusives/tonbridge-juddians-rfc/ |access-date=24 October 2025 |website=CommunityAd}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Canterbury RFC – Club History |url=https://cantrugby.co.uk/club-history/ |access-date=24 October 2025 |website=Canterbury RFC}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=3 May 2022 |title=Blackheath relegated and Esher lift National Two South title |url=https://nationalleaguerugby.com/national-1/leeds-tykes-seal-safety-blackheath-relegated-and-esher-lift-national-two-south-title/ |access-date=24 October 2025 |website=National League Rugby}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Gravesend Rugby Club – About |url=https://www.gravesendrugby.co.uk/ |access-date=24 October 2025 |website=Gravesend RFC}}</ref>
-In [[motorsport]], the [[Brands Hatch]] circuit near [[Swanley]] has played host to a number of national and international racing events and hosted 12 runnings of the [[British Grand Prix]] in various years between 1964 and 1986.
+The [[Brands Hatch]] circuit near [[Swanley]] has played host to a number of national and international racing events and hosted 12 runnings of the [[British Grand Prix]] between 1964 and 1986.<ref>{{cite web |title=FIA British F4 Championship – Brands Hatch (GP) |url=https://fiaformula4.com/tracks/brands-hatch-gp/ |access-date=24 October 2025 |website=FIA Formula 4}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Brands Hatch History |url=https://ukracetracks.wordpress.com/circuit-history/brands-hatch-history/ |access-date=24 October 2025 |website=UK Race Tracks}}</ref>
-There have been multiple [[American football]] teams based in  Kent since the game was popularised in the UK. Currently, the [[Canterbury]] is the home of the [[East Kent Mavericks]], the 2023 [[BAFA National Leagues]] Southern Football Conference 2 Champions, as well as teams from both universities.
+There have been multiple [[American football]] teams based in Kent since the game was popularised in the UK. Currently, [[Canterbury]] is the home of the  [[East Kent Mavericks]], the 2023 [[BAFA National Leagues]] Southern Football Conference 2 Champions, as well as teams from both universities.<ref>{{cite web |date=25 September 2023 |title=East Kent Mavericks become National Champions |url=https://www.kentsportsnews.com/east-kent-mavericks-become-national-champions-25-09-2023/ |access-date=24 October 2025 |website=Kent Sports News}}</ref>
-Kent is home to two National League netball clubs, both based in northwest Kent: Telstars (Premier Division 2) and KCNC (Premier Division 3).
+Kent is home to two national-league netball clubs, both based in northwest Kent: Telstars (Premier Division 2) and KCNC (Premier Division 3).<ref>{{cite web |title=Telstars Netball Club – Presently Seniors play in EN National Premier League Div 2 |url=https://telstarsnetball.co.uk/club-history |access-date=24 October 2025 |website=Telstars}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=KCNC – Kent County Netball Club |url=https://sevenoaksjuniornetballleague.com/teams/kcnc/ |access-date=24 October 2025 |website=Sevenoaks Junior Netball League}}</ref>
 In [[basketball]], the [[Kent Panthers]] participate in Division 3 of the [[National Basketball League (England)|National Basketball League]].
-The 2021–2022 season has seen three Kentish clubs demoted from the third-tier of their respective sports to the fourth-tier, with rugby clubs [[Tonbridge Juddians Rugby Football Club|Tonbridge Juddians]] and [[Blackheath F.C.|Blackheath RFC]] being demoted in rugby and [[Gillingham F.C.|Gillingham FC]] being demoted in football.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}
+The 2021–2022 season saw three Kentish clubs demoted from the third tier of their respective sports to the fourth tier, with rugby clubs [[Tonbridge Juddians Rugby Football Club|Tonbridge Juddians]] and [[Blackheath F.C.|Blackheath RFC]] being relegated in rugby and [[Gillingham F.C.|Gillingham F.C]]. being relegated in football.<ref>{{cite web |date=30 April 2022 |title=Gillingham 0-2 Rotherham United: Millers promoted as Gills drop to League Two |url=https://www.vavel.com/en/football/1110203-gillingham-0-2-rotherham-united-millers-promoted-as-gills-drop-to-league-two.html |access-date=24 October 2025 |website=VAVEL}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=25 April 2022 |title=Leeds Tykes seal safety, Blackheath relegated and Esher lift National Two South title |url=https://nationalleaguerugby.com/national-1/leeds-tykes-seal-safety-blackheath-relegated-and-esher-lift-national-two-south-title/ |access-date=24 October 2025 |website=National League Rugby}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=April 2022 |title=Rosslyn Park Weekly Newsletter – Issue 39 |url=https://rosslynpark.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Parknews39.pdf |access-date=24 October 2025 |website=Rosslyn Park}}</ref>
 ==News and media==
@@ Line 664: / Line 673: @@
 ===Television===
 {{Unreferenced section|date=February 2016}}
-Kent is served by the [[BBC]]'s [[BBC South East|South East]] region, which is based in [[Tunbridge Wells]] and provides local news for the county and [[East Sussex]]. Its commercial rival is [[Meridian Broadcasting|ITV Meridian Ltd]], which has a newsroom at [[The Maidstone Studios]] despite the main studio being based in [[Hampshire]]. Main transmitters providing these services are at West Hougham, near [[Dover]] and [[Blue Bell Hill]], between [[Chatham, Kent|Chatham]] and [[Maidstone]]. A powerful relay transmitter at [[Tunbridge Wells]] serves the town and surrounding area. Those parts of Kent closest to London such as [[Swanley]], [[Westerham]], [[Dartford]], [[Gravesend]], and [[Sevenoaks]] lie within the [[ITV London]] and [[BBC London]] areas, taking their television signals from the [[Crystal Palace transmitting station|Crystal Palace]] transmitter.
+Kent is served by the [[BBC]]'s [[BBC South East|South East]] region, which is based in [[Tunbridge Wells]] and provides local news for the county and [[East Sussex]]. Its commercial rival is [[Meridian Broadcasting|ITV Meridian Ltd]], which has a newsroom at [[The Maidstone Studios]] despite the main studio being based in [[Hampshire]]. Main transmitters providing these services are at West Hougham, near [[Dover]] and [[Blue Bell Hill]], between [[Chatham, Kent|Chatham]] and [[Maidstone]]. A powerful relay transmitter at [[Tunbridge Wells]] serves the town and surrounding area. Those parts of Kent closest to London such as [[Swanley]], [[Westerham]], [[Dartford]], [[Gravesend]], and [[Sevenoaks]] lie within the [[ITV London]] and [[BBC London]] areas, taking their television signals from the [[Crystal Palace transmitting station|Crystal Palace]] transmitter.<ref>{{cite web |title=BBC South East |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/england/kent |access-date=24 October 2025 |website=BBC News |publisher=BBC}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Contact Us – ITV News Meridian |url=https://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2013-01-14/contact-us-at-itv-news-meridian |access-date=24 October 2025 |website=ITV News Meridian |publisher=ITV plc}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Bluebell Hill Transmitting Station |url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Bluebell_Hill |access-date=24 October 2025 |website=UKFree.TV}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Dover Transmitting Station (West Hougham) |url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Dover |access-date=24 October 2025 |website=UKFree.TV}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Tunbridge Wells Transmitter |url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Tunbridge_Wells |access-date=24 October 2025 |website=UKFree.TV}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Crystal Palace Transmitting Station |url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Crystal_Palace |access-date=24 October 2025 |website=UKFree.TV}}</ref>
 ===Radio===
 Kent has two county-wide stations – [[BBC Radio Kent]], based in Tunbridge Wells; and the commercial station [[KMFM (radio network)|KMFM]], owned by the [[KM Group]]. KMFM previously consisted of seven local stations which covered different areas of the county (and are still technically seven different licences) but have shared all programming since 2012<ref>{{cite web |last1=Clarkson |first1=Stuart |title=KMFM group can have one breakfast show |url=http://radiotoday.co.uk/2012/02/kmfm-group-can-have-one-breakfast-show/ |website=Radio Today Industry News |access-date=5 September 2015 |date=16 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160217091356/http://radiotoday.co.uk/2012/02/kmfm-group-can-have-one-breakfast-show/ |archive-date=17 February 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>
-The county's first commercial station was originally known as Invicta FM and began broadcasting in 1984. After various buyouts, the station was rebranded into [[Heart Kent]] in 2009 as part of the Heart Network. The station was closed and merged with several other Heart stations in the south of England in 2019 to form [[Heart South]], with the Kent studios in Whitstable closing and production moving to [[Fareham]] in [[Hampshire]].
+The county’s first commercial station was originally known as Invicta (Invicta Sound/Invicta FM) and began broadcasting on 1 October 1984. After various buy-outs it was rebranded as [[Heart Kent]] in June 2009 as part of Global’s Heart network roll-out, and in 2019 the station was merged with neighbouring Heart licences to form [[Heart South]]; Heart Kent’s Whitstable studios closed in late May 2019 with regional production consolidated elsewhere (the merged regional service broadcasts from [[Fareham]]).<ref>{{cite web |title=Invicta Sound |url=https://www.localradioarchive.co.uk/invicta_sound/ |access-date=24 October 2025 |website=Local Radio Archive}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=27 April 2009 |title=Global completes rebranding of local radio stations as Heart |url=https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/global-completes-rebranding-local-radio-stations-heart/897546 |access-date=24 October 2025 |work=Campaign}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=4 April 2019 |title=Global to network Capital, Heart and Smooth breakfast shows |url=https://radiotoday.co.uk/2019/02/global-to-network-capital-heart-and-smooth-breakfast-shows/ |access-date=24 October 2025 |work=RadioToday}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=8 June 2019 |title=Heart Kent closure makes kmfm only Kent-based commercial music station |url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/changing-face-of-local-radio-206195/ |access-date=24 October 2025 |work=KentOnline}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Heart – Public File (Kent) |url=https://www.heart.co.uk/public-file/kent/ |access-date=24 October 2025 |website=Heart.co.uk}}</ref>
 There are several community radio stations in Kent including:
@@ Line 702: / Line 711: @@
 * [[Kent Police and Crime Commissioner]]
 * [[List of churches in Kent]]
+* [[List of English and Welsh endowed schools (19th century)#Kent]]
 * [[List of civil parishes in Kent]]
 * [[List of fire stations in Kent]]

Kent: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 17:22, 19 November 2025

Contents

Etymology

History

Geography

Climate

Governance

Demography

Economy

Culture

Architecture

Literature and publishing

Classical music

Visual arts

Performing arts

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Water

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Education

National Challenge schools

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Television

Radio

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See also

References

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Kent: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 17:22, 19 November 2025

Etymology

History

Geography

Climate

Governance

Demography

Economy

Culture

Architecture

Literature and publishing

Classical music

Visual arts

Performing arts

Transport

Roads

Water

Railways

Air

Education

National Challenge schools

Sport

News and media

Television

Radio

Newspapers

See also

References

External links

Navigation menu

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