Cranbrook
Coordinates: 51°06′03″N 0°32′04″E / 51.1007, 0.5345 Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...
OS grid reference	TQ775365
District	Tunbridge Wells
Shire county	Kent
Region	South East
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	CRANBROOK
Postcode district	TN17
Dial code	01580
Police	Kent
Fire	Kent
Ambulance	South East Coast
UK Parliament	Maidstone and The Weald
European Parliament	South East England
List of places: UK • England • Kent

Cranbrook is a town in the Tunbridge Wells borough of Kent in South East England. It is also the smallest town in Kent. It is on the Maidstone to Hastings road and five miles north of Hawkhurst. The smaller settlements of Swattenden, Colliers Green and Hartley lie within the parish. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (600x800, 11 KB) Summary Description: A blank map of the United Kingdom, with country outline and coastline; contact the author for help with modifications or add-ons Source: Reference map provided by Demis Mapper 6 Date: 2006-21-06 Author: User... Image File history File links Red_pog. ... The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using latitude or longitude. ... The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government. ... Tunbridge Wells is a local government district and borough in Kent, England. ... Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of English administrative division used for the purposes of local government. ... coat of Arms of Kent For other uses, see Kent (disambiguation). ... The region, also known as Government Office Region, is currently the highest tier of local government subnational entity of England in the United Kingdom. ... South East England is one of the nine official regions of England. ... Constituent countries is a phrase used, often by official institutions, in contexts in which a number of countries make up a larger entity or grouping; thus the OECD has used the phrase in reference to the former Yugoslavia[1] and European institutions such as the Council of Europe frequently use... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the  United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total 130... This is an alphabetical list of the sovereign states of the world, including both de jure and de facto independent states. ... A post town is a required part of all UK postal addresses. ... UK postal codes are known as postcodes. ... The TN postcode area, also known as the Tonbridge postcode area[1], is a group of postal districts around Ashford, Battle, Bexhill-on-Sea, Cranbrook, Crowborough, Edenbridge, Etchingham, Hartfield, Hastings, Heathfield, Mayfield, New Romney, Robertsbridge, Romney Marsh, Rye, Sevenoaks, St Leonards-on-Sea, Tenterden, Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells, Uckfield, Wadhurst, Westerham... The UK telephone numbering plan, also known as the National Numbering Plan, is regulated by the Office of Communications (Ofcom), which replaced the Office of Telecommunications (Oftel) in 2003. ... Kent Police is the police force covering Kent in England, including the unitary authority of Medway. ... A Fire Appliance belonging to the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service The fire service in the United Kingdom has undergone dramatic changes since the beginning of the 21st century, a process that has been propelled by a devolution of central government powers, new legislation and a change to operational... Kent Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service for the county of Kent covering a geographical area south of London, to the coast and including major shipping routes via the Thames and Medway rivers. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... As of 1st July the NHS Ambulance Services Trusts of Kent, Surrey and Sussex are being joined together to form a new South East Coast Ambulance Service . ... The United Kingdom House of Commons is made up of Members of Parliament (MPs). ... For the local government district, see Maidstone Maidstone and The Weald is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... This is a list of Members of the European Parliament for the United Kingdom in the 2004 to 2009 session, ordered by name. ... South East England is a constituency of the European Parliament. ... List of cities in the United Kingdom List of towns in England Lists of places within counties List of places in Bedfordshire List of places in Berkshire List of places in Buckinghamshire List of places in Cambridgeshire List of places in Cheshire List of places in Cleveland List of places... This is a list of cities, towns and villages in the ceremonial county of Kent, England. ... There are at least three places named Cranbrook. ... Tunbridge Wells is a local government district and borough in Kent, England. ... coat of Arms of Kent For other uses, see Kent (disambiguation). ... South East England is one of the nine official regions of England. ... Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, halfway (30 miles) between the City of London and the English Channel. ... For other uses, see Hastings (disambiguation). ... Hawkhurst is virtually two villages - one, the older of the two, consisting mainly of cottages clustered around a large triangular green known as the Moor, and the other, further north on the main road, called Highgate. ... Swattenden is a small settlement near Cranbrook, Kent, UK. It is situated on the B2086 about a mile from Hartley, where the A229 crosses the settlement. ... Hartley is a village within Cranbrook, bordering Hawkhurst. ...

Origin of Name

The place name Cranbrook derives from Old English cran broc, meaning Crane Marsh - marshy ground frequented by cranes. The place name has evolved over the centuries from Cranebroca (c1100), by 1226 it is recorded as Cranebroc, then Cranebrok by 1610 the name had become Cranbrooke, which evolved into the current spelling.^[1][2] Old English (also called Anglo-Saxon[1], Old English: ) is an early form of the English language that was spoken in parts of what is now England and southern Scotland between the mid-fifth century and the mid-twelfth century. ...

History

In medieval times it was a centre of the Wealden cloth industry; and iron-making was also carried on. The church here, dedicated to St Dunstan, is often called the Cathedral of the Weald; its 74 feet-high tower, completed in 1425, has a stone figure of Father Time and his scythe on its south face. Cloth-making was, apart from iron-making, the other large-scale industry carried out on the Weald of Kent and Sussex in medieval times. ... The Wealden iron industry is the result of a combination of the natural materials being available for the making of iron. ... A 19th century depiction of Father Time, cradling Baby New Year. ...

The Mill

One of the few extant Kent windmills is here: the Union Mill, it was built by Henry Dobell in 1814. Dobell went bankrupt shortly after, and the Russell family ran it for next 128 years, when it was sold to Kent County Council, who have restored it. Chesterton Windmill in Warwickshire Windmills in the United Kingdom is a link page for any windmill or windpump in the United Kingdom. ... Year 1814 (MDCCCXIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... Kent County Council is the local authority for the county of Kent in south-east England, United Kingdom. ...

About Cranbrook

Cranbrook has around 7,000 residents. It is sited near the junction of the A262 (Lamberhurst - Biddenden) and the A229 (Rochester - Hawkhurst). The nearest railway station is Staplehurst, 5 miles to the north. The one-time railway station was closed in the 1950s. Cranbrook is the smallest town in Kent. Residency is a stage of postgraduate medical training in North America which leads to eligibility for board certification in a primary care or referral specialty. ... The A229 is a major road running through the centre of Kent. ... Rochester is a small town in Kent, at the lowest bridging point of the River Medway about 30 miles (50 km) from London. ... Hawkhurst is virtually two villages - one, the older of the two, consisting mainly of cottages clustered around a large triangular green known as the Moor, and the other, further north on the main road, called Highgate. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... Ronda, Spain Main street in Bastrop, Texas, a small town A town is a community of people ranging from a few hundred to several thousands, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas. ... coat of Arms of Kent For other uses, see Kent (disambiguation). ...

Education

There are two secondary schools in Cranbrook: Angley School (comprehensive, 11-18) and Cranbrook School, Kent (grammar, 13-18). Both are co-educational. High School also refers to the highest form of classical riding, High School Dressage. ... // Cranbrook School is a secondary school in Kent. ...

There is also a primary school in Cranbrook, known simply as Cranbrook Primary. The primary school was originally located in an old manor house, which was once visited by Queen Elizabeth I. After the original building burnt down, the school moved to a site to the north of the Church Yard and Jockey Lane. The primary school remained on this site for around a century, before growth of the town's population and the increasingly unmanageable collection of temporary classrooms and 1960's prefabs forced a move in 1985 to new brand new premises at the end of Carriers Road, where the school remains to this day. The building of the new school finally drew all the pupils together under one roof, but sadly further growth in the town's population forced the new school to buy in temporary classrooms to supplement the purpose-built ones barely three years after its opening. Almost all of the buildings of the old school were knocked down to make way for a development of sheltered accommodation for old people. The only building to resist the bulldozer was the south wing which had contained the three classrooms of infant school (the first three years). This building was internally gutted and converted to a surgery for general practice. A family planning clinic was built to the west of it on the site of Mr Leech's classroom. Sadly the old school's collection of formalin-pickled amphibians, reptiles and soft bodied sea creatures seemed to disappear (presumably it was thrown away) when the school moved to its new premises. Primary or elementary education is the first years of formal, structured education that occurs during childhood. ... Ightham Mote For the London district, see Manor House, London. ... Elizabeth I Queen of England and Ireland Queen of France, nominal title Elizabeth I (September 7, 1533–March 24, 1603) was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from November 17, 1558 until her death. ...

Entertainment

The main place for entertainment in Cranbrook is the Queens Hall Theatre. It is often host to many theatre groups including the Cambridge Footlights and the local dramatic society CODS. Each year a pantomime is performed by the Showtimers pantomime group. The theatre is part of Cranbrook School and is one that plays a very central role to the entertainment in Cranbrook. Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club, commonly referred to simply as the Footlights, is an amateur theatrical club in Cambridge, England, run by the students of Cambridge University. ...

Cranbrook is also the home of Cranbrook Town Band, which is a British style brass band. The band performs regular concerts in the Queens hall, St Dunstans church and around Kent. The history of the band goes back to the 1920s. The band rehearses on at 7.45pm on Thursday evenings at Angley school.

In May 2008, the first annual Sacconi Festival will be held in St Dunstan's Church, Cranbrook, hosted by the Sacconi String Quartet. Image:Sacconi Quartet. ...

Rope Walk & Hendley Drive

Residents are the Hatchers and the Austens and formerly the Mooneys.These three families had great traditions of football and played regularly before school, after school, at school,at week-ends, for the school and for other clubs.Mike Mooney, Liam Austen, Callum Hatcher, Sean Mooney, Paddy Provan and Brad Lovatt played football up the ball-field every day after school.

Other

There is a popular sports centre: the Weald Sports Centre on the northern side of the A229 next to Angley School. It has excellent indoor and outdoor facilities including four tennis courts, an indoor sports hall, a swimming pool and a dance studio. The A229 is a major road running through the centre of Kent. ...

St. Dunstan's Church (known as The Cathedral in the Weald) contains the prototype for the clock of Big Ben in London. Over 600 people attend St. Dunstan's Christingle Services on Christmas Eve; requiring the church to provide two services the same to enable everyone to come along.

The comedian Harry Hill was educated in the town, and comedian and writer Chris Langham also lives there. DVD cover for Harry Hill - First Class Scamp, released by Avalon Television, 1998 Dr. Matthew Hall (born October 1, 1964), better known as Harry Roy Hill, is a British stand-up comedian who has graduated to being a star of British television by way of a BBC radio series Harry... Chris Langham (born 14 April 1949) is a British writer and comedian. ...

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References

Sources

• The Place Names of Kent, Judith Glover.
• The Origin of English Place Names, P.H.Reaney.
• The Dictionary of British Place Names
• Dictionary of English Place Names, A.D.Mills.

External links

• Official Cranbrook Town website
• Cranbrook Operatic and Dramatic Society
• St. Dunstan's Parish Church
• Cranbrook School (Incl. Queens Hall Theatre)
• Cranbrook Town Band
• Cranbrook Film Society
• Cranbrook Symphony Orchestra