High Halstow, United Kingdom
High Halstow is a town of 1,662 people in England, United Kingdom.
Why visit High Halstow
Townapedia lists 3 museums and landmarks, 7 parks and trails, 3 places to eat and 6 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Dickens World and Cooling Castle.
Weather in High Halstow
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About High Halstow
High Halstow is a village and civil parish on the Hoo Peninsula in the unitary authority of Medway in South East England. It was, until 1998, administratively part of Kent and is still ceremonially associated via the Lieutenancies Act. The parish had a population of 1,781 according to the 2001 census, increasing to 1,807 at the 2011 census.
From the Wikipedia article High Halstow (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photos of High Halstow
Things to do6
Dickens World
Monument and historic site · 3.4 mi
Amusement park in England
Museums and landmarks3
Parks, trails and playgrounds7
Deangate Community Parkland
Park · 1.4 mi
Deangate Community Parkland, formerely known as the Deangate Ridge Golf Course, is a large-scale public open space currently under...
Duxcourt Road, Hoo
Restaurants and cafes3
History
The 10th-century Grade I listed church of St Margaret at High Halstow was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, and was built on the highest point of the Hoo Peninsula, overlooking the rivers of the Thames and Medway.
In the 18th century poverty and malnutrition were widespread across the peninsula, with High Halstow no exception; adult life expectancy was then about 30 years, lessened by ague, or marsh fever, the names for malaria, which proliferated in the North Kent Marshes and waterlogged farmland, a stronghold of the mosquito. The cause of malaria was discovered in 1890, and within five years the number of people falling ill with the disease decreased sharply as farmland and marshes were drained. This task was performed in no small way by Henry Pye, after he moved to the area.
The village remained small until after the Second World War, comprising the church, a school, two shops, a pub, a wheelwright's shop, and an undertaker's, with the village being served by a single policeman. Eventually some of the older houses were demolished and replaced. Churchill Place was developed and in the area behind the church, formerly known as the Square, several modern bungalows replaced five thatched cottages. From 1952 more homes were built in the village to house Isle of Grain oil refinery employees.
Read more of the history
Historically, the main economic activity around High Halstow has been farming, but some of the village's residents gained employment outside the village, at the Royal Naval Armaments Depot at Chattenden and Lodge Hill Military Camps and at the Medway Oil and Storage Co at Grain. Chatham Dockyard and the Short Brothers seaplane works at Rochester were also traditional employers for the whole area until they shut many years ago.
In 1956 a new school opened, the old school building being demolished along with Hill Farm to make way for additional housing. Building development has continued intermittently, including the new estates of Northwood Park and Heron Fields, development of which began in 1998.
The village still has its church, a shop and pub (the Red Dog) but has changed beyond recognition in living memory.
The village's cricket club has played in the area for almost 120 years. Ever expanding, the club now has Three Saturday sides, one Sunday side and three colts sides. They play their home matches at Rayner's Meadow, which is situated in Christmas Lane, and at the Hundred of Hoo school, Hoo.
From the History section of High Halstow on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from High Halstow
- Tom Longfieldcricketer (1906-1981)
- Geoffrey LongfieldEnglish cricketer and Royal Air Force officer (1909-1943)
Born in High Halstow, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Churches and places of worship3
Gas and EV charging1
Schools, colleges and libraries1
Map of High Halstow
24 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Rochester Airport (RCS) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 7 miles away.
- Gillingham 4 mi south, about 7 min by car
- Chatham 5 mi south, about 8 min by car
- Rochester 5 mi southwest, about 8 min by car
- Canvey Island 5 mi north, about 8 min by car
- Upchurch 6 mi southeast, about 10 min by car
- South Benfleet 7 mi north, about 12 min by car
- Stanford-le-Hope 7 mi northwest, about 12 min by car
- Gravesend 8 mi west, about 13 min by car
- Hadleigh 8 mi north, about 12 min by car
- Southend-on-Sea 9 mi northeast, about 15 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near High Halstow
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- HighHalstow3088, Clem Rutter, Rochester Kent, CC BY 2.5
- Cooling Castle, 2011, shirokazan, CC BY 2.0
- Cooling Castle gatehouse, Luke McKernan, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Dalham Farm 2, Dudley Miles, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Dalham Farm 3, Dudley Miles, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Dalham Farm 4, Dudley Miles, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Dalham Farm 1, Dudley Miles, CC BY-SA 4.0
- HighHalstow3087, Clem Rutter, Rochester Kent, CC BY 2.5
- Chatham- Dickens World 0118, Clem Rutter, Rochester, Kent, CC BY 3.0
- Street-level photo, tallguy, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, tallguy, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, tallguy, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, tallguy, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, tallguy, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, tallguy, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, tallguy, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, tallguy, CC BY-SA 4.0
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