Sturry facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sturry |
|
|---|---|
 Sturry High Street |
|
 Sturry
|
|
| Area | 13.42 km2 (5.18 sq mi) |
| Population | 6,820 (Civil Parish 2011Y) |
| • Density | 508/km2 (1,320/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | TR176606 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CANTERBURY |
| Postcode district | CT2, CT3 |
| Dialling code | 01227 |
| Police | Kent |
| Fire | Kent |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament |
|
Sturry is a village in Kent, England. It's located about 3 miles (5 km) northeast of the city of Canterbury, right by the Great Stour river. Sturry is part of a larger area called a civil parish, which includes smaller communities known as hamlets. Until April 2019, the former mining village of Hersden was also part of Sturry's parish.
Contents
Exploring Sturry's Location
Sturry is found where old Roman roads used to meet. These roads connected Canterbury to Thanet and Reculver. A fort was built here long ago to protect the river crossing.
Sturry Railway Station
Sturry railway station first opened in 1848. The train line was updated with electricity in 1962. It is on the route between Canterbury West and Ramsgate. Before the 1860s, this station was a key stop for stagecoaches heading to Herne and Herne Bay. Sturry's parish borders are still the same as they were in 1086, when they were written down in the Domesday Book.
A Look at Sturry's Past
People have lived in the Sturry area for a very long time. Tools like flint knives and arrow-tips suggest humans were here about 430,000 years ago. Other old items found include axes and pottery from the Bronze Age. More pottery was found in the Sturry Hill gravel-pits. A burial ground near Stonerocks Farm shows that Iron Age people, called Belgic Celts, lived here from the late 2nd century BC. These Celts gave Canterbury its name before the Romans arrived.
Roman Times in Sturry
All this evidence shows that people have lived on the north bank of the River Stour, where Sturry is now, for thousands of years. When the Romans came, they built Island Road (now the A28). This road connected Canterbury, which was a local capital, to the ferry for the Isle of Thanet. There was also a branch road to their fort at Reculver.
How Sturry Got Its Name
A very important time for Sturry was in the early 5th century. At this time, the Romano-Britons asked people from Frisia and Jutland to help them fight against invaders. These helpers were given land as a reward. Some of them settled near Sturry, and their cemetery was found at Hersden. Later, Kent was divided into areas called lathes or districts. Sturry was the first of these. Its name, Stour-gau, means "district on the Stour river." This area stretched along the Stour river up to Canterbury and south to Wye.
Historic Buildings and Changes
You can find the remains of a large village water mill near the parish church. Sturry's High Street still has some old buildings. The village is also very close to Fordwich, one of England's smallest towns. Fordwich has interesting buildings, including its historic Town Hall. Fordwich is actually smaller than Sturry.
A rare old granary, built with wooden boards, stands at Blaxland Farm. It is held up by nine staddle stones. A barn from Vale Farm, Calcott, was moved and rebuilt at the Museum of Kent Life in Sandling. A 16th-century manor house and oast house (a building used for drying hops), built in 1583, are still in Sturry village. They used to belong to St Augustine's Abbey in Canterbury. Next to them is a medieval tithe barn. These buildings are now part of The King's School.
Since the 1960s, many new housing areas have been built on the north side of the village. These were mostly built in former woodlands. This has made Sturry a popular place for people who work in Canterbury to live. However, the village still feels very rural. There are fields for growing crops and raising animals, and lots of coppice woodland. You can also find market gardens in the countryside around Sturry. Large quarries are still active near the village. Old quarry areas that are now filled with water are used for fishing.
Sturry During World War II
During the Second World War, Sturry was bombed. A large part of the High Street was destroyed in 1941 by a parachute mine. This sad event caused the deaths of 15 people, including seven children aged 12 and under. One little girl who had been to the bakers' was found still holding her bag of buns.
Another bomb from the same aircraft landed in some garden plots. Records show that on August 28, 1940, there were eight separate air-raid warnings. On September 15, 1940, known as 'Battle of Britain Day', a German Dornier bomber plane crashed in a field near Kemberland Wood. Three of the five crew members died. They were first buried in Sturry Cemetery. Later, in the 1960s, they were moved to the German war cemetery at Cannock Chase.
Even with the bombing, many interesting buildings in Sturry are still standing. This includes the Manor House, built in 1583. It is now the junior school for The King's School, Canterbury.
Places of Worship
St Nicholas parish church is a joint Anglican and Methodist church. It is located on a bank next to the River Stour. This means that people who are Methodist or Anglican can worship together there. The large parish of St Nicholas includes the villages of Sturry with Fordwich and Westbere with Hersden.
The church is mostly Norman in style. The oldest parts of the church date back to about 1200. In 1965, English Heritage gave the church a Grade I listed status, meaning it is a very important historic building.
Learning in Sturry
Sturry has two primary schools. Sturry Church of England Primary school is located near the north of the village. It has strong connections with Hersden Primary School. The junior part of The King's School, Canterbury, a well-known independent school, is also in south Sturry. Famous people who went to King's School include chef Antony Worrall Thompson and actor Orlando Bloom.
Spires Academy is the only secondary school in Sturry. It was once known as Sturry Secondary Modern School and later Frank Montgomery School. This school has also had notable students, such as television producer Nic Ayling, actor Rusty Goffe, and novelist Michael Paraskos.
Sports and Recreation
Sturry has had a cricket club playing near Field Way since 1863. In 2005, Sturry Cricket Club lost its home ground when the land was sold. The club now plays at Polo Farm Sports Ground near Fordwich. They have two teams that play in the KRCL on Saturdays and a friendly team that plays on Sundays.
