Gravesham
| Gravesham Borough of Gravesham |
|
|---|---|
| Borough & Non-metropolitan district | |
 Gravesham located within Kent |
|
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Non-metropolitan county | Kent |
| Status | Borough |
| Admin HQ | Gravesend |
| Incorporated | 1 April 1974 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Non-metropolitan District Council |
| • Body | Gravesham Borough Council |
| • Leadership | Member of Parliament (Conservative) |
| • MP | Adam Holloway |
| Area | |
| • Total | 38.23 sq mi (99.02 km2) |
| Area rank | 221st (of 326) |
| Population (mid-2014 est.) | |
| • Total | 105,261 |
| • Rank | 223rd (of 326) |
| • Density | 2,800/sq mi (1,100/km2) |
| • Ethnicity | 87.8% White 8.5% S.Asian 1.4% Black 1.3% Mixed Race 1.0% Chinese or Other |
| Time zone | GMT (UTC0) |
| • Summer (DST) | BST (UTC+1) |
| ONS code | 29UG (ONS) E07000109 (GSS) |
| OS grid reference | TQ647740 |
| Website | www.gravesham.gov.uk |
Gravesham (/ˈɡreɪvʃəm/ GRAYV-shəm) is a local government district with borough status in north-west Kent, England.
It borders the Borough of Dartford and Sevenoaks District to the west, the Borough of Tonbridge and Malling to the south, the Medway Unitary Authority to the east and the Thurrock Unitary Authority in Essex is due north on the opposite bank of the River Thames (see Gravesend–Tilbury Ferry).
Its administrative centre[1] is Gravesend, the largest town in the borough and previously known as Gravesham in ancient times; Gravesham parliamentary constituency's present boundaries are almost the same as those of the municipality.
Gravesham was formed by the merger of parishes listed below and the former urban district of Northfleet On 1 April 1974. It is the successor to the Gravesend Municipal Borough, Northfleet Urban District, and part of Strood Rural District. Gravesham is twinned with Cambrai in Picardy, France.
History
Robert Heath Hiscock LL.B., F.S.A., Chairman of the Gravesend Historical Society, in the foreword to his book, 'A History of Gravesend' (Phillimore, 1976) wrote:
- "The name Gravesham appears only in the Domesday Book, 1086, and was probably the error of a Norman scribe. It was 'Gravesend' in the Domesday Monarchorum c.1100, and 'Gravesende' in the Textus Roffensis c. 1100. It is strange that this "clerical error" should now have been adopted as the name of the new Council".
Housing and architecture
Housing varies from mid rise to low rise, particularly in the villages. The district has 12 buildings listed in the highest category of the national grading system, Grade I, three of which are private residences:
- Gadshill Place in Higham
- Luddesdown Court in Luddesdown
- Nurstead Court in Meopham
Cobham Hall, also in the highest architectural category,[2] is a stately home which was formerly the seat of the Earls of Darnley: since 1965 it has been an independent girls' school. Cobham Park is Grade II*-listed which is listed separately in the gardens and parklands category of classification approved by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport;[3] and includes the remains of a Roman villa.[4][5]
The other Grade I*-listed buildings in the borough comprise its ancient parish churches.
Governance
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Gravesham Borough Council is elected every four years, with currently 44 Councillors being elected at each election. From the first election in 1973 the council has alternated between Labour and Conservative control. Since 1995 Labour has controlled the council apart from 4 years between the 2007 and 2011 elections. As of the 2015 election the council is composed of the following councillors:-[6]
| Party | Councillors |
|
| Conservative Party | 23 | |
| Labour Party | 21 | |
There are eighteen wards represented on the borough council:
- Those serving Gravesend town:
- Central
- Pelham
- Riverside
- Singlewell
- Whitehill
- Woodlands
- Other urban areas:
- Northfleet (2 wards - North & South)
- Coldharbour
- Istead Rise
- Painters Ash
- Riverview
- Westcourt
- Outlying villages:
See also
References
- ↑ Gravesham council website
- ↑ Cobham Hall Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Gravesham Listed Building Guidance Notes
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- ↑ Nurstead Court
External links
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Towns and villages in the Borough of Gravesham
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