Gravesham

Gravesham (/ˈɡreɪvʃəm/ GRAYV-shəm) is a local government district with borough status in north-west Kent, England. Its administrative centre[1] and largest town is Gravesend, which was known as Gravesham in ancient times.

This article is about the district. For the town, see Gravesend. For the constituency, see Gravesham (UK Parliament constituency).

Gravesham
Borough of Gravesham
Borough & Non-metropolitan district
Gravesham located within Kent
Gravesham located within Kent
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
Non-metropolitan countyKent
StatusBorough
Admin HQGravesend
Incorporated1 April 1974
Government
 • TypeNon-metropolitan District Council
 • BodyGravesham Borough Council
 • LeadershipMember of Parliament (Conservative)
 • MPAdam Holloway
Area
 • Total38.23 sq mi (99.02 km2)
 • Rank216th (of 309)
Population
 (2021)
 • Total106,900
 • Rank226th (of 309)
 • Density2,800/sq mi (1,100/km2)
 • Ethnicity
76.6% White
11.2% Asian
6.5% Black
2.6% Mixed Race
3.0% Other
Time zoneUTC0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code29UG (ONS)
E07000109 (GSS)
OS grid referenceTQ647740
Websitewww.gravesham.gov.uk
Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara, Gravesend
Kent coat of arms

Gravesham was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Gravesend with Northfleet Urban District and part of Strood Rural District, under the Local Government Act 1972. 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 of Essex to the north, via the River Thames.

Gravesham is twinned with Cambrai in Hauts-de-France, France and Neumünster in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The present borders of Gravesham parliamentary constituency are almost the same as those of the borough.

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 a private 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.[2][4]

The other Grade I-listed buildings in the borough comprise its ancient parish churches.

Gravesham is home to the largest Sikh Gurdwara in Europe, Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara.[5]

Governance
See also: Gravesham local elections
Gravesham Borough Council
Leadership
John Burden,
Labour
since 16 May 2019
Seats44 councillors
Elections
First past the post
Meeting place
Civic Centre, Windmill Street, Gravesend, DA12 1AU
Website
www.gravesham.gov.uk

Wards

There are eighteen wards represented on the borough council:

  • Those serving Gravesend town:
    • Central
    • Pelham
    • Riverside
    • Riverview
    • Singlewell
    • Westcourt
    • Whitehill
    • Woodlands
  • Those serving Northfleet:
    • Coldharbour
    • Istead Rise
    • Northfleet North
    • Northfleet South
    • Painters Ash
  • Outlying villages:

Following a boundary review, from the 2023 Local Elections there will be seventeen wards represented on the borough council:

  • Those serving Gravesend:
    • Denton
    • Pelham
    • Riverview Park
    • Singlewell
    • Town
    • Westcourt
    • Whitehill and Windmill Hill
    • Woodlands
  • Those serving Northfleet:
    • Coldharbour and Perry Street
    • Northfleet and Springhead
    • Painters Ash
    • Rosherville
  • Those serving the outlying villages:
    • Chalk
    • Higham and Shorne
    • Istead Rise, Cobham and Luddesdown (Istead Rise, however, is part of Northfleet town)
    • Meopham North
    • Meopham South and Vigo

Elections
Main article: Gravesham Borough Council elections

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 a 1993 by-election, Labour has controlled the council apart from 4 years between the 2007 and 2011 elections. As of the 2019 election the council is composed as follows:[6]

Party Councillors
Conservative Party 18
Labour Party 24
Independents 2

See also

References
  1. Reserved, Gravesham Borough Council - All Rights (1 January 2016). "Home". www.gravesham.gov.uk.
  2. Historic England. "Cobham Hall (1000182)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  3. "Gravesham Listed Building Guidance Notes". Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  4. Historic England. "Romano-British villa and 19th century reservoir in Cobham Park (1012964)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  5. "Kent County Council's cabinet members visit Europe's largest Sikh temple".
  6. "England council elections". BBC News Online. 10 May 2011. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gravesham.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.