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'{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}} {{Use British English|date=February 2014}} {{infobox UK place | static_image_name = All Saints Church, Swanscombe (2) - geograph.org.uk - 1411878.jpg | static_image_caption = All Saints Church, Swanscombe |country = England |official_name = Swanscombe |coordinates = {{coord|51.4491|0.2993|display=inline,title}} |civil_parish = [[Swanscombe and Greenhithe]] | population = 6300 | population_ref = (2005)<ref>{{cite web | title = 2005 Ward Level Population Estimates | publisher = Kent County Council | url = http://www.kent.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/E503169D-C06B-498F-BD0A-678EE22B4D37/6841/sae108.pdf |date=September 2006| accessdate = 20 August 2007 |format=PDF}} {{Dead link|date=November 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> |shire_district = [[Dartford (borough)|Dartford]] | shire_county = [[Kent]] |region = South East England |constituency_westminster = [[Dartford (UK Parliament constituency)|Dartford]] |post_town = SWANSCOMBE |postcode_district = DA10 |postcode_area = DA |dial_code = 01322 |os_grid_reference = TQ598747 }} '''Swanscombe''' is a shit hole town in the [[Dartford (borough)|Dartford Borough]] of [[Kent]]. It borders the [[Gravesham|Gravesham Borough]]. It is located north-west of [[Gravesend, Kent|Gravesend]]. At the 2011 Census the population is included in the [[civil parish]] of [[Swanscombe and Greenhithe]]. ==History== ===Prehistory=== [[File:Swanscombe occipital 01.jpg|thumb|Backside of the Swanscombe-skull (replica)]] [[File:Franks HouseDSCF7154.jpg|thumb|Box of 8 [[hand axe]]s from the middle gravels of Barnfield Pit, contained in the [[British Museum]].]] [[File:Swanscombe tools.jpg|thumb|Lithics from Swanscombe on display at the [[Museum of London]].]] [[File:Swanscombe bear skull.jpg|thumb|Bear skull from Swanscombe on display at the [[Museum of London]].]] Bone fragments and tools, representing the earliest humans known to have lived in England, have been found from 1935 onwards at the ''Barnfield Pit'' about {{convert|2|km|0|abbr=in}} outside the village. This site is now the [[Swanscombe Heritage Park]]. [[Swanscombe Man]] (now thought to be female) was a late ''[[Homo erectus]]'' or an early [[Archaic humans|Archaic ''Homo sapiens'']].<ref>Francis Wenban-Smith, [http://www.swanscombeheritagepark.co.uk/interpretation.htm Interpretation]. Retrieved 1 November 2013</ref> The c. 400,000-year-old skull fragments are kept at the [[Natural History Museum, London|Natural History Museum]] in [[London]] with a replica on display at the Dartford Museum. Lower levels of the Barnfield Pit yielded evidence of an even earlier, more primitive human, dubbed [[Clactonian Man]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kentarchaeology.org.uk/Research/Pub/ArchCant/Vol.100%20-%201984/100-02.pdf|title=Clactonian Flints from Rickson’s Pit, Swanscombe|last=Tester|first=P. J.|date=1984|website=Archaeologia Cantiana - Vol. 100 1984|publisher=KENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY|access-date=12 July 2016}}</ref> Nearby digs on land for the [[High Speed 1|Channel Tunnel Rail Link]] revealed a c. 400,000-year-old site with human tools and the remains of a [[Straight-tusked Elephant]] (''Palaeoloxodon antiquus''), and evidence of [[Arvicola|water vole]], [[microtus|pine vole]], [[newt]]s, [[frog]]s etc., indicating a site with standing water, similar to a swamp.<ref name="essex">{{cite news|last1=McKie|first1=Robin|title=The mysterious end of Essex man|url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2005/jan/23/research.science|accessdate=10 June 2017|work=The Guardian|date=23 January 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Giant prehistoric elephant slaughtered by early humans|url=http://www.southampton.ac.uk/news/2013/09/20-prehistoric-elephant-slaughtered-by-early-humans.page|date=20 September 2013|publisher=southampton.ac.uk|accessdate=10 June 2017}}</ref> ===Viking era=== [[File:St Peter and St Paul, Swanscombe, Kent - geograph.org.uk - 326667.jpg|thumb|Church of St Peter and St Paul, Swanscombe]] During archaeological work undertaken at [[Ebbsfleet Valley|Ebbsfleet]], before construction of [[High Speed 1]], an [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] mill and a [[Roman Britain|Roman]] [[villa]] were found near Swanscombe. From [[Crayford]] to the [[Isle of Thanet]], the [[Danes (Germanic tribe)|Danes]] occupied the land and terrorised the [[Saxons|Saxon]] inhabitants, giving rise to the appearance of [[Denehole]]s, of which many have survived to this day. These were [[water well|well]]s, cut deep into the [[chalk]] landscape, thought to be for concealing people and goods. They have a simple vertical shaft with short tunnels bearing horizontally from the base. The [[Vikings]] settled throughout the winter along the [[Thames]] estuary with their ships, and established camps in Kent and [[Essex]]. In surveying the distribution of the many deneholes along the Thames corridor it would appear that Essex, on the northern shore of the Thames, sustained a greater influx of Vikings than did Kent, there being considerably more recorded deneholes in Essex, particularly around [[Orsett]] and Grays - see [[Hangman's Wood]]. Archaeological digs and centuries of tilling have revealed a Danish [[castle]] and settlement, with pottery, anchors, weapons and some ships' timbers. The settlement was later variously called ''Suinescamp'' (in the [[Domesday Book]]), ''Sweinscamp'' and ''Swanscamp'', the name deriving from the Viking king [[Sweyn Forkbeard]], who landed in [[East Anglia]], and became [[Kings of England|King of England]] in 1013. Father of [[Canute the Great|Canute]], Sweyn died at [[Gainsborough, Lincolnshire|Gainsborough]] on the [[River Trent|Trent]] in 1014. Canute (Cnut) died in 1035 his sons were unable to hold on to his empire, he was king of England, Scotland, Norway and Denmark. Other research suggests that deneholes might have been dug as a method of extracting chalk for use on the fields above, or the mining may have been a by-product of defence. In any case, the practice reached a peak around the 13th&nbsp;– 14th centuries, long after the Viking raids had ceased. ===Norman Conquest=== In 1066 Swanscombe locals massed an army in defiance of [[William the Conqueror|William I]], and so won the right to continue their ancient privileges, including the tradition of passing inheritance by [[gavelkind]]. The men of Kent met William near Swanscombe, where the Saxons concealed their number with branches, thus intimidating the Norman army. They were offered a truce that left Kent as the only region in England which William left unconquered. In this area of England alone, Kent County Council adopted the motto ''Invicta'', meaning unconquered.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bill|first1=Joe|title=Man of Kent or Kentish Man - which are you?|url=http://www.kentnews.co.uk/news/man-of-kent-or-kentish-man-which-are-you-1-2334928|accessdate=11 June 2017|work=kentnews.co.uk|date=14 August 2013}}</ref> In 1086 the lord of Swanscombe was Helto Dapifer, a retainer of Bishop Odo of Bayeux who was later disgraced. After this the lordship passed to a certain Geoffrey Talbot who died c. 1129. This same Geoffrey also held fiefs of the bishops of Rochester and, around 1100 to 1103, was given control of Rochester Castle, to the extent that some historians regard the Swanscombe-Rochester demesne as being a so-called Talbot barony during this era. ===Churches=== [[Richard Norman Shaw]] built a church at Swanscombe for the workers of the cement industry, and it survives as a rare example of his design. The flint-built parish church of [[St Peter]] and [[Paul of Tarsus|St Paul]], partially Saxon, has a spire on its tower and in 1902 the church was struck by lightning causing extensive damage. The parish register dates from 1559. [[George Cecil Renouard]] is buried in the Swanscombe [[churchyard]]. ===Second World War=== Just after 8 o'clock on the evening of Sunday 10 November 1940 a German bomb crashed down directly into The Morning Star Inn, causing in a single explosion, Swanscombe's worst wartime disaster. All that was left after the explosion was, where the pub had stood, a "heap of bricks and twisted rafters"¹ surrounding the smoldering pit that had been the cellar, although the staircase leading to the clubroom upstairs extended up out of the wreckage. Distressed families of those known to be in the pub at the time gathered at the street corners awaiting news of the casualties as bodies were gradually recovered from the ruins. The official casualty lists revealed the death toll to be 27, with six others seriously injured and five people slightly hurt. :"The landlord was amongst the dead, although his wife and son<!-- editors: see Revision of 14:45, 2 July 2007 : this may have been a daughter - can anyone confirm? --> survived. The barmaid who was killed had given notice the week before the raid but had stayed on that evening because of the match. One of the other victims was a merchant seaman on seven days' leave who had spent two days travelling from Scotland to see his wife and children and was having a drink with his father in the pub at the time of the bombing: both were killed."<ref>Andrew Rootes (1980) "Front Line County"</ref> On 30 July 1940 another [[Luftwaffe]] raid led to the death of over a dozen civilians, with 22 seriously injured. Its proximity to London and position under the German flight path to the city meant that Swanscombe fell victim to this kind of damage several times during the [[World War II|war]]. On 30 July 1944 a V1 rocket landed on Taunton Road. Half of one side of the road was wiped out. 13 were killed and 22 seriously injured.<ref>"Gravesend Reporter" 6 August 1944 "Front Line County" Andrew Rootes (1980) Page 157.</ref> ==Governance== Swanscombe was originally part of [[Axstane Hundred]]<ref>The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 2, by Edward Hasted, publ.Canterbury, 1797</ref> and in 1836 also became part of [[Dartford]] [[Poor Law Union]].<ref>http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Dartford/ retrieved January 2016</ref> When [[Dartford Rural District]] was created in 1894, Swanscombe parish became a member like most of the parishes of Axstane, but in 1926, it separated to form its own [[Urban District]].<ref>See www.visionofbritain.org.uk Swanscombe UD article, retrieved Jan. 2016</ref> However, under [[Local Government Act 1972]] Swanscombe was joined to [[Dartford (district)|Dartford District]] in 1974. Although it lost its [[Urban District Council]], the area continued as a [[Civil Parish]], now under the aegis of Dartford Borough Council, and in 1981 Swanscombe Parish Council was upgraded to [[Swanscombe and Greenhithe]] [[Town Council]], thus electing its own mayor for the first time.<ref>See http://swanscombe.com/newsevents/history.asp retrieved Jan 2016, article by Christoph Bull the former Reference and Information Librarian at Dartford Central Library</ref> The name recognises the importance of the settlement of [[Greenhithe]] within the parish.<ref>http://www.swanscombeandgreenhithetc.kentparishes.gov.uk/ retrieved Jan 2016</ref> ==Cement industry== [[File:LDCementThamesPlants.png|thumb|400px|right|Cement plants on the Thames estuary]] The southeast of England has abundant resources of [[clay]] and [[chalk]]. The first mining activity known in the area was for [[flint]], a rock commonly found across the [[North Downs|North]] and [[South Downs]] and in the [[Weald]]. This was used for tools. Swanscombe was important in the early history of [[cement]]. The first cement manufacturing works near Swanscombe were opened at [[Northfleet]] by [[James Parker (cement maker)|James Parker]], around 1792, making "[[Roman cement]]" from cement stone brought from the [[Isle of Sheppey]]. [[James Frost (cement maker)|James Frost]] opened a works at Swanscombe in 1825, using chalk from Galley Hill, having patented a new cement called British Cement. The Swanscombe plant was subsequently acquired by John Bazley White & Co, which became the largest component of [[Blue Circle Industries]] when it formed in 1900. It finally shut down in 1990. Between 1840 and 1930 it was the largest cement plant in Britain. By 1882 several cement manufacturers were operating across the north Kent region, but the resulting dust [[air pollution|pollution]] drove the people of Swanscombe to take legal action against the local cement works. Despite various technological innovations, the problem persisted into the 1950s, with telegraph lines over an inch thick in white dust. Modern [[cement kiln]]s in Kent using chimneys 170&nbsp;m (550&nbsp;feet) in height are now said to be the cleanest in the world. However, the neighbouring [[Medway|Medway towns]] are reported to be the most polluted inhabited area in the [[United Kingdom|UK]], and the cement industry contributes to [[acid rain]] in [[Scandinavia]]{{Citation needed|date=June 2007}}. ===Blue Circle=== The Associated Portland Cement Manufacturers (APCM), later known as Blue Circle Industries, came to the area in 1900 and by 1920 owned four local factories located at Swanscombe, [[Northfleet]], [[Greenhithe]] and [[Stone Kent|Stone]]. By 1970 the North Kent cement industry had evolved to become the largest centre for the production of cement in [[Europe]], supporting a long tradition of research and development to perfect the processes used in the manufacture of chalk-based products. Since then the industry has declined considerably due to the potential for more economic manufacture elsewhere, and by 2007 only two operational kilns remained, both at Northfleet. {{As of|2014}} all have been removed. ===Bluewater shopping complex and Eastern Quarry=== One of the large quarries created as a legacy of the cement industry, between [[Watling Street]] and the village of [[Stone, Kent|Stone]], is the site of the [[Bluewater (shopping centre)]], one of the largest such centres in Europe. An adjacent quarry is to be given up for housing&nbsp;– more than 6,000 houses will be built there. The development by [[Land Securities]], known as 'Eastern Quarry', will consist of three primary schools, a secondary school, a health and social care centre and more than {{convert|20|acres|0|abbr=on}} of new parkland, lakes and woodland.<ref>[http://showhouse.co.uk/news/land-securities-seeks-housebuilder-partner-for-kent-scheme/ Land Securities seeks housebuilder partner for Kent scheme 19 July 2012] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130617060409/http://showhouse.co.uk/news/land-securities-seeks-housebuilder-partner-for-kent-scheme/ |date=17 June 2013 }}</ref> ==Paramount theme park== A plan was announced in October 2012 to build a major [[theme park]] on {{convert|872|acres|0|abbr=on}} of [[Brownfield land|brown field]] land on the Swanscombe [[peninsula]] (the triangular piece of land that juts into the [[River Thames]]). The project, dubbed [[Paramount Kent]], would create 27,000 jobs<ref>{{cite web|last=Glass|first=Harry|title=A Disneyland for Kent?|url=http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-2214532/Paramount-theme-park-Kent-27-000-jobs-created-2bn-Disney-style-entertainment-complex.html|publisher=This Is Money}}</ref> and as such would have the capacity to transform the local economy. ==''Palaeoloxodon antiquus''== The skeleton of an ancient species of [[elephant]] has been preserved in the [[sediment]] near what was once the edge of a small lake revealed by excavations in advance of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. The skeleton was surrounded by flint tools suggesting it was butchered for its [[Elephant meat|meat]] by early humans of that era. Only a few elephant skeletons have been found in Britain. The Swanscombe example was discovered in 2004 by Palaeolithic archaeologist Francis Wenban-Smith and was identified by the Natural History Museum as the straight-tusked ''[[Straight-tusked Elephant|Palaeoloxodon antiquus]]'', which became extinct over 100,000&nbsp;years ago.<ref>[http://www.southampton.ac.uk/~ffws/New_ffws/southfl.html Southampton University, Francis Wenban-Smith]; Wenban-Smith, F.F., P. Allen, M.R. Bates, S.A. Parfitt, R.C. Preece, J.R. Stewart, C. Turner and J.E. Whittaker. 2006. "The Clactonian elephant butchery site at Southfleet Road, Ebbsfleet, United Kingdom" in ''Journal of Quaternary Science'' 21(5): 471–483, and Wenban-Smith, F.F. 2007. "The Palaeolithic archaeology of Kent", in (J.H. Williams, ed) ''The Archaeology of Kent to AD 800'': 25–64. The Boydell Press, Woodbridge.</ref> ==Cricket club== There is one cricket club with its home in Swanscombe, Swanscombe and Greenhithe 1880 CC. Its home ground is at Broomfield Park. The club dates back to 1880.<ref>[http://swanscombegreenhithe.play-cricket.com/home/home.asp http://swanscombegreenhithe.play-cricket.com/home/home.asp] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930223342/http://swanscombegreenhithe.play-cricket.com/home/home.asp |date=30 September 2007 }} ''swanscombegreenhithe.play-cricket.com''</ref> ==Demography== {| class="wikitable" id="toc" style="float: right; margin-left: 2em; width: 40%; font-size: 90%;" cellspacing="3" !colspan="4"|'''Swanscombe compared''' |- |'''2001 UK Census'''||'''Swanscombe'''||'''Dartford District'''||'''England''' |- |Total population||6,418||85,911||49,138,831 |- |Foreign born||3.4%||5.8%||9.2% |- |White||96.6%||94.5%||90.9% |- |Asian||1.2%||3.2%||4.6% |- |Black||0.8%||0.9%||2.3% |- |Christian||72.7%||73.3%||72% |- |Muslim||0.2%||0.7%||3.1% |- |Hindu||0.3%||0.8%||1.1% |- |No religion||17.3%||15.1%||15% |- |Unemployed||3.8%||2.5%||3.3% |} At the 2001 UK census, the Swanscombe electoral ward had a population of 6,418.<ref name=Stat>{{cite web | title = Neighbourhood Statistics | publisher = Statistics.gov.uk | url = http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadAreaSearch.do?a=3&c=Elham&r=1&i=1001&m=0&s=1203633983682&enc=1&areaSearchText=swanscombe&areaSearchType=14&extendedList=true&searchAreas=Search | accessdate = 21 February 2008 }}</ref> The ethnicity was 96.6% white, 1.1% mixed race, 1.2% Asian, 0.8% black and 0.3% other. The place of birth of residents was 96.6% United Kingdom, 0.5% Republic of Ireland, 0.5% other Western European countries, and 2.4% elsewhere. Religion was recorded as 72.7% Christian, 0.3% Buddhist, 0.3% Hindu, 0.3% Sikh and 0.2% Muslim. 17.3% were recorded as having no religion, 0.2% had an alternative religion and 8.7% did not state their religion.<ref name=Stat/> The economic activity of residents aged 16–74 was 46% in full-time employment, 11.9% in part-time employment, 6.5% self-employed, 3.8% unemployed, 1.4% students with jobs, 2.5% students without jobs, 11.1% retired, 8.7% looking after home or family, 5% permanently sick or disabled and 3.2% economically inactive for other reasons. Of the ward's residents aged 16–74, 7.7% had a [[higher education]] qualification or the equivalent, compared with 20% nationwide. The industry of employment of residents was 21.6% retail, 9.3% health and social work, 15.7% manufacturing, 10.5% construction, 10.4% real estate, 4.7% education, 8.6% transport and communications, 4.7% public administration, 3.7% hotels and restaurants, 4.4% finance, 0.7% agriculture and 5.7% other.<ref name=Stat/> ==See also== * [[Swanscombe railway station]] * [[The Ebbsfleet Academy]] ==References== {{Reflist|2}} ==External links== {{Commons category|Swanscombe}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20041010220854/http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/archaeology/sites/europe/swanscombe.html Swanscombe archaeology] * [http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/conservation/designatedareas/nnr/1006139.aspx Swansconme Skull Site National Nature Reserve] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20040627070913/http://www.dartford.gov.uk/LocalPlan/FINAL%20SPW%20SPG.pdf PDF file Swanscombe in the County plan]. * [https://web.archive.org/web/20040927160115/http://www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/odpm_communities/documents/page/odpm_comm_023396.hcsp Government regeneration scheme]. * [http://swanscombe.com/newsevents/history.asp Full local history] By the Vice-Chairman of Dartford Historical and Antiquarian Society * [http://www.visitswanscombe.com Visit Swanscombe Town Guide] {{Dartford}} [[Category:Dartford (borough)]] [[Category:Villages in Kent]] [[Category:Thames Gateway]] [[Category:Populated places in Kent on the River Thames]]'