Ryarsh
Ryarsh is located in Kent
Ryarsh
Ryarsh
Location within Kent
Population696 (2011 Census)[1]
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townWest Malling
Postcode districtME 19
Dialling code01732
PoliceKent
FireKent
AmbulanceSouth East Coast
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Kent
51°18′49″N 0°23′40″E / 51.313650°N 0.394510°E / 51.313650; 0.394510

Ryarsh is a village and civil parish in the local government district of Tonbridge and Malling in Kent, England. It is home to around 1,000 residents.[2] Ryarsh is west of Maidstone and north of West Malling.

History

Ryarsh is believed to be a Saxon village dating from around 1050.[3] At the time of the Domesday Book (1086) it was in the possession of Odo of Bayeux, half-brother of William the Conqueror. It then passed, by grant of the Crown, to the Crecy and Mowbray families but was confiscated from John de Mowbray who rebelled against the King in 1322. The manor of Ryarsh was then given to the Neville family, Earls of Abergavenny.[4]

St Martin's church, on the south side of the M20, is a Grade II* listed building, with parts dating from the 12th century.[5] Before the dissolution of the monasteries, it belonged to the Priors of Merton.[4]

In December 2017, Kent County Council (KCC) received a proposal for a new 12-hectare quarry at Ryarsh that would extract 3.6 million tonnes of sand over a period of up to 24-years.[6] It was strongly opposed by local residents, and in December 2018 KCC excluded the proposal from the county’s Minerals and Waste Local Plan, thereby rejecting the quarry plan.[7] While, as of 2021, the proposal remains blocked, it could be revived in the future.

Ryarsh Circle

The "Ryarsh Circle" are remains of a hill figure chalk circle. Little is known about it, but is believed to be manmade.

Culture and community

The Duke of Wellington pub, Ryarsh

The village public house is the Duke of Wellington. The village also has a community village hall and accompanying village green which hosts the annual fete, primary school and children's play area.

Transport

Ryarsh is located close to the A20, M20 and M25. The closest railway stations are at West Malling for the Maidstone East Line and Snodland for the Medway Valley Line.

Education

Ryarsh Primary School is located on Birling Road. There is no secondary school in the village, with most pupils transferring to schools in Maidstone, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge or Tunbridge Wells.[8]

Notable people associated with Ryarsh

Celia Fremlin, novelist[9]

References

  1. ^ "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  2. ^ "Ryarsh village website". Retrieved 18 March 2011.
  3. ^ Betts, Andy (8 February 2021). "Ryarsh Village Website". Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Parishes: Ryarsh Pages 488-496 The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 4. Originally published by W Bristow, Canterbury, 1798". British History Online. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  5. ^ "Listed Buildings in Ryarsh, Tonbridge and Malling, Kent". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  6. ^ May, Luke (7 March 2019). "Last chance for Ryarsh residents to oppose 3.6million tonne sand quarry off Roughetts Road". Kent online. Kent Messenger. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  7. ^ May, Luke (23 October 2019). "Ryarsh Protection Group makes Florida holiday offer as part of fight against 3.6 million tonne quarry". Kent online. Kent Messenger. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  8. ^ "Ryarsh Primary School Prospectus". Archived from the original on 18 October 2010. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
  9. ^ Twentieth Century Crime & Mystery Writers, ed. John M. Reilly, London, Macmillan, 1980, p. 615.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ryarsh.


Towns and villages in the Tonbridge and Malling district of Kent, England
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