 The county of Kent is where English history was made. >From the invasion by Julius Caesar to the Battle of Britain. This county has the oldest recorded place name in the British Isles. The history is influenced by its proximity to mainland Europe. Archaeological remains from prehistoric times show clear links between Kent and northern Europe, as well as a land link. There is no natural urban centre but several towns of average size.When local administration developed Kent was divided into two units, East Men of Kent, administered from Canterbury, and West Kentish Men, from Maidstone. In 1814 the two merged and Maidstone became the County town. Chatham and Sheerness developed as dockland towns having access to London by water. Margate and Ramsgate are well known seaside resorts. Dover, Hythe, New Romney and Sandwich were four of the Original five 'Cinque Ports'. In the 1670s Tunbridge Wells became a fashionable spa town for taking the waters to cure all ailments. The main occupation was horticulture and the growing of hops for brewing a feature of the area. The hop, iron and cloth industries have provided the Kent landscape with two prominent landmarks, the oast houses used for drying hops and the wealden hall houses of the Kent ironmasters and cloth manufacturers. The areas in Kent nearest to London began to emerge as the suburbs to the capital in 1750. This is still a desirable area to live for those working in London. Geography Kent is easy to get to whether travelling by road, rail or air. The county has an excellent road network and local rail and bus services. Historic houses, castles, gardens, steam railways, boats, farms, vineyards, wild animal parks, museums, lighthouses are plentiful and Kent really does have something for everyone. Kent is known as 'The garden of England' and is reliant on agriculture, whether in the hop fields or apple orchards .Modern day Kent has a population of over 1,500,000. It covers an area of 1,440 square miles and with its proximity to the continent of Europe, Dover to Calais is 23 miles across the English Channel. Dover Castle, Leeds Castle which has links to Henry V111 and Canterbury Cathedral are all well known tourist attractions. Industry Sheerness Port is the main fresh produce terminal in the UK. Kent has over 500 companies and 18,000 employees in the food industry. As the closest county to Europe and with six sea ports, an international airport, shuttle and freight train services, Kent and Medway are the gateway for both European and non European goods. Service industries account for half of all employment in the county. Local government, health services, education, financial services and retail are all employers Transport, distribution and tourism are also main service industries. Warehousing - Kent and Medway have many established warehousing and storage facilities including specialist cold storage facilities for holding or ripening fresh foods. |
