- Minster, Swale
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Not to be confused with Minster-in-Thanet.
Coordinates: 51°25′16″N 0°48′32″E / 51.421°N 0.809°E
Minster 
Minster
Minster shown within KentOS grid reference TQ952729 Parish Minster-on-Sea District Swale Shire county Kent Region South East Country England Sovereign state United Kingdom Post town SHEERNESS Postcode district ME12 Dialling code 01795 Police Kent Fire Kent Ambulance South East Coast EU Parliament South East England UK Parliament Sittingbourne and Sheppey List of places: UK • England • Kent Minster is a small town on the north coast of the Isle of Sheppey and in the Swale district of Kent, England.
Contents
Toponymy
The name of the town derives from the monastery founded in the area.[1] There is some variation in the use of the name, with the local parish council being named Minster-on-Sea,[2] while other sources, such as the local primary school, use Minster-in-Sheppey,[3] in order to distinguish it from Minster-in-Thanet, also in the county of Kent. Both places are listed in the Ordnance Survey gazeteer is Minster.[4] Royal Mail identifies a locality of Minster On Sea in the ME12 postcode district.[5] Minster-on-Sea is a location mentioned in Dickens' The Old Curiosity Shop.
Religious life
Minster, Isle of Sheppy, an 1830 engraving that appeared in Ireland's History of Kent.
In about AD 670 the widowed Kentish queen, Seaxburh of Ely, built the monastery here - one of the first in Kent. In AD 835 the Danes overran Sheppey and made it their base camp. They remained there until the Norman conquest. In AD 670 another monarch - King Ecgberht of Kent gave land for his mother to establish a Benedictine nunnery at Minster. At the Reformation Sir Thomas Cheyney was given possession of the site.
The Abbey todayToday the remains of the old Abbey gatehouse is a museum and the remaining tower is being restored.
Minster has a fine parish church, which includes Norman work with Roman tiles, and 15th Century choir stalls.
Other notes
The coast here consists of London Clay. and many fossil remains can be found along the beach after the waves have brought down the cliffs.
In the early 20th century the island was hit by speculative builders and Minster suffered equally with Sheerness. After World War II the population of the village had swollen "from about 250 people in 100 homes to 5500 people in 1800 homes". (taken from the external link)
The new Thames Estuary airport, if built, will be built on a manmade island just north of the village.
References
- ^ Hasted, Edward (1798). The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Vol 6. Victoria County History Series. pp. 216–229. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=62961.
- ^ "Minster-on-Sea Parish Council". Kent Parish Councils website. Kent County Council. 2008. http://www.minster-on-seapc.kentparishes.gov.uk/. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
- ^ "Minster-in-Sheppey Community Primary School". School website. 2008. http://www.eisite.co.uk/webs/2235MINS/. Retrieved 2008-07-13.[dead link]
- ^ "Gazetteer Search Results: Minster". Ordnance Survey. http://leisure.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/search/all/minster. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
- ^ Royal Mail (2004), Address Management Guide (4 ed.), Royal Mail Group
External links
- Notes on Minster Selection box for notes
- Abbey notes
- 12 May 2009 Minster College school incident
- For more information on local cricket go to Minster Cricket Club
Towns and villages in the Borough of Swale in Kent, England 
Bapchild · Badlesmere · Bay View · Bobbing · Borden · Boughton Street · Boughton under Blean · Bredgar · Brogdale · Buckland · Chestnut Street · Conyer · Dargate · Davington · Denstroude · Doddington · Dunkirk · Eastchurch · Eastling · Elmley · Faversham · Faversham Without · Goodnestone · Graveney · Halfway Houses · Hartlip · Harty · Heart's Delight, Swale · Hernhill · Highsted · Iwade · Kemsley · Keycol · Kingsdown · Leaveland · Leysdown-on-Sea · Lower Halstow · Luddenham · Lynsted · Milstead · Milton Regis · Minster · Mockbeggar · Murston · Newington · Newnham · Norton · Oad Street · Oare · Ospringe · Oversland · Painters Forstal · Queenborough · Rodmersham Green · Rushenden · Selling · Sheldwich · Shellness · Sheerness · Sittingbourne · Stalisfield Green · Teynham · Throwley · Tonge · Tunstall · Upchurch · Uplees · Warden · Waterham · WhitehillList of places in Kent Ceremonial county of Kent Kent Portal Unitary authorities Boroughs or districts Major settlements Ashford, Broadstairs, Canterbury, Chatham, Cranbrook, Dartford, Deal, Dover, Edenbridge, Faversham, Folkestone, Fordwich, Gillingham, Gravesend, Greenhithe, Herne Bay, Hythe, Lydd, Maidstone, Margate, Minster, New Romney, Northfleet, Paddock Wood, Queenborough, Rainham, Ramsgate, Rochester, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Sandwich, Sevenoaks, Sheerness, Sittingbourne, Snodland, Southborough, Strood, Swanley, Swanscombe, Tenterden, Tonbridge, Walmer, West Malling, Westerham, Westgate-on-Sea, Whitstable
See also: List of civil parishes in KentRivers See: Rivers of KentTopics Categories:- Swale
- Towns in Kent
- Unreferenced Kent-related articles
- Populated coastal places in Kent
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