Hempstead, Kent

Hempstead is a town near Gillingham, Kent, part of the built-up area of the Medway Towns.

Location and geography

It is located on the southern edge of the borough of Medway adjacent to Wigmore and Lordswood and linked to Gillingham and the M2 by the A278 trunk road.

Most of Hempstead is in a valley, with Hempstead Valley Drive running along the length of the bottom of it, with housing on both sides.

History

Settlement of Hempstead dates back to at least mid-1600. Within the records of the Hundred of Chatham & Gillingham a hamlet then-known as "Hemsted" denoted a few houses along today's still-extant Hempstead Road. The hamlet's original farmhouse still stands; Lands owned by this farm bequeathed to regional administration have become todays' "Hempstead Playing Fields". The Hempstead Field currently supports football; once it fielded a winning cricket team, since disbanded.

By the early 1980s significant areas of legacy woodland and orchard- ranging from Gillingham Link Road (A289) to the Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre, across to Capstone Road and back to the border of Wigmore Business Park- were developed by the "Wards Construction" interest. More recent planning applications made to Medway Council- for the development of areas west of Hempstead, around Capstone, and towards Princes Park- have at present been staved off.

Facilities

Hempstead, with population circa 5000 at the beginning of the 21st century, is now officially...
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