Upstreet is a village in the civil parish of Chislet in Kent, England. It is in the local government district of Canterbury, and the electoral ward of Marshside. It is about 62 miles away from London.[1]

Upstreet
The Royal Oak pub, Upstreet
Upstreet is located in Kent
Upstreet
Upstreet
Location within Kent
OS grid referenceTR2263
Civil parish
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
PoliceKent
FireKent
AmbulanceSouth East Coast
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Kent
51°19′27″N 1°11′52″E / 51.3242°N 1.1978°E / 51.3242; 1.1978

Upstreet is a ribbon development along the A28 road. The majority of houses are new and dating from the 1950s onwards. However, there are a number of older houses such as the Grade II listed building 'Grove Court' [2] or the Grade I listed 'Upstreet Farmhouse', which was built in the 16th century and stands in an acre of its own land. It had notable different purposes over the years and is known to be haunted.[3] Also listed are 'Hamilton's'[4] and 'The Vision House' (No89 and No94).[5]

Upstreet was mentioned in the 1830s Swing Riots, when a widespread uprising by agricultural workers in southern and eastern England occurred, in protest at agricultural mechanisation and harsh working conditions. Several fires were carried at different farms as part of the protests.[6]

Close to Upstreet is the Stodmarsh National Nature Reserve, Grove Ferry Picnic Area, The Grove Ferry Inn Bar & Restaurant, Hotel & Events Venue and the River Stour. Also the Saxon Shore Way (long-distance footpath) also passes the village between Chislet and Stourmouth.

Upstreet has a few services (a shop, two elderly care homes, one pub and one car sales lot), the garage having closed through 2015. The number of services is declining due to rising car ownership. For example, 45 years ago there was a railway station, haberdashery, greengrocer's, butcher's, baker's etc. However now there is no railway station and the shop consolidates the uses of a post office, greengrocer's, haberdashery, baker's, butcher's, etc. all under one roof.[citation needed]

The pub is worked at by many of the locals, including a few teenagers from the village, most notably waitress Moon, and is owned by another of the locals. There is a karaoke machine and jukebox, and a quiz night on Thursdays at 8 PM. The pub is a main place where locals from Sturry to Minster can all socialise, and catch up. The pub remained open through COVID-19 restrictions.[citation needed]

One of the houses was also featured on Homes Under the Hammer.[7]

References

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  1. ^ Thomas Kitchin The Traveller's Guide Through England and Wales, Containing I. the Routs ... (1783), p. 31, at Google Books
  2. ^ "Grove Court, Chislet". www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  3. ^ "Upstreet Farmhouse, Chislet". www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  4. ^ "La Cresi D'or, Chislet". www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  5. ^ "The Vision House, Chislet". www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  6. ^ Eric Hobsbawm and George Rudé Captain Swing (1969), p. 381, at Google Books
  7. ^ Alexander, Lucy (25 August 2015). "Episode 75 Series 20". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
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