// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Blean say when it ran into its friend? Blean-ched to see you
| Blean | |
|---|---|
 Blean Village Sign | |
  Blean Location within Kent | |
| Area | 13.67 km2 (5.28 sq mi) |
| Population | 5,589 (Civil Parish 2011)[1] |
| • Density | 409/km2 (1,060/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | TR119608 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CANTERBURY |
| Postcode district | CT2 |
| Dialling code | 01227 |
| Police | Kent |
| Fire | Kent |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| UK Parliament | |
Blean is a village and civil parish[2] in the Canterbury district of Kent, England. The civil parish is large and is mostly woodland, much of which is ancient woodland. The developed village within the parish is scattered along the road between Canterbury and Whitstable, in the middle of the Forest of Blean. Blean is part of the electoral ward of Blean Forest. The population of this ward at the 2011 census was 5,589.[3]
History
[edit]According to Edward Hasted's 1800 county study, the village was once part of the king's ancient forest of Blean in the hundred of Westgate.[4] The name Blean is the dative form of the Old English word blea which means rough ground.[5][6] Therefore the full name of the parish meant "the church of Saints Cosmas and Damian in the rough ground."
In 1835, the Blean Union Workhouse, designed by William Edmunds, was built on four acres south of Herne Common. The design was based on Sir Francis Bond Head's Plan of a Rural Workhouse for 500 Persons, a publication of the Poor Law Commission. To keep costs down, no outside drains were added, and the building was windowless. The Lord of the manor and principal landowner was Earl Sondes. The Workhouse would be erected the following year, there was room to fit around 298 workhouse inmates. In 1875, a small hospital would be built with beds for up to 68 patients.[7]
Discipline was severe. A nine-year-old girl was once punished for a small offence by being forced to remain overnight in the mortuary with a corpse; the Master and Matron were dismissed as a result.[8] By 1901, there were around 146 workhouse inmates and 17 officers.[7]
On the 1st April 2019, the parish of St Cosmus and St Damian in the Blean was renamed to "Blean"
Parish Church
[edit]St Cosmus & St Damian Church
The parish church is a grade II listed building dedicated to the twin saints Cosmus and Damian.[9][10][11] The earliest reference to the church is in the 11th century, where it is mentioned in the Domesday Monachorum. During 1233, Henry III replaced the original church, and would pay 20 pounds 3 shillings to Walter de Kirkeham. The church was constructed from local flints, stone ragstone and Roman bricks. The older section still stands as part of the west wall of the nave. The roof would be built of be peg tiles.[12][10][13]
The stained glass dates to the 14th century. The church would have a painted rood screen and bright interior. During The Reformation, the colourful features would be washed down. Archbishop Mathew Parker would visit in 1573, commenting that it was devoid of its original glazing. In 1659, Thomas Palmer cast and hung the bell at the west end of the church. Silver communion vessels have been found dating back to the 18th century, the two earliest around 1720 to 1721.[14][15][13] The north aisle and south porch would be added in 1866. The original stained glass would also be replaced, with the work done by artist Henry Holiday. New pews would be installed in 1909, which would fit around 270 people.[16][13][12]
Natural History
[edit]Kier’s Meadow
Keir's meadow is a nature reserve in the village of Blean. The site first opened in 2002 and is managed by a small group of volunteers and the Parish Council. The land was first in ownership of Eastbridge Manor, providing shelter for pilgrims. The land would be worked on by tenant farmer John Kier, then George Kier. George would be a part of a group of 3 other men to sabotage Nazi forces. A portion of Keir’s farm was sold off in the 1960s to the University of Kent. In 2002, remaining land would be sold off by Eastbridge Manor. The Parish Council would purchase it, naming the land after Kier. Later work by volunteers would go into improving the land, planting wildflowers and boosting biodiversity.[17]
Schools
[edit]Blean Primary School
Blean Primary school or previously known as Blean School was first built in 1929[18] The school opened on the same year on the 12th November.[19] It is a mixed gender, public school for ages 3 to 11. It is currently rated outstanding by Ofsted.[20]
During World War 2, the school would have air raid shelters. Teachers would carry torches as the power was often cut off. Along the school walls, there would be posters to identify allied and enemy planes as the action was often visible from above.[21] In 1941, There would be a small fundraiser ran by 6 of the students for The National Savings Schemes to help with the war effort. The group would raise £123 in total.[22]
In 2015, there would be some controversy due to ‘Bring your dad to school day’ promoting outdated gender stereotypes and excluding lesbian parents. Proposals for building modernisation and maintenance would be approved in 2024. The combine costs was estimated at £1,440,000, most the cost coming from proposed tender costs.[23]
Economy
[edit]Blean's economy is closely tied to Canterbury and to a lesser extent, Whitstable. In television entertainment Smallfilms operates here the production company that created the animated series Ivor the Engine, Bagpuss and the Clangers, at Peter Firmin's barn on the Blean farm. The bay window of Firmin's house was featured in the opening sequence of Bagpuss.[24]
Notable People
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Key Statistics; Quick Statistics: Population Density Archived 11 February 2003 at the Wayback Machine United Kingdom Census 2011 Office for National Statistics Retrieved 21 November 2013
- ↑ "Blean". Mapit. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- ↑ "Blean Forest Ward population 2011". Retrieved 2 October 2015.
- ↑ Hasted, Edward (1800). "Parishes". The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent. 9. Institute of Historical Research: 2–7. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
- ↑ English, University of Nottingham – Institute of Name Studies School of. "Key to English Place-names". kepn.nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
- ↑ "Blean Parish Council".
- 1 2 U.K., City and County Directories, 1600s-1900s Directory: 1903 Kelly's Directory
- ↑ "Blean, Kent". The Workhouse: The Story of an Institution. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- ↑ "St Cosmus And St Damian's Church, Blean, Kent". www.kentchurches.info. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- 1 2 Database, UK Place. "St. Cosmus and St. Damian in the Blean Canterbury Kent". UK Place Database. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- ↑ Black's Guide to Kent. 1874.
- 1 2 "St Cosmus & St Damian Church, Blean". Kent History & Archaeology. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 Kent Past History of Blean kentpast.co.uk/blean.html
- ↑ Archaeologia Cantiana. Kent Archaeological Society. 1887.
- ↑ Robertson, William Archibald Scott (1886). Church Plate in Kent. Mitchell and Hughes.
- ↑ Blean, St Cosmus and Damian. "History - St Cosmus and Damian Blean". www.bleanchurch.net. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- ↑ "Keir's Meadow". keirsmeadow.wordpress.com. 20 July 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- ↑ "History". bleanvillagehall.co.uk. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
- ↑ Whitstable Times Archive: Saturday, 12 October 1929 • Whitstable, Kent, England Page 3
- ↑ "Blean Primary School, Canterbury CT2". Schoolsmith. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
- ↑ "BBC - WW2 People's War - A Junior School Child Remembers". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
- ↑ Nicol, Patricia (28 May 2015). Sucking Eggs: What Your Wartime Granny Could Teach You about Diet, Thrift and Going Green. Random House. ISBN 978-1-4481-0432-1.
- ↑ "Decision - 24/00041 - Proposed expenditure of Blean Primary School Modular Replacement Project exceeding £1m within the Modernisation Programme". democracy.kent.gov.uk. 18 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
- ↑ "Bagpuss - See Emily Play". BBC. London. 9 December 2008. Retrieved 12 September 2008.
External links
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