Location and size
Herne and Broomfield is situated in the south east of England on the north Kent coast. It has good rail and road links to London and Thanet. Herne is 22 miles from the main port of Dover.
To the north and bordering the parish is the coastal town of Herne Bay, on the Thames estuary. The parish is separated from the town by the A299 dual carriageway.
Sturry parish is immediately to the south, with the historic city of Canterbury 7 miles away. To the west is Chestfield parish and further north Whitstable, renowned for its oysters and fishing.
To the east are the rural parishes of Hoath and Chislet, and further on the coastal towns of Margate and Ramsgate.
The parish falls within the Canterbury City Council administration area. It is within the Kent county division of Herne and Sturry, in the North Thanet parliamentary constituency. Herne and Broomfield is the largest parish council in the district, with the 2011 census showing a population of 8440.
Early beginnings
Herne was developed as the first landfall along the coast from Reculver. The medieval street pattern is still apparent today. The village grew slowly until the 18th century when there was an influx of people. Wealthy families from Canterbury migrated to Herne to lead a healthier life near the sea. Herne became affluent at that time, as the nearby bay was an important outlet for trade to and from Canterbury and its hinterland; Herne village acted as the control for goods passing through from the bay to the city. The village was the principal settlement and the parish of Herne reached all the way to the sea. Herne Bay as a separate town did not yet exist. The first foundations for the town of Herne Bay were laid as a result of this migration to the coast and the population figures for Herne, and later Herne Bay, reflect it.
Rural environment
The geology of the Herne area consists of Head brick earth, Head gravel and London Clay. The Broomfield area includes Oldhaven Beds, Woolwich Beds and Thanet Beds.
The urban area is bordered on three sides by mainly arable farmland and woodland. The south of the parish is a designated Special Landscape Area and is bordered by East Blean Woods, a National Nature Reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest. The woods cover over 122 hectares of ancient semi-natural woodland, situated on poorly drained London Clay, with a small area of gravelly soil in the south. The wood has been heavily managed in the past and was a prime source of sweet chestnut. When conditions are open, and the coppice is cut, much of the ground is colonised by common cow-wheat, which is the food plant of the caterpillar of the nationally rare heath fritillary butterfly. It is a key site for nesting birds such as warblers and insect eating birds such as woodpeckers, treecreepers and nuthatches. The soil is mostly fairly acidic, as shown by the carpets of bluebells and patches of heather, but more alkaline elsewhere, with characteristic species such as spurge laurel, sanicle common spotted-orchid present across the site. It is also notable for fungi in the autumn months.
West Blean Wood, including Thornden Wood, forms an important part of a wider conservation jigsaw, linking the Blean Woods National Nature Reserve in the west with East Blean Wood in the east and thereby establishing a continuous nature conservation complex, owned and managed by a partnership of local and national bodies. Nightjars and nightingales are present.
The parish is well served by Public Rights of Way. These are maintained by Kent County Council.
Urban environment
The village is centred upon the Parish Church of St. Martin’s, which dates from the 14th century. Today it contains a wide variety of buildings dating from the 14th century to the present day and includes 31 listed buildings. These are still able to give the village a distinctive feel. The amount of development since the late 50’s has changed the whole area with both Herne and Broomfield merging together, with no distinct areas separating the two.
Strode House was the main residence, set in a landscaped park which stretched southward to the edge of Herne Common; much of the land towards Broomfield was part of the Strode Park Estate. Other principal buildings are the windmill, the former workhouse and Hawe Farm.
Herne Windmill is a Grade 1 listed building and is situated on high ground overlooking the village. It dates from 1789 and Mill House next door is of a similar date. In 1856 the mill had to be raised onto a brick plinth by 17’9″ (5.41m) to catch the wind. Since 1959 it ceased to be a working mill, however the sails do still turn and the old engine room is now an office. It remains a landmark, visible from the east and west, and is a recognised sea mark shown on nautical maps. Now it is looked after by a team of volunteers and is open to visitors on various days during the summer. There are spectacular views from the top.
The parish has separate Infant and Junior schools, three nurseries, one preschool, a cemetery, the Cherry Orchard playing field, three public houses; The Smugglers Inn, The Huntsman & Horn and The Curious Cat, the first micro pub The Butcher’s Arms, one micro brewery Goody Ales, a small farm shop in Lower Herne Road, and a post office/general store in Herne and another in Broomfield. The 1970’s housing estate includes a mini supermarket, fish and chip shop, and Chinese take-away. In 1998 a new doctor’s surgery was built in Broomfield Road, with an adjacent pharmacy following in 2000.
Strode Park Foundation for disabled people, is the largest employer, with nearly 200 staff and many volunteers. There are industrial/commercial premises in Lower Herne Road and at The Links.
Conservation areas(CA)
Herne CA was first designated in 1970. The boundaries were tightly drawn and included the historic core of the village, the medieval street pattern and the early 16th century buildings. It was amended in 1990 to cover all the older parts of the village, extending to include the more interesting housing along the main road, Cherry Orchard playing field, Strode House and Herne Hospital, the former work house and the Common. The new boundary took into account the importance of the surrounding parkland and now extends to 114.62 hectares (ha).
Herne Windmill CA of 0.43ha covers the area immediately adjacent to the mill, including Mill House and the former Jersey Farm dairy, which was developed for housing in 2015.
Hawe Farm CA of 7.11ha, designated in 1990, is a medieval site which includes the Hawe Farmhouse, barn and moat. The 18th century barn is Grade 2 listed.
Broomfield CA of 8.31ha, designated in 1972 and amended in 1997, includes the original scattered houses of the hamlet of Broomfield and the pond.
Eddington CA used to include a small portion of the north west of the parish, known locally as the Links, until removed in 2009.
Transport
There is a good local bus service covering the triangle of Herne Bay, Canterbury and Whitstable. Railway stations at Herne Bay and Sturry are about 2 and 3 miles, respectively, from the centre of Herne village.
Herne and Broomfield Parish Council
The increase in development has exacerbated the lack of facilities. The parish council has worked hard to redress this.
We worked in partnership with Canterbury City Council, and contributed to, the new children’s play area in the Cherry Orchard playing field. With the aid of grant funding we also independently installed a multi use games area and outdoor gym there.
The former land fill site in Ford Road has been transformed into the Broomfield Community Park and BMX Track. This was opened in 2008 and the BMX Track is Regional Standard. The adjacent land has been leased from Holy Cross Church in Hoath to provide allotment gardens for the residents of the parish. These are run by Herne and Broomfield Allotment Society.
In July 2011 the parish council purchased the old St. Paul’s Hall, and adjoining land, for use as a community centre. It was decided to replace this with a new building. After much consultation and a lot of hard work the Herne Centre finally opened in June 2018. It is a wonderful parish asset and community venue. It is also home to a purpose built parish office.