History
The village of Aylesham is situated between Canterbury and Dover
on an area that was open farm land prior to 1927. Coal was
discovered in Kent at the end of the 19th Century and in 1912 the
first coal was raised at the surface of Snowdown Colliery.
During this time there was a rapid expansion in the Kent
Coalfield and in an effort not to distort the surrounding
communities it was decided to build a new ‘town’ of Aylesham,
between Snowdown Colliery and a proposed new shaft at Adisham.
Following the economic depression and general strike of 1926 in
support of the miners, many miners who were in danger of losing
their jobs in their local areas of North East England, Scotland and
Wales travelled south to Kent in search of a future. A new
community evolved in the village as miners’ families migrated from
their traditional mining areas with the mining culture bringing
diverse communities together to form a common bond and unique
settlement.
Aylesham was originally developed to a
masterplan designed by Sir Patrick Abercrombie in 1928, with the
intention of it becoming a small town of approximately 15,000
residents with a range of commercial, community and civic
buildings. Due to the recession of the 1930s, Abercombie’s
vision was never realised and only 500 dwellings and a few
community facilities were originally built to provide homes and
services for the miners and families of Snowdown Colliery.
The village is still largely inhabited by the same families and
through the newer generations Aylesham has retained much of the
culture and traditions brought by parents and grandparents.
The community has also developed a unique accent which has been
derived through a combination of traces of Northern, Scottish,
Welsh and a mixture of Kentish dialects.
Over the years the village has expanded and
whilst the key elements of the original plan are still evident much
of the coherence of the layout has been lost. The current total
number of dwellings is approximately 1800 housing a population of
around 4800, but since the closure of Snowdown Colliery the village
has suffered decline.