Newington is a village and civil parish in the borough of Swale in Kent, England. The parish is located beside the A2 road between Rainham to the west and Sittingbourne to the east. The population of the parish in 2011 was 2,551. The village has its own railway station which is situated on the Chatham Main Line between Sittingbourne and Rainham. The parish church, dedicated to St Mary the Virgin, is a grade I listed building. It was built between 1163 and 1177 by Richard de Lucy, with additions being made in the 13th and 14th century. The church was to eventually become the property of Henry VIII who gave it to the Provost and Fellows of Eton College in 1531. The patron today is the Archbishop of Canterbury. There is a stone in the church car park known as the Devil's Stone, which is said to bear the Devil's footprint. Newington village sign was provided by Mrs. S Huxtable in 2007. It holds a memorial plate in memory of Mr. P Huxtable. Newington holds the national collection of Witch Hazel which is kept at the Witch Hazel Nursery in Calloways Lane Newington Manor, now a conservation area, is to the south of the village. The Newington Pill Boxes: Newington has at least four World War Ipill boxes at various locations.
History
Newington acquired its name in Saxon times meaning 'New Town' built on an old one. The RomanWatling Street runs through the village. The ancient settlement was rediscovered in 2019 and is the site of late Iron Age remains dating from 30BC and a Roman town. An archaeological dig covering 18 acres has found iron furnaces and pottery kilns as part of a manufacturing site, a Roman temple, a seven metre wide Roman road. The newly discovered road predates Watling Street and takes an alternative route. It was also possibly the site of the lost Roman station Durolevum. The remains of a Roman villa were discovered at Boxted Farm, Newington in 1882.
People
Don Potter, a 20th-century sculptor and potter, was born in Newington.
Sporting teams
Newington has a very successful and popular cricket club. Members of the Medway Sunday League, they field two Sunday XI's that play home games at either Bobbing Court or at Upchurch Cricket Club. Read about their latest triumphs via the club website.
Entertainment
Being a small village, entertainment is at a premium in Newington. However, there are Chinese and Indian takeaways, a tearoom Cafe Vintage and one pub, The Bull, which, sadly, is the village's sole remaining pub. In the past several other pubs existed in Newington and many of those buildings still stand: the White Hart, the Wheatsheaf and the George are all on the High Street. A food and crafts fair is held in the Village Hall on the first Sunday of the month. The parish council organises an annual Village Festival at the primary school on a Saturday in mid-July. It includes a tug-of-war tournament.
