St Anthony’s Church in Alkham SCOPIX
Moving into a new home is always an adventure, but you might have just gained a little more than a new garden! While your postbox may say Hawkinge, your historical roots could be firmly planted in the neighbouring Parish of Alkham.
If you’ve ever looked at a map of Alkham and thought the boundary lines look like they were drawn by someone after a particularly long session at the local pub, you’re not far off! The parish lines are a quirky patchwork of zigs and zags that tell a story hundreds of years in the making.
Back in the day, when there was no GPS or digital maps, it was “Beating the Bounds” which determined your parish. This ancient ritual involved the village elders grabbing the younger generation and marching them along the field edges to show them exactly where Alkham ended and the neighbours began. It wasn’t just a stroll; it was a zealous tradition meant to stop any sneaky encroachment and remind everyone exactly who they owed their local chores to.
To Alkham’s east sits Hawkinge. While it’s a bustling town today, it started as a tiny spot appropriately called “Uphill.” Interestingly, the parish reach was once massive, with farms stretching from St. Anthony’s Church all the way to Temple Ewell and St. Radigunds.
Because of these ancient lines, history has left some funny modern quirks:
- Residents in the brand-new housing on the edge of Hawkinge might be surprised to find they are technically Alkhampstead-ites.
- Those living high above Temple Ewell are also officially part of the Alkham fold.
Before the 1500s, a Manorial Lord called the shots in Alkham but eventually, the Church stepped in, and local business was handled by the “Vestry”, a group of locals who literally met in the church vestry because that’s where the chairs were! In 1894, the Parish Council we know today was officially born.
The way Alkham shares news has changed, too. Back in the ‘1990s, the local newsletter was launched and hand-delivered to every single nook and cranny of the parish. However it became apparent that folks on the very edge of the parish weren’t quite as obsessed with local gossip. Today, the Alkham Newsletter lands on about 300 doormats, while another 90 of you catch up on email.