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The name Meopham derives from Meapaham which means Meapa’s village. The first mention of the area comes from the 8th century when King Offa ruled in the kingdom of Mercia. In the 12th century, a Benedictine priory hospital was established here. During medieval times, the area had three main manors: Meopham, Nurstead, and Dodmore. Antiquarian Edward Hasted recorded the village as not being an important settlement in the 18th century as it was “out of the way” and it had “no well frequented thoroughfare”. However, this changed in the 1920s. The A227 passes through this South East London village and it’s quite busy.
One of the most famous sites in the area is the windmill. It was built back in 1801 by James Killick. The mill was owned by the Killick family until the end of the 19th century. The Killicks lived in nearby Strood and they walked eight miles to the Meopham mill daily. The mill was powered by wind until 1929 when the engine was installed. The now restored mill still works. St John the Baptist Church is a Grade I listed building. St Mildred’s is the other Church of England in this area. It dates from the 14th century. Mount Zion Baptist Church is from 1828. Meopham School is a specialist sports academy.
Meopham is sometimes referred to as the longest linear settlement in England and one of the longest in Europe (7 miles; 11 kilometers in length). However, Brinkworth and Wiltshire tend to make the same affirmation. This DA13 village is Europe’s longest linear locality. Some of the most recent notable residents of the area include author of crime fiction Michael Gilbert, radio and television presenter Hughie Green, psychic researcher Harry Price, actor Richard Warwick, hydrographer Edmund Irving. and former editor of The Sun Kelvin MacKenzie.