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Coordinates: 51°14′27″N 0°30′59″E / 51.2408°N 0.5164°E / 51.2408; 0.5164
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{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{infobox UK place
{{Infobox UK place
|country = England
|country = England
|static_image=
|static_image =
|static_image_caption =
|official_name= Loose
|static_image_caption =
|latitude= 51.2408
|official_name = Loose
|longitude= 0.5164
|coordinates = {{coord|51.2408|0.5164|display=inline,title}}
|population=
|population = 2,277
|population_ref = ([[2011 United Kingdom census|2011 census]], including Boughton Green)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11126095&c=Loose&d=16&e=62&g=6437676&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1473931563812&enc=1|title=Civil Parish population 2011|accessdate=15 September 2016|publisher=Office for National Statistics| work=Neighbourhood Statistics}}</ref>
|shire_district= [[Maidstone (borough)|Maidstone]]
|shire_county= [[Kent]]
|shire_district = [[Maidstone (borough)|Maidstone]]
|region= South East England
|shire_county = [[Kent]]
|region = South East England
|constituency_westminster= [[Maidstone and The Weald (UK Parliament constituency)|Maidstone and the Weald]]
|constituency_westminster = [[Maidstone and The Weald (UK Parliament constituency)|Maidstone and the Weald]]
|post_town= MAIDSTONE
|post_town = MAIDSTONE
|postcode_district = ME15,
|postcode_area= ME
|postcode_district = ME15
|dial_code= 01622
|postcode_area = ME
|dial_code = 01622
|os_grid_reference=
|os_grid_reference = TQ758519
|london_distance={{convert|34|mi|km|0}} [[Boxing the compass|NW]]
|london_distance = {{convert|34|mi|km|0}} [[Boxing the compass|NW]]
}}
}}


⚫
'''Loose''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|uː|z}} is a village some {{convert|2|mi|km|0}} south of [[Maidstone]], [[Kent]], situated at the head of the Loose Valley, with which it forms the Loose Valley Conservation Area. The fast- flowing [[Loose Stream|River Loose]] which rises near [[Langley, Kent|Langley]] runs through the centre of the village and once supported a paper-making industry, evidence of which can still be found. An area round the village is also known as Loose, but Loose village itself is based in the Loose valley and extends along Busbridge Road towards [[Tovil]]. The name is believed to be taken from the Loose Stream, which "loses" itself for several miles underground from the point where it rises in Langley (Edward Hasted: ''Hlosan'' in Saxon, signifying to lose or be lost).
== Introduction ==
⚫
'''Loose''' is a village some {{convert|2|mi|km|0}} south of [[Maidstone]], [[Kent]], situated at the head of the Loose Valley. The fast flowing [[Loose Stream, Kent|River Loose]] which rises near [[Langley, Kent|Langley]] runs through the centre of the village and once supported a paper making industry, evidence of which can still be found today. An area around the village is also known as Loose but the village itself is based in the Loose valley and extends along Busbridge Road towards Tovil.


== History ==
==History==
[[File:Cottage by Loose Stream - geograph.org.uk - 780779.jpg|thumb|Cottage outside Loose stream]]
Loose originates from Saxon times but its main period of development was during the Industrial Revolution when many of the villages in the Loose valley grew around paper mills. Evidence of this is visible further down the valley in [[Hayle Mill|Hayle]], where the old paper mill stands with its only remaining chimney. This site has now been redeveloped as housing. Further south are disused mine pits where rag stone was once mined, some sent sent for use at the Tower of London. South along the Loose Road (A229) then right at the post office and down to the Chequers pub ran a tram track, to transport people into town.
Loose originated in Saxon times, but its main period of growth was during the Industrial Revolution, when Loose, [[Boughton Monchelsea]] and Bockingford developed around the seven mills powered by the Loose Stream. There are several remains of the mills, including millraces at Leg O'Mutton Pond, Gurney's Mill, Loose Village Mill in Bridge Street, the mill ponds at Little and Great Ivy mills, and further down the valley in Crismill and [[Hayle Mill|Hayle]], where the old paper mill stands with one remaining chimney. This site has now been redeveloped as housing. Further south are disused quarries where [[Kentish ragstone]] was once quarried, some being sent for use at the [[Tower of London]]. South along the Loose Road (A229), terminating at the post office, ran a tram way to and from Maidstone and Barming, the trams were replaced by trolley buses on the Loose route in 1930, they were in turn replaced by motor buses in 1967.


The road down into the valley, now called Old Loose Hill, is so steep that the landlord of The Chequers is believed to have kept horses which were let to help haul carts to the top of the hill. The road is lined with small stone posts around which ropes were slung to help when pulling heavy loads.
Loose Hill descends into Loose village and the valley, the hill being so steep that in the 18th and 19th centuries the owner of the "Change", half way up the hill, kept horses that were hired out to provide assistance in hauling carts to the top. The road is still lined with haul stones around which ropes were tied to help relieve the horses from the weight of the carts. Across the stream from ''The Chequers'' is Brooks Field.


The more gentle hill on the opposite side of the valley leafs back towards the Maidstone to Hawkhurst road and is known as Old Loose Hill.
The area to the north of the village and east of Loose Road, around Boughton Lane, used to be farmland and formed Shernolds Farm. There were cherry orchards and the bowls green stands on the site of Shernolds Pond. Shernolds House (1 Paynes Lane) was the farmhouse.


== Features==
==Features==
[[Image:Loose causeway.jpg|left|thumb|The causeway in Loose village]]
[[File:All Saints, Loose, Kent - geograph.org.uk - 325317.jpg|thumb|All Saints church]]
In the village, the Brooks Path is a causeway along the Loose Stream that joins the two ends of the village, dividing the mill pond which once fed the village mill. All Saints Church in the [[Diocese of Canterbury]], overlooks this section of river. A local tradition has it that whoever sticks a pin in the old yew tree in the churchyard, then runs around it anticlockwise at midnight, will on looking through a small window above the Charlton Memorial against the church wall, see a vision of a woman killing a baby.<ref>{{cite web
[[Image:Loosehill.jpg|thumb|Loose village looking towards Old Loose Hill]]
|url=http://www.historic-kent.co.uk/vill_l.html
[[Image:Churchhouse.jpg|thumb|Church House, Loose]]
|title=Historic Kent - Villages and Towns
A wide, shallow section of river provides a centre-piece to the village, with a {{convert|200|yd|m|0}} stretch of serpentine causeway winding across the waters. All Saints church, of the [[Diocese of Canterbury]], overlooks this section of river. The church may be inhabited by two ghosts, which, legend has it, may be viewed by sticking a pin in the ancient yew tree, running around the tree 13 times, then staring through the antecept window. The Reverend Richard Boys was vicar here and also chaplain of St Helena during [[Napoleon|Napolon Bonaparte's]] exile on the island<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/8136280.stm "Napoleon's chair found in storage", BBC Kent, 6 July 2009]</ref>. The Reverend Boys is buried in the churchyard.
|publisher=historic-kent.co.uk
|accessdate=2010-05-05
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100306175256/http://www.historic-kent.co.uk/vill_l.html
|archive-date=6 March 2010
|url-status=dead
}}</ref> The Reverend [[Richard Boys (priest)|Richard Boys]] was vicar here and also chaplain of St Helena during [[Napoleon|Napoleon Bonaparte's]] exile on the island.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/8136280.stm "Napoleon's chair found in storage", BBC Kent, 6 July 2009]</ref> He is buried in the churchyard.


To the east of the village is the Loose Viaduct, built by [[Thomas Telford]] in 1830 to carry the [[Maidstone]] to [[Hastings]] road (the present day [[A229 road|A229]]) across the Loose Valley. The village has two public houses. The Chequers is in the valley beside the river and The Walnut Tree is on the main A229 opposite Loose infant school and Loose junior school; separate schools but sharing the same site. A third pub, The Kings Arms, was closed in 2005 and is now private housing.
To the east of the village is the Loose Viaduct, attributed to [[Thomas Telford]] and built in 1830 to carry the [[Maidstone]] to [[Hastings]] road (the present day [[A229 road|A229]]) across the Loose Valley. The village has two public houses. ''The Chequers'' is in the valley beside the river and ''The Walnut Tree'' on the main A229 opposite Loose Infant School and Loose Junior School, which share the same site. [[New Line Learning Academy]] is a secondary school located in the village. A third pub, ''The Kings Arms'', closed in 2005 and is now a private house.


In the centre of Loose Village there is a large 14th-century building, Church House.
In 2006 the Valley Conservation Society was awarded £50,000 of lottery funding<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/4748456.stm Lottery grant helps buy millponds - BBC News, 25 February 2006]</ref> which, supported by donations from local parishes, was used to purchase two of the mill ponds for the community.


==Notable people==
Cartoonist [[Ralph Steadman|Ralf Steadman]] lives in Loose, and lovely 'Beechgrove Garden' (BBC Scotland) presenter Carole Baxter was born in Loose !"


* The illustrator [[Ralph Steadman]] lives in the village.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}
Loose is pronounced 'Lose'.
* The 'Beechgrove Garden' (BBC Scotland) presenter [[Carole Baxter]] was born in the village.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}
* The novelist [[Ernest Elmore]] (who also wrote as John Bude) lived in Loose in the 1930s.<ref>''Catalog of Copyright Entries. New Series: 1931, Part 1'' (Washington, DC: Library of Congress), p. 2054.</ref>
* The artist and calligrapher [[Mildred Ratcliffe]] (1899-1988) retired to the cottage at 1,&nbsp;Mill Street, in 1959.<ref name="LooseThreads">{{cite magazine| magazine=Loose Threads |title=Mildred Ratcliffe: Artist at Loose |issue=10 |pages= 2–4 |publisher=Loose Area History Society |url=http://www.looseareahistorysociety.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Loose-Threads-No-10.pdf |year=2010 }}</ref> She painted a number of the village's buildings.<ref name="LooseThreads" />


==See also==
==See also==
{{Portal|Kent}}

[[Loose Stream, Kent|Loose stream]] article
*[[Loose Stream]]


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category|Loose, Kent}}
*[http://www.loosepc.kentparishes.gov.uk/ Loose Parish Council]
*[http://www.allsaintsloose.org.uk/ All Saints' Church Loose]
*[http://www.allsaintsloose.org.uk/ All Saints' Church Loose]
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/kent/places/villages/loose/index.shtml BBC Kent page about Loose]
*[http://www.flickr.com/photos/gauiscaecilius/sets/301633/ Photos of Loose on Flickr]
*[http://www.loosewomen.org.uk/ Loose Women Morris Dance Team]


{{Maidstone}}
{{Maidstone}}

{{authority control}}


[[Category:Villages in Kent]]
[[Category:Villages in Kent]]

Latest revision as of 23:02, 14 May 2024

Loose
Loose is located in Kent
Loose
Loose
Location within Kent
Population2,277 (2011 census, including Boughton Green)[1]
OS grid referenceTQ758519
• London34 miles (55 km) NW
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townMAIDSTONE
Postcode districtME15
Dialling code01622
PoliceKent
FireKent
AmbulanceSouth East Coast
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Kent
51°14′27″N 0°30′59″E / 51.2408°N 0.5164°E / 51.2408; 0.5164

Loose /ˈluːz/ is a village some 2 miles (3 km) south of Maidstone, Kent, situated at the head of the Loose Valley, with which it forms the Loose Valley Conservation Area. The fast- flowing River Loose which rises near Langley runs through the centre of the village and once supported a paper-making industry, evidence of which can still be found. An area round the village is also known as Loose, but Loose village itself is based in the Loose valley and extends along Busbridge Road towards Tovil. The name is believed to be taken from the Loose Stream, which "loses" itself for several miles underground from the point where it rises in Langley (Edward Hasted: Hlosan in Saxon, signifying to lose or be lost).

History

[edit]
Cottage outside Loose stream

Loose originated in Saxon times, but its main period of growth was during the Industrial Revolution, when Loose, Boughton Monchelsea and Bockingford developed around the seven mills powered by the Loose Stream. There are several remains of the mills, including millraces at Leg O'Mutton Pond, Gurney's Mill, Loose Village Mill in Bridge Street, the mill ponds at Little and Great Ivy mills, and further down the valley in Crismill and Hayle, where the old paper mill stands with one remaining chimney. This site has now been redeveloped as housing. Further south are disused quarries where Kentish ragstone was once quarried, some being sent for use at the Tower of London. South along the Loose Road (A229), terminating at the post office, ran a tram way to and from Maidstone and Barming, the trams were replaced by trolley buses on the Loose route in 1930, they were in turn replaced by motor buses in 1967.

Loose Hill descends into Loose village and the valley, the hill being so steep that in the 18th and 19th centuries the owner of the "Change", half way up the hill, kept horses that were hired out to provide assistance in hauling carts to the top. The road is still lined with haul stones around which ropes were tied to help relieve the horses from the weight of the carts. Across the stream from The Chequers is Brooks Field.

The more gentle hill on the opposite side of the valley leafs back towards the Maidstone to Hawkhurst road and is known as Old Loose Hill.

Features

[edit]
All Saints church

In the village, the Brooks Path is a causeway along the Loose Stream that joins the two ends of the village, dividing the mill pond which once fed the village mill. All Saints Church in the Diocese of Canterbury, overlooks this section of river. A local tradition has it that whoever sticks a pin in the old yew tree in the churchyard, then runs around it anticlockwise at midnight, will on looking through a small window above the Charlton Memorial against the church wall, see a vision of a woman killing a baby.[2] The Reverend Richard Boys was vicar here and also chaplain of St Helena during Napoleon Bonaparte's exile on the island.[3] He is buried in the churchyard.

To the east of the village is the Loose Viaduct, attributed to Thomas Telford and built in 1830 to carry the Maidstone to Hastings road (the present day A229) across the Loose Valley. The village has two public houses. The Chequers is in the valley beside the river and The Walnut Tree on the main A229 opposite Loose Infant School and Loose Junior School, which share the same site. New Line Learning Academy is a secondary school located in the village. A third pub, The Kings Arms, closed in 2005 and is now a private house.

In the centre of Loose Village there is a large 14th-century building, Church House.

Notable people

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
  2. ^ "Historic Kent - Villages and Towns". historic-kent.co.uk. Archived from the original on 6 March 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
  3. ^ "Napoleon's chair found in storage", BBC Kent, 6 July 2009
  4. ^ Catalog of Copyright Entries. New Series: 1931, Part 1 (Washington, DC: Library of Congress), p. 2054.
  5. ^ a b "Mildred Ratcliffe: Artist at Loose" (PDF). Loose Threads. No. 10. Loose Area History Society. 2010. pp. 2–4.
[edit]
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