Kearsney Abbey - Dover, Kent.
Posted by: 
MeerRescue
N 51° 08.866 E 001° 16.120
31U E 378903 N 5667682
Kearsney Abbey, a very popular park on the outskirts of Dover, Kent.
Waymark Code: WMETDW
Location: South East England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 07/05/2012
Views: 2
In 1820 John Minet Fector, who was later to become M.P. for Dover,
decided to build a spacious and impressive home on his estate here,
which was completed by 1822. Much of the dressed stone work was
acquired from old buildings which had been demolished for road
widening in Dover, and possibly also from the mediaeval
town walls and
gate houses. John Minet Fector misleadingly called his new home
'Kearsney Abbey' despite the fact that it had never been a monastic
building.
After John Minet Fector's surprise defeat in the mayoral election of
1837, the family decided to sell the estate and move away from the
area. The property changed hands a number of times during the latter
half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th, and was
used at various times as a private boarding school, an Augustinian
convent and a nursing home, as well as a private residence.
The last private owners were the Collier family, who owned it until
the beginning of WW2, although they had made several attempts to
sell the property before the war. In 1937 the estate was listed as
comprising area of over 27 acres, the Abbey itself, laundry, dairy,
orangery, stables and garage, 10 cottages, farm buildings and
parkland. At that time the accommodation with in the Abbey consisted
of a hall, dining, drawing, breakfast and billiards rooms, a
library, study, boudoir, 15 bed and dressing rooms, and 4 bathrooms.
During WW2 the Abbey was commandeered by the War Department and used
as an A.T.S. operations establishment and H.Q. of No.2 Searchlight
Regiment. After the war Dover Borough Council bought the Abbey and
25 acres of land for the sum of £10,000. In 1959 the advanced stages
of dry rot were discovered in the house and it was demolished,
except for the billiards room which survives as a café.
Kearsney Abbey is split into two sections with a large lake into which
the River Dour flows through separating the two sides. On the River
village side, opposite the cafe car park, dogs are allowed off the
lead and the park is quite hilly. At the top of the hill, there is a
wooded area which runs along the top of the park. You can enter the
wooded area at any point and you will find a path running through the
wood, with smaller paths that lead deeper into the woods.
There
is a BBQ / Picnic area with BBQs stands provided with a few picnic
benches surrounding the BBQ area located next to the second car park
(N51 08.827, E001 16.018) further along Alkham Road.
Separating the two sides of the park is a large lake
with a footbridge about half way inside the park which connects the
two sides. There is a pedestrian entrance (N51 08.736, E001 16.464)
from Lower Road, River, opposite the Dublin Man 'O' War Pub, with a
direct path which leads you to the footbridge. The lake is about 65
metres by 325 metres and in the middle is an island where the many
swans that live here make their nests, a favourite visitor pastime is
feeding the birds here on the lake, although the swans can be a little
persistent. In the summer, they hold Model Boat meetings on the
lake where people get together and display and sail their model boats.
The main co-ords are for the main car park / cafe side
of the park, here dogs are required to be kept on a lead, and so is a
favourite spot for ball games and picnics.
The
children's play area is quite large and has all the usual amenities
such as a slide, swings and climbing frame. The area is fenced off
with two entrance gates. The flooring inside the play area is
rubberised matting which makes for a softer and less painful fall than
concrete. In the car park you will find male and female toilets,
including a disabled access toilet, all of which are kept clean to a
high standard by the park warden.