Richborough
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Richborough | |
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Image:Richborough castle.jpg
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Richborough shown within Kent | |
| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| District | Dover |
| Shire county | Kent |
| Region | South East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Sandwich |
| Postcode district | CT13 |
| Dialling code | 01304 |
| Police | Kent |
| Fire | Kent |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| UK Parliament | South Thanet |
| European Parliament | South East England |
| List of places: UK • England • Kent | |
Richboroughis a settlement just north of Sandwich on the east coast of the English county of Kent near The Isle of Thanet.
Although now some distance from the sea, Richborough stood at the southern end of the Wantsum Channel from prehistory to the early mediaeval period. The channel provided a safe searoute from the continent to the Thames estuary and separated the island of Thanet from the mainland.
The channel has now silted up; prior to this, Richborough was an important natural harbour and may have been landing place of the Roman invasion of Britain in AD 43. Two ditches at the site have been dated to this period and are interpreted as defensive structures, lending support to the theory that Richborough was the site of the Claudian invasion of Britain; it should be noted, however, that some archaeologists favour the theory that the landing took place in the vicinity of modern-day Chichester.
Richborough is a suffragan bishopric of the Diocese of Canterbury, created in 1995 to provide a second provincial episcopal visitor (after Ebbsfleet) for the Province of Canterbury. As of 2002, the present Bishop of Richborough is the Right Reverend Keith Newton. External link: Richborough Episcopal Area website
[edit] History
[edit] Roman and Saxon
The Romans founded the site and, after the Roman withdrawal, the site was occupied by a Saxon religious settlement (since St. Augustine landed in 597 at nearby Ebbsfleet).
The site is mananged by English Herritage who run historical events on the site throughout the summer.
[edit] First World War
During the First World War the site was used as a Mystery Port for transporting goods and troops to the front.
