Swingfield

Swingfield is a village and civil parish in the district of Folkestone and Hythe^[2] in Kent, England. The parish includes the settlements of Densole on the A260 towards Hawkinge, and Selsted.

Swingfield
A street of Swingfield
Swingfield Location within Kent
Population	1,227 (2011)[1]
District	Folkestone and Hythe
Shire county	Kent
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Dover
Postcode district	CT15
Police	Kent
Fire	Kent
Ambulance	South East Coast
UK Parliament	Folkestone and Hythe
List of places UK England Kent 51.1464°N 1.18972°E / 51.1464; 1.18972

The village is located approximately 5 miles north of Folkestone on the North Downs. Notable buildings include St Peter's Church and Swingfield Preceptory.

History

The place-name 'Swingfield' is first attested in 1202 in the Curia Regis Rolls, and in 1242 in the Book of Fees, in both instances appearing as Swinesfeld. The name means "pigs' field or open land".^[3] The tower of St Peter's Church was a measuring point for the Anglo-French Survey (1784–1790) linking the Royal Greenwich Observatory and the Paris Observatory.

Amenities

Densole has the Black Horse pub, a butterfly centre and camp sites. Also nearby is Reinden Woods, an important habitat for woodland plants and butterflies^{[citation needed]} which is part of the Army's East Kent Dry Training Area.

There is a primary school at Selsted.