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Ospringe

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Ospringe

Ospringe is a village and area of Faversham in the English county of Kent. It is also the name of a civil parish, which since 1935 has not included the village of Ospringe.

The village lies on the Roman road Watling Street (nowadays the A2 road), called Ospringe Street in the village. The historic Maison Dieu is on Ospringe Street. The remains of substantial Roman buildings have been found to its north west; the ruins of the abandoned Stone Chapel lie nearby.

The largest settlement in the civil parish of Ospringe is now Painters Forstal, which lies a mile south west of the village of Ospringe. The civil parish also includes the hamlets of Brogdale and Whitehill. The civil parish had a population of 715 in 2001, increasing to 771 at the 2011 census.

The parish church of St Paul and St Peter, a Grade II* listed building, lies half a mile south of the village of Ospringe and within the civil parish. It was built in the early 1200s. The church is in the diocese of Canterbury, and the deanery of Ospringe.

The Roman ruins are believed to be on the site of the Durolevum mentioned in the Antonine Itinerary, although this remains uncertain.

In 1798, Edward Hasted records that the village was once called "Ospringes", and that this name comes from the spring or stream that rises in the village and used to lead to Davington pond.

The village was once separate from the hundred of Faversham, and had its own constable. In 1935 part of the parish (including the village and Ospringe Street) became part of the Borough of Faversham. This enabled[how?] electricity to be installed in many of the properties. Other parish matters (such as rubbish collection) were now controlled by Faversham, removing the need to dispose of waste in a local disused quarry.

The stream that gave the village its name ran from Whitehill, near Painters Forstal (or Painter's Forstal) northwards along a valley (along Water Lane), towards Ospringe Church and then past Queen Court (a former mansion house – now a Grade II* listed farmhouse,). The stream then passed through a corn grinding water mill (demolished around 1960) and then actually flowed along Water Lane, with raised pavements either side, creating a ford close to the junction with Ospringe Street (A2) (beside the Maison Dieu) It was then culverted under the A2 to reappear on the north side and head towards Chart Gunpowder Mill, before finally running into Faversham creek near Oare. When the M2 motorway was built in 1965, Water Lane was rebuilt south of the A2 and the stream completely diverted into a culvert under the road. This led to the complete disappearance of the ford and stream. The raised pavements were eventually levelled.

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