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History
What's In a Name?
Buckland
* Boc Land, a marshy land near a river
In this case this was the River Dour
St Radigund's
Named after a nearby abbey which is in turn named after a German Princess called St Radegund.
Barton
Charlton
Buckland Valley
Named after Buckland which it looks over. It also stands in a bowel or valley. In old maps a farm called Buckland Valley Farm was situated roughly at the top of Green Lane (by the railway bridge) and the area is likely to be named after this.
The Linces
Many names in Kent are called this. It is a local name for high ground or hill. Lynch comes from the same meaning, and is also a local word.
Coombe
As in Coombe Valley Road. This name is a Kent word for Valley so in the sense of the road name it is 'valley valley road' but there is also a place called Coombe near to Abbey Farm not far from the estate which could be what the road name is actually referring to.
Crabble
Believed to mean a place where crab apple trees grew.
Street Names
What do the street names in North Dover mean?
Melbourne Avenue
The main road in Buckland Valley is named after Melbourne in Australia as the Australian government helped fund much of Dover's rebuilding after WWII including the Buckland Valley Estate.
Coombe Valley Road
The road runs up the valley to the hamlet of Coombe so in sense is the valley road to Coombe or Coombe Valley Road
Frith Road
Originally called Love Lane. Is now named after Frith Farm which the continuation of this road, being Old Charlton Road leads to.
Cherry Tree Avenue
Obvious this one! Was originally Cherry Tree Lane due the cherry trees which stood along its length and also the cherry tree within the garden of the Cherry Tree Public House (now the Kingfisher). The street was later widened and renamed Cherry Tree Avenue however the replanted trees were not Cherry Trees!
Peverell Road
Named after a Peverell Tower in Dover Castle and Peverell was also a person who was the constable of Dover Castle (surname De Peverell).
Green Close
On the new Archers Place development. It was thought this was named after Green Lane however students from Archers Court School decided to name this street after Ivan Green the late local historian and author who loved Dover.
Whyte Close
Named after a former author: Eleanor Whyte whom the Eleanor Whyte centre in Archers Court is named after.
Hobart Crescent
Named after Hobart the capital of Tasmania in Australia
Brookfield Place/Avenue/Road
Named after a former house called Brookfield and also named after a Brook which ran from the river Dour.
Crabble Hill
Goes to Crabble, a place where Crabble Apple Trees grew
St Radigund's Road
Named after a German princess St Radegund whose Abbey is close by.
Barwick Road
This could be named after the Barwick family, a local Dover family who have been in the town for many years in the construction trade and whose premises are nearby in Coombe Valley Road.
Whinless Road
Leads to Whinless Road which goes to Whinless Down a hillside covered in gorse. The word is believed to be a local one relating to the plant, Gorse!
London Road
Follows the old road to London, the Roman Watling Street, from Dubris (Dover) to Durovernum Cantiacorum (Canterbury) to Londinium (London). Buckland being back then the only fordable crossing of the River Dour due to its once wide estuary. This is now the site of Buckland Bridge, where the ford once was.