Guston, Kent

19th century map of Guston

Guston is an Old English word stemming from tun, meaning ‘village' or 'farmstead’. It is first seen on record as Gocistone in the Domesday Book, meaning ‘Guthsige’s village’.[4]

"The Manor of Guston formerly belonged to the abbot and convent of St. Augustine, who held it as a prebend in the church of St. Martin, in Dover. It passed into their possession after the taking of the survey of Domesday, in 1080".[5]

In 1881 alone over 77 males[6] living in Guston were involved in the Military as part of the defence of the country. Even back in 1881, there was a large military presence in the area. This remained all the way until after the Second World War. However, Guston's population changed dramatically during World War II. In 1930 the population was just over 1600 people. By 1950 it had decreased to less than 800, having halved within 2 decades. In total, 2226 shells were listed as having been fired at Dover, but evidence suggests many more.[7] Many of these shells would have affected people in nearby areas including Guston, Whitfield, East Langdon, Pineham and Buckland.

Before the war began, many residents of Dover fled to areas in Wales and in the English countryside as far away from Dover as possible. In 1931 there were 1,191 males living in the area and 406 females living in Guston according to the census reports. By 1951 this number had been cut dramatically to only 397 men and 365 females living in the area.[8] This emphasises the huge number of men that left the area to fight and did not return after the war, as well as the devastating effects the bombing had on the housing at the time. This is one reason why the population may have dropped so significantly; the housing was now not substantial enough to support such a large number of people.

Interior of St Peter's Church, Kent

There are two churches in close proximity to Guston, St Martin of Tours and St Peters Church. St Martin of Tours is the parish church of Guston, and is described on the church website:

"The church was built around 1090, 24 years after the Battle of Hastings. The lack of change over the centuries is no doubt due to the Monastic Orders and the Archbishops of Canterbury. The lay-out inside is unique, the design suggesting it is shaped by an Anglican worship, with the pulpit next to the chancel, a result of the emphasis on the sermon within Sunday worship. It also has the typical Anglican altar rail so that communion can be taken kneeling – a Nonconformist chapel would have had an altar table surrounded by seating, such as can be seen at Langley Chapel, in Shropshire."[9]

John E. Vigar has written of St Martin of Tours:

"Restored in the Victorian Era and there is little of the church left from earlier periods. The arrangement of three Norman windows in the east wall is a common architectural feature, and can be found elsewhere in the county, such as in Bonnington. Inside the church, the Victorian glass shows two images of Saint Martin. A south nave window contains a 20th century depiction of The Good Samaritan. Separating the nave and chancel is a spindly nineteenth century screen with quatrefoil piercings. There are few monuments in the church, however a ledger dedicated to Thomas Harrison survives in the chancel."[10]

Media related to Guston at Wikimedia Commons