History of River - Kent Past

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History of River

River comes from the Middle English ‘rivere’ meaning a ‘river’, refering to the River Dour, which runs through it. The Domesday Book chronicles River as Ripa and Ripam.

River parish church is a Grade: II listed building, dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul. There have probably been three or four buildings on the site, which started as a wooden Saxon chapel. Following the Reformation, the church fell into an increasingly dire state of repair. 1688 saw the completion of the repairs. As the years went by, River, with its beautiful setting, began to attract some of the wealthier citizens of Dover who preferred to live outside the town. On 23rd February 1829, the village held a meeting to consider enlarging the existing building. The members agreed to take down part of the church and rebuild it on a considerably larger scale. The Archbishop dedicated the extended church at the end of 1831. In February 1876, a parish meeting agreed to order the re-seating of the church and the construction of an apse and a porch, which reached completion by the end of the year. In the same year, John Warner recast a bell - originally cast for St Michael’s, Crooked Lane, London, by Anthony Bartlett – and hung it in the tower.