New Romney
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Template:GBmap New Romney is a small seaside town in Kent, England. Lying on the edge of the Romney Marsh, it is a stop on the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway.
It is interesting to note that New Romney is not significantly different in age from the nearby village of Old Romney. However New Romney, now about a mile from the seafront (at Littlestone-on-Sea), was originally a harbour town. The silting up of the River Rother changed its course and left New Romney stranded inland hundreds of years ago.
New Romney is one of the original Cinque Ports of England and was a crucial part of England's naval defence for much of its history.
During World War II a fleet of floating concrete harbour pieces (called Mulberry Harbours) were sailed across the English Channel to France to aid Allied landings there. One of these harbour pieces remains, embedded in a sandbank just off the coast by Littlestone-on-Sea and is clearly visible at low tide. Further up the coast oil was pumped under the English Channel for use by allied troops by the Pipe Line Under The Ocean or Pluto for short.
New Romney is the main centre of population on the Romney Marsh and most children on the marsh attend the John Southland's Community Comprehensive School between the ages of 11 and 16 (some staying on until 18).
Like many towns on the marsh there is an impressive Norman church in the centre of town. Originally this church stood on the harbourside, and the silting of the marsh is evident where the church entrances are several feet below ground level.
New Romney's historic high street has several small and interesting shops, but small businesses are gradually giving way to big shopping chains as the area's population increases.
The Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway has a station at the extreme south of New Romney which is used by pupils to get them to school and back. The station is about half a mile south of the historic town centre and to the same distance north of the excellent links golf course at Littlestone-on-Sea. The golf course was a favourite of Denis Thatcher, late husband of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher and has been used several times for the qualifying rounds of The Open Championship.
New Romney is easily accesible by road, sitting astride the A259 (which runs from Dover to Portsmouth). Several bus services run to and through New Romney from Hastings, Folkestone and Ashford.
The town of Romney, West Virginia in the United States was named by Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron for the town of New Romney in 1762.