Wye Crown

General Information

National Grid Ref TR 0713 4660

Aerial Pic

Excellent, recently rewhitened, enclosed in wire cages to prevent erosion, constructed of whitewashed (Snowchem cement whitening agent) flints 1-6" in diameter, with banked upper edges. Height 170ft (52m), width 180ft (55m), channels 12ft (3.5m), area 0.75 acre (0.3h).

The Crown is cut into the North Downs above Wye village, just below the North Downs Way. There is no easy parking except in the lane left off Coldharbour Rd, before the Crown. This point offers the best view, although the Crown can be seen well from point in the vicinity.

History

A Crown cut into the chalk hillside to commemorate the coronation of Edward VII by college students, on the Wye college estate on 12th June 1902. Restored between 1991 and 1995, recently re-whitened (April 1997) for Wye College's 550th Anniversary. Located on the college estate in the Crown Field, SSSI on the route of the North Downs Way so access is not restricted. Nearby is the site of Guy Fawkes’ day bonfire where on such occasions the Crown is illuminated on Guy Fawkes Night annually. A committee of management who were responsible for the Crown’s restoration are now concerned with its maintenance and funding arrangements. Donald Sykes former estates bursar at the college and project leader responsible for the Crown’s restoration and maintenance, and has an extensive bibliographical, and photographic record of the Crown. Mr. T.J. Young as lecturer in Agriculture & Surveying at the college was responsible for the construction of the Crown, which took 4 days and was carried out by 35 college students. Some 8000 barrow loads of turf, excavated soil and chalk were tipped into the quarry below the landmark. Restoration works, between 1991 and 1995, involved the placement in large cages of wiremesh of a 150 tonnes of flints which originated in the local chalk. The Crown was last scoured in a traditional way in 1982.

The Wye Crown Restoration & Maintenance Fund

The Wye Crown Restoration Fund was established to raise funds for the preservation of the Wye Crown. The project was planned and is managed by a former estates bursar of Wye College and senior citizens of Wye. Valuable administrative, logistic, technical and back-up support being provided by Wye College.

The restoration was carried out over four summers and was unique in its effect of being a more permanent, environmentally sound yet aesthetically pleasing production. This was necessary to prevent the continued erosion of the Crown and erosion of the underlying chalk.

A separate fund, called the Wye Crown Maintenance Fund, was established in 1995 to provide resources for continued maintenance work.

The Wye Crown Millennium Project

The Crown Management Committee marked the Millennium with an Orientation Table to be located on the Downs above the Wye Crown. From this superb viewpoint a vast panoramic view stretches out over the Vale of Kent , the Wealden Forest and beyond Romney Marsh to the Channel.

It was constructed from Millstone grit and flints native to the Chalk, an Inscribed Stone it records the Millennium and Wye Crown, in the setting of the Historic Township and the Royal Manor of Wye. The table was finished on 27th June 2000.

2008 Photo's

Sketch Map of the Area

The Plan used for the Recent Restoration

Reproduced with kind permission of Dae Sasitorn and Adrian Warren - www.lastrefuge.co.uk

The Crown from a nearby track.

Many Thanks to Jean-Marie, Pierre-Henry and Christophe Mathy for the photo.

Photo Gallery

References:

Sortie No.	Library No.	Date.
106G/UK/1377	288		1946.
106G/UK/1377	7009		1946.
58/687		1175		1951.
OS/73228	10475		1973.