h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

urely I wouldn't have deliberately misunderstood that sentence... Would I?

S <-- insert as appropriate

I think it's called 'Bleak House'. That's what my grandad called it and that's what I searched for on Google image search.

West Kent - Royal Tunbridge Wells and environs seems to be under-represented here. Erm, why is it "Royal"?

The UK's oldest brewery , Shepherd Neame (a subject close to many hootooers' hearts) from Faversham.

And then there's the wine. That's right, you heard me. The Lamberhurst/Tenterden vineyard produces the best in the world, better than that young upstart pretender from Northern France ( was invented in England 30 years before the Fr*nch stumbled across it).

The odd names of the villages in this region of Kent: they all end in -den, and there's a subset all ending in -enden. Any place-namers who can tell us what that's all about?

The ones that don't end in -den end in -hurst...although that spreads into Sussex as well.

Some mention of the Cinque Ports would be appropriate?

Kentish coalmines (alas no more).

The maritime history of the Royal Docks at Chatham (Chatham has more than just chavs, you know! OK, not much more...)

I'll think of some more stuff later.

RF

Adding a vote of praise for the fine wines of Kent

Gawd, my chances of getting Curious Grape here?

Names that end in -den.....hmmm...any wolves, at all?

the ending -den means 'clearing in the forest'. At one time a great forest spread from the Weald of Kent to Hampshire. Vestiges of it today are Ashdown forest in East Sussex, and the New Forest in Hampshire.

I think -hurst means wood!

thank you one and all. This project is growing like topsey, and I have amassed your input along with my own. This project is huge. Kent is second only to northumberland for the number of Castles alone. And Brenda Blethyn was borne in Ramsgate! . Oh! And Tracey Emin came from Margate . Please keep them coming, but my problem is structure. Paragraphing, i.e. Geography, History, Sites of Importance, People, etc. Any help gratefully accepted.

Thank you all for your input. I now have zillions of entries to work on, purely from reading up on Kent. I wish I were still there to get the information. Just the Castles and the Battle of Britainn are taxing me... let alone the project on Ramsgate

Hey 'mazin, what's with the about Tracey and Margate? I love both Tracey, and her interesting art work, (I have been to many of her exhibitions), and Margate.

Oh and keep up the good work! You have my admiration for taking this project on!