Lintels in Kent
Concrete lintels
Although much heavier than steel lintels, concrete lintels do have some benefits. The main benefits are the cost and the wider range of locations they can be used in the construction industry.
Many DIY enthusiasts want to make way for a window or doorway in their property. Some assume that because a wall isn’t load bearing, no lintel will be required, or maybe they don't even realise that a lintel exists in the first place. Anywhere there is an opening or void in construction material, there should always be a mechanism in place to support any weight from above, no matter how little. Failure to include such a mechanism can lead to stresses in the construction, cracks in the walls and possibly even collapse.
What are concrete lintels?
Concrete lintels are considerably cheaper per unit that their concrete counterpart and they also provide very robust support for the other masonry that is found above door and window openings.
When construction work is being carried out at an underground level, a concrete lintel is generally the preferred option to steel. This is simply because steel will be rather vulnerable to moisture and possibly even rust, whereas the steel in a pre-stressed concrete lintel is protected by the concrete, preventing this from becoming a problem.
Kent: The garden of England
Kent has long conjured up a green and pleasant county that is often referred to as the garden of England. The actual reason for this is because of the many fruit growing and hop gardens scattered throughout the county.
Hopping down in Kent
Every September when the hops were ready to be picked, farmers would write to workers, who were usually women and children who didn’t have permanent jobs in the Kent area, London, Sussex and East Anglia. They were invited to come down to Kent, stay in huts on the farm and work in the hop gardens for six weeks. For many Victorian Londoners, living in a dirty, polluted city, this was seen as a holiday in the country. The same families would come hopping down in Kent year after year.
Songs have been written about the annual pilgrimage to Kent to pick the hops. Shirley Collins sang Hopping Down in Kent and the popular cockney duo Chas and Dave also had Hopping Down in Kenton their album A Cockney Christmas with Chas ‘n’ Dave.
Kent has Celtic origins
The name Kent is thought to be of British Celtic origin. The ancient Celts were various population groups living in several parts of Europe north of the Mediterranean region from the Late Bronze Age on wards. Given the name Celt by ancient writers, these tribes often migrated and so eventually occupied territories from Portugal to Turkey. Although diverse tribes the ancient Celts spoke the same language and maintained the same artistic tradition which is characterised by the use of flowing lines and forms. Celtic languages are still spoken today in parts of the British Isles and northern France.
The meaning of the name Kent has been explained as a coastal district, a corner land or land on the edge. In Latin sources the area is called Cantia or Canticum, while the Anglo-Saxons referred to it as Cent, Cent lond or Centrice.