traced back to 335 AD when the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was dedicated in Jerusalem. The dedication to Holy Cross appears to have been a relatively popular one for pre-Conquest foundations. It is a Grade I listed building. Its stone arch is partially Saxon, embedded with later work. On three corners of the tower are stone beasts. Many books on Kent describe the animals on the tower as bears, and say these represent the name of the village. Hasted's History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 5 (1798) reveals that the Anglo-Saxon name for the settlement was “Bergestede”, meaning “place on the hill/barrow”; other accounts refer to its earlier names as “Berghamstyde” and “Berghstede”. If the “Bergh” element does refer to a barrow (burial mound), this may be indicative of a church being sited on a previously revered site, in accordance with the advice of Pope Gregory to St. Augustine in 601 AD, which raises the possibility of this being a particularly early church site. It is possible that Bearsted is the “Berghamstyde” at which King Wihtred of Kent held a Council in 696AD and where he issued laws which are amongst the earliest of the Saxon written law codes. The Green was known as the Hothe and used as common land and from the 15th to 17th centuries, a number of the buildings which provide The Green's historical character were built. Listed buildings in the conservation areas Within the Holy Cross conservation area are: Within Bearsted (The Green) Conservation area, which includes part of The Street from Oliver's Cottages westward, the listed buildings with the dates of oldest sections, are: Amenities The village is home to a tennis club along with a cricket club, bowls club and both a Scout group (1st Bearsted The Scarlet Pimpernels, founded 1912) and a Guide unit. Other establishments include a Rifle Club and The Bearsted and Thurnham Club, a private members' club, established in 1906, which overlooks the village green. Kent International Gateway Group Plans In early 2007, the Kent International Gateway Group announced plans to build a large rail-freight and logistics depot in the corridor between Bearsted bounded by the railway line and the M20 motorway, an area which in use as fields and woodland. The controversial plans raised significant objections from local residents and the Campaign to Protect Rural England. The planning application was rejected by the