Message from Nick Driver

Mr and Mrs Driver at no 9 Glebe Meadow were my grandparents.

My father was their son Douglas Frank Driver. My parents emigrated to Australia in 1965 when I was 10.

I remember Glebe Meadow very well from my childhood

Nick Driver

A1 Mobile Fish & Chip Van

The A1 Mobile Fish & Chip van would call at Glebe Meadow every Saturday morning. It would first stop at the top outside No 17 and 18 and then move down to its second stop outside No12. When he was ready to serve he would ring a hand bell. Both the vans look familiar and though I thought the green one was how I remembered it I really remember the chimney on the black and white photo. My memory is from the early 1960's.

Floods by the Railway Wateringbury

The floods by the railway as seemed so often back in the 50's and 60's

1962 - 5 Warden Mill Close, Wateringbury

Another Photo to add to the previous posting below.

Could you have been one of those watching?

<>

I have been looking for these photos for years and am pleased to have found them on a website where they can be purchased as a download or print. Mr Hobbs the website owner has kindly given permission to show them here.

The website is: 

 

Click Here for NA3T Website

I remember coming home from primary school on Red Hill for lunch one day in 1962 at the age of 9 years to find a Whitbreads tanker full of beer had been left just outside the brewery gates on what is now Leney Road. The break couldn't have been properly engaged and the whole tanker rolled down the hill across Bow Road and into Warden Mill Close coming to rest in the garden and against the wall of No 5 Warden Mill Close. At the time and until today I always thought it went through the wall of the house but these photos show that was narrowly avoided.

This Google Street view shows where the tanker was originally parked and you can see the house in the distance

Google Street View Link

Behind the house you can also see the Hop Gardens and the Hopping Machine that would have been a very new and modern piece of farm machinery in 1962.

<>

Photos Courtesy of :

Click Here for Website

Photos from Robert Newberry

 <>

This was taken in the early 70's but shows the school as it was when Robert and I went there in the 60's. The building just showing on the far right wasn't there in the 60's and that was all grass where we played in the summer.  The Oak Tree is still there today now in someones garden and below is Robert sitting under that Oak for his school photo. I have a similar shot of me.

<>

 Roberts Dad with his car outside 12 Glebe Meadow

 <>

This is Robert taken on the Mill Track with Glebe Meadow and his house (No12) right behind him.

<>

 <>

Above is Robert in his front Garden with a friend. Below Robert on his front doorstep with a friend

<>

<> 

The picture above and below show the cesspits for Glebe Meadow before the estate was connected to main drainage. Strange to think as children we would run along the inlet pipe and play on top of these and sometimes kids would fall in!. There were concrete hatches on the top that were slid off when the lorry came to pump them out, these lids were broken and the smell!

These cesspits were just built of brick and concrete and leaked. The area in front was known as 'The Grass' by us local kids and there was a sand pit which was sand left from building the estate. On this ground now are the row of bungalows for the elderly. 

Beyond are the hop fields.

<>

 Photos courtesy of Robert (Bob) Newberry

Roberts words from another posting.

My mother and father moved frequently when I was young, so I went to a number of schools, especially primary.

This photo is of the old primary school in Wateringbury, just outside of Maidstone that used to be on the road leading to the North Pole. I know it has long since disappeared under houses, but the old layby/pull in is still there.

As with many of my old schools, they were always gloomy inside with the windows up high so you couldn’t see out. It probably for the best however that your concentration didn’t wander to much as I remember one teacher in particular, had a habit of throwing the blackboard ‘rubber’ at you with the force and speed of a Roger Federer serve!

I was always week at ‘sums’ (maths). My one attempt at playing ‘hookey’ failed miserably. We were having a maths test so I made my excuses to go to the toilet. The caretaker caught me some minutes later hanging about in the corridor. I can’t remember what my punishment was, but I’m sure I didn’t enjoy it.

I do remember there were many posters and pictures on the walls of dinosuars, map of the British Empire (that picture may be smaller now) etc. One especially stays in my mind. I have always loved history since mum and dad took me to see ‘Ben Hur’ in 1959. On the wall was a photo of a Viking War chief with a long ship in the background. I was always puzzled by this photograph because even with my peanut brain, I was sure they didn’t have cameras in the dark ages! I have long since realised that the photo was from the film ‘The Vikings’ with Kirk Douglas as a sort of ‘Eric Blood Axe’ After a day pillaging in Maidstone (do you think anyone would notice?) I would quite happily carry off Janet Leigh. But I digress! I spent a long time looking at that picture and wishing I was sailing up the Norwegian Fjords and not sitting here!

Funny thing, childhood memories. I hated school, i couldn’t wait to get home to Mum and Dad. I wasn’t at Wateringbury long, I think it must have been circa 1959/60. The photo was taken in the 1970’s. I can’t remember any names of class mates.

Tonbridge Road - The Queens Head and Newsagent/Tobacconist

 Photo Courtesy of Jo Longhurst

A great quality Postcard of the Tonbridge Road featuring The Queens Head when it was run by H Martin which dates it 1901 - 1913+  as that was when Henry Martin and then his family were the licensee. Also shows the Newsagent / Tobacconist which was later run by Mr Bolt.

Lovely and peaceful with no fear of walking in the road.

Mill Cottage - Mill Lane Wateringbury

Ray Cattle kindly shares another photo of his cottage as it was circa 1900.

Are there any others out there?

Photo Courtesy of Ray Cattle

From Wateringbury to Australia in 1969

We  had a lovely email from Bernice Richards (nee Williams) as follows:

 <>

My name is Bernice Richards (nee Williams) and I live in Sans Souci, New South Wales, Australia. I have just spent a lovely afternoon after accidently finding your website about the history of Wateringbury. I am currently writing some memories down for one of my daughters and as I was answering her question, I needed information about where we lived, so I googled Wateringbury and your website came up.

My family moved into Redhouse Gardens, Old Road when the houses in that estate were first built, we were number 1, my father gave the house a name, Amore, but I think that would be long forgotten now. He was the Doctor in the village, Dr David Howard Hiley (he was my stepfather) and my mum, Dorothy, was a nursing sister in Maidstone. I had forgotten who his partner was in Wateringbury, but your website reminded me. The surgery would have been in Claremont House and the other doctor would have been Dr Miln. I remember getting off the bus from school in the afternoons and going for a swim in their pool! I read that you rented the flat in the house in 1973, but by that time, we had migrated to Australia - I think we left in about 1969.

I have had no contact with anyone I knew when we were living there - my school friends kept in touch for a while (I went to Maidstone Grammar), but I was only 13 when we left there and it is hard to keep up friendships at that age and across such a huge distance. My best friend in the village was a girl named Vanessa Powney, but I know she passed away in her forties and I never spoke to her after we left England. She lived in the houses we used to call the cowsheds - I don't know if you would remember them, very unusual buildings for that era!!

There were a few names that I remembered from your entries who were also my friends and I think you went to school with some of these people - they were a bit older than me. I used to go down to the Old Mill on Friday nights and play table tennis with Robin Pearson and Ian Seamark, there was another boy too, but I can't remember his name. I do know they fished my sister out of the mill pond once and saved her from drowning!! The surname McKirdy also rings a bell. Are they all still living in the village? The Benhams owned the pottery at that time I think.

I have been back to visit Wateringbury once since we came to Australia and would love to do so again but I wanted to say thank you for putting all this information together, it is a wonderful resource and a great memory jogger for people like me.

I don't think I have many photos left from when we lived there, but will certainly look and will ask my sister Davina if she has any.

Kind regards,

Bernice

<>

If the above jogs any memories of Bernice and or her family  please share it with us. If you remember Bernice and would like to get in touch please send me a private email and I will pass it to her.