Frederick Leney & Sons Ltd - Phoenix Brewery Wateringbury

A fantastic photo of a Beer Dray at the Phoenix Brewery Wateringbury.

Interesting livery as the door shows Frederick Leney & Sons Ltd but the main signage shows it is then a Whitbread Brewery.

Photo courtesy of Colin Billingham

Leney's Brewery Gardeners show presentation at The Kings Head Wateringbury

Not sure what year this would have been but I would think it would be early 1940's as my mum Teresa Morgan is just behind the gentleman on the left with glasses. John Marchant was the manager of the brewery for many years.

It is an old Kent Messenger newspaper cutting of the time, hence the poor quality. 

Some of the faces look familiar from previous blog postings. Can you add a name or confirm the date?

Tonbridge Road Wateringbury

An old Post Card of Tonbridge Road looking away from the village,

  the entrance to Love Lane is at bottom left corner of the photo.

Fullers Corner

In response to Steve Latter’s enquiry on the Message Board.

Fullers Corner is situated at the bottom of Danns Lane adjoining the A26 Tonbridge Road on the border of  Wateringbury and Mereworth. There were at one time four cottages with the name  ‘Fullers Corner’ as part of their address situated a little to the east away from the corner, but these were pulled down some time ago.
I guess that Steve may have found the name whilst searching through the census returns so I have attached two maps from the late 19th century which shows the area as it use to be, including the four cottages.
This area can be searched on Google Maps, but Steve will have to search using ‘Danns Lane’ as Fullers Corner isn’t known to Google Maps.

Hope this is helpful
Dail W

Map's and words Courtesy of Dail  Whiting

Thanks to Dail as these Map's are also of general interest to us all.

Family Photos by David Spain

David Spain writes:-

I have recently discovered your website Wateringbury Remembered. It's a great site which I have found very interesting. My maternal family originate from Wateringbury and I have seen a number of posts relating to members of the family on your site. I shared the site with my nan at Christmas and she remembered a great deal of the information you have on the site, especially with regards to Wateringbury at war. I believe her parents also housed soldiers at their home during the war.

My Grandmother is Joan Godfrey-Jull (nee Relf.) Her parents were Albert Relf (born 1885) and Caroline Cronk (born 1889.) Albert worked in the Pheonix Brewery as did his father and grandfather. The Relf family were from Nettlestead/Wateringbury going back many generations. The Cheesemans are also related to the Relf and a family called Tomlin. 

Caroline Cronk's parents were John Cronk and Julia Wells. Her siblings were Frederik Cronk, Ernest Cronk and Daisy Cronk. On your site I have noticed that Keith Harden has posted family photos and references Fred Cronk as one of his ancestors. Fred and his wife Jessie were landlords of the North Pole pub and Ernest and his wife (still not sure of name) I believe were also landlords (possibly of the Fir Tree.) 

I have a number of photo's of the family and the house that the Cronk's built and my ancestors lived in, Lucerne in North Pole.

Would be great to get in contact with anyone who remembers the family or is a relative. 

 Albert Relf

 Charles Relf - Joan's paternal grandfather

 Daisy Cronk - Joans aunt

 Ernest Cronk - Joan's Uncle

 Lucerne House

I believe this is either Fred or Ernest Cronk with his wife and child

 Soldiers in Wateringbury

The Railway Hotel

Photographs and words Courtesy of David Spain

New Bottled Beer Store - Phoenix Brewery Wateringbury 1936

Following the acquisition of the Phoenix Brewery by Whitbread & Co. in 1927, the increased popularity of Whitbread's bottled beer was such that it was found necessary to build a new bottled beer store in Wateringbury. It was sited about fifty yards from its overburdened predecessor. The new store, which opened in June 1936, was half the size again of the old store with a floor space of over 9000 sq. ft.

Besides the large amount of floor space devoted to the storage of bottled beers, there was a foreman's office, storeroom for labels and capsules, loading dock, general labelling store and women's mess room. The office, which was raised to the height of the loading dock, commanded a view of the whole interior allowing the foreman, Mr. Charles Latter, to be in constant touch with all operations inside the building.

In the centre of the floor, conveyors were installed to serve three sides of the building and connected up to the loading-in doors with the loading-out dock. These conveyors enabled incoming beer from Grey's Inn Road and Lewisham to be delivered to any part of the store for labelling. Likewise, labelled beer would be placed on the conveyors for dispatch to the loading-out dock.

Photographs and words Courtesy of Dail Whiting

Charles Latter, the mentioned store foreman was my mum's uncle and he got my mum a job in the store for a while. Mum said the bottle store was later badly damaged by a fire that started in the paint shop.
John - Webmaster