Bridge 8: District History Society Affiliated to Kent History Federation .9 msnum HISTIIIIY S0 BIETY The Bridge & District History Society are planning a guided tour of the village for April 1999. We plan to produce a leaflet showing a map of the village and a description of the history of many houses and sites. This will be the Society’s Millennium Project and thus we are seeking the following sort of information: House/Site Information: House/site name: Dr Hunter's House :7 ‘ll D Address: 24 High Street, Bridge it in} Current occupiers: §\ \Q.S,_ H4; Years of occupation: A 0 Previous occu iers: 1 L VJ i *—~ 3 <4 “3 Year left: '3: C QIVSL r P . Age of house: 30 Architectural features: - \,,,;\XC-\ in ;,..._'~ 'v \L\—‘ L.\~tn3e»X“tc1c‘z/i iurj “*9-‘“‘* "“9"‘**'~i\\ ‘““‘*—“i L“ aura 3.... c._\,FCcl-,/Le Q/Lett KFLV. ,V\ ‘*4 Vxn-.4-.S2J\_.¢”\,.\‘ Thanls; you for your help, please return this form to: John Corfield, Millennium Project Coordinator lligh Beech, Patrbtbiiume Road, Bridge, Canterbury, CT4 SBL Telephone: 83i992 Dr. Hunters House, 24 High Street, Bridge. Dr. Roger Hunter, my father, came to Bridge with my mother in about 1937 when he bought the house and the practice from Dr. Wilson. Dr. Wilson had been the village dodor for many years and lived in the house with his brother, known as Mr. Jack, and their valet. I assume they kept their horses out in the carriage house which is just round the corner up Union Lane. The old stables with two rooms above are still in a more or less original state, with the present garage added on. My mother thinks that the house was still lit by gas when she arrived, but I am not sure about this. The surgery was in the house with patients entoing the waiting room through the door in the wall to the left of the house. Private patients were allowed to wait in the dining room and go in through the front door! in the 403 and 503 i can remember needles and syringes were sterilised on the kitchen stove in a saucepan and the drugs were kept in the family ‘fridge. My father worked closely with Mr. Stockweli who was the chemist in the village. Mr. Stockwells shop was dorm on the mmer of Mill Lane and the High Street vmere I think there is now a kitchen appliance shop. He would make up the pills and potions in the bad: of the shop. The interior of 24 High Street is still very much as it was structurally, with all the original doors and fireplaces, etc. The hall ceiling is attractively plastered. in the basement there is an area where wine and spirits could be locked up and there is another large area with «cupboard for storing apples and vegetables. The root was repaired recently and over the bathroom the motors found a large flat water tank which must have been used for collecting water for the house. it was a shame that men the root was renovated back in the 703 (I think) that a copy of the original pedlment wasn't replaced and a mean little strip of wood was put back. You can see a trace of the original pediment on the corner of Miss .lones’s house next door. The heavy traltio over the years before the by—pass was built caused the mathematical tiles on the front of the house to loosen and they all had to be re»-fixed. i think that is when the pediment was taken down. Mathematical tiles were renovated on the side of the house early this year and i saw that the lower ones were fixed in plaster and we upper ones hung on timber. This is nothing to do Mth my parents’ house, but i can remember Fagg's Farm as we used to ride with Captain Masiin, me local riding instructor, who sometimes kept his horses there. and we used to keep our ponies in the three fields where the Western Avenue estate now is. i hope this is useful information - do get in touch if you would like more help. Diana Cairns (01227 752836)