BRIDGE & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY Nailford House, Brewery Lane, Bridge, Kent CT4 5LF HISTORY Telephone 01227 831 0144 SOCIETY Affiliated to Kent History Federation NEWSLETTER MAY 1998 - SUCCESSFUL SEASON The Society's third successful season is coming to its close with the last two events taking place this month and next. Membership now stands at well over 100, and is drawn from all six villages - Barham, Kingston, Bishopsbourne, Bridge, Patrixbourne and Bekesbourne. This is what we had in mind when ‘district’ was incorporated in the Society's title when it was launched back in April 1995. NEXT SEASON Planning for the 1998-1999 season is well advanced, and one innovation designed to further encourage- a wider membership from the other viiiagesi wii-l be a meeting heid _ in at least one of them during a season with a subject reflecting their local historical interest. One visit planned will be somewhat further afield than has been usual, and coach transport will be laid on. . MILLENNIUM PROJECT The Society's new Millennium Project is making progress with its plans for a guided tour of Bridge and accompanying leaflet. The intention is to show the wealth of the village's history to other local history societies in Kent. The ultimate aim is to produce one or more illustrated bookletss on the area - see Vintage Photographs further on in the newsletter. VISIT TO SANDWICH 6: TOWN TOUR The afternoon was enjoyed by some 314 members and some of their friends. Despite some nasty weather in the morning, the afternoon was near perfect with bright sunshine and warm breezes. The Sandwich Local History Society provided three knowledgeable guides Here are reminders of this season's last two events BRIDGE NOTES with JOHN WILLIAMSON Tuesday 12th May 7.30pm Bridge Village Hall Drawing on the resources of his extensive local history archive, John is presenting the last of his series of talks which give a fascinating insight into the history of the village and the area.. SUMMER WALK AROUND CHARING VILLAGE With home made cream teas Saturday 13th June - Departing Bridge 1.00 pm Led by guides from the Charing dc District Local History Society this event seems set to be very popular indeed and they have advised us that numbers must be restricted to a maximum of 36. This is largely owing to the narrow pavements. Tickets for the Walk are enclosed (without obligation) and will be dealt with on a ‘first come first served‘ basis. If you want to comesimply fill in the counterfoil, tear it off and bring it with payment to the next (12th May) meeting, or send it to me with payment to my address above. If you won't be coming just discard the tickets. VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPHS Over the last few months I have been loaned photographs of historicai interest which i have coiour copied and returned to their owners. They do not have to be terribly old to be interesting - one of the High Street is only about 30 years old and shows Bridgeways as it was originally built - for Vye dc Son Self Service Store with the entrance set back in the corner, and the row of new neo—Georgian houses incomplete. If you have any of the area which I could copy for our archive, please let me know. Normally I need them for only a few days. DIARY DATE The new programmes for 1998-1999 will be sent out in late August/early September. For your diary, the first meeting will be on Tuesday 24th September in Bridge Village Hall. But I hope we shall have the pleasure of seeing you before then at one of the two last events of the current season. Written and produced by Bill Dawson, Secretary JULIUS CAESAR FIRST LANDED ON THESE SHORES IN SSBC Kent was to play an impor- tant role in this part of the Roman Empire Dr Thomas Blagg of the School of iiuropean Culture and Languages at the 5j’"_\,llJniversity otZiKent at Canterbury tells how Richborough was originally devel- oped as a military store and then later as one of f o u r ::::‘:: November :.:w; tah Meeting fiaxton ; n d Tuesday 24“! h 0 “; Canter- b u r y grew to become a sizeable Roman town with important public buildings on the road the Romans built fi'om Dover to London which was still in use until very recent times when the by-pass was con- structed. Rural development in the form of - small communities cerrgrgil on villas will also be touched on, these these were mostly found in West Kent. D Photo Quiz a Prize Winner! This year there are three prizes at the Christ- mas Buffet - a new one just for the Photo Quiz, in addition to the Lucky Ticket draw and Prize General Knowledge Quiz. SECRETARY'S NOTES Dear Member Now in its 4th season the Society is flourishing with a wide membership drawn from Barham, Kingston, Pa- p trixboume and Bekesboume. a With a third of the membership now coming fi‘om these villages, the insertion of the words ‘& District’ were jusified when the Society was formed in 1995. D Red Lion Inn, Bridge All members of Bridge & Dis- trict History Society will receive a numbered ticket with the Nail- boume News. Places are limited and tickets sold on a ‘first come first served"‘5§ basis. To ensure your place, fill In the ticket counterfoil and return it with payment as soon as possible. Full information on tickets. 55$ 2». MILLENNIU PROJECT FORGING AHEAD Preparations for Bridge Explorations village walk next April under way. Project co-ordinator John Cor- field, writes “The Millennium Pro- ject Group are hard at work preparing for the Guided Tour to be held next April. A preliminary plan of the Tour has been prepared showing interesting sites and houses many in the High Street of Bridge. The households identified are being contacted to to seek any informa- tion the present occupiers may hold. This will be collated with other sources of information for the Tour guides to use. [> BATTLE DAY OUT GREAT SUCCESS FAIR WEATHER FOR FIRST COACH OUTING A longed-for break after weeks of rain ensured a warm sunny day for the unique re-enactment of the Battle 0 astings 1066 at Battle Abbey. On Saturday 10th October the day had begun with the departure on time of the coach from Brid e recreation ground car park in the P bourne Road. A swift journey to Battle followed and we alighted in the centre of Battle with just a short walk to Buckley’s Yesterdays World. The collection of everyday objects and memorabilia from the first half of this century soon brought to mind happy memories of childhood and growing up to all but the very young visitor. It is housed in a collection of rooms laid out as a variety of shops, hairdress- ing saloon, chemist, post office, haber- dashers, photographic portrait studio, and even a railway station complete with bookstall laden with authentic publica- tions of the era.. (For newer members, railways almost always get a look in on our visits, whether contrived or not.) Something now unusual but once famil- iar caught the eye in whatever direction you looked - a grocer shop’s overhead cable cash-carrying system whose little wooden cup holders used to whizzzzz across from your counter to the central cash desk, and then back again with the change and stamped receipt; a white £5 note in the post office; that gadget in the ladies hairdressing saloon that looked like a science fiction instrument of tor- ture, but was just an early permanent wave machine! Detail was , in some instances very accurate indeed. “That’s just how I re- member it...” someone was heard to re- mark as they peered into the’ smallest room in the house and looked at the neatly cut squares of newspaper pushed onto a nail “...we only put the proper stuff out for visitors.” One visit wasn’t really enough, but time was pressing and everyone went off to find lunch and look around the town before making their way to Battle Abbey fort e ttle of Hastings 1066. This was an &6e.lTe~nt re-enactment in period costumes, with some troops on horseback, and attracted a large crowd, many of whom took sides - of course the Normans won. Time then to look around the remains of Battle Abbey which is now under the care of English Heritage. No complete buildings remain, but what is left include a series of impressive crypts each succes- sively higher. The late afternoon sun flooded through the window openings heightened the sense of wonder at build- ing techniques that have endured over so many centuries. V5 M5“. And to the spot upon which King Harold died after the battle and which became the high altar of the abbey church of which almost nothing is left. Travelling back to Bridge through at- tractive East Sussex and Kent country- side the homeward bound coach was filled with happy and contented mem- bers and friends at the close of a fulfill- ing day. Millennium Project i95«“iSaiieiit Ipoints form this information will be used for the descriptive text for the map and this will be printed as an illustrative leaflet.” [> The best preserved villa can be seen at Lullingstone. Religion also played a part in the story too, as the native British and roman prac- tices merged and were carried on along- side the newer Christianity. What became of Roman Kent after the collapse of the Empire in the 5th century, and what can be seen today as evidence of its existence 200 years ago? Dr Blagg will reveal all this and more in his illus- trated talk . 7.30 pm Bridge Village Hall. Mem- bers £I, Non-members £2, including light refreshments. [> This is an important development which the committee has already recog- nised by organising one of this season’s meetings - next May, in Bishops- .bourne’s Conrad Hall. It is planned to repeat this in future years by holding meet-""“"""—"ings in t h e SECRETARY'S other vil- l a g e s NOTES on topics relating to them. The Society is still young and finding its feet. The launch of the Millennium Project is an interesting move in the di- rection of the Society’s acquisition of its own local knowledge archive.. There are many in the area who have their own private fund of local history, reflecting their own interest. Perhaps the Society will in time be able to take stock of all this material and form a useful register of contacts. John Williamson’s collection is a notable example. In the public domain a good example is Bridge Parish Council’s collection of display boards from their excellent exhi- bition in 1994 celebrating the centenary of the creation of Parish Councils in England and Wales and which gathered together a wealth of interesting material. It was this exhibition and the interest it aroused that was to cause the formation of this Society. The Council should be encouraged by this to ensure that they re-stage the exhibition in the not too distant future. A BIG THANK YOU! to all the retail outlets that displaye our programmes in September Bridge Bridge News, Post Office Chemist, Bridgeways Stores and Bur gate Bakery. Barham Derringston Stores, Post Office & Stores, Keiller Mullet and Arter Bros. Written, Designed and Published by Bill Dawson, Nailford House, Brewery Lane, Bridge. Kent C T4 5LF Views expressed are not necessarily those of the Bridge & District History Society ililllfi HISTORY T ocusn \ /-.J\./\./\./.\3./\../\JJ.\j_/\.J\../\_/\._/.\3../)3./\ )3.» J}1J\.J\..J\.J\../\.J\./\ ./31> .J}j./.\j.(}9_/\J.J}j_/.\j../}jg./}j.J.\3J.\j..C\ Nailbourne Timesti \_7‘$/‘C\‘}"C{C?‘&;‘¢{/'C{rrL{/‘firC{/‘fiffi/"C{("C§f&;'&/‘C{r'&r'&/‘firfi/‘g/‘C{/“a¢{/"C{/‘cg/‘CQ/‘t’/;*C{}'C{r-£{/-fir-Ci/-& A it/. U Lt N03 REWARDING SEARCH FOR BUILDING’S ORIGINS Bread Oven Held Secret For New Owners Genealogical and historical re- searcher Peter Ewart will Mal?“ r e V e a 1 how he and ”‘39““9 his wife uncovered mesa,“ 23”] t h e i r n e w _mmge home’s past, and village Ha“ the peo- ple that h a d lived in it over the last one hundred and sixty years. During the l970’s previous owners had modernised and extended the property to such an extent that the only clue to the ori- gins of their home was a bread oven.Peter will tell, with the aid of slides, how one thing led to another, and how bit by bit they exten- sively and painstakingly researched until they were able to piece together the story of their house. Ll Illl m: II P mSECRETA:RY-‘S NOTES SINCE THE LAST meeting in Janu- ary there has been a great deal of activity in the Society both up front and behind the scenes. The response to the innovative Ghost Evening and the Cathedral Tour has been very encouraging, and many members have already expressed interest in the March meeting. D SECOND PARTY FOR SELL-OUT CATHEDRAL TOUR on hearing that her special tour last month was oversubscribed, historian and official cathedral guide Meriel Connor immediately offered to take a second party a month later in March. Having limited party numbers to a maximum of twenty persons, when told of the unexpected heavy bookings [> March 1999 VVINTER'S EVENING STARTS WITH A BANG! GHOST EVENING TURNS OUT TO BE ANYTHING BUT DULL No sooner had narrator for the evening Stewart Ross com- menced his introduction to a capacity audience to set the scene for an interesting event than there was a wholly unex- pected happening. Without any of the usual warnings such as a build up of storm clouds, a sudden in- tensely bright flash of lightening was fol- lowed by a single loud clap of thunder which rattled the rafters of the centuries old coach- ing inn and sent a collective shiver down everyone's spines and set the tone for the evening. With Bridge’s notoriety for power black- outs and the ferocity of the dry storm just witnessed it would not have surprised many if the electricity had failed. But it would not have mattered as the White Horse Inn restaurant and bar was bathed in candlelight for the occasion. After the audience had settled down D Saturday 24th April BRIDGE EXPLORATIONS MILLENNIUM PROJECT _...._._- Tickets are enclosed with this a issue for all members for this specially organised walk around Bridge. To ensure your place on the walk, return your counterfoil ASAP with payment to the Secretary. , embracing camearai T0lll' Highlights Spiritual llS[lll‘flll0llS TREASURES OF MEDIEVAL AGE UNFOLDED IN ABSORBING MORNING AT CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL Guide implores group: ‘Clear your minds of modern thoughts and attitudes to enter into the medieval state of mind’ Historian and Official Cathe- dral Guide Meriel Connor began her tour by emphasising the all- influence of the Church and Monarch that domi- nated medieval life. She told of their dual role in creating vast treasure houses in cathedrals which utilised the combinations of all the crafts, in- cluding architecture and masonry, painting and decoration, to pro- duce a learning experience unsur- passed in its time. Describing daily life in the cathedral Meriel explained that, until Henry VIII’s split with Rome, uniquely to England, some monasteries were attached to cathedrals, . This accentuated the cathedral’s special position as a power base emphasising mans’ journey through his everyday earthly exis- tence to achieve a place in paradise. It is no accident that every aspect of a cathedral from its layout, soaring architecture and construction to its decorations, including stained glass and wall paintings, reinforced the message of a unique place where man and God could connect. Entrance from the West end represented the earthly existence, and progress within the building was made towards the chancel and altar in the East, the source of light, repre- senting the spiritual, heavenly existence. The spiritual sense was further heightened by the layity being largely excluded from the chancel and high altar, thereby having to worship in the nave, and hence the need to build such a large space to accommodate the pilgrims that regularly visited the cathedral. The donations of the laity were put to- wards improving and embellishing the build- ings, and In return they expected, and were assured of, the monks’ prayers to ease their journey to paradise. Their commemoration in perpetuity was ensured by the entry of donors’ names on obituary lists, and the dis- playing of their coats of arms in prominent positions on roof bosses and on their tombs. Life in medieval times was precarious in a way we cannot understand today. Pilgrims making the pilgrimage to visit Becket’s tomb faced may perils, and sudden death from many causes, such as plague, could strike at any time. Unusually, Saint Christopher had a dual role in earthly protection in these two respects, and Meriel made an interesting point about his representation in the cathe- dral. The tour was very much a modern learn- ing experience, even for those who may have visited the cathedral many times, and Merie1’s knowledge and expertise were very much appreciated. The second tour on 27 March is fully booked. El SECRETARY'S NOTES D NEXT SEASON’S PROGRAMME This all goes to give impetus to the members of the Committee who are now actively casting their collec- tive net for the next season which will take us in to the new millennium. Some arrangements are being firmed up, while others are still in the planning stage. The local history ele- ment will be a talk on the history and background to Stelling Minnis, one of the loveliest local villages with its large common. MEETINGS LAYOUT The layout for talks in Bridge Vil- lage Hall has given rise to some con- cern, and the Committee is currently looking into a practical alternative way of setting out the seating to give a better sightline. The aim is for speakers to be heard better and the projection screen to be seen more clearly. By arranging the seating widthways across the hall, instead of longways down the hall it is hoped the aim can be achieved. El Written, designed and published by Bill Dawson, ll/ailford House, Brewery Lane, Bridge, Kent C T4 5LF Views expressed are not necessarily those of the Bridge & District History Society GHOST EVENING D Stewart continued invigorated and un- daunted. The highlight of his presentation was the dark tale of Nell Cook from the In- goldsby Legends which he told with relish in a Victorian style dramatic and captivating manner. On a personal note, Stewart told of an incident in Transylvania while he was driv- ing through the countryside in the night. Suddenly a horse drawn carriage appeared without warning in front of the car and he was forced to brake hard to come to a halt. In the short time between the car coming to a halt and leaving it the carriage disap- peared without trace. He noticed that a short distance ahead there was a bridge which crossed a ravine and which he found had collapsed. Had he continued without stop- ping he would undoubtedly have driven into the depths of the ravine. Chairman John Bishop concluded this part with tales of a couple of local appari- tions taken from newspaper reports. One of them was a couple who claimed that while driving up Bridge they saw a large dark vehi- cle moving slowly across the road into the churchyard.. The second half of the evening held in the candlelit bar was no less successful. White Horse landlord Alan Welton and his wife Liz , both members of the Society, laid out a splendid hot buffet which was just right for a cold winter’s evening. ‘ Generous portions of fresh hot leek soup, lovely warm baps filled with slices of deli- cious freshly roasted pork and sautéed baby potatoes were served. Mulled wine specially prepared was available at the bar to add to the pleasure. In short, nothing was spared to ensure a most successful evening. E] SECOND CATHEDRAL TOUR D Meriel checked with the cathedral to see when she could take round another tour. She confirmed that this would be ex- actly one month later on Saturday 27th _ March, with exactly the same arrangements as February. Against all expectations the combined list for the two tours reached 40 and is now closed. The Society is extremely grateful to Meriel Connor for her generosity in giving up additional personal time to take the sec- ond party. [j DAY TRIPS BY CORGI-l Thursday13th May lEllNAllll8lE|E llAllllENS I-I 3 IRS I-I AN! 240 acres include rock gardens, azalea and rhododendron borders. Also wildfowl, wal- labies, deer, bonsai and motor musem. Ex- cellent cafe. Tickets £13 incl. entrance. Leach slope: Earham Village Hall, Bishopsbournc church, ridge Newsagent, vlinchcap-lceland, Lantcrbury-lliu-man D&E TRAVEL Tel 01227 831095 Trips also in June, August October and December Full details in our leaflet J nan: iiliiiir socim N05 PBIIERAMME PM NEW M|llENN||lM 11 events cater for wide variety of interests in IICW season Just take a look through the new programme and we’re sure you/ll find your interests reflected in a talk, a visit, a day out, the popular annual Christmas Buffet or the Evening at Higham Park in the hieght of summer to celebrate the new millennium. The season starts on Tuesday 28 Septem- ber with a topic of local interest about Stel- ling Minnis and other now vanished ‘common’ lands. Other talks include the his- tory of the recently topical passport in March, the history of Cantcrbury’s own Buffs Regiment, and the workhouse system, the last resort for the destitute. Two days out by private coach which include official guided tours are in October to Rochester, and in April to Winchelsea and Rye. Cream teas naturally feature in both! The annual Christmas Buffet will be held this year at The white Horse Inn, Bridge hosted by Society members Alan and Sue Walton with prize quizzes and a splendid hot buffet and mulled wine. With all this and regular newsletters and ticketing we hope you will be encouraged to re-join the Society for another great year. |:] BRIDGE EXPLORED r Millennium Project With a party totalling 56, the or- ganising committee of the Millen- nium Project were clearly de- lighted with the response, which was a vindication of their pioneer- ing work in preparing for a his- tory of the village. ' Following a couple of weeks of bad weather,'“’with heavy ovemight frosts and plenty of rain, the afiemoon of Saturday 24 April turned out to be pleasantly warm and dry, though judging from the number of um- Continued page 3 C\’.y"L’\D’.;>l’:3..JL\ September 1999 Maj or P His Time In these days when ani- mal conservation and pres- ervation is so vital, it would be unthinkable for anyone to make special journeys to Africa and Asia to shoot rare species and bring them back home to display. But as a sympathetic observer and systematic recorder of ani- mals and their behaviour, and of tribal people whom he met, not as an indiscriminate hunter, for over fourty years from 1897 to 1938 that is just what Major Percy Powell-Cotton did. Before the dawn of television or colour photogrphy, Major Powell-Cotton was a pio- neer in the exhibition of larger animals Continued page 4 Major Percy —- A Man Ahead of His Time A Life Ruled By Divided Loyalties Bishopsbourne Last Home Of International Author and Mariner Joseph Conrad In a lively, witty and informal talk on Tuesday 25 May at the Conrad Hall, Bishopsbourne, Dr Keith Carabine, Chair of the Joseph Conrad Society of Great Britain, gave a 53-strong audience an insight into the extraordinarily complex life of the author of international fame who had spent the closing years of his life in the village in the early 1920’s. ‘ Joseph Conrad was born in Berdjcher in 1859 in Ukraine, then a part of the vast Rus- sian Empire, and known as the corn bowl of Europe. His parents were Romantic Nation- alists, and his father Apollo Korzeniowoski, a distinguished literary Pole, was the son of A nationalists who had risen against the occu- . pying Russians in 1830-1. Polish Romantic Nationalists embraced the might of P0- land as the Saviour of Nations, and his parents passionately held the view of a crucified nation which would one day rise to free the Eastern European nations from the tyrannies of the Triple Alliance of Russia, Prussia and the Austro-Hungarian empires. In 1861 his parents moved to Warsaw, and the Polish underground movement met in their flat. When his father was arrested and exiled to northern Russia the following year, Joseph and his mother, Eva, accompanied him there. Two years later Eva died of tuber- culosis in April 1865 when he was only eight years old. While in exile his father started translating Shakespeare, but because of poor health, he was released in 1867 and died not long afierwards in 1869. Orphaned at the age of 11, Joseph led his father’s funeral which became a massive demonstration of Polish nationalism. For the next four years Conrad lived with his Mother’s brother, Tadusz Boborwski. Conflict was to rule at this time; his uncle urged him to abandon his father’s national- ism and instead study for a career in the pro- fessions, and as a prisoner’s son he was eligi- ble for 25 years conscription in the Russian military service. A The conflict was resolved when he de- cided to go to sea, arriving in Marseilles in 1874, where, after losing heavily at the gam- ing tables, he attempted, suicide. However, the bullet from his gun missed its target and passed through his left shoulder, and as a cover-up invented a story about a duel fought over a non-existent lover named Rita. In April 1878 Conrad joined the British Merchant Service, and in July joined an Eng- lish ship which mainly plied between New- castle and Lowestofi, and learned English from the British sailors. During his ‘maritime career which lasted from 1878 to 1894, he sailed on clippers all over the world, particu- larly in the Far East. It _Was during this time when he eventually rose to the rank of Cap- tain that he learned the virtues of teamwork, discipline and solidarity. By then he could speak not only his native Polish but also French and English, and also write in Eng- lish. ' . Writing came about almost by accident for although he had begun a novel in the l880’s, his first major work, Heart of Dark- ness followed a harrowing and deeply dis- tressing visit to the Belgian Congo in 1890 where he witnessed the most brutal and ty- rarmical behaviour by the Europeans towards the native Africans, in a vile ‘scramble for loot’. In 1896 Conrad married an English girl From UPS— Tel 01227823507 Canterbury’s History through its Build- ings from the Roman,Period to the 16th Century Adult Education Centre, Thursdays 1 -3pm from 23 Sept Course code DAL235. Canterbury’s History through its Build- ings from 17th to 20th Centuries Adult Education Centre, Tuesdays 1-3pm from 21 Sept. Course Code DAL240. Rural Kent Communities in Change 1650- 1914 University Tuesdays 7-9-pm, Course code AAL31 I. Jessie, who at 23, and 16 years his junior, was to become his girl ‘Man Friday’. His first literary agent, Pinkerton, constantly paid him fees in return for promises of manu- scripts and Conrad was soon in debt to him to the tune of £100,000. By the time his work Under Western Eyes was finished, each page of manuscript had cost Pinkerton some £50. Conrad suffered a breakdown in January 1910, and for a time was reduced to jabber- ing in Polish to the characters in a manu- script that lay at the foot of his bed./ Conrad was contacted by the USA pub- lisher FW Doubleday who published his novel Chance (1913) which they promoted with massive publicity as a ‘woman’s book’, putting over Conrad as the perfect English gentleman. It quickly became a best seller and ran to several editions. In an effort to pay ofi his huge debts, Conrad sold his manuscripts relatively cheaply, from which others were to make much more money, though he made up for this later by selling the options to film rights of his works to Hol- lywood. From 1898 until his death in 1924 Conrad rented severalhouses in Kent — he did not hold with owning property, and on the sud- den expiry of the lease on Spring Grove in Wye, in some desperation moved to Oswalds in Bishopsbourne. Aged 61, he was by then beset by rheumatism and gout and suffered from depression, not least at being so far from his beloved sea. To add to his troubles he was written—out, and his wife Jessie was also severely crippled with knee trouble. Despite these setbacks, Conrad lived well at Bishopsboume, accompanied by his aco- lyte Richard Curle who was to ensure his reputation, and a devoted manservant, Foote. Sunday lunches were a highlight when they entertained their circle of friends at Sunday lunches. In the Spring of 1924, only 6 months before his death, the sculptor Jacob Epstein arrived to make a bust of Conrad in just 3 weeks. In his autobiography Epstein wrote of his time there; ‘It seemed a long journey to Kent. I arrived towards dark with the snow falling. Conrad met me and we arranged the room in which I should work, Continued page 4. Lighting Up Dark Age Kent; Archaeology of Anglo-Saxon England University Thurs- days 7.30-9.30 pm, Course code AAl315. From UPS — Tel 01227 827647 At the Court of King Charles I and Be- yond— Art & Music in England, Europe & India. University Saturday School 23 Octo- ber, Course code ADL202. Moving History: The South East on Film University Saturday School I 3 November, Course code ADL203 BRIDGE WEBSITE STRUGGLE Members Vie To Set Up Dedicated Computer Website for Bridge. In a detailed letter sent to the committee in April, member Edward Ludlow set out his approach to his project which he was willing to put in place for the Society. The amount of space required on a computer website, he said, and therefore the charges, depended on the sort of information required to be in- cluded— pictures and/or text, and the amount to be put on it. At the general committee meeting in May it was decided to put the idea on hold in view of the costs involved which it was felt could not be justified by the Soci- ety going it alone. Meanwhile John Corfield, Bridge Parish Councillor, B&DI-IS general committee member and Millennium Project Co- ordinator, said that he had already allotted space for Bridge on his personal Website. While he felt Edward Ludlow’s efforts were to be encouraged, Mr Cortield told Nailboume News that his site is capable of linking up with similar websites. and has now been endorsed by Bridge Parish Council as their official website. This contains details of the Parish Coun- cil, its councillors, a short village history based on its Bridge Appraisal and businesses including the Eastbridge Hotel and the White " Horse Inn. The official website can be accessed on: http://threespace.virgin,net/johncorfieldl bridge.htm E] ocraber Enjoy a greatiday out in historic Rochester known as the ‘City on the road to Europe’ Ticket includes all this- ' - Private Coach Travel o Walking tour organised by City of Rochester Society - Choice of visiting — Rochester Cathedral or The Charles Dickens Centre or Rochester ’s Norman Castle - Cream Tea To ensure your place on this great value event return the enclosed tickets promptly to the secretary. BRIDGE EXPLORED Continued from page I brellas to be seen not many were willing to take a chance. _ As a prelude to the tour Dr Maurice Ra- raty gave a short introductory talk on the background to the village. Bridge, he said, was first mentioned in the Doomsday Book in 1086, and until fairly recent times had been a linear village with few side roads. Unusually, it had been based neither on agri- culture nor built up around a large house. Instead, its prime motive had been based on the economics of tending to the needs of travellers - feeding and accommodating them, and changing coaching horses to and from Dover and London. During the First World War thousands of troops passed "through Bridge and were camped in this area. In 1829 the Canterbury to Dover road was upgraded and tumpiked, with the gate at the Canterbury boundary being where the Gate Inn now stands. At the same time both hills on each side of the village were recon- structed with banks and cuttings to give a more consistent gradient, and the Dover side was slightly re-aligned just beyond the church. But it was not until the l930’s, Dr Raraty disclosed, that the road was fully metalled and surfaced in the way we have come to accept as normal today. Before that time it had a rough surface, and horses and motor vehicles would throw up clouds of dust in dry weather. Adjacent to the bridge there had been a water splash which was used by carriages to cool the metal rims of their wheels which had become overheated and in danger of slipping off through constant braking as they de- scended the two hills. From the 17”‘ century Parish records showed that vagrants had become something of a problem. Under the old system of poor law dating back to Elizabeth I, parishes were obliged only to provide for those born within their own parish boundary. With the intro- duction of the New Poor Law of 1835, Bridge was chosen as the site for a new workhouse to cater for a union of 22 par- ishes. The buildings of the old Union Work- house, subsequently a residential home for the elderly known as The Close, had in re- cent years been converted to private housing. He urged them not to believe everything they saw as they walked around, as so much had vanished, and the facades of many build- ings covered hidden features. On some, even the facades were not what they seemed with mathematical tiles masquerading as bricks. Finally Dr Raraty turned to the Irish con- nection which had been a reversal of the usual state of affairs, where the English peer- age had been absentee landlords to their es- tates in Ireland. Instead the Conyghams, an Irish peerage, owned a large estate in and around Bridge and settled in Patrixboume at Bifrons. Particularly during Victorian times they had been generous benefactors to the people of Bridge, including providing schooling, and building, and later enlarging, Bridge Village Hall. He told how when at Dublin for a confer- ence he had visited Slane Castle and entered a room full of silver. Among the treasures he spotted a silver trowel presented by the citi- zens of Bridge. which had been used to lay the foundation stone of the Village Hall. The party was then split into four groups, each with its own guidc- Mcricl Connor, Jenny Vye, Maurice Raraty and John Bishop. which set off around the village in different directions. Each guide had a set of notes covering buildings and sites of interest and also some enlarged and laminated old photographs and drawings of vanished buildings which greatly added to the interest of the afternoon. From what was said during the tour, in- formation is still coming in and being added to the store of knowledge. One member who was born and brought up in the village dur- ing the l930’s had clear memories of his boyhood in the village and surrounding countryside. The groups returned to the Hall for light refreshments which included a splendid selection of cakes and biscuits. To conclude what had been a thoroughly enjoyable and interesting afternoon everyone was given a souvenir leaflet of the walk with a map and series of notes on buildings and sites included in the tour. [1 PRESIDENT APPOINTED Local Historian John Willianson Accepts Honour In a surpise move following a proposal made in committee, it was agreed to offer local amateur historian John Williamson the po- sition of Honorary President. This was in recognition for his keen in- terest in the area which included compiling a set of files on all aspects of Bridge and it immediate area over many years. - Treasurer Maurice Raraty is currently in the process of - undertaking the huge task of archiving the unclassified documents in —John’s collection. John Williamson said he was delighted to accept, and is expected to be officially in- stalled at the start of the new season 1999- 200 at the September meeting. I] LOIlllIlll€(l]I‘0I7l page 1 against a representation of their natural habitat in diaramas. The museum also contains important material which is even today extensively used by scientists for re- search. Within the galleries we were constantly awed by the huge displays, some over twenty fett "high and others not quite so high but much longer in the most atractive settings. One person remarked that all the animals looked very content, and another that they quite expected one of them to softly sing out ‘l’m a Gnu, spelt GNU...’ Other extensive displays included Afl- can tribal memorabilia, Chinese porcelain, some dating back to the l3‘“ century. Then there was Quex House itself, origi- nally Tudor, but replaced in the early 1800’s by a Regency style structure which in turn was ‘modernised’ by the Victorians in the l880’s. The overwhelming impression is that of a real home, and though the hall and some reception rooms are open to the public, most of the house is still lived in by the present owner Christopher Powell-Cotton. There are a host of lovely pieces of fumiture, family portraits, clocks carpets, pewter, glass and porcelaine, not perhaps a feast, but certainly an exquisite buffet! Then out into the sunlit gardens to saun- ter across the huge lawn past the dovecot with its cooing inhabitants, and over to the walled garden. Up to the Second World War. Quex Park reguarly exhibited ay the royal Horticultural Society, supported by massive ranges of greenhouses, ferneries and a long cucumber pit, Today the area is not so inten- sively cultivated, though still full of aromatic herbs and scented fowers, fruit and vegeta- bles. A hug fig tree has fruit ripening all over it, and all around the boundary of this 260 acre garden are mature trees so that you would hardly believe the real world was only a short distance away from this haven of peace and quiet. Finally, back to the recently built and beautifully appointed restaurant for cream teas, with fresh scones and plenty of jam and cream to round off a perfect aftemoon. D CGPVIM TTEE ENLARGED Experience of official Cathedral guide and historian asset to the Society Seeking to widen the scope of the General Committee in planning for future programming Bridge resident Meriel accepted the committee’s invitation to join it commencing in June. Meriel led the a tour around the Cathedral in February which was so popular that there had to be a second tour in March. E] TELEPHONE BRIDGE 7 FOR THE CHEMIST The Faversham Society has acquired material about Bridge Pharmacy in the l920’s, when A R Clark MPS was the dispensing chemist. I] Conrad: A Life Ruled By divided Loyalties Continued from page 2 I was then conducted across a park to the village of Bridge and the inn where I was to stay. The inn seemed to be of the gloomiest and coldest type. The whole mood of the place, with the sodden country- side, promised a cheerless beginning. ’ ‘Conrad was an absorbing study. He took posing seriously and gave me good long sit- tings until one o'clock when we lunched and talked ’ ‘His manners were courtly and di- rect, but his neurasthenia forced him at times to outbursts of rage and irritability with his household which quickly subsided ’ ‘There was nothing shaggy or Bohemian about him. His glance was keen despite the drooping of one eyelid. He was the sea cap- tain, the oflicer and in our talks he empha- sised the word ”responsibility Responsibil- ity weighed on him and weighed hum down. ’ ‘The house was roomy and set among low hills. To Conrad it was a prison set in a swamp. He must move. He mustfind another house. He would set out in his car. One step fiom the door to the sealed vehicle to search for the new house. No outdoors for him. The sea captain hated out of doors, and never put his nose into it. ’ ‘Conrad was strongly feudal in his ideas, and when I complained of the servile attitude of the villagers round about, he said that they were happier so. My reference to the villagers was occasioned by an incident which happened at Bridge. I had remarked on the astonishing velocity of a racing car which had driven through the village at race-track speed scattering children and chickens. At the local barber ’s I mentioned this, and ventured to remark that that the children were in danger of their lives. The barber said that in fact several children had been killed, but that the racing magnate had paid the parents handsomely, and all the villagers looked to him for employment. ' ‘At a few of the sittings Conrad dictated letters to his secretary. His English was strongly foreign with a very guttural accent, so that the secretary frequently failed to get the right word, which made Conrad growl. I would try and detach myself from my work to listen. ’ ‘Sentence followed sentence in clas- sic “Conrad totally unlike his conversa- tional mannen which was free, easy and col- loquial. ’ Conrad wrote of Epstein’s work: “T he bust of Ep has grown truly monumental. It is a marvellously eflective piece of sculpture, with something even more than masterly in- terpretation in it...It is wonderful to go down to posterity like that. ” On August 3”, looking to be closer to the sea Conrad set off in his car to View a large house at Folkestone, but shortly turned back complaining of feeling unwell, and died soon after returning home. His fiineral was held in the Catholic church at Canterbury with the literati of the day attending, followed by a procession through the streets, gaily deco- rated for Cricket Week, to the Canterbury Cemetery. His lifelong friend Cunningham Graham wrote a long and beautiful account of it: ‘A light warm rain fell upon the old-world - streets.’ ‘The town itself resting fiom its long strife with time, brings quiet to the soul.’ ‘Then through the streets all hung with flowers, as if to honour him whom we are taking to his anchorage, we took our way out to the cemetery. ’ ‘As the car drew up at the cemetery gate with a harsh grating noise upon the gravel...the rain had cleared and the sun poured down upon us, as in proces- sion, headed by the acolytes and priests, we bore the.co]j‘in to the grave. A semi—circle of Scotch firs formed, as it were, a little har- bour for him. ’ The breeze blew freshly south—west by south a little westerly — a good wind, as I thought, to steer up Channel by, and one that he would no longer feel it on his cheek... ’ ‘The priest had left his Latin and said a prayer or two in English, and I was glad of it, for English was the speech the Master Mariner most loved, and honoured in the loving with new graces of his own.’ ‘The voyage was over, and the great spirit rested from its toil, safe in the English earth he had dreamed of as a child in for Ukraine. ’ ‘The gulls will bring him tidings as they fly above his grave, with their wild voices, if he should weary for the sea and the salt smell of it. ’ Conrad’s grave is marked by a single piece of granite, and unusual in that, owing to his wife’s uncertain grasp of Polish, one of his forenames is misspent, reading “Joseph Tea- dore Conrad Korzeniowski.” The lines on the tombstone are those which Conrad had chosen as the epigraph for The Rover, taken from Spencer’s play The Fairie Queene: Sleep after toil, Port after stormie seas, Ease after warre, death afterlife, Does greatly please. ” Dr Carabine was thanked and warmly ap- plauded by an appreciative audience, and went on to answer questions from the floor. U Written, designed produced and distributed by Bill Dawson. Vvewsexpressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of 1/IeBridge & District History Society NA\][]LB1U[RN]E THMJES No. 6 ‘ NEWS FROM YOUR LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY NOVEMBER 1999 Bllllillg-Ill] 0|] The Butts Fascinating History of Canterbury’s Own Regiment To Be Told ‘ ‘ 7 ith a history stretch- ing back further than any other British Infantry Regiment and long associ- ated with East Kent, The Butfs finally settled in Cans terbury in 1870. Already an important garrison town, Canterbury has been home to The Bufis ever since, Local historian and speaker Peter Ewart, who gave last season’s popular talk on Researching the History of a House and Its Occupants, will tell in his illustrated talk of the Regiment’s fa- mous actions throughout the world and achievements on the field of battle, its traditions, and its amalgamations throughito the present day as The Prin- cess of Wales Own Regiment. Of 9 GREAT EXPECTATIGNS REWARDED Rochester , Excellent Choice For Day Out Halfway from London to Dover, Rochester occupies a strategic po- sition on a the first "of a series of sharp bends in the tidal river Med- way at the start of its ‘estuary. 1: was first taken advantage of by the Romans when planning and building their cross country routes, and later the Normaxfs, too, realised its importance, and for almost a thousand years it has been dominated by the Norman castle with its huge keep, and the cather Continued on back page 1 Please note’ change of date to Saturday 8 July I fl .f'1lfllIi/wilt/’£'7/£71171] at .Z/giqidri/z a§Darr€ Saturday 8 my 2000 Reservations now being taken McDINE’S MIN NIS MEMORIES The new season got off to a good start when local his- torian David McDine gave his talk to a well attended meeting at Bridge Village Hall on Tuesday 28 Sep- tember. _ Brought up in Stelling Minnis where his father kept the Rose & Crown, over many years David has collected a photographic and anecdotal archive of the area go- ing back to the turn of the cen- tury. Stelling Minis, he said, comprised a very large area of about 125 acres making it one of the largest pieces of common land in this part of the country to survive the various Enclosures Acts of the l8“‘ and 19th centu- ries. This came about as a result of the liberal ' attitudes of the Lords of the Manor, the Chesshire and the Tomlins families who successively owned the land, and who chose not to exercise their rights to fence it off under the Acts. T Where other Lords of the Manor had exercised their rights to fence in common land, including that at Swingfield and Rho- des Minnis, it had disappeared for good. Common land was important to the local people because it gave them grazing rights which allowed them free access to it for their animals. The register of commoners’ properties around Stelling Minnis clearly states the numbers and types of animals that occupiers could put out to graze. These rights still persist to this day, said David, who himself has the right to graze 2 cows and 20 sheep. Cfbdxattnaa Stelling Minnis Windmill in the 1930 's Stelling Minnis boasts a smock windmill which now owned by Kent County Council. It has been restored and is still in full Work- ing order. A local group museum is planned for it which it is hoped will help provide support. Until the end of the First world War Stelling Minnis was fairly isolated, when a charabanc service was started. For ld you could get to Canterbury in 40 minutes! Another‘ factor involved in the preserva- D tion of this common land, was that, uniquely, Wheelbarrow Town on the edge of the common fell outside any Church of Eng- land Parish, and thus escaped the iniquities sums ghfifiet of the tithes system, under which the Church took ten percent of a farm’s produce- and double for hops.’ As a result the area became a haven for first Baptist and then Methodist non—conformism. Research had shown that the unusual name of Wheelbarrow Town was derived from Wealden Borough Ton (farm). . The present Methodist Chapel dating from.1855 ‘is the secs:-id area,-~ the original Baptist Chapel having been built in the l780’s. Up until then, meetings had been held in private houses. Now redun- dant, the chapel has been bought by the com- munity and plans are being drawn up for . carefully converting it for multiple commu- nity use, including chapel services. As his part in raising fimds for the conversion, David McDine used his collection as a basis for researchinginto the history of the area, and his book Mimiis Memories was the re- sult. Profits from it are going to the chapel Saturday 11 December, White Horse Inn, Bridge * Welcome Glass of Mulled Wine ¥ Prize Photo Quiz * it Hot & Cold Buffet * (All food freshly prepared — to includes Hot Vegetable Soup Tandoori Chicken pieces, Hot Pork Rolls, Sandwich Selection) 4‘ Lucky Ticket Prize ’* Prize General Knowledge Quiz ¥ Use Your Enclosed Ticket: to Book Early for this Popular Event! Numbeltr //mired - Booking: taken on F/'m‘-Come—Fir5t-Served barf: restoration and conversionfund. RENAISSANCE FEATURED IN TV 3-PARTER he word Renaissance was not actually coined until the mid- 19th century. It was used to denote a period lasting from the 14th to the 16th centuries, a great age of art and scholarship that marked the end of the middle ages and the start of the modern world. It was an era of such prodigious activity that it is hard to avoid. There are massive monuments to it all over Europe - the fabu- lous collections in London, Paris, Rome Florence and beyond, awe build.- ings such as St Peter’s in Rome, the Renais- sance palaces of Chambord in France and Hampton Court near London, and on a more modest scale the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Ot is the mystery surrounding the Ren- aissance that has inspired the_ Open Univer- sity to broadcast a series of programmes this autumn. The Mystery of the Dome concentrates on the dome of Florence Cathedral in 1418- 36. Its architect was credited with the dis- covery of perspective, but kept secret his techniques of the method of construction of the dome a secret. It has only recently been cracked. TheArno[fini Portrait The Riddle of the Dutch Marriage ex- plores another icon of the Renaissance, the Arnolfirii Portrait painted in 1434, long the subject of enquiring minds, is a fascinating PiF7iBl&rialy’iXai1Pi;tangreat merchant, pregnant betrothed, array of objects and amazing use of perspectives, which includes capturing two Witnesses in the mirror behind the cou- ple. The programme draws on evidence dis- covered in an archive in Lille that casts doubt on the original identification of the subjects. J V The Secret of the Winter Garden un- earths a new mystery of the Renaissance. US art historian Claudia Swan is the first person to have full access to a collection of ' 1,800 priceless flower paintings that lie hid- den deep inside a Polish library. Travelling from the US to Krakow and to Leiden she tries to find out who owned them and why, and also throws up more information and ideas about the link between art and sci- ence. The series starts early November in the early evening. Check press for details. With acknowledgement to the Open University Moving History: The South East on Film ~'~-—--~~——_ :_ renchl Cinematograph 896-7 Films have been made in Kent and across the region since 1895. They capture the pleasures of the seaside, Uncle Mac entertaining at Broadstairs, harvesting the hops in the 1930’s, war-time Canterbury and scenes of everyday life. The Unit for Part time Study (UPS) one day Saturday School at the University of Kent looks at the work of the South East Film & Video Archive and its collection of moving images. Course director and tutor Frank Gray, who is curator of SEFVA, will explore the archive through four themes: The concept of moving. image heritage, the Region’s film ‘pioneers, the Region's Industries and Kent inthe 20th century. _ Many of the Archive's finest films will be pre- sented on video throughout the day. Saturday 13 November 9.45 pm — 4.30 pm. Closing date 29 October, but may take late applications. Tickets for the day cost £23 (£11.50 conces- sions) including morning coffee and afternoon tea, with biscuits. For information and a leaflet and ap- plication form, contact UPS on 01227 823507. Book Early! to Ce/eb/‘are CHRISTMAS and f/re NEW MILLENNIUM at‘ five WHITE HORSE INN High Street, Bridge Special fl’rte-Cfimlstrnao .E¢uu:fi* r €!ia£ceafiSeaoana£.Menuo at£21 arut£I7..5() . New Millennium Gala Evening Hot and Cold Buffet including all Beer, House Wines Standard Spirits & Soft Drinks CHAMP/i GIVE at MIDNIGHT Half Bottle per Person with Commemorative Champagne Glass 0 £50 per person 8.00 pm for 8.30 pm For Uelebration Brochure, Telephone 01227 830249 A Warm Welcome awaits you from Alan and Sue Walton T A Served throughout the year- . A Freshly cooked Bar Snacks, Lunches and Dinners. Large — range oi Cask Ales, Wines and Malt Whiskey . * No meals served on Christmas Day Great Expectations at Rochester Confinuedfiom page 1 dral. From Tudor times until recent times Rochester ‘ benefited from the considerable wealth generated by the Royal Naval Dockyard at close-by Chatham further down stream. We assembled at the impressive new Visitors . Centre inthe middle of the High Street. A former gas showroom built in the 1920’s in the style of 18th century assembly rooms complete with bell tower it was testimony to the importance of the utility at the . time. Three years ago it was transformed into a built for the Paymaster of Chatham dockyards all in what was at the time expensive brick, it contrasted with nearby buildings of the same period which were of more humble timber frame construction. Until the l960’s, when it was bypassed, the Roman route through the High Street had taken all the trafiic from London into North and East Kent, and it was interesting to note that the two main road bridges over the Medway are owned and maintained by the charitable Rochester Bridge Trust founded in 1391. The nearby mediaeval Bridge Chapel is still used as a meeting room for the Bridge Trust. Afier flee time for lunch the individual choice of lively modern centre afternoon visits including an impres- ranged through The sive large screen video Charles Dickens history ofthe area Centre inside East- City of Rochester gate House, the Ca- Society guides then took us in two groups on a walking tour of about an hour which took in the city’s his- tory, and its most interesting buildings and features. Among these were the simple fjrgade of Richard Watt’s House for Six Poor Travellers, since 1579 ofiering food, drink and a bed, and the French Hospital founded by the protes- tant Huguenots who had escaped from persecution in France inthe 16"‘ century. Charles II had stayed at Rochester on his way to London for his restoration in E? e < '2 ‘I I l‘:.Ifl uu ,I»_n»e:n I I area an».- . I ‘ > ‘ A‘ . . 9:- .._‘ 3 ‘.'5. ...l ' \ 1 E‘ ' 1; _ thedral and the Cas- tle. At the cathedral our guide showed us the _ _,_. ' ‘ W outlineoftheapseof _, ‘E the first church built a ‘ /.‘.;._/_' _— 3 AD604 which stood partly on the site of the_present building which dates from shortly after the Nor- manconquest. Rochester is the sec- ond oldest cathedral after Canterbury, and the smallest in Eng- land, and on entering it the initial impres- sion is of its intimate scale. Like most iEnglish cathedrals it has had a chequered history with building 1660, and we saw Restoration House ‘ where he had stopped overnight in a room specially decorated in black and gold.. For the occa- sion, the owner had also ripped out the original nar- row Tudor staircase and replaced it by a far grander ' one befitting His Majesty —‘so wide, it was claimed, that a coach and horses could drive up it, and all for one night! In recent years Restoration House had been home to entertainer Rod Hull, and our guide who had shown visitors around it said Emu was really quite well behaved ofl'-stage. The house was now owned by a city banker and was undergoing extensive restoration with a view to eventually re- opening it to the public. Eastgate House was another fine Tudor prop- erty which in the last century was Charles Dickens’ family home for some years when his father worked as an Admiralty clerk at the dockyard. Originally Mediaeval woodcut of Rochester works almost con- tinuous fiom 1077 to 1492, and we saw examples of Norman, Early English, Deco- rated and Perpendicular architectural styles. The Rochester 2000 Trust was set up in 1985 to fimd major cleaning and conservation, and recent years have seen an extensive programme of renova- tion works carried out, The cleaned and restored West front stonework positively glowed in the mel- ' low autumn sunshine. Last stop of the day was for a cream tea in the welcome warmth of Dodgers. An novel feature here was a delivery bicycle suspended above the spiral staircase. To alert staff on the first floor, its bell was rung by a long chain hanging down to the ground floor counter. ‘ The coach arrived back in Bridge just a the sun’ was on the point of setting on What everyone agreed ‘ had been an most enjoyable day out. CAHRPET 4 MA GIC.’ Car ets D an Reusa ole in Just Cleaned 1 1/2 Hours No liguids or rinsing Car ets eft completely dry Sa e for children and pets Anti-stain treatments unaffected Deep dow_n thorough cleaning Always gives superb results .’For in’ ormation and uotation Te epbone 01227 A 1044 BDSC Limited FULLY INSURED Wiitinr, d¢.n‘.g1iedpmdru:¢dandn£.mibu1¢dbyBill .Daw.van 21I¢vionaxprLn¢dm£w(n¢curwiIydw.wofUwBfidg¢&DirD'iclSocizty A ports tell the human story to NAILBOURNE TIMES NEWS YOUR LO-C‘A1L H£STOR¥‘ SOVCI March 2000 WORLD Passports Well wrapped up against the late winter weather, a party of 37 members and friends visited St Martin’s 0 church and St Augustine’s Abbey on Saturday 26 February. At St Ma1tin’s church the sun streamed in through lovely stained glass windows, and aug- mented by good lighting the whole interior glowed, showing off the ancient stonework of the large west end wall, and ancient THE HI I MAN S T ORIE S we is clearly a much loved and ven- erated place of worship, with THAT UNFOLD FROM he Guide Mary Lawrence, now re- tired to Canterbury alter a career in nursing at Londoifs St Thomas‘ Hos- pital, has obviously fallen in love with the church, and enjoys passing on her mg; ‘ extensive knowledge of its history. She explained its prime importance as one of the founding churches of the country, and highlighted many of its features, including squint holes for In conflict and in peace, in prosperity and in crisis, pass- (Continued on page 4) those who can read them. Reflect with Martin Lloyd in his illustrated tall; on the lives of the travellers- stranded in wartime, flee- ing repression as refugees, selling to the Empire or merely 013" on a jaunt’ All of them hoped their travels would be achieved ‘without let or hin- drance’. It has been said that the moment you begin to look like your passport, its time to return home! So what yard- stick was used before passports had photographs? lf}'ou‘d been travelling in the nineteenth century you would- n’t have had to mind carrying a docu- ment describing you as ‘ordinary. And if passports are issued in name of Her Majesty"s, where does the Queen get her passport from? Travel through the centuries with Martin, who‘s been researching pass- ports for over 25 years, and discover how passpons went from copperplate The Kingston Jewel and wax seals to today’s digital pho— - , 7 mg and “mm cm, Cradle of the Kingdom. Report page _ CRADLE OF THE KINGDOM East Kent’s Role in Nation’s Formation In his talk Cradle of the Kingdom given to a packed Bridge Village Hall on Tuesday 1 February, David Gilmour said he would con- centrate mainly on the area covered by the Society. He said his aim would be to show that " not only was this t.he area where the first English-speaking people arrived and settled, but also where the first Anglo- Saxon kingdom was established, the forerunner of today’s United Kingdom. Although the period talked about was often referred to as the Dark Ages, David stressed that our predecessors in this area far from being savages were sophisticated and civilised people, some of them very wealthy and well supplied with worldly goods. In the absence of either writings or coinage dating is not always easy, but where a cemetery is excavated and Anglo-Saxon style grave goods are found then it has to be after the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons around 400 AD, but before the establishment of Christian burial practices which banned the deposit of grave goods from about 650 THE RISING SEA At the start of the Dark Ages the rising sea level was a major factor in the Jutes’ search for new lands to settle in; and archaeological evidence shows that they were forced to build their home settlements at increasingly higher levels until they were eventually abandoned altogether. In Kent, meanwhile, the river Want- sum’s width spread up to a mile wide, resulting in Thane becoming an island and allowing access by ships from the open sea directly up the Greater and I,e;s"ser‘StoiIr rivers ‘which,’ agam'because of the higher sea levels, were very much wider than they are today. A ship carry- ing about 3O men could easily have travelled up the Lesser Stour at least as far as Bekesbourne, which is quite likely to have been the favoured route for the Anglo-Saxons as an alternative to going up the Greater Stour, which would have brought them up to Canterbury, then a walled garrison city. GUARDJNG THE SETTLEMENTS Periodically raided by the Saxons, this part of Kent became known as the Saxon Shore, and Saxons (Jutes) were being used as mercenaries to guard vulnerable points of entry. At Sarre they guarded the entrance to the two Stours, at West- bere they covered the river approach to Canterbury, at Howletts they covered the road from Richborough to Canterbury, and at Bekesbourne they guarded the head of the navigable river. As evidence of this, roman coins have been discov- ered in cemeteries at Beicesbourne and NAILBOURNE TEVIES ZVIARCI-I 2000 Three women dressed in styles of the period Lefl: Saxon style. C antre: Jutish style based on finds in this area with two round brooches fastened together. the headband and the crystal ball and spoon suspended from her waist Right: Anglian style. Sarre. CANTERBURY &_-MEN OFKENT Possibly even before the Romans had left Britain by 450 AD, and almost cer- tainly by about 480 AD. Canterbury was deserted and in ruins. Until then the mercenaries had been under the control of the Romanised British, but because they were either short of food or pay- or both, they fumed on the British, result- ing in the four battles of the Saxon Re- volt which raged to and fro across Kent for the next eight or nine years, leaving *—s'~G’«a>-—s’- ’. P-35" Cring for Yor Carpets Beautifully Carpets Expertly Cleaned & Dry in 1 V2 Hours Powerful, gentle cleaning without liquids or rinsing. Safe for children and pets. Anti-stain treatments unaffected. Carpets left completely dry sweet smellin ready for imme late use Unique process always gives superb, lasting results. For information and quotation Tel 01227 831044 BDSC LTD, NAILFORD HOUSE, BRIDGE Fully insured - and the Jutes in filll control of East Kent, though it appears they had no interest in‘ living in Canterbury. So from about 450AD the Jutes sent for their families from across the North Sea and the period of settlement com- menced The main thrust of the invasion took place when the Jutes settled in East Kent, which was the original Anglo Saxon kingdom of Kent West Kent was settled by Saxons coming south from Essex and the Thames, and is almost certainly the origin of "the diiference between ‘Kentish Men‘ and ‘Men of Kent’. AJJGLO-SAXON CEMETERIES Roman imperial law decreed that burials must be outside city walls, and the same sites were also used for the very early Anglo-Saxon burials, proba- bly of people employed by the Romano- British authorities. It was not until some- time later after there had been a com- plete breakdown of authority that burials took place within city walls. .\iost of the early Anglo-Saxon cemeteries dating from the very earliest 5th century in England were for either burials or cremations, although some were for both, and are associated with Roman forts, cities or strategic sites which often became the centres of the new Anglo Saxon kingdoms. BEKESBOURNE To show how attractive some of the gave goods that had been uncovered, David showed examples of jewellery from the Aerodrome Road cemetery in Bekesbourne, including two brooches in the very earliest cruciform style which used to pin squares of cloth together into crude garments. The shape at the bottom of the brooches represents an animal’s (Continued on page 3) NAILBOURNE TIMES MARCH 2000 (Continued from page 2) head, probably a horses head. These brooches have only been found in Kent, mostly in East Kent which points to this area being among the first to be settled. This period also produced some wonder- ful designs such as the radiate brooch from Bekesbourne which is very similzn to a brooch from a cemetery at Bifrons. The circular holes would have been filled with red garnets. The bird design brooch is so good that it could well have been produced today, the eye having been marked with a red garnet. The design is typically Jutish and is found only in East Kent. H OITELIJS When Howletts cemetery along the Littlebourne road now under the en- trance to the zoo, was excavated in 1914 by Col. Moysey, his discovery of crema- tion burials among the finds revealed it to be very early indeed. Unfortunately before he could archive his findings Moysey was killed in the First World War and much valuable information was lost forever. -Jewellery of evolving styles ‘from early to late periods was found, indicat- ing that the cemetery was used over a long period. These included a mid-5th century gilt square headed brooch elabo- rately decorated with its lower part in the shape of an animal's head, a string of Square-headed brooch from Bekesboume amber and glass beads and brooches of early and late styles. Also shown was a restored green glass beaker, similar to ones found at Sarre and Bifroris. These early Anglo-Saxon glasses are without a stem or flat base. and so cannot st.md upright, and it is thought that they were used with a wooden holder THE ORIGINS OF THE E_\'Cy1..-’Sf~.' LANGUAGE — KENTAND J UT ~’_\'D. From the distribution of coriiparnble pottery found in Jutland, Frisia and south-east England. it is clear that the aflinities between Frisia and East _-\.n— glia, and Jutland and Kent are Very strong. Although only a relatively small number of Frisians came to Kent, theirs was the original language spoken by all the peoples along the strip of coast from Northern Jutland down to the mouth of the Rhine in Holland. So this area, David said, is where people eventually first became English and where English was first spoken, and hepondered the question that East Kent may indeed have been not only the cradle of the English kingdom, but also of the English lan- guage. ESTABLISHING THE KINGDOM By around 480 AD East Kent was divided into three regions, the Eastern Ge, or Eastrege (Eastry), the Stour Ge or Sturge, (Sturiy) and the Limen Ge (Lyrninge), each had its own leader with equal powers, and it is thought that one later assumed power over all three. The regions were close to the original Saxon Shore forts or cities- Eastry next to Rich- borough, Lyminge next to Lemanism and Stuny next to Canterbury, implying that these settlements started when the forts were in operation and so could provide some protection. Around 520 AD these three regions were again reor- ganised, this time into four Lathes, each with its own king who looked on Canter- bury- where the most powfil king was established, as the main centre and cra- dle of their kingdom. The other three Lathes were Lyminge, Eastry and Wye. From 450 -570 AD a large influx of Anglo Saxon immigrant settlers took over the best land in East Kent, such as former Roman estates. Villages as we know them did not exist, only fannsteads dotted along the river valley in the area recorded in the Domesday Book as Bur- nes (Boume) which probably included Bekesbourne, Patrixbourne, Howis- boume and Bishopsboume. Most com- munication would have been along the river as there were only two roads in the area which had been built by the R0- mans to Canterbury from Dover and Richborough. BIFRONS — THE KEY The most important cemetery and the key to understanding the whole area and the role of the cemeteries as a whole is Bifrons, and David said its important grave goods have been widely published. It was the first of a progession of cemeteries along the Patrixboume valley to the later cemetery in Patrixbourne, and finally to Patrixboume church. In the same way that Barharn crematorium is in our times, so Bifrons was in its time a communal cemetery, a focus for the whole Bourne area. and should be looked on as a temple where not only burials but ceremonies were also carried out. In use from the mid-fifih century for approximately 90 years, it has been calculated that the population served by Bifrons cemetery would have been about 30 people. But if British land workers and slaves who were not buried there are included, the population could easily have been as high as 300. Bifrons cemetery was about an acre in size, and situated on a fairly level stretch of ground halfway up the rise from the Partixboume road overlooking the river close to the A2 by-pass, and would have been surrounded by a bank and ditch. It was excavated in l866-7 by TG WunccAfi' ml-m fhnvml ll 1 craves and H6 Radiate Brooch (top) and Bird Brooch, both from Bekesbourne bodies. At about the same time the land owner, lord Conyngham, and his game- keeper also dug up some of the graves, but there are not any records of their efforts or finds, and now there is nothing to be seen. Of the 91 graves recorded by Faus- sett, 63 had grave goods, eight were burials of the wealthy, and two were burials of the very rich. One woman’s grave had several objects showing her high status, among them a crystal sphere, with a silver ring at the top to hang it, and lying beside it a silver perfo- rated spoon with a cruciform pattern of small holes in the bowl, which may possibly be a sign of a ritual connected . with the holding of ofiice“ by the ’ woman's husband, who may have been a chief or a sub-king. Alternatively it could have been a mark of a ‘wise woman‘, someone who could tell for- tunes and could be the origin of the gyp- sies’ crystal ball. V Also inthis grave were fragments of ivory, two knives, an iron key and an iron buckle. On the right hand was a ring of silver gilt inset with garnets, and on the left hand a plain silver ring. Near the waist there were two hammer-shaped brooches of bronze, silvered and gilt, set with red glass and with bronze pins. So, David said, it is clear she was a very important person and possibly re- lated to a Royal family. Crystal spheres, found mainly in Kent were very costly imports, and it is thought that almost all of the other similar finds in England were likely to have been gifis to fellow rulers from the Kings of Kent. The grave was 9' in length with a 12” space above the head containing traces of the a baby's body which pointed to the woman having died in childbirth Other artefacts included two radiate brooches. two round brooches- often joined together with a small chain, a linen headband threaded with gold braid- evidence of Frankish fashion and high status, imitation gold coins worn as omaments- probably imported from 3 Southern Scandinavia, a bead necklace and four gold coins which are thought to have been strung on it. In the picture of three women all the articles point to great wealth and trading with many parts of Europe at a very early date, and no other cemeteries out- side East Kent have anything like this wealth of goods at such an early date, with the possible exception of Sutton Hoo. Further proof of the wealth and sophistication of this time, all from Bi- frons, includes a large glass cup, the same shape and design as the one found at I-Iowletts. David speculated as to \vhere the wealth came from as agriculture at this time was barely above subsistence level. Did our predecessors in this area make their money from trade in goods or wool or even worse, from the slave trade? After Bifrons, burials took place in the smaller cemeteries at Fatrixboume, the second cemetery at Bekesbourne, Bishopsboume and Kingston. The rea- son for the change is thought to be be- cause at about this time the comrnunity was evolving into hamlets, There is increasing evidence that around 540 AD the weather turned much colder for a few years, and as this would have affected crop yields farmers would have turned to their leaders for help from those who would thereby have increased their power and influence and so amass even more wealth. THE KINGSTON JEWEL Further along the downs a magnifi- cent piece of jewellery described as the most wonderful archaeological discov- ery ever made in this country was exca- vated at Kingston, or the Kings tun or village, presumably owned and lived on from occasionally by the Royal family. Made of solid gold, the Kingston jewel had the front inset with so much jewelled Beaker found at Bzfrons decoration that very little gold would have shown, and the back, which pre- sumably would not normally be S6611, is almost as elaborately decorated as the front. From various jewels found in graves throughout East Kent, it is known that the Kingston jewel, although magnifi- cent, was not an isolated example. The standard of jewellery working in Kent at this time was so high that it surpassed that produced in France, and many ex- amples are known to have been exported there. At the end of the period when Kent was at the height of its power and Aethelbert was the chief king of the English, the King of Kent not only ruled Kent but Sussex, Essex and further ’(Com‘inued on page 6) PROPERTY B ridge's enduring popularity as an attractive place to move into is reflected in ever increasing hikes in the housing market. £450,000 was reached when a substantial 5 bedroom Victorian house was marketed by Cluttons last summer, though later withdrawn. About the same time, a 3 bedroom 350 year old Grade ll listed property with many period features and a large rear garden set in the village centre was put up for sale at £365,000 through Wards. Also last summer just otf Brewery Lane, Trafalgar House, a modern 4 bedroom family house backing on to the Nailbourne was snapped up for around £185,000. And on ofl"er in Brewery Lane, £72,000 is Wards price tag on a small terraced cottage, now sporting the familiar Sold subject to contract label over the agents sign. Opposite the recreation ground in Patrixboume Road a large modern three bedroom bungalow came on to the mar- NAELBOURNE Tll\/{ES MARCH 2000 ket in late January through Cluttons for 5250.000. Boasting :1 large rear garden sloping up to a wooded glade with ma- ture trees and access to a bridle path bordering a large field. the front looks over the recreation ground. Might prove handy for the proposed new surgery. The search for house building plots around Bridge continues, and the Ken- tish Gazette reported that a field on the northern side of the village was recently put up for auction and sold subject to planning consent. But it seems the deal fell through after Canterbury City Coun- cil turned down the application for out- line planning permission, and the deal fell through. Their planning department say that in principle they do not consider schemes to build housing outside current built up areas of Bridge. NEW VICAR APPOINTED FOR ENLARGED PARISH In a surprise move, Rev Paul Fil- mer, Curate of Stone Street, has been appointed as the new Vicar of an enlarged henefice of Patrixbourne with Bridge and Bekesboume soon to be joined by the parish of Lower Hardes and Nackington, now within the Stone Street benefice. The PCC were said to be delighted to be able to make the announcement so quickly as an such appointments can take much longer to arrange. Rev Filmer, 41, whose hobbies in- clude photography, computing and reading, has expressed an interest in meeting all parish residents whether or not they are churchgoers, and is particu- larly keen to include children and youth in his work. Paul, who holds a BA in Electronics, entered the Church alter a career with GEC Marconi Avionics at Rochester where he was a senior training officer. His wife Judy has been a medical secre- tary and a secretary to a primary school, plans to study Nursing and Midwifery at Christ Church College. The new vicar is to be licensed by the Bishop of Dover at an installation ceremony at St Peter’s church, Bridge, on Tuesday 2 May. A reception will be held afterwards at Lower Hardes Vil- lage Hall. The Filmers will be moving into the 5 Vicarage in Bridge with their family of four daughters. LIME KILN S Information is being sought from any- one with any experience of lime kilns, or listings, journals or book articles about them. Contact Brian Forrestal Tel 051 878849. ELI-IAl\/I VALLEY RAILWAY LINE Author Brain Hart is writing a new book about the railway and is looking for new material in the form of per- sonal memories and photos etc. Brian is trying to contact a lady who visited the Barham Village Hall exhibition last October who showed organiser Dick Bailey a photo of Barham station showing ladies in Edwardian dress, complete with parasols and feathered hats waiting on the platform. Though only a small snapshot typical of the time, it could be one ofthe earliest known photos of the station. Contact Brian Hart Tel 0 l 825 765076 or Dick Bailey Tel 01227 831275. VVHITE IIOIRSE THE INN £4.95 SENIOR CITIZENS LUNCH Main Course 8. Dessert Mondays l2.00 noon-1.00 pm Monday-Friday 6.00-7.00 pm FRID alfreys, Gaelic Co A Warm Welcome awaits you from Alan and Sue Walton High Street, Bridge. IECH St Patric Yiiihliiiiiz Nig includes lrisli Stew Suplgfier, Pipt of Mn ce or arge 7.00pm for 7.30pm £7.50 per person EARLY DINERS’ MENU 2 Courses 8. Coffee £10.00 ys or an eys h SUNDAY 2nd APRIL ) l ./l/Latfiew {Dag Euncfi 3 Courses, Coffee, Petite Fours & B - A Posy For Every Mother £17.50 pp Children Half Price Tables at Midday or 2.00 pm Tel 880249 NAILBOURNE FLOOD ALLE VIATION SCHEME C OMPLETED The Environment Agency’s contractor WS Atkins got stuck into it from early in the New Year determined to finish the work they had started back in October. The finishing touches were the installation of a new farm gate to allow access to the field from Brewery Lane. as the banks of the Nailboume have been protected by a temporary fence, cutting the field in two We understand that farmer Brian Mummery will be seeding the exposed and currently very muddy ground later in the year World Heritage Sites Visited (Continued from page 1) lepers. a font mounted on a mill wheel, a modem statue of its founder Queen Bertha and an unusual altar cross. Several years ago the original altar cross and candlesticks had been stolen, and while walking on the beach at Deal the vicar had come across two pieces of drift wood which he used to form a cross, and soon afterwards some French children had draped a hop vine over it. This was later translated into a metal casting taken from the drill- wood, and with slender metalwork added to represent the hop vine and Christ on the cross. 'Outside in the churchyard, the building was bathed in wintef§1Trilight to highlight its gey stonework and red Saxon brickwork. A couple of years ago Canterbury Council had restored the grounds and damaged memorials, and continue to maintain it so that it looks so tidy, calm and tranquil. Al- though full, there is still room for cre- mations in the upper part of the churchyard fi'om where through some lovely old yew trees there is a View across to St Augustine’s abbey and the cathedral beyond . Then a short stroll down Longport to St .—\.ugustine’s Abbey where there was time to look around English Heri- tage"s museum, before being armed with personal audio guides and setting off into the grounds. For many that had not visited before it was clear that EH have done a great job in maintain- ing the ruins and presenting them in a way that is interesting and easy to follow. Sadly, the sun did not stay out much longer and for many the cold proved too much. But as they lell. quite a number obtained a residents’ free pass. obviously enthusiastic and fired with determination to retum to tinish their exploration when the weather turns warmer weather later in the year. NALLBUURNE 'l'l.M_l'_'S MARCH ZUUU osted this year by The Faversham Society, the KHF an- nual conference follows the successfully estab- lished pattern of a se- ries of speakers in the morning and a choice of visits to places of local interest in the after- X100“. ' Now in its 21st year, the con- ferences are noted for their » friendly atmosphere, and re- ports have always been fa- vourable from those who have attended them. , ‘We are hon- ured to have een selected for this special Mil- ' ennium year’ ays organiser Vicky Shepherd f The Faver- sham Society, ‘Aa great deal of ffort has gone into organising the morning talks and plan- ning a wide choice of after- noon visits.’ The conference is being held at Faversham’s Queen Eliza- beth’s School, which is close to the centre and has ample free parking. Order your tickets for the conference by using the book- ing form sent out with this issue of Nailboume Times. It is important that only one or- der form should be used for each person or group of up to four wishing to go on the same afternoon visit. We will then make a block booking with KHF and send out the conference tickets with V‘ _ an information pack with a A" Programme, Travel Informa- tion and Map. " Places are limited and the offer is subject to availability. ’ Headline left to right: Almshouses Visit G The Creek Visit F, Maison Dieu Visit L. Far left: Parish Church of St Mary of Charity Visit C. Lef‘: Arden’s House Visit H. Above: Court Street Visit E. Cradle of the Kingdom (Continuedfrom page 3) afield as well. David concluded his talk by saying that although there is quite a large amount of information about the people who lived in this area, one vital piece of information is lacking, and that is that there are no signs of any living settle- ments, and their locations can only be guessed at from the position of the ceme- teries. Unfortunately the ground in our area is not conducive to preserving even the remains of pottery, which for day to day use would have been very rough and quite fragile, and wood and thatch quickly decay leaving virtually no trace. If any traces of settlements can be Spoon flefr) and Crystal Sphere found at Bzfrons found, he suggested that this will be done by Field Walking, and if you find a large collection of pottery shards in any one place there is a possibility you may have found a settlement. This is one area Where the amateur archaeologist l NAILBOURNE TIMES MARCH 2000 Selection of Jewellery found atB1frons can be better than the professional ar- chaeologist because they have more time and live in the right place. Where to look? The most likely place is within 500 yards of a river and approximately 2 feet under the soil and probably across the river from a knovm cemetery. This means that living settlement sites around here are probably underneath villages. and that perhaps the best place to lool; would be in your back gardens. . Saturday 29 April Day Out at Historic Winchelsea and Eye . Private Coach Travel (12; Winchelsea p_ . Guideaf Tour - Free T zme at Cream Tea In BOOK EARLY FOR THIS POPULAR DAY OUT using tickets enclosed with this issue. Simply complete and return the ticket counterfoil with payment to the Secretary. rife Nam oumt Tim»; 1: wrtdtn. unlrrr alhrrwisr omriua derigrud, procbwed and dmnwzuud by mu Dawson . Hma‘ expressed art no! nu-exsarlly lhcxr aflhe Bridgr & NAILBOURNE TLMES MARCH 2000 'l'Ei.£V!Sl0N In recent months there have been an increasing number of pro grammes with histori- cal leanings. Meridian’s fascinating six part series In The Past, which ran through January and February, has shown an enormous amount of film footage taken across the South and South East, some dating from as far back as 1909, Of particular local interest was film shot in 1924 of Canterbury’s main street, from the Westgate Tower, and up St Peters Street, High Street, Parade and St George's Street. Only 18 years later much of the southern end of the town had been destroyed in the blitz. Just started is Breaking the Seal, BBC 2’s screening of a highly recom- mended six-parter made by the Open University which charts the way in which oflicial records have categorised people. Knowledge is power, and the series shows how our leaders have always kept a close eye on us, not always with the best of motives. Still to go out- 6, 13, 20, March. At 7.30pm Mondays For those interested in strategy and planning, Channel 4 is putting out Great Military Blunders asix-parter with each hourly episode highlighting a different aspect of major disasters and the personalities behind them. Gods & Monsters, 24 February, con- centrated on personalities; Tin Sol- diers, Zn/larch, shows how ever more powerful and technologically advanced war machines never seem to live up to their promises; Best Laid Plans, 9 March, is self explanatory. Further episodes l6, 23, 23 & 30 March. Nailbourne Times has tapes of the first three episodes on loan from Channel 4 if you missed them. SURGERY WARS OPPOSITION TO PC ’S APPROVAL LEADS TO BATTLE OF WORDS Strong passions are being aroused by the controversial proposal to build a new sur- gery in Bridge along the Patrixbourne Road . This follows the February meeting of Bridge Parish Council when votes were cast 5 to 4 in favour of the Application made to Canterbury City Council In the space of just a few days in late February two circulars have already been distributed around the village. In addition the Drs Jones/Sykes/Rafla practice has issued a letter setting out its case for the new surgery. First ofi‘ the mark was a leaflet widely distributed across the village ‘from (unnamed) concerned residents of Briige‘ witlt the headline ‘Bridges Countryside Under Threat’. in it the main thrust of their opposition appeares to be fears that this could be the time end of the wedge and lead to further development of the land between the eastern edge of the village at Riverside Close and the By-Pass, a move that was overwhelmingly rejected by at a public meeting called to decide the issue by Bridge Parish Council in September 1995. On its heels came a swifi reply in letter form siged by Bridge PC council- lor Tony Walder, who has never kept secret his support for continued housing development in Bridge. Co-signed by Maurice Smith, it gives unswerving support to the proposed surgery largely because it is going through the proper planning channels. The new surgery would be sited a short distance further down the Patrix- boume Road from the new Bridge Ten- nis Club pavilion- interestingly not the subject ofthe same scrutiny. As proposed it would be a two storey barn-style building set sideways on to the road on a green field site east of the childrens play area. Parking for 20 cars is included. The land would be leased from Cantley Estate, local landowner Lord Conyng,ham’s commercial arm, which is known to be keen to develop its land around Bridge IT’S SPRING! AND THE NAILBOURNE’ S RUNNING Right on cue the river has started to flow through Bridge, fed mainly by the two springs below the Bourne House cascade. For several weeks it has been mak- ing a hesitant start, but in the last week following a great deal of heavy rain, it has pushed past the Bridge Place stable block and on through the Ford. The spur passing through Bridge Place is now running, much sooner than usual in recent years. E TRANSPORT B us times on the 17A Folkestone via Lyminge and 16A Folks- stone via Hawlcinge routes have been amended to each give a two-hourly service on Sundays, giving Bridge an hourly service. The l7A still stops at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital. During the rest of the week, times on all routes (X90, 17, 17A, 16) have been slightly amended. Conditions on many buses con- tinue to cause concern to passengers As London buses must to be not less than seven years old, monopoly op- erator Stagecoach East Kent (SEK) has transferred some of its newer buses from this area to London, while we have to make do with clapped-out London buses that were not designed for longer haul country routes, and do not have the power and acceleration needed to cope. At least one of them has no heating for passengers. Meanwhile, at what little is lefi of Bekesbourne with Patrixbourne Millennium Committee IMAGES o .1H 0 BEKESBOUE IN 0 TRAPHS OVER THE LAST 100 YEARS Bekesbourne Village Hall Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th April 2000 10.30am — 4.00pm Admission Freet Refreshments sold in aid of St Peter's Church, Bekesbourne the Canterbury Bus Station there is no lighting in the bus shelters. There appears to be no concern for passen- gers’ safety aiter dusk Complaints to SEK are dismissed, and even MP Julian Brasier seems to have difficulty in getting much posi- tive response out of them. When almost every other public undertak- ing has a government appointed overseer with teeth, surely the time has come for an OfiBus to curb some of SEK’s monopolistic mismanage- ment tactics, and face up to its duty toscare for its travelling public. One third of the population does mot have access to private transport, and de- serves better. 8 rzoxvxvxvXv'¢X¢Xo"v‘o'v"v'¢'v'¢"v'¢x¢'¢"¢"¢'¢V NAILBOURNE TINIES lVIARCH 2000 A'A'A'Ai’A >..v.v.mXv.v.9.9.9.:an.9.v.9.9.v.vmore.v.vXvXv}vxvxvxvxvXvxvxvxoxoxoxoxozoxvxqxoxéxoxoxoxqg x+x+zmA.,.,.A., ‘am For three days in January the lively Court of King Arthur descended on sleepy Barham. Its entourage included a truly great Dame, Dragons, Knights. Damsels in Distress, and Very English Kino. I t was, if you haven’t already guessed it, Panto-time. King Arthur, The Panto was staged with innovative artistic licence by first-time producer Peter Langford, a long standing mem- ber of the Kingsbourne Players, and performed with gusto and enthusiasm by a troupe whose infectious good humour reached out into the audience which quickly responded heartily to all the antics on stage. The plot. itself based on myth, was in the best tradition highly improbable, and included all the ingredients needed to make a first class show. Queen Guin- evere (the Dame), was played with im- mense rustic charm by Chris McLean as consort to Geofi“ Wakefieid’s Bertie Wooster-like King Arthur, with a bed time scene complete with a strip tease by Her Majesty (more tease than strip) that hadthc audience in fits. Merlin the Court Wizard, played by Doug Cox, did his best to keep good order throughout, while the evil Mor- gana dressed all in black was a part clearly relished by Carol Price, aided by her son Mordred (Katie Johnson), who attracted fierce hissing and booing at their every appearance as they did all they could to plot against the good Sir Lancelot (Sally: Caless). Never far away, romance blossomed between Sir Lancelot and Olivia (Sarah Claydon), and in a lighter vein between Sally Simple (Jade Price) and Laricelot's nimble squire Squirt (Mike Sole). From the start we had all fallen for Smoulder a lost baby dragon (aaaah!) deftly played by Terri-Anne Price, who had been adopted by the Court but kept getting lost and searched for to cries of ‘behind you!‘. Just when all seemed lost and the wicked Morgana looked like getting her evil way. a Large Dragon- Srnoulders mother, appeared with fiercely burning eyes (Jill Butterfield) to save the day Splendid support, too, from Sam Johnson as a runny nosed Page in charge of Excaliber. the chorus, and dancers from Barham School who performed several routines. most notably as Ghouls weaving in and out of the audience. And not forgetting the musicians, the back stage boys and front of house support. Thank you all. and roll on next January. when it is strongly rumoured that Alad- din will be inaking his way to the stage. Sally C alew as Sir Lancelot, Geoff Wakefield as KmgArthur and Chris McLean as Queen Guievere Ph 0105: .Maureen Cox lv/ike Sole ax Squirt the Squire and Price as Sally Simple J ade Left: Dancerxfron1Barham School with Smoulder. Above.‘ Carol Price as the cv1'IMorgor:: Top: Sam Jo/mson ’r:g’m‘,» as the Page ‘.-.'::ii other nzembers of the cast. Right." Terri—/inne Prsce o.: Smoulder. .':.'.'5’utIeIf1eld as mother Dragon andfioug Cox an Mer.':r.. ‘You ’re Looking A Little Lovelier Each Day. .. ' Clir1'.i‘lw’cLean, Inalcmg a Great Dome to G-,‘(7,’7~ll"(.7l{87flI(5ld asking NAILBOURNE TIMES NEWS FROM YOUR LOCAL H/S TORY SOCIETY Sophisticated Societies That Settled On The Nailbourne esda‘y',,1"FebrUa'ry ,, _. . ..9m1Brid9e’ Vi!!a9erHa|.|, = Inna first for the Society, member David Gilmour, who has researched the area, will reveal the discoveries he has made about life along the Nailbourne in Anglo-Saxon times. Contrary to popular belief, the families that settled along the Lesser Stour, then a much larger waterway than we know it today, were wealthy and not afraid to display their riches through the use of beautiful and expensive possessions. Over the centuries a powerful aristocracy evolved which assumed financial and political powers which were to become the framework of the nation state to make this area the cradle of the kingdom. David will illustrate his talk with slides including jewellery and other objects d’art found along the Nailboume. PASSERS BY TO BY-PASS Bridge’s Identity Maintained Canterbury Festival last year featured a walk around Bridge organised by Canterbury Archaeological Trust. On Sunday 17 October Bridge & District History Society committee member Meriel Connor, who led the Canterbury Cathedral tour for the Society earlier in the year, led a group through the village. Meriel, who organises all the Festival walks for the Canterbury Archaeological Trust, drew heavily on the material organised by the Millennium Committee, which had resulted in their Bridge Explorations event in April this year. Not surprisingly, with Meriel’s fine reputation as historian and official Cathedral guide, the walk was a sell-out even before the priority booking period had ended, with 30 interested people ready to see how Bridge, despite the many changes to the rural way of life over the centuries, had managed to maintain its identity. Janua 2000 Man of Kent. Painting by Lady Butler 01919 RECORD ATTENDANCE AT ‘THE BIIFFS’ EVENING Full Report Page 2 B ,1 .5’ 2177117167’ .65 1/e'7zz'7z(y at ffz flaw Q9476 Saturday 8t/i ]u y 2000 ‘ Reservations now being taken . NAILBOURNE TIMES JANUARY 2000 A FORCE T0 BE RECIi0NEIl WITH 427 YEARS PROUD SERVICE OF CANTERBURY’S OWN REGIMENT ‘Steady, The Buffs!’ is a phrase which has en- tered the English lan- guage to remind us of this famous regiment, with a proud history go- ing back 427 years. The oldest in the British infantry, it originated in Tudor times when on l May i572 Queen Elizabeth inspected 3000 members of the Trained Band of London. At the time Protestants in the Low Countries (Holland and Belgium) were fighting the Span- ish, and in response to a request for assistance the Queen agreed to send a small contingent of 300 under a Captain Morgan which very rap- idly grew to a much larger force of around 4000, and stayed over there for over 70 years, until the mid-l7th century. Most were pike men, generally from a higher class, as the pike was considered a gentlemanly weapon, with the remainder musketeers. But by the 1660’s the tables were turned and England was at war with the Dutch, and the Buffs returned home in 1665 to be known as the Holland Regiment, Prince George of Denmark, husband of the fixture Queen Anne, was appointed Colonel-in- Chief of the regiment in the l680’s. and remained so for the rest of his life. During this time the green dragon regimental emblem was bestowed on them in recognition of their ancient Tudor origins. Most regiments were known not only by their nickname- such as the Holland Regiment, but also by the name of their commanding ofi'i- WHITE HORSE INN SENIOR CITIZENS LUNCH Main Course & Dessert £ 5 ‘ Mondays 12.00 noon-1.00 pm St ‘Va ijreati The O}1e You Love’ 3 11151118 5 WITH LIVE l\/I Bookings now being taken High Street, Bridge. Tel 830249 A warm welcome a.waits you from Alan and Sue Walton r INERS MENU 2 Courses & Coffee £ 0.00 Monday-Friday 6.00-7.00 pm @512 ®inner C cer; in the l680’s and 9()’s it was Charles Churchill’s Regiment (brother of John Chur- chill, Duke of Marlborough), and he would have paid for most of their uniforms and sup- plies. By the turn of the century, they were known as the 3rd Regiment of Foot, a name it retained for over 250 years. At this time the British army was putting most of its infantry regiments into red tunics with white facings- collars, cuffs and linings, but they somehow acquired buff facings, and with them the famil- iar nickname. Uniform of 3rd Regiment of F oat c1 700 showing the distinctive buflfacings In the first decade of the l8th century they were back in action once again in the Low Countries, and back and forth across Europe fighting the French, as part of the Duke of NAILBOURNE TIMES JANUARY 2000 Marlborough’s army. The Marlborough Cain- paign included a series of spectacular battles, some of them bitterly fought, receiving their first four battle honours for Blenheim (Bavaria) in 1704, Ramellies (France) in 1706, Ouden— hardt .(Low Countries) 1708 and Malplaquet (France) in 1709. Their next battle honour was for Dettin- gen (Germany) in 1742-3 again against the French, which was also the last time the British Army was led into battle by a monarch, then George ll and himself German, although the Commanders-in-Chief probably took most of the decisions. A couple of years later they were engaged against the Scots under Bonnie Prince Charlie in the later stages of Jacobite Rebellion at the battle of Cullodden in 1746, and the ticular links with Kent except through Lieuten- ant Colonel Sydney from the Kcntish family, who had been a Commander-in-Chief. How- ever by the turn of the 19th century the Buffs were authorised to recruit in the county, par- ticularly in eastern Kent, and although their full title was still the 3rd Regiment of Foot, also known as the Buffs. they became known unof- ficially as the East Kent Regiment, By now they had their regimental marches- a quick march The Buffs, which some believe was writ- ten by Handel, and a slow march The Old Buffs. From 1793-4 onwards through to Water- loo in 1815, they were involved on the Conti- nent, once more against the French, this time in the Napoleonic War when much of their time clearances of the Highlands that followed. In the l750’s The Buffs saw action in the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and North Af- rica, particularly against the French commander Montcalm, though they were not at the battle of Quebec in 1759. Up to the end of the century there were few battle honours despite being in various parts of the Old and New Worlds, were involved in the American War of Independ- ence, and were there when independence was conceded to the Americans. Other than just before John Churchill’s time in the I660-70’s there had been no par- The Marlborough Campaign: Battle of Blenheim was spent on the peninsular in Portugal and Spain, allied with the Spanish against the French and Polish armies. The capture of the city of Op01T0 was a notable battle which in- volved The Buffs in great numbers, achieved by one night commandeering some boats in the dark and blowing up a bridge so that the city could be taken by surprise. REGIMENT AL DAY A number of battle honours accrued to the regi- ment during the Napoleonic Wars. A signifi- cant date among these was l6 May 1811 which was to become their Regimental Day after the 3 battle of Albuhera when they fought in small groups back to back in difficult conditions against French hussars and Polish lancers, while trying to assist their Spanish allies and fellow British troops. The regimental and King’s Colours which embodied the spirit of the regiment and Lieutenant Latham C1870 wearing his medal their allegiance to the Crown, were then still carried into battle and used as a rallying point. While a battle might be lost, on no account should the Colours, their prize trophy, ever be lost. But at the battle of Albuhera they came very close to losing them, and it was oniy when the battlefield was being cleared that the Col- ours were found to have been protected by a heroic Lieutenant Latham who suffered severe wounding, However the very young Latham survived the ordeal, and the Prince Regent paid for treatment to his facial injuries. He later married a French girl, spent the rest of his life in France and lived to a great old age. Peter showed a photo depicting Lt Latham in old age about 1870 proudly wearing the medal that had been specially struck for him by his fellow officers to commemorate his heroic action. The medal depicted him defend- ing the Colours and bore the legend ‘I will sur- render it only with my life’. After the Napoleonic Wars the Buffs were in action in the Far East, at home for a spell, accompanied convicts in the prison ships on their way to Australia, and fought in India in 1843. Without regular engagements from Wa- terloo in 1815 to the Crimea in the l850’s the British army atrophied under the leadership of the Duke of Wellington until he retired in the late 1840’s. It simply did not modernise; com- missions continued to be purchased and the organisation was outdated and quite unpre- pared for what was to come. When the Crimean War started, the Buffs were hurried out via Malta and Athens and al- though they missed the first two battles, they were at Balaclava, the siege of Sebastopol and the attack on the Redan. Casualties were high and two of the newly created medals of the Order of the Victoria Cross was awarded, one Continued on page 6 PIG IN BID TO GO UNDERGROUND Scheme to House Pet in Carriage Runs Into Sidings John Shirley with daughter Meg andpei Charlotte When you go to an animal rescue to fund a dog, you expect that you’ll come back with a dog. But when the Shirley’s made the trip they came back with a pig which they named Charlotte, and she quickly became a family favourite. Eventually she outgrew the family home at Great Pett Farm, Bridge, and has since spent here time in a pig ’hanger’, a pig-sized version of an aircraft hanger, its curved corrugated roof supported by straw bales. Now getting on in years, John Shirley decided it needed new accommodation without the draughts that penetrate the bales. So when London Transport auctioned oft‘ some of their 40-year old Northern Line rolling stock, he put in a successful bid for a drivers carriage. Ideal, he thought for Charlotte. Problems arose when John approached Canterbury Council about his new housing scheme, which the planning department would not consider without a full planning application because the field is in a preservation zone and area of outstanding natural beauty. They say the carriage might be seen from the road, even though the field slopes down from it. ’ The Zlilémmawas featured in BBC Radio" 4’s You & Yours programme on l December. Until planning consent goes through London Transport cannot deliver and Char1otte’s new carriage home will have to stay in sidings. stay 26 Fhuy oo VISIT T0 5T/MARTIN'S CHURCH 8 ST AUGUSTINE "5 ABBEY Both pre-dating the Cathedral, St Martin’s is recorded as Having been in continuous use as a parish church since AD 562. St Augustine’s Abbey was established some years later VISIT INCLUDES: GUIDED TOUR OF ST MARTIN’S CHURCH & CHURCHYARD, AND INDIVIDUAL AUDIO GUIDES TO ST AUGUSTINE’S ABBEY MEMBERS -T0 l0llV TIIE VISIT SIMPIY RETURN Y0!/R TICl(ET CUIIIVTEREOII WIT]! PAYMENT T0 THE SECRETARY. EXTRA TiCI(ET5 A VAIMBIE TE! 331044 Nzzillzoume Time: TA wriltrn (uiilen ulII::rwl.ve credited), designed. produced and rlilrtribuled by Bill DflWA'Dfl . lieu-.s' expressed are not necessarily those oftlre Bridge & Dislricl History Society. NAILBOURNE TIMES JANUARY 2000 70 YEARS COMMUNITY SERVICE Village Hall Celebrates To mark the 70th anniversary of the opening of Barham Village Hall in October 1929, outgoing chairman of the Hall Committee Dick Bailey organised an exhibition of photographs, documents and personal memorabilia of the hall on Saturday 23 October. Included were four fat comprehensive volumes of the Barham Society, put together between 1973 and 1992, and now in the hands of Barham Parish Council. Well attended, the exhibition covered the wide range of activities connected with the hall and village. As well as the usual range of village activities, the hal1’s stage provides for theatrical performances by the Kingsboume Players, who put on an annual pantomime (see advert) and plays through the year, and also regular visits from the Charmel Theatre Company. Auctions are also held from time to time. its history goes back to a privately owned and run hall near the Duke of Cumberland which belonged to a Major Meakin who was in the habit of letting it our to the highest bidders. Eventually villagers felt they could no longer put up with the situation and decided to organise their own hall instead. — In the l920’s a sympathetic benefaeto came up with an offer of land for the new hall, together with enough money to get its consruction under way without fiirther delay. To fund their hall, as well as the usual The Village Hall at the time of its completion c1929. Photo: Barham. Village Hall Managemertt C ommittee round of fund raising activities, villagers also subscribed to the building fund, so that at a cost of £1704 the new hall was completed and completely cleared of its debts. It was opened on 22 October 1929 by Sir William Wyland MP, and to everyone’s delight the hall was able to started its life with a clean account sheet. Attached to the hall and included in the original complex is a large recreation room where facilities include a full size snooker table which is still Very much in use. In the early l990’s an extension was added to the North side to give improved facilities. Looking to ensure its future success. current planning by the hall committee is for updating and improving hall lighting, and an extension to the South side to provide a larger and better equipped kitchen, and other improved facilities. Also popular and well used is the adjoining outdoor bowls green, which dates from the l950’s, and a specially dedicated bowls pavilion which was opened in the Spring of 1994. Barham Village Hall The Kingsbourne Players present KING ARTHUR THE PANTO THURSDAY 27TH, SATURDAY 29TH, JANUARY 2000 EVENINGS AT 7.30 PM MATINEE SATURDAY AT 2.30 PM ‘A’*f***********************************‘k*** ; NOW BOOKING ; ; re: 33 I630/830 1 2o 3 * * if*******‘k*‘k*‘k*****‘A'****k‘k**1l'*‘k‘k****'A'***** FRIDAY 28TH & §1%'9s< 6 Continued firom page 3 of them to Major Maude of the 2nd Battalion, whose uniform is displayed in the Buffs Mu- seum in Canterbury. Another striking inci- dent happened in 1860 during the Chinese Wars- 21 period of ‘gunboat diplomacy’, when the end of a column leading in an attack on the Taku Forts dropped behind and were cap- tured by local bandits, rounded up and taken to the nearest village. The village chief said through an inter- preter that if they knelt down before the him they would be set free, All did, except Pri- vate Moyes of the Buffs who replied that he would sooner die than disgrace his regiment and his country, and conse- quently was beheaded. The others were freed, and when word got back to England a huge fuss was made of his heroic gallantry. witnessed by the 24 year old war correspondent Winston Churchill, and resulted in his first book. The second Boer War in South Africa NAILBOURNE TIMES JANUARY 2000 plied the regulars, were regrouped into the Ter- ritorials. Links with the Royal House of Den- mark were reinstated with the King of Denmark becoming Colonel-in-Chief a tradition which still endures, and they received the Freedom of the City of London. At the start of World War I in August 1914, the 2nd Battalion were brought back from India to a much cooler Aldershot and then sent out to the cold, icy trenches at Ypres, where infantry casualties were very heavy. Despite the British regular army being better prepared for war than at any other time, it was effectively wiped out by Christmas. Such was the need for infantrymen that by the close of the war a total of l0 battal- ions of the Buffs had been raised, seeing service as far afield as North Africa, the Near East (Turkey and Palestine). In all more than 6000 men had been EAST KENT . . REGIMENT lost from this one regi- Th C. . h d ment alone, most from e rirnea campaign a EaStKem shown that drastic reform of the British army was neces- sary and long overdue and the reforms of 1870-73 revolu- tionised the army. These in- cluded the promotion of offi- cers on merit, infantry regi- ments had to have two battal- ions, and short term engage- ments were introduced so that soldiers could sign on for 7 years in uniform, and 5 years with the reserves, instead of for 22 years. County names were adopted instead of regi- ment numbers, and the Buffs at last officially became the East Kent Regiment. County depots were introduced, and the Buffs based themselves at Canterbury, already with a significant presence of infan- try, cavalry and artillery barracks up the right side of the Sturry Road and across the huge triangle of land to the Littleboume Road. Uni- forms were standardised and for 25 years the famous buff facings disappeared until after a struggle the buff faeings were reinstated. Their next engagement was in the Zulu Wars in South Africa in 1879, and from 1887 to 1903 the 1st battalion was out in India and in 1895 the Buffs were involved in the relief of Chitral, a small British garrison in the North West frontier besieged by rebels. This involved a horrendous 200 mile, 26-day trek over un- charted 12,000 ft high mountain ranges. A campaign 2 years later at Malakand in similarly difilcult territory resulted in a VC being awarded to Corporal Smith for dragging wounded colleagues from under the eyes of the still active enemy on the battlefield. Much of the bravery of the Buffs in this campaign was Reovering the wounded fiom the battlefield during the Boer War from 1900-1902 again saw the Buffs in action, unusually against a civilian army of farmers, their children, old men, and boys all fighting for their homeland and giving very nearly as good as they got. In many ways they were su- perior to the British army, particularly in their mobility, their ability to conceal themselves, and most of all in their marksmanship, as had been found in the first Boer War of 1881. As can be seen on the Memorial to the 2nd Regi- ment in the Dane John in Canterbury, the Buffs suffered many casualties from heavy Boer artil- lery, though more were lost through illness than from combat as there had been little ad- vance in army medical care since Florence Nightinga1e’s improvements in the Crimean War 50 years before. The chaos of the Boer Wars showed that army refonn was again necessary, and in 1906 local volunteer militia battalions- which sup- Peter Ewart concluded his talk to say that in addition to the war graves and me- morials across the world, The Book of Life was created, listing the names of all those who had fallen in the ‘war to end all wars’, and from the early l920’s a page a day was turned. Nowadays it is kept in the Warriors’ Chapel in Canterbury Cathedral and the tradi- tion is continued at 11.00 am every weekday when a page is turned by a mem- ber of the Buffs Associa- tion. Photos: Peter Ewart. Peter Ewart Speaker Peter Ewart has written and lectured on Kent and East Sussex for several years, spe- cialising in genealogy and local history, and has appeared on BBC radio and television. He is very well known in the Rye area and has written several books about the town. In 1988 he co-wrote a book Monuments to Memory in aid of the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal, to mark the 70th anniversary of the Armistice. Peter has also researched the Ewart War Memorial Index which contains many thousands of names and details from War Memorials in Kent and East Sussex, and is available to researcher.s. It was mentioned in The Times for his contribution to the debate which led to the Imperial War Museum ’s National Inventory of War Memorials. NAILBOURNE TIMES JANUARY 2000 President John’ Dies it was with much sadness that we learnt of the untimely death on -18 November of John Williamson, the Society’s first President, a position he took up only last September. He had passed away quite unexpectedly and peacefully in his sleep at his home in Bridge.John lived over 40 years in Bridge becoming one of its foremost and most respected residents. His funeral service was held at St Peter’s, Bridge on Thursday 25th November, attended by a congregation of over 300.. John James Williamson was educated at Harrow School and Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he studied law, and later entered the J J Williamson’s tannery family business in Canterbury, then, as today, one of the city’s largest employers. The 7th generation Williamson, he worked his way up through the family firm, and served as Managing Director until his retirement in 1990. John had an unusually wide range of interests. He was a member of the Canterbury John Williamson Archaeological Trust all his adult life and served on the committee, twice as——ehairman: And was a trustee of its William Uny Memorial Fund. He had been president of the Rotary Club, was a long standing member of the County Paths Group, and a member of the Canterbury Decorative and Fine Arts Club., John’s ecclesiastical interests included being an inaugural patron of the Friends of St Mildred and St Mary de Castro Church- J J Williamson’s tannery lies within its parish., was an official Cathedral guide, and served for several years on his local PCC. Bridge correspondent for the Kentish Gazette for many years, John took a keen practical interest in the Society from its inception in 1995, giving several talks and guided tours of Bridge, which lent encouragement to the Millennium Project. His large collection of printed memorabilia about Bridge which he passed to the Society earlier this year, proved an invaluable aid in organising the Bridge Explorations guided tour of Bridge in April. Specially for the tour, he arranged an impromptu diversion to his garden where he set up an open air display of material relating to Oliver’s Court, a large property that until the l920’s had stood in the grounds facing the High Street. Listening to music was another of his great pleasures. Diffident and gentlemanly, John travelled widely, and befriended ’all'he ca'me’into’ contact with. Very much a family man, he is survived by his wife Ailsa, whom he married in 1958, their children Rupert, Toby and Tessa, and three grandchildren. J The Society will be making a donation to St John‘s Eye Hospital, Jerusalem, one of John’s favourite charities. Photo: Ailsa Williamson Nailbourne Flood Alleviation Scheme Under Way at Bridge At the end of October the Environment Agency swung into action to begin the long awaited work which has been planned for several years. Originally designated by the now defunct Rivers Authority, the bed of the Nailboume is being cleared of accumulated debris, the banks raised and reinforced with clay from Bridge Place to the ford, and also from the other side of the High Street alongside Willow Brook to Riverside Close. Following protracted negotiations with Bridge Parish Council the bus shelter is not affected. It had been proposed to temporarily remove the shelter, build a trash screen below it to stop debris clogging the twin conduits under the High Street, and then reinstate the shelter with an access door in the back to allow for clearing the screen. Now, however, the conduit under the A2, normally the responsibility of Kent County Council, will just be cleared through, and steps have been installed at the side of the bus shelter with access from the High Street provided for with a new railings-style gate. Plans to deepen the conduits were abandoned a year ago after unsuccessful attempts with hammer drills. Nailboume times has been told by a Bridge- born resident that the A2 road bridge was specially strengthened during World War II to enable it to carry the weight of Churchill tanks. It is believed that the concrete foundations were heavily reinforced and could be several feet deep. After a later than planned start, the clay arriving on site 5-6 weeks behind schedule, and the onset of frosty and very wet weather in December, the Environment Agency has temporarily suspended work. When conditions improve in the Spring most of the outstanding work involves putting back the top soil over the clay-reinforced banks, RETIRING VICAR Revd. Raymond Gilbert, the benefice of the combined parishes of Patrixbourne with Bridge, and Bekesboume is leaving at the end of January after ministering to the parish for over 20 years. Raymond and his wife Rosemary are planning to spend their retirement in Eythoriie where they have bought a house on the outskirts of the village. The parish is holding a farewell party at Bridge School on Saturday 29th January when a presentation is to be made,.and the vicar will be officiating for the last time at a Benefice Service at St Peter’s, Bridge the next day, Sunday 30th, to which the congregation of the combined parish is invited. Carpets Expertly Dry Cleaned and Ready in 1% Hours Unique process always Powerful, gentle cleaning without liquids or rinsing. Safe for children and pets. Anti-stain treatments unaffected. Carpets left completely dry sweet smellin - and ready for imme late use _ ives superb, lasting resul s. .F or information and quotation Tel 01227 831044 BDSC LTD, NAILFORD HOUSE, BRIDGE Fully Insured The Christmas Buffet, now well established as an annual event, proved a huge success with a re- cord booking 65 — up by a third on last year, was held on Saturday after- noon 11 December. Having braved the cold and rain to make their way to the White Horse Inn for 3 pm, the customary ‘welcome’ glass of mulled wine was much appreciated. In fine festive spirit, everyone soon settled down with their score cards to try to solve the Prize Photo Quiz- winner Jane Millyard from Bekesbourne, Prize Cryptic Quiz- winner Sheila Fenn from Bridge, and Prize General Knowledge Quiz- winner Mimi Hoare from Barham. In addition to the Lucky Ticket Prize Draw- winner Bill Terry from Bridge, this year there was an previously unannounced extra MaxiScore prize for the maximum total score for all three quizzes- winner Maurice Raraty from Bridge. Throughout the afternoon this activity was accompanied by a generous mouth watering spread from hosts NAILBOURNE TIMES JANUARY 2000 PRIZES PRIZES PRIZES! BEST ‘YET CHRISTMAS BUFFET White Horse Scores Hit With Happy Revellers Top left: Jane Millyard (standing Iefz) Photo Quiz winner and Maurice Raraty (standing right} MaxiScore prize winner. Top right: Sheila Fem: flefi}, Cryptic Quiz prize winner, wizlr Alary Hodg- son. Above lefl: Norman Fowler (left) with the Ludlow family. Above right: Bill Terry (right) Lucky Ticket prize winner with wfie Hazel. Below: Joan Stingemore (left) iending a helping hand to ensure the afternoon ’s success.Bottom: David Gilmour (left) among friends‘. Society members Alan and Sue Walton, which included lndian,. Thai and Chinese style starters, hot leek soup and roast pork or beef rolls served with saute potatoes. Organiser and quizzes deviser John Bishop commenting afterwards, said that he was delighted with the way the event had gone in its new venue, the first time in The White Horse. On hindsight he agreed there had been a lack of circulating space for the large photo quiz mounts displayed around the walls. A couple of suggestions were put to him at the end of the afternoon that next year either the photos might be displayed in the Village Hall, where the lighting levels are good and plenty of room to circulate, before going on to the main venue, or displayed on screens put up in the Forge Bar at The White Horse. Suggestions to Nailbourne Times, please Photos: John Bishop