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§NNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETINGS (com:'d.)'

These are important meetings and it is hoped that as
many people as possible will attend to elect their
Churchwardens and members of the Parochial Church
Council, and to hear reports of what has been done and is
being done for their Churches. The P.C.C.s really do
need all the support and encouragement they can get,
pzrticularly in the forthcoming year, so surely it is
not too much to ask you to turn out on one evening in
the year to show you support them. "'-

   

A DATE FOR YCUR DIARY

 

Bekesbourne Church ‘May Fayre‘ will be held this
year on Saturday, May lst.

§OME VILLAGE NOTES

II. Bridge. In 1793 Zechariah Cozens wrote: "The
__———- parish of Bridge is but small and the
soil in general is but chalky and barren producing at
several places heath and coppice wood and from the hills
surrounding the village we have a most delightful view
of the Vales which are-thickset with villages and the
neighbouring heights which are adorned with many

Gentlemen's seats and other picturesque objects."

A few years later in l8l5 Dr. Haddy James Assistant

Surgeon to the first Life Guards and one of the first

I _.idents of the British Medical Association wrote on
return from the Battle of Waterloo "It was three in the
a ’ernoon when we quit Dover and we then faced a cold
march of fiveteen miles to Canterbury and stopping at
Bridge I was much impressed by the mode of agriculture
and the excellence of their hospitality." *

The 'Gentlemen's Seats‘ must have indeed been an
impressive sight. There was Bifrons not yet occupied
by the Conynghams until l82O but lived in by the Brook
Taylors, the father of the family who had been vicar of

(6)

'5

S

Patrixbourne from 1734 to 1739 and the former residence
of the Bargrave family. Here was Bridge Place the
former home of Sir Arnold Braemes who had so astutely
manipulated the harbour rights at Dover in his favour
and built the largest country house in Kent at the end
of the seventeenth century, much of it constructed in
Dutch brick, with its aviary and deer park; further
down the valley was Howletts the home of Sir Edward
Palmer, Comptroller of the Navy; another house was
Higham, now Highland Court and Renville shortly to be
bought by the Crippen family; nearer Bishopsbourne was
Charlton Park and at Littlebourne Lee Priory recently
modelled on Walpole's ‘Strawberry Hill‘ at Twickenham:—

* Quoted from "Surgeon James Journal" edited by Joan
Vansittart. A portrait of Dr. James may be seen in
the main hall of Exeter General Hospital.

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BIBLE READING AND DISCUSSION GROUP

The meeting on March 4th at 8 pom. will be held
at the home of Mrs. Meigh, 37 Haywards Cotts. Union
Road and the meeting on March 18th at 8 p.m. will be
held at the home of Mr. & Mrs. Rose, Church Cottage,
High St., Bridge. We are continuing our study of St.
John's Gospel and anyone interested will be most
welcome.

"WOMEN'S INSTITUTE

The March meeting will be on Tuesday, 16th March
at 7 p.m. in the Village Hall, Bridge. There will be»
a talk by Mrs. Knowles on "Introducing Patchwork”.
The competition will be a 24 inch necklace made from
buttons.

WOMEN'S WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FRIDAY MARCH 5th

 

There will be a service in St. Paul's Church
Canterbury on Friday, March 5th at 3 p.m.