Looking back...

Looking back at the road, as it was in the late 18th century, we reproduce above
a. page from a book on Canterbury and district, published in 1796. It may take a
moment to accustom to the long's' letter, but you can always recognise it as the
stroke through the letter is only to the left-hand side. Comments on the river
(aw)  
The road between Dover and Canterbury is pretty much
varied. Some miles we travel by the river and villages
jult now mentioned, then by ways lefs pleafant, till we
come to Barham Down; at the lower licle of which on our
left hand, are feveral handfome villages and elegant feats.
There are others, to the right, but we fee only the painted
gates and pallifades leading to them, except one which is
lately built and called Higham. The old Watling-fireet
we fee and difiinguilh by its being in a direct line for al-
molt the length of the Down ; but it has fome fhort hills,
which carriages ufually avoid by keeping on the upper fide
of the Down, which is more level, and on which we fee
the ground polled off for horferacing, with a handfome
building near the {tarting polt icompleated in 1774 for the
reception of company, with oflices underneath for their re-
frelhment.
After leaving the Down we find at the foot of a hill the
village of Bridge, where we crofs a river, (over which
a bridge has been built by fubfcription) by foine called the
Little Stour. It rifes from a (pring at Bilhoplbiourn (the
next parilh) and is fometimes almoll: dry; at other times
(uncertain ones) a flood comes down from fpring-st about
Elham with great rapidity; till interrupted by what the
neighbours call fwallows, where it links into the earth till
that is faturated, and then rulhes on again to the next in-
terruption of the fame kind; fo that a firanger might be
amazed at walking near this river fide and down llream till
he has loll it, and finds the channel dry. This flood (and
Tome others we have like it) our people call the Nailbourn;
its channel is lo-mctimes dry for years together, and ibmg-
times, but rarely it has come down twice in one year.
will sound familiar !
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