1923 was the first year Timothy Osbourne Weller had advertised electric light installations which was a bit late, but there might have been sound thinking there as this was the year that the voltage was changed from 115 volts to 220 volts resulting in lighter gauges of cable being required. It is interesting that the first ...
Reference: WH0971
In the early 1900s Frederick John Meadows was the publican at the George & Dragon. Unmarried, he ran the hotel with his mother, his sister, three servants and Florence Lockwood, his hotel manageress. By the early 1920s Meadows had started a business as Jobmaster and Carman, employing returning men from the Royal Army Service Corps Mechanical ...
Reference: WH0964
For many years a tenant farmer on Squerryes land, Jack Steven ran the largest dairy farm in the district. Curiously, the Steven men and the Greenlees, both longstanding farming families in the area were related and both had their roots on Scottish soil. In 1951 Force Green Farm was the province of Jack Steven, Squerryes Home ...
Reference: WH0953
Interesting to note that alongside being the contractor for the Sewers in 1879, John Bingham was also contractor for the town’s Water Well in 1880 and for the expansion and rebuilding of the Gas Works in 1882. The Herald from June 3rd 1882: The Gas Company are making some extensive alterations to their works, to enable ...
Reference: WH0933
Four generations of chimney sweeps worked out of the same house in Post Office yard – all of them called John! Geoff Hoath “…I remember the sweep was Mr Newman. He‘d do it all by hand, always in the morning, but you could set your clock by him. If he said he would be there at ...
Reference: WH0950
In 1856 sixty year-old Chimney Sweep John Newman lived in this house with his wife Mary. Working from horse and cart, there was a stable and cart-shed in the back yard. On the 1871 Census, now 76, John was still working as a sweep, but was then employing his 20 year-old grandson John in the ...
Reference: WH0951
A typical example of electricity generators around in the 1920s they were diesel powered and the plant would have a noisy place to work. From the outset there was a degree of disco-ordination between the electricity supply companies, some delivering power at 115 volts while others were delivering 220 volts. This was a nightmare for ...
Reference: WH0936
The Sevenoaks and District Electricity Company were one of many independent supply companies operating in Kent around that time. The Sevenoaks Company covered quite a large area including Otford, Sundridge, Brasted, Westerham, Limpsfield, Tatsfield, Bessel’s Green, Chipstead, Bradbourne, and other outlying villages to the north and east of Sevenoaks town, together with Oxted, Titsey, and ...
Reference: WH0939
In 1923 Margaret Busk paid for electric lighting to be installed in St. Mary’s Church in memory of her brother John Laird Busk who had died the previous year. This would have involved a considerable sum of money at that time.
Reference: WH0935
The coming of electric power Despite entertaining lectures and demonstrations delivered at the Public Hall in 1879 by Dr William Spottiswoode Esq (President of the Royal Society) on the subjects of “Electricity” and “Electric Light” – illustrated by numerous experiments – there was no development of domestic power in the Sevenoaks area until 1914. In that year ...
Reference: WH0940
Advancing Technology The advent of the new century brought a steady march in advances in technology. The generation of electricity was by then understood and the Sevenoaks Electricity Supply Company had successfully built its shareholding and opened their ‘Electricity Works’ at Sundridge in 1915. Men were employed and trained as cable jointers and the first main ...
Reference: WH0949
Though no longer supplying electricity from this generating hall, the distinctive building still exists, being used as a store, and now held under a grade II listing option. The site is still involved with electricity, being the U.K. Power Networks training centre at Dunbrik, Sundridge
Reference: WH0947
This map from the late 1920s shows the Generating Hall marked ‘G H‘ with its associated water cooling tanks standing adjacent to the ‘West Kent Steam Laundry’ opposite what was at that time ‘The Lamb Inn’ just past Sundridge crossroads.
Reference: WH0945
Seen in this photograph taken circa 1920, two essential services, the purpose-built Westerham Post Office and the Fire Engine House, bearing a notice saying “Keys are kept with A. Maude Esq, Winterton House, C.Hooker ‘Glenholm’ Westbury Terrace, J. Hoath Supt. 3, South Bank”. Apart from Dr. Maude, who had his medical practice at home, all ...
Reference: WH0955
Geoff Hoath “…when I was very small they used to have a horse-drawn tender that was kept in the old fire station in Post Office yard, and the horses were kept down at the market field. My grandfather was superintendent of the brigade and grandmother had one of the fire-bells. If anyone came saying there ...
Reference: WH0942
Geoff Hoath “…I remember when they got the new ‘Merryweather’ fire engine. That would have been around 1929 and my dad said there was quite a lot going on, meetings and suchlike, I think in the end they held a referendum to see whether they should spend out and buy this machine, but it was passed ...
Reference: 0095
Fire Brigade with the new Merryweather Fire Engine on Farley Common in 1929 The firemen are: On the tender L-R Bill Allen, Alf Allen, Alf Nicholas, Fred Dunn, Fred Nicholas On the ground L-R Bill Henley, Arthur Galloway, Fred Paige, Major Hicks, George Avis, Bert Wood, Charlie Sharp. The driver is George Burgess. Local garage owner Charlie Sharp ...
Reference: WH0956
A proud day for the Brigade On March 13 1929, members of the Parish Council journeyed to Messrs. Merryweathers’ works at Greenwich, to inspect the new motor fire engine, which was bought to Westerham that same evening. The new motor fire engine was named ‘Invicta’ in a ceremony held on the Green on March 18. The ...
Reference: WH0927
