This solid Victorian drinking establishment owned by the Watney Brewery and the barbers shop next door was pulled down in the late 1930s to be replaced by a ‘Faux Tudor’ style pub owned by Watney Combe Reid. This ‘new’ pub was itself closed and demolished in the late 1990s and was replaced by a row ...
Reference: 0024
‘Q’ class 0-4-4 tank-engine number 136 is about to leave Westerham pulling a ‘birdcage’ set of coaches. This peculiar term was used to describe coaches with the little top-light window that the guard would use with a periscope viewer to look at the state of signals ahead – not so easy for the engine crew ...
Reference: WH0131
An earlier business than ‘Charltons’, E. J. Hollingworth had taken over a fruiterer, florist and seedmen’s business started by E. F. Crabb in the 1890s in what is today (2019) the Post Office. Hollingworth grew fruit, flowers and vegetables on his own nursery beside the market field (now Quebec Avenue) and is immortalised in the ...
Reference: WH0465
a keen camera group from the Senior Youth Club in 1952 – gaberdine raincoats a ‘must’ for the boys standing L-R Harold Cuckow, not known, Brenda Austin, Doris Jarrett and Mick Griffiths front Donald Gibbs and Len Jupp
Reference: 0062
members of the ‘Senior’ Youth Club in 1952 L-R back Roger Mills, Bob Draper, Derek Crouch, John Pickett, Jim Morgan, Donald Gibbs, Arthur Abbot L-R front Jane Gill, Mary Benson, Betty Carey, Audrey Taylor, Derek Taylor, Kathleen Barnes, Doris Jarrett Peter Myhill “…much against my better judgement I was made secretary of the Youth Club in the last ...
Reference: 0061
The senior youth club was opened on September 22nd 1951 in an old hut behind the fire station in Croydon Road. Gwen Smith (née Fuller) remembers joining the Westerham Youth Association “…I belonged to the Senior Youth Group which was held in what is now the Fire Station yard – there was a hut which had ...
Reference: 0060
This picture shows trench digging for laying water or sewage pipes in the late 1930s. When the sewer was built from Westerham to the outlet at Dartford in the early 1880s, twenty-three miles of trench had to be dug by manpower alone. No tunnel boring equipment was available at that time, so the sewers were ...
Reference: WH0948
In February 1882 the Darenth Valley Sewerage was finally connected to the West Kent system at the Dartford outfall… But all was not good with the new main sewer through Brasted and Sundridge… The Board minutes for 10 March 1884 record: SUNDRIDGE VENTILATION – Mr Hennell being attended at the meeting stated that as recommended by the ...
Reference: WH0969
L-R Mrs Richardson, Mrs Pattenden, Edie Wood, ?, ?, Vivian Talbot [Knockholt], Les Gorrick [Manager], Mrs Laurence [Brasted], Gertie Dix, Mrs Jones [Cobblers wife, Brasted] Charlie Sharp’s garage (where Squerrys Mead is today) was the other major site of ‘war work’ in Westerham apart from the Sterling Works at the bottom of Hosey Hill. With RAF ...
Reference: WH0728
Between the wars there were two shops either end of Quebec Cottages at the bottom of Vicarage Hill. The one nearest the camera was ‘Quebec Stores’ a little gloomy general store and tobacconist. The other was William Dove’s pork butcher’s shop where the meat would hang outside, backed by the whitewashed wall.
Reference: WH1066
Having taken over and closed Watkins’ Swan Brewery in Westerham, Ben Bushell had further ambitions seeing competition still present from the largest brewery based in Sevenoaks, Alfred Smith and Company. The first approach in 1898 was rejected by the then ageing Alfred Smith, but he was persuaded to sell by his son Percy, who no ...
Reference: WH0130
This photograph shows Currant Hill Cottage in the foreground with Richard Durtnell’s ‘Jubilee Terrace’ beyond. At that time there was no development on the south side of the road where the river ran. With that in mind, it always seems a little odd that the road was not called ‘Northbank’. As one of the promoters of ...
Reference: WH1067