Hollingworth’s fruit and vegetable shop was the one with the rather tatty blind next door to Edwin Catt’s drapery store. Mr Hollingworth had his nursery down beside the market field in what became the eastern end of the Quebec Avenue development. His nursery was known by the youngsters of the day as ‘Hollybob’s Ranch’ but ...
Reference: WH0463
The Gardens of Hosey date back to 1815 when ‘commons waste’ was mapped-out and ‘allotted’ to the families of the poor of the district, the menfolk of whom had fought for Britain in the Napoleonic wars – penniless men came home to starving families. Enclosure of commons waste was being established in rural areas throughout the country at ...
Reference: WH0445
This 1934 O.S. map shows the northern half of the ‘Kennedy Garden’ allotments, being plots 27 at the south end and 41 at the north, behind the school. Between the two divided sections of the Gardens can be seen the haul road for movement of ragstone excavated from the Hosey mines in the nineteenth century.
Reference: WH0429
Allotments under threat. Following the second World War local planning was well under way for the development of much needed social housing to expand on that first built on Nursery Site in 1927 and at the Paddock. Some allotment sites were put under threat by these development plans and to that end Westerham Allotment Holders ...
Reference: 0048
It was to Tonbridge Technical Institute that Kent Education Committee steered Hosey School headmaster ‘Dick’ Forsey when teaching staff in the School requested to start a programme of evening classes in the mid 1920s to provide further education for the senior boys. These proved very popular and were soon opened to the younger boys as ...
Reference: 0046
The Horticultural Society took themselves very seriously in 1909, and stated that “…the judges will not award prizes to such productions as may not be deemed worthy”. Prizes were always cash and at that time of Five Shillings and upwards.
Reference: WH0442
Diversity was still the name of the game in the early years of the twentieth century – if you were a fruiterer, greengrocer and nurseryman you would likely have a horse and cart, so there’s extra money to be made – you could also be a carter!
Reference: WH0436
It is interesting to note that even in 1890, local nurseryman Arthur Jeffkins was claiming Darenth Nursery to be the oldest in the district, being over 100 years old then!
Reference: WH0420
Edwin John Hollingworth rented his nursery site beside the Market Field from the Knipe estate, owners of The Grange. He was a fruiterer and florist selling from his shop sited where the Post Office is today (2018) and would be the man to go and talk to for gardening advice between the Wars. Clearly a ...
Reference: WH0434
Begun in 1872, Westerham Horticultural Society was popular amongst the community who would look forward to the annual summer exhibition each year. It was for many years hosted by the Warde family in Surrey Park at the bottom of Goodley Stock, west of Squerryes Court, where big marquees would be erected to house the displays. ...
Reference: WH0441
This curious ‘advertisement’ appeared in the Westerham Herald in the early 1900s, clearly attempting to smooth some troubled waters. It starts by promoting that he, Charles F. Cattell, is the son of the late great nurseryman John Cattell, but then proclaims that the nursery site is remote enough to grow speciality stock and keep them ...
Reference: WH0432
Being the proprietor of ‘Darenth Nursery’ adjacent to Quebec House, Charles Aubrey Botley and his wife Marjorie Hope, sold vegetables they grew on the nursery site behind their shop. The little shop at the bottom of Vicarage Hill can still be recognised today, though it has for many years been a private residence. Botley’s shop stirred fond ...
Reference: 0045
Like Edwin Hollingworth, Charles Aubrey Botley had his own nursery to supply his greengrocer’s business at the bottom of Vicarage Hill, in the quirky lattice-fronted building which is today called simply ‘Darenth’ after Botley’s Darenth Nurseries shown here.
Reference: 0053
Adits is the term used to describe horizontal passages leading into a mine for the purposes of access or drainage. Hosey caves below Kennedy Gardens had no drop-shafts, being quarried into the hillside of the Greensands ridge. There are about six adits in total giving access to a network of quarry tunnels branching off in ...
Reference: WH0461
Home to the Matthews family between the wars, these cottages were originally built to house nursery workers. The origin of the name ‘Newton’ has faded into obscurity, but was well known to older townsfolk at that time. This was one of the first nursery sites to be closed around the area, closely followed by Farley ...
Reference: 0050
As the economy began to grow after WWII it was common for larger businesses to treat their workers to a day at the seaside and this would, for many, be the only holiday they got! Whole families would be invited to join the occasion, Hastings, Margate and Southend being popular destinations at the time.
Reference: WH0470
J. S. Charlton of Sevenoaks opened a branch in Westerham in what is currently (2019) Nisa convenience store. Commonly referred to as ‘Corn Stores’, they would sell anything to do with gardening, smallholdings and allotments – from seed sold in ounce and half-pint measures, to bean canes, spades, forks, dibbers, string and twine – anything ...
Reference: 0052
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
The lads are standing in what had originally been ‘Newton’s Nursery’ which was on the north side of London Road stretching down to South Bank. This was the first of the towns’ nurseries to be closed around the time of the first World War.
Reference: 0044