A short history by Christopher Bell The first record we have of regular Masses in Westerham appears in the 1920 Notices Book of the Church of St. Thomas of Canterbury, Sevenoaks, whose priests had been allocated responsibility for Westerham. Mass was said in a variety of local venues over the years, including the former Crown Hotel ...
Reference: 0003
Nothing is known about this chapel, other than it is believed to have stood on the corner of Hosey Hill and today’s A25 heading east, the site where ‘West Lodge’ was built in 1862. The photograph is therefore amongst Westerham’s oldest, probably dating from the mid-to-late 1850s. It would likely be attributable to Joseph Henry ...
Reference: WH0617
In 1939 this centenary souvenir booklet was produced and sold by the Congregational Church to celebrate 100 years as a place of worship. The history of the chapel on this site is recorded in the pages that follow.
Reference: WH0618
This advert from the Westerham Herald of 1926 dates from almost the last days of the Gospel Chapel beside the laundry in the High Street, which first opened its doors around 1880. Non-conformist religion was an accepted form of worship at that time, usually adopted by ‘The Brethren’. Note the use of the letters ‘D.V.’ ...
Reference: WH0624
Aerial photographs of the area were popular amongst visitors, mostly dating from the late 1920s and early 1930s. A distinctive landmark is useful as this photo of St Mary’s Church and churchyard shows, but compressed perspective from the lens used often makes it difficult to identify other structures in the picture.
Reference: WH0625
A view of St Mary the Virgin church from what was Costells Meadow, taken from beside the Women’s Institute hall.
Reference: WH0626
The Gospel Hall was the pitch-roofed building next to the lamp post on the left of the High Street, beyond the horse and cart. It is not known why it ceased to be used as a place of non-conformist worship, but by about 1928 it was gone. This may have coincided with an expansion of ...
Reference: WH0639
