These mantles would have been an off-the-shelf item at Evenden’s ironmongery beside the King’s Arms in the early 1900s. Formed on a ceramic base, what became the mantle was a fine fabric bag, made from rayon or silk. The fibre was impregnated with metallic salts and when the mantle is heated in a flame, the fibre burns ...
Reference: WH0970
George Wells had fond memories of the blacksmith’s forges of Verrall by Mill Lane and the Nicholas’ Brothers in their yard in the High Street, opposite New Street. “…when I was a lad we used to go into Mr Nicholas’ yard and have a look at what they were doing – he didn’t mind, he ...
Reference: WH0961
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
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
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
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
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