Author Topic: Key Street Village  (Read 1364 times)

Offline MartinR

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Re: Key Street Village
« Reply #5 on: October 17, 2022, 06:44:38 PM »
Mentioning Keycol hill, it's not just the buses that struggled up there, it wasn't a lot of fun on a push-bike either.  On another occasion I was coming down the hill in my Metro having just had it serviced in Gillingham, halted at the roundabout and the engine died.  Another car drew alongside me, and also broke down!  Fortunately some joggers were coming past and pushed both of us into Bobbing Hill.  When they did the service they had put the carburettor valve in the wrong way around - evidently a known problem with Metros of the D reg era.

Offline grandarog

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Re: Key Street Village
« Reply #4 on: October 17, 2022, 06:32:28 PM »
John Filmer. Funny you mentioned the hills. I was coming down Keycol Hill returning home from a wedding late one Saturday Night circa 1984 Ish . Had a Datsun Bluebird Estate at the time, suddenly tremendous bang and jolt with screech of locked back wheels. Dropped the clutch and managed to coast across the lights that luckily were on green. Pulled into the little layby where the phone box was. Looking back up the hill was a lovely long oil slick glistening in the headlights. Looked under the bonnet and there was a leg out of bed. A con rod had punched a great lump out the starboard side of the block and ripped the side out of the sump as well. I phoned the AA and told them it was terminal, and I would need a tow vehicle. Ten minutes later AA man turned up, He got out of his van and walked over with his multimeter. "Let's have a look" he said. "You won't need that" I said. He replied, "dispatcher said you had terminal trouble". "Not electrical sort" I said "it's all over going nowhere sort." 20 minutes later we were home and car pushed into garage. Scanned the Exchange and Mart next morning. Think I paid about £120.00 for a complete engine. When it arrived, it was American spec absolutely covered in emission control pipe, sensors and shrouds with a compressor and a different carb and a 3belt pulley. It took me longer to strip all the gubbins off and fit the stuff off my old engine than it did to fit it. it must have been slightly lower compression as it was so quiet with no loss of power. Anyway, it was all done and dusted on the Sunday week later. Never missed a beat from then until it finished its life banger Racing at Iwade ,Car was about 4 foot shorter when it was scrapped, and the owner sold the engine on. Happy Days. :)

Offline johnfilmer

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Re: Key Street Village
« Reply #3 on: October 17, 2022, 04:25:55 PM »
Went across Key Street on the A2 to and from school 1958-1969. The old M&D rear entry buses used to struggle up Keycol Hill, even more so up Boyces Hill (the Newington side).


Would also catch the 26 to Key Street in the early 1960s then wait around for the single decker 3 that went to Maidstone to go and play trains in Mote Park. Wandered about quite a bit, that bus stop was almost on the junction.


My Austin Seven Special, plywood MG lookalike body, threw a conrod as I pulled away up Keycol in 1968. Steep learning curve for a 17yr old to rebuild the engine with only a book from Rainham Library for help.


Then in 1972-3 commuted from Queenborough to Snodland, (neither likely to win too many prizes in those days) and the wait at the lights, especially on the way home was always 2 or 3 changes. Annoying enough, but I was driving a Mk1 Lotus Cortina ex works rally car that really did not like ticking over and would start to foul its plugs if you didn’t blip the throttle in a very boy racer fashion every time it started to splutter.


The Key Inn had a gents toilet outside in the far corner of the car park. All a bit hit and miss on a cold winters night.
Illegitimus nil carborundum

Offline grandarog

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Re: Key Street Village
« Reply #2 on: October 16, 2022, 10:08:18 PM »
The original "Key" sign which swung in front of the pub is on the gate of one of the Cottages opposite where it stood.


Offline stuartwaters

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"I did not say the French would not come, I said they will not come by sea" - Admiral Sir John Jervis, 1st Earl St Vincent.