Author Topic: Alec's history challenge  (Read 6212 times)

Offline CAT

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Re: Alec's history challenge
« Reply #38 on: February 02, 2021, 08:15:08 AM »
Certainly not way ahead, just once it's former name of 'The Paddock' was established slightly more info came about.

Offline John Walker

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Re: Alec's history challenge
« Reply #37 on: January 21, 2021, 11:26:24 PM »
Thank you for all that further information.  Your research skills are obviously way ahead of mine.  :)


Really adds interest to a lost building that was once within a few hundred metres of where I now live.


John

Offline CAT

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Re: Alec's history challenge
« Reply #36 on: January 18, 2021, 09:18:47 AM »
John Walker


Having looked into the site of Ersham House in the past, it appears it was formerly called 'The Paddock' when it was first built c.1825. It was the home of Mr Richard Halcroft, Esq. (1754 - 1823) a wealthy financier with the local bank Baker & Co. and was a former mayor of Canterbury (c. 1785) and possibly High Sheriff of Kent. There was until its demolition in the 1950s, a portrait of him hanging in the former Canterbury Guildhall on the junction of Guildhall Street and High Street, Canterbury. Document associated with the formal laying out and construction of 'The Paddock' are with the Cathedral Archives (CCC-DCc/AddMS/105, where its description is: Relating to 'The Paddock' (house, yard and stables) off Upper Chantry Lane, Canterbury. The house became known as Ersham House, It served as riding stables some years ago. Before that it was occupied by Mr Cattell, veterinary surgeon (c.1923). An alley beside it led to the backs of houses in St George's Place) as well as CCA-CC-P/1/K/44 and CCA-U538/6/1).


In the book 'An Epitome of County History, Kent' (Vol. 1: 1838) the house is described as being 'In the suburbs of Canterbury, on the right hand side of the road to Dover, is The Paddock, the seat of Richard Halford, Esq. It is a handsome house, surrounded by pleasant grounds, and screened from the road by a wall and plantations'.


I hope this helps? 

Offline Invicta Alec

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Re: Alec's history challenge
« Reply #35 on: January 16, 2021, 06:47:10 PM »
My thanks to John Walker for his excellent posts about Ersham House and the Tchitcherines.

I had a little wander around Google for half an hour but couldn't find anything substantial to add. I must say that I find social history and its tiny details the most absorbing of all.

Thanks again John!

Alec.

Offline John Walker

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Re: Alec's history challenge - Ersham House Canterbury
« Reply #34 on: January 16, 2021, 05:55:12 PM »
A couple more items regarding Ersham House


TCHITCHERINE in the Canterbury area ie. Alexandra of independant means from Russia of  21 Ethelbert Road, Canterbury granted British nationality 6 Aug 1929 (born c1891 d1961?)
 
 Helen of "Wilstead", Ethelbert Rd, Canterbury (born c1858) died 26 Jan 1931.  Probate granted to Boris TCHITCHERINE esq. and John Steggall SAWYER chartered accountant £8283.  Funeral notice in "The Times" notes widow of Andrew and sister of the late John HOWARD - funeral to take place at Lyminge.

Offline John Walker

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Re: Alec's history challenge - Ersham House Canterbury
« Reply #33 on: January 16, 2021, 05:52:08 PM »
I thought it's about time I added to this fascinating thread.


I live within or next to the grounds of the lost Ersham House in Canterbury.


It was a large house in landscaped gardens and was purchased at one time by a Russian family, the Tchitcherines.  From what I understand, the family had fled from Russia at some point and settled in Canterbury.  In 1914 Ersham House was requisitioned and the family moved to Ethelbert Road in Canterbury.  Ersham House became the HQ of the 337 Field Ambulance Division.  After the war, the family went to return to Ersham House but found it in a very bad state and decided to remain in Ethelbert Road.  Ersham House gradually fell into serious repair and was eventually demolished.  Telephone House was later built on the land.
I would like to learn more details but information seems to be rather sketchy.  Feel free to correct or add to my post.

Here are some items I have been able to find so far.


Photo credits to Paul Crampton

Offline shoot999

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Re: Alec's history challenge
« Reply #32 on: January 14, 2021, 05:37:20 PM »
Hi Shoot 999,yes I forgot the Maidstone road guard house,did you ever venture into the moat,the place with the coverd rifle range?we eventually found our way to Shorts underground factory down the ventilation /escape shafts in the moat,allso in the grounds of the guard house was a block of cells ,I recall on the defunct fourum we had a chap who actually lived in the building affixed to the cells.thanks for reminding me,


I have only have some recollections about the guardhouse. I know it was so easy to get into. Fearsome unscalable iron railings, interspersed with easy to climb concrete pillars!  :)  I do remember the block of cells and the walk up the trench to Fort Clarence. Then over the road to the gardens and a climb down the bridge for entry into a set of tunnels. I went back a few years ago only  to find the bridge gone and large parts of the area fenced off.

Offline stuartwaters

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Re: Alec's history challenge
« Reply #31 on: January 13, 2021, 05:55:49 PM »
Stuartwaters I note in your very interesting blog ,mention of the RE Baracks ,plus your comment. "For how long"?Stuart is there any reason for that,not returned to my beloved Medway Towns for many years now(since the yard closed) my interest is as an ex Sapper I spent many happy hours/years in and around the Baracks,Lodge hill camp, upnor hard ,l know both Lodge hill/upnor hard have now gone
Are the Gillingham Baracks on the way out as well?


I'm sorry for the delay in responding to your point Colin, both work and home have been somewhat busy recently.


My comment about the Royal School of Military Engineering at Brompton was an echo of a point I made on the old Forum some time ago. At the time I made that comment (on the old Forum), our Armed Forces had endured round after round of cuts, with military base closures all over the country and all of the Armed Forces constantly shrinking. It is true that much of the RSME has been moved to Minley and I remember some years ago that there was a proposal to close Brompton and move it's remaining facilities to Minley. The proposal was dropped after a campaign by all the local MPs and senior figures in the Army at the time, but much of the work done by the Army there, such as teaching, has been civilianised. I saw last year that some of the married quarters houses at Brompton were made available for rent to the public.


Unfortunately, the Ministry of Defence and the Treasury (more the latter than the former) have a habit of getting what they want over time and I am old enough to remember the very slow death suffered by the Dockyard at Chatham before the axe finally fell in the Knott Review of 1981. For a good few years, the Dockyard was a dumping ground for obsolete ships, or ships which were not cost effective to keep running and diesel submarine and surface ship refit work was sparse to say the least. The only thing keeping the Dockyard open throughout the 1970s was the Nuclear Complex. Once they started to build a new complex at Devonport, the writing was on the wall.


I know that Boris has recently announced a large(ish) uplift in Defence Spending recently, but that notwithstanding, the MOD still has a £17BN black hole in it's finances to fill, so although there will be more ships for the Royal Navy and new armoured vehicles for the Army, new planes for the RAF etc, savings still have to be made, and I would not be in the least bit surprised if the axe falls on Brompton at some point in the next decade. It's already fallen on Invicta Park in Maidstone and Howe Barracks in Canterbury has already been demolished.


The sad fact is that tanks, jet fighters and warships don't win votes come General Election time, schools and hospitals do. I just hope that the complacency of many Governments of all political flavours over past years doesn't jump up and bite us on the backside.
"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.

Offline MartinR

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Re: Alec's history challenge
« Reply #30 on: January 13, 2021, 09:43:49 AM »
These are the boats I was referring to:https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Assault_boats_and_Upnor_Castle.jpg
They're driven at all around the Medway ignoring colregs and speed limits!  To be fair, they are powerful enough to get out of "situations" and very skillfully handled, so like police cars on the road they can get away with it.  They do appear to be RE: Mk 6 Assault Boats to my untrained eye.

Longpockets

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Re: Alec's history challenge
« Reply #29 on: January 13, 2021, 09:38:00 AM »
Martin it may well be a multi service training area


I saw training on the Medway in 2019, they were using the concrete wharf wall opposite the dockyard in the general are of the aggregate plant. Approaching at high speed and putting the boats bow first against the wall. Not sure what service they were as they were dressed in black. Police?

pete.mason

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Re: Alec's history challenge
« Reply #28 on: January 13, 2021, 08:41:15 AM »
Hi Colin thanks for that, certainly all plywood as the one we mucked about on was partially burnt. Never been able to identify the type but if it was a dummy might have been reduced scale.


Martin not sure about who used the hard but Gundulphs pool was used by the RE for training and the RN for training mine clearance divers from DEODs at Lodge Hill. Assorted munitions dumped in there and the water stirred up with a couple of pumps so they were working blind


Offline Colin walsh

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Re: Alec's history challenge
« Reply #27 on: January 12, 2021, 11:07:33 PM »
Pete,ref the landing craft in your blog,I to played in and on them,interesting point is Thay were not real ,Thay were dummies created to fool the Germans of a phantom army based in the south east prior to D day,mainly ply wood and canvas  moored in the Medway ,around Borstal reach,somewhere on you tube is a video of them taken from the air.

Offline Colin walsh

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Re: Alec's history challenge
« Reply #26 on: January 12, 2021, 10:55:02 PM »
Martin it may well be a multi service training area .its many moons since I was in The Medway towns,but it's nice to know some of the old areas remain,had a few "sods operas"on the hard at upnor one things not changed then ,Thay still drive the boats hard,in my day of course the "marina" was all part of the dockyard ,any way mate thanks for the information

Offline MartinR

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Re: Alec's history challenge
« Reply #25 on: January 12, 2021, 08:40:06 PM »
Colin, I'm sure you are right, I was thinking RE, but then the boats they use looked more RM which was why I left it as "(RE? RM?)".  Google satellite gives a good view:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.4030921,0.5256379,114m/data=!3m1!1e3!5m1!1e1
I've been locking into Chatham when they decided to come in mob-handed to refuel.  Into the lock at around 10 kt (or more), then stopped on a sixpence.  Nice bit of kit, but I wouldn't want the fuel bill!

Offline Colin walsh

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Re: Alec's history challenge
« Reply #24 on: January 12, 2021, 08:07:32 PM »
Hi Shoot 999,yes I forgot the Maidstone road guard house,did you ever venture into the moat,the place with the coverd rifle range?we eventually found our way to Shorts underground factory down the ventilation /escape shafts in the moat,allso in the grounds of the guard house was a block of cells ,I recall on the defunct fourum we had a chap who actually lived in the building affixed to the cells.thanks for reminding me,