Guess the Place

[johnfilmer]

A modern functioning hospital.

Isn’t that an oxymoron?

[John Walker]

A modern functioning hospital.

[MartinR]

Is that a modern, still functioning, hospital or is it a historic hospital?

[John Walker]

Entrance to St Mary’s, Eastwell?

Not there.  Near a hospital.

[johnfilmer]

Entrance to St Mary’s, Eastwell?

[John Walker]

That was an interesting and informative GTP 

Next one - Easily seen on GSV

Where and what was it the entrance to?

[johnfilmer]

I worked at Lloyds Mill in Sittingbourne during the summer of 69 (there’s a song about that  ), by which time all had been sorted out at the creek a while before. My bus to school took me into the middle of Sittingbourne
High Street from 1962-9 and the smell had gone by then. I think that my early glimpse of the Creek was of white foam covering an unnatural blue liquid.

When I was there the mill was producing high quality cartridge paper, coated calendered papers for glossy magazines, and hardboard on a separate machine floor.

Edit… there is a Middletune Avenue in Milton, wondered where the name came from.

[John Walker]

I wonder what caused the odour at the mill in Milton? 

I worked at Chartham Paper Mill and I don't recall any odour coming from there.  The mill produced tracing and greaseproof papers and was partly built over the River Stour.

[johnfilmer]

The “effluent from the paper mill” gave Milton Creek a particularly strong obnoxious odour, especially in hot weather.

I travelled to school by bus and the stink could be horrendous even at the bus stop on the A2 at Chalkwell Road in 1958 and the good summer of 1959.

[MartinR]

Milton (aka Middletune [Mid-le-tun-e] or the middle town) was historically far more important than Sittingbourne.  The Isles  of Sheppey and Elmley fell within its manor (though Harty belonged to Faversham).  Milton boasted a Portreve which meant that international trade could be carried out.  The "Regis" of course means "King's", in other words the manor of Milton was a royal manor, the steward reporting directly to the King, not to a local Lord.  In Elizabethan times Sittingbourne was knwon chiefly for its inns along the Watling Street.  Gentlemen travelling along the Watling Street would lodge their servants in Sittingbourne, but themselves adjourne to Milton where the lodgings were of better quality.

The came the railway.  Milton is on a hilltop, surrounded historically by marshes, not ideal for railway building.  There was also local opposition to the building of the line.  the line therefore followed the route of Watling Street, and hence the station and goods yard were at Sittingbourne.  Industry grew up around the railway, and housing around the industry.  Milton went into gentile decline, aided by the siltting up of the creek by effluent from the paper mills.

[johnfilmer]

Older records will use Milton rather than Sittingbourne for location.

I’m not sure if the subtle encroachment was just natural expansion or driven by the Post Office, such as Teynham now used for Green Street, which is the A2 area. Of course  New Brompton became engulfed by Gillingham, which also has crept out to Rainham and the other villages at the insistence of the postal service.

[John Walker]

Thanks MartinR.  I trust you are feeling better now.
That is certainly an interesting church.  I've just looked it up on GSV and the tower looks enormous on there.
I always find Milton difficult to identify as it seems to have been suffocated by an ever-expanding Sittingbourne.

Next one up later.

[MartinR]

Right, a bit more information about Milton church.

The cross above the legend "Grave Yard" indicates an antiquity.  In this case Roman remains have been found in the graveyard.  The church itself incorporates Roman work.  It is reputed to have been a pagan religious site before the Christians took over, but I've not found any hard evidence to support that.  However a large stone near the entrance to the church is reputed to be a pagan altar stone.

The church is the third oldest in Kent, dating from a few years after the coming of St. Augustine in 597.  Local claims are that is was actually founded by Augustine.  The original part of the church is now the nave.  the church was extended in the 11th and 14th centuries.  Locals will inform you that when the church was being extended it was decided to move it into the centre of the village which had itself moved to higher ground.  The tale continues that each time a stone was moved from the church to the village, it magically went back over night.  Augustine had had decided where the church would be, and he would make sure it stayed there!

The tower is the largest in Kent, and the third largest in England in girth.  The ringing chamber is 25' square, and the walls are 4' thick.  At 78' high is is not exceptional, but the Ordnance Survey established a trig point at the top of the tower.  There are 8 bells (tenor 9-2-24 in G).  Bells 4-7 were cast in 1681, the tenor in 1890.  The number 3 bell was a gift by J Dixon Esq in 1934 in memory of four local ringers killed in WWI.  Bells 1 and 2 were cast in 2019.

[MartinR]

You've got it John.  More details about the church will follow when I feel a little better.

[John Walker]

Found it.  Trinity Church, Milton.