Guess the Place

[johnfilmer]

It is Maidstone Road, Marden.


My wife knew the occupants of Church Farm from when she and the lady of the house worked for Segas. In 1981 a good friend gave me a hand, with his Standard Atlas pick up (!) to move a pair of large, very heavy, thick gauge galvanised feed bins from their barn to our feed and tack room that we made in an old building at home. They were about 5ft long overall, 3ft tall at the front, the hinged lids sloping back and upwards, with a heavy duty hasp ready to take a padlock on both lids. Dodgy place Marden when you have to lock up your pig feed!


A couple of years later and my boss had bought the barns and redeveloped them into high end housing.


About 10years ago I did a preliminary survey at The Old Vicarage for a new owner. Very interesting with lots of original features, but a lot of 1960s “improvements” needed removing. An extensive basement had a self contained flat in part of it. The roof space was huge and where I proposed siting the boilers, unvented water cylinder and the controls including for extensive solar. I had retired before he went ahead. It was a wonderful money pit!


Back to you JW

[John Walker]

Maidstone Road, Marden ?   I enjoy your map GTPs JohnFilmer.   Like you and MartinR, I also enjoy searching these maps and using the slider.  How Kent has built up over the years.  Hardly the Garden of England now.

[MartinR]

I'll second that JF.  Playing with the slider and watching how hundred+ year old property boundaries and features translate into modern developments and crop markings is an absolute timewaster of the best sort.

[johnfilmer]

Nls maps is the site to go to JW. I can spend hours just looking and watching places evolve over time.


You are on the right lines (sorry...) it is the Ashford,Paddock Wood etc line.

[John Walker]

The only 25 inch OS maps I have found have the railways marked with Dover added on the end so not sure if mine will match the location.  Are we on the Ashford-Tonbridge line somewhere?

[johnfilmer]

The railway was marked as South Eastern and Chatham, SE&CR, or as my grand father put it - Slow, Easy & Comfortable - but I suspect he was not a frequent user!
The Vicarage and Church Farm both pre-date the railway, which cuts between them and the Church.

[MartinR]

I suspect you are right John, the windows would be for needlework.  I've seen similar upper stories which were weavers' cottages for the same reason.  The windows are north facing, so the light is more even and better for working with compared to direct glaring sunshine.

Just in case anyone is looking: ME13 9BH - TR 05690 59420 - 51°17'48"N 0°56'56"E

[johnfilmer]

The listing for the old hotel says C17 cottage with C19 shop. It also says that the interior was of an early C19 shop. With the drapery connection, could it have been built as a workroom needle work of all sorts requires good light?
Anyway, back at the quiz...

Another one of my old maps, a 25inch OS from 1908. But where?

[John Walker]

You have it JohnFilmer.  Interesting information.  You found more about it than I managed.   Still not sure why the multiple windows are there on the first floor though.  I wonder if it doubled up as a greenhouse to start off crops for their business?


Over to you ...

[johnfilmer]

I wondered if the Garden Hotel was licensed, and if so was it on a dead pubs database. Afraid not.
However, the George, across the road and towards Canterbury has a 1910 photo that has "File & Sons" just about visible on the side of "our" building.
1881 Census has a William File (51) and his two sons Edwin (22) and William (20) as Grocers and Drapers.  William snr died 29th March 1882, Probate was for £1452-11s-10d. The two brothers are still grocers and drapers in 1891, with adjacent households.
William is on the 1911 Census, still a grocer and draper, but Edwin disappears, reappearing in the 1939 Register in Folkestone as a retired Grocer. He died on 6th Feb 1947, leaving probate at £17440-18s-11d.
The problem for all such Census returns is that no house numbers were in use, and very few houses named. Some times a pub can be a useful reference to count properties between it and your target, but we do not know if the emunerator actually went along one side then back, or just dodged to and fro so it becomes guess work.

[johnfilmer]

Looks to be the old Garden Hotel, 167-169 Boughton Street. Grade 2 listed. I found a tantalising Frith Photo with indecipherable writing on the side weatherboarding.

[John Walker]

On the side of a previously busy 'A' road that has been by-passed.

[John Walker]

So far, I haven't found a lot of its earlier history but I can say that the windows are unlikely to have been for the view.  Village location.

[johnfilmer]

Lots of glass, is it for the view, or light to work?

[John Walker]

Good info JohnFilmer.  Good luck with your searching.

Next one.