Alec's history challenge

[Colin walsh]

Martin R,thanks for the information ref upnor hard,it was, in my time a Royal Engineer  training area ,don't recall any leather necks using it.

[Lutonman]

Encampment pictures

[Invicta Alec]

Fort Luton was indeed a very sinister place Lutonman, particularly so for us youngsters living at Wayfields!

Not that I ever saw one, but rumours of hundreds of snakes living in the deep moat abounded. I always walked very quickly past the narrow bit between the fences of the fort and the school.

There were many superb photos of the Ash Tree Lane encampment on the old site. Walking past it forms part of my very earliest memories. Do we know when it was finally abandoned? Does anyone have any photos now?

Alec.

[Lutonman]

Being born on the Wayfield Estate in Chatham, you might think that there was no history to be found. Not true! Once I started school for family reasons I walked every day to Glencoe school. Past Fort Luton, known to me then as an overgrown site where snakes would bite you and the moat was very deep would kill you if you venture din side the fence. Much has been put on History forums since then and of course the old KHF worked and we met there more than once.


Moving later to Luton there is plenty of history there as well. Many old houses have since gone but I recall seeing on maps of Romans findings in the area where the old Roman Catholic church was, but at the moment I cant find a map to show it. I have already written about the history of Christ Church Luton, three churches have been in that area now along at one time and old school.


Must not forget the Windmill either just of Street End road. Nor the encampment on Ash Tree lane and the Hopping in Capstone, and the waterworks.


Plenty of things really just hidden from site. 

[Invicta Alec]

I hope this post meets the spirit of Alec's history challenge.

Very much so Local Hiker! Thank you for your interesting account of your very local history.
Because members are writing about the nearest historical points of interest to where they live we are being treated to maybe some lesser known facts of Kent's history. I've certainly learned some stuff that is new to me.


I'm hoping there is more to come! 


Alec.

[Local Hiker]

I can see Bartons Point Country Park from my verandah, a mile away. I regularly walk and cycle to, through, and around it.

In the context of this thread, there are the remains of the old rifle range covering several acres of the park.
The most prominent feature is the covered concrete walkway that protected passers by from getting accidentally shot as they travelled between Minster and Sheerness. I noticed last year that this walkway has now been fenced off to prevent access. It must be getting dangerous as it decays.
The firing sites, space 100yds apart. are still clearly viible as ridge on the landscape. There is at least one distance marker post still in place for 1 of the firing sites.

There is the Military Canal that starts in the park, and runs for a couple of miles through the park and beyond. Much of the canal and the defensive firing line dyke (made from the canal spoil) along its length still exsists. There is a large brick magazine built into the dyke, sealed off and inaccessable internally. I believe there were several magazines originally.

Along the dyke are the remains of WW2 searchlight and ant aircraft sites, visible and accessable.

At the north end of the canal is a holiday park on a WW1 naval artillery site that protected the Thames from naval invasion.
This is private land, but some of the gun emplacements  and underground magazines still exsist.

Then. less than a mile in the opposite direction, is Minster Abbey.

I hope this post meets the spirit of Alec's history challenge.

[shoot999]

Like Colin Walsh I spent my first years (1950s) living in  Troy Town, so surrounded by the same history of Rochester. To add to his list I include the old Guardhouse that was alongside the Watts Almhouse where I played as a child


Moved to Cornwall 40 years ago where the nearest piece of history was just outside my front door, a monument dating from 3500-2500 BC; and now regularly take my granddaughter to play amongst stone circles from the Neolithic period.


I think we had more fun playing in the forts, castles and tunnels of our youth though.

[Longpockets]

From near to where I lived at Snodland, The Battle of Medway, although disputed, during the Roman Invasion of 43 AD. Rather than regurgitate details form other sources this web site covers it very well.


https://www.britishbattles.com/wars-of-roman-britain/battle-of-medway/

[/size]
[/size]Much history in the area also which is covered well by https://www.snodlandhistory.org.uk/ [size=78%]

[pete.mason]

Borstal 1950s. We moved from Somerset to Brambletree Cresc when they were new builds-about 1955, dad was posted to the middle east & mum wanted to return to Kent. Memories of playing on the landing craft on the shore about where Borstal Marina is now, of playing in the cement works, what we called the brickworks which were where the M2 bridge crosses over, St Matthews primary school, initially in the huts up the track to the Borstal, then later in the Victorian building, upper & lower playgrounds-I'm sure were boys only, girls only with an airraid shelter. Being a church school Ascension day meant a church service but you got the rest of the day off. The police call box on the corner of one of the hillside roads that went up the hill, open the door and the blue light on top started flashing. The butchers near the Baptist Church, always a long haired Dachshund sitting under the block. Playing in the various quarries, including rolling down the side in a 50gal drum. And wondering what the painted  marks were on the Wouldham Rd-everyone said it was a new road going through how daft was that with the Medway a couple of hundred yards away, later the M2 was built over it. Being there was so few cars taking numbers was almost mandatory for all boys, and Warwick Rd was fantastic for your soap box, down the hill amd across the junction down Brambletree Cresc. fine if you didn't come off and leave your knees on the concrete road

[MartinR]

@Colin.  Just in case anyone is not aware "Union St" in most towns refers to the Poor Law Unions, which ran the workhouses.  You mention Upnor Hard.  Is that the Military establishment (RE? RM?) on the north bank nearly opposite what is now Chatham Marina?  If so it is still functioning, along with their high speed boats which seem to be immune to the 6 kt speed limit!

[Colin walsh]

Alec's history challenge,I grew up in Union st Rochester during ww2,I suppose I was surrounded by history,the Cathedral ,restoration house,fort Horsted,the Vineyard,last but not least Rochester castle,my first school (st Margrets)was once a work house,the very house I lived in ,Mosly house ,had servant call bells fitted plus magnificent marble fire places ,plus a large wine cellar ,(very dilapidated )took part in the very first post war Rochester festival in the castle gardens ,no idea of the year,
Years later I even got to work at the Watts arms House for a short time,

[Colin walsh]

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?

[shoot999]

My garden!


This was part of the ancient woodland Little Delce Woods at the Rochester Airport end of the Rochester Maidstone Road and Tideway junction which I understand was mentioned in the Domesday Book. The picture was taken in the 60s and I notice now, like most gardens, its surrounded by a 6ft fence. And the three mature trees (one seen here) have been removed. There is a small sign noting the woodland at the junction.
Given the location we were obviously surrounded a lot of history by the airport, Fort Bridgewood, etc

[MartinR]

the supposed shrine to William of Perth. ...  It would have been where the old St Williams Hospital was and a  friend of mine believes he lives where the shrine actually  was ?  Now of course the Wisdom Hospice is in place there

There was a chapel at the site of the murder, but the shrine was in the north quire transept of Rochester Cathedral.  It is reputed that his tomb is extant; the large sarcophagus against the north wall of the north quire transept.  The shrine is where the Warner Chapel is now.  The shrine brought much needed income to the cathedral which otherwise has always suffered from being a small see trapped between Canterbury and London.  Indeed, so great was the income that the 13C rebuilding of the east end of the cathedral was paid for by it.  The "Pilgrim Steps" lead up to the site of the shrine and have been worn away in the middle, reputedly by the knees of pilgrims.
I wasn't aware of the WP account of St William, I've had a glance and I'm afraid there are a few inaccuracies, particularly the attribution of the arms of the Bishop.  The wall paintings in Frindsbury Church have faded over the years and had practically disappeared by 1990.  A small copy of them hangs on the south wall of the chancel.  It is thought that pilgrim in the right hand window jamb is the only known image of St. William.

[stuartwaters]

Goodness me, where do I start?


I live in lower Gillingham. I suppose the nearest kind of historical site to me is the Lower Road, the route once taken by Queen Elizabeth's admirals Hawkins, Drake and Frobisher to travel between the Queen's Court in London and their ships at Queenborough. A little further north is what was the Victorian extension to Chatham Dockyard. To my North-west, about 400 yards is the Lower Lines Park - once home to the official residence and headquarters bunker for the Commander in Chief, Nore Command. About a mile east of me is Old Gillingham and St. Mary Magdalene's Church, baptism place of Will Adams, the first non-Japanese Samurai and founder of the Japanese Navy. I live very near to the River Medway with all it's history. I have something in common with Nelson, Drake and countless others in that I learned to sail on the Medway. About a mile to the west of me is Brompton Barracks, still home (for how long?) of the Corps of Royal Engineers and half a mile beyond that is the Chatham Royal Dockyard, now known as Chatham Historic Dockyard.