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Brasted
Brasted maps
Historic maps of Brasted and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Brasted maps
Brasted area books
Displaying 1 of 23 books about Brasted and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Brasted
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Kent memories
Early Years
From birth until I joined the Royal Navy, at 15 years of age, I lived in a very rural area about a mile outside of Sundridge. The cottage we lived in was about 1/2 way between Sundridge and Ide Hill, very near Sundridge Hospital. It had the, almost, unbelievable name of New Batney Brooms. We were surrounded by open farmland and woodland so I spent the school summer holidays running around these ideal play grounds. Ah what memories!
Manor Road
I was 8 yreas old when my father was killed in London and my mum, brother David, and sister Margaret came to live in Sundridge to live with my dad's brother's family in Manor Road. We all attended Brasted School. In my final year (age 14 years) I won a scholarship to Tunbridge Wells Technical College, and as there were no freebies or handouts then, my mother being a widow could not afford to send me! Married and with a daughter we were allocated a new flat in Chapmans Road, to cut a long story short we made a swop with our flat, to guess where! 5 Manor Road where I used to live. Eventually we were able to buy the house, I remarried and moved to Edinburgh for 7 years. After two minor heart attacks and 2 mini strokes we thought it better to move back south and thus finished up at Boscastle, just in time to experience the floods. I now live in Bude. As the saying goes,... Read more
Farleycroft
I was in Farleycroft in the late 1950s. I agree it was a beautiful house with a lovely winding wooden staircase. I didn't go to school in Westerham as I left there when I was 5 to be fostered out, moving to Bromley. I went there once hoping to see the house, but apparently it no longer stands. But I did acquire a photo from Barnardos later. I remember Mrs Gunn too. Kami
Dr Barnardos
I was one of the children at the home from 1950 to 1952 and remember Mrs Gunn the matron. It was a beautiful house with lovely gardens. We had quilts on our beds and every night I would go round the room and pick up all the teddies that had fallen out of the other children's beds, and put them under my quilt so they wouldn't get cold. I started school in Westerham but don't remember the name of it. I do remember singing 'All Things Bright and Beautiful' there though. There was a mulberry bush in the garden which we used to climb. I have some photos of some of the children, myself and my brother Ken and staff, walking up the drive. Our surname was Mccalder.
Pitts Cottage
About 1963 - I was a waitress at Pitts Cottage when it became an exclusive restaurant. The owner was a race driver ???? Parker, and the manager was Bernard Audergon from Switzerland. I also worked after school and weekends before that at the Old Way, across the street, which was a boarding house. Would love to know what Pitts Cottage is used for now. It was a magnificent house with some incredible antiques. I am now 65 and live in the U.S.
Growing up
i loved growing up in westerham
Farley Croft/Westerham
Farley Croft was a beautiful house, in Westerham, converted for use as a Dr. Barnardo's Home when I was there in 1953/54. It was a wonderful place to be living. We junior Nursery Nurses were paid £4 a month while we trained. We mostly spent it on chocolate and sweets in the village on our off duty periods. I spent 10/- (50p) a month on riding lessons in nearby Limpsfield. We attended the church which was situated just off the green. We also visited General Wolfe's House and on one of our many walks we passed Chartwell, Churchill's home. We were lucky enough, once, to see Winston Churchill on his way through Westerham. The area was lovely for walks and we got out in the countryside as much as possible. To go home for a visit meant catching the steam train to Dunton Green where I picked up the mainline train to London and from there to the South Coast. Sometimes... Read more
