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Fairseat
Fairseat maps
Historic maps of Fairseat and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Fairseat maps
Fairseat photos
We have no photos of Fairseat, although we do have photos of these nearby places:
Wrotham| Wrotham Heath| St Marys Platt| Meopham| Borough Green| Offham| Brands Hatch| West Kingsdown| Fawkham| Ightham| Longfield Hill| Hartley| Woodlands| West Malling| Seal Chart| Romney Street| Snodland| Kemsing| Plaxtol| Ivy Hatch| Cobham| Halling| Seal| West Peckham| Farningham| Eynsford| Southfleet| Cuxton| Shipbourne| Lullingstone
Fairseat area books
Displaying 1 of 24 books about Fairseat and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Fairseat
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Kent memories
Trips to Wrotham
I was born in London in 1940. Our flat was demolished by the first flying bomb so my parents moved to West Kingsdown when I was three months old. From an early age I remember being taken quite regularly by my mother along the A20 hitching a ride to Wrotham. When arriving in Wrotham and after walking along the High Street we turned left down a hill and a short distance down on the right was a butcher. I believe his name was Mr. Hoppe. It was there that we bought meat, using our food coupons. Once again for our return journey we hitched a free ride from a sympathetic lorry driver. Much later and after the war we travelled by Greenline coach until pertol rationing was eased and Mr. Hoppe could drive his van to deliver meat to residents in West Kingsdown.
Doodlebugs And Rock And Roll
I was born in 1940 in Langley Maidstone, Lord Routes' house, a wing of which was given over during the Second World War as a maternity part for expectant mothers. We lived on the main road in Wrotham, opposite a pub called The Spring Tavern, it's no longer there now. We lived next door to a family called Skinner, the children's names all began with the initial J. There was John, Julie Judy, and we all played together, my sister Jean and I. We would go up to the Nod, a small hill opposite our houses and play there for hours. We used to go to a big barn on the corner, where an artist lived, and we used to sit for him, while he painted us. I remember the day called Operation Overlord, when all the planes flew overhead, wave after wave.
Station Road, Meopham
My parents moved into Station Rd in 1963, as a newly married couple. There was a terrace of new houses built in Station Rd in 1962/63 & theirs was the furthest house down the road, the end of the terrace, I think No.28? I was born there in 1965.
I used to go to playgroup at the old Scout Hut at the other end of the village & remember one very embarrassing event when I was about 4..... My mum was collecting me from playgroup & the bus was just at the bus stop as we came round the corner of the drive. My mum didn't want us to miss the bus, & ran to catch it, dragging me across the road behind her...but she couldn't understand why I was holding back so hard, until she went to lift me up onto the bus & realised that my knicker elastic had broken & my knickers were around my ankles (as they had been since half way across the road!!),... Read more
The Coronation
In 1953 very few households had television. I remember going along to the Fourways cafe on Coronation Day with my parents so that we could watch the Coronation on the television. My sister was only 3 and I was 5. The cafe was run by Mr and Mrs King. My now step mother worked there as a cook. Years later the cafe became the Fourways Furnishings, though I forget the exact name. That was run by Cyril & Hazel Knight.
The fish & chip shop on the corner, run by the Swinburnes, sold the most delicious ice lollies with real ice cream inside which we would buy on our way to Brownies which was held at the Church Hall on Quarry Hill.
Birling School.
The Headmistress of Birling School was Miss Bragger who lived in the schoolhouse a few steps from the porched door of the school. Miss Bragger taught the 7-11 year mixed classes. Mrs Dyke had charge of the 5-7 year olds, she had the most deadly aim with small pieces of chalk which came your way if you misbehaved. Each year we danced around the Maypole in the grounds of Birling Manor where a fete was held, we also had a ceremony for Empire Day, 24th May. I managed to be dressed up as Britannia on 2 occasions. We also had a service at the war memorial on November 11th each year, even in a snow storm we would be there. We always had to put a concert at Christmas. We held our Brownie meetings in a hut which was quite near the pub (was it the Bull?). I seem to remember the W.I. held jumble sales in the same place.
I remember the village shop cum Post Office with the... Read more
Grandma's House
I grew up in and around London as a young girl. When my parents divorced it was the hardest thing for me to get over. But I had the best nan in the world who lived in 6 Acre Cottages. This house and the surrounding area was a haven for any child. She worked in the school and used to work at the big house on the hill, when I stayed with my gran, it was lovely to go the big house to see Mrs Lemet. She was so friendly and so were her children. I remember walking down the path to the village in the summer and was enthralled at the wildlife within the area. The path started just opposite the school and carried on to the village, where my nan would take me to the shops to buy the daily things we needed and of course the sweets that I needed for the day. My grandad had an old old farm building at the bottom of the garden... Read more
Ightham 1960s
Interesting to see this picture though I don't think that by the 1960s Ightham was ever this free of traffic except early in the morning.
The building in the centre of the picture was a petrol station and provider of all sorts of bits and pieces. Was it run by Mr Arthur? My father would drive down there (with me in tow) to find whatever he needed to keep the lawnmower and other garden equipment going as well as getting a can of two stroke fuel. Possibly our mini is in the picture (but not if this was taken early in the morning).
Mrs Cox ran the newsagents, just out of picture to the left and there was still a butcher, and a general store in the village. And of course two pubs. I think only the two pubs survive today.
