Higham, the Larkin Monument 2005

Gadshill Place

I lived in Higham for 2 years before moving to Canada. I had 4 children who attended a school in Vancouver BC named Charles Dickens School. After 6 years I took a trip back to the UK with my wife and kids. I went to Higham and we were kindly invited to Gashill Place where of course Charles Dickens did most of his writing. We found it quite enjoyable. Thanks for the memory, Higham. Clive Jeffrey

Gads Hill Place School

Adele you are correct, there was (still is?) a tunnel from the main house under the main road to the garden where the "Swiss Chalet" used to be in the garden there. I believe the chalet has long-sice been moved to Rochester Museum as I believe Charles Dickens used it as a summer house writing room. We used to be taken through the tunnel on Nature Study lessons. My memory is of it being quite deep with rusty old iron gates that had to be creaked open to let our crocodile of two's hand in hand to pass through.

Being just post-war, boy's prep schools were few and far between and as a concession, boys with elder sisters attending the school were allowed to attend up until they were about seven years old and could transfer to a big school. Miss Burt was the headmistress and my class teacher was a Miss Hewlitt.

My academic life started as a single lad in a class of 24 girls which I remember as quite normal and happy, the culture shock of being transferred to an ancient and very traditional all-male Public School was a challenge but also is remembered with affection.

Gads Hill

I can vividly remember this was a school, back in the 1960s, Gads Hill Place, used to fit the children for their uniforms! I was told that there was a tunnel under the road to the other side.. would have to have been deep, as the main road goes past!

The Day Family

Does anyone remember the Day family who lived opposite the Bell pub overlooking the River Medway? The late Fred Day, my uncle, was the skipper of the 'Arethusa' training ship. Yours truly, Clive Jeffrey, Mission City, Canada.

Name search

I am looking for details of Florence Gammon, formally Dunk from Rye, Sussex. She was married to Herbert Gammon, also from Rye. The children were Arthur Eaton Gammon, 9 and Alice Gammon, 12. Her father was my great great grand uncle, Leaf Temple Dunk, 1834, from Rye.