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Kemsing
Kemsing maps
Historic maps of Kemsing and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Kemsing maps
Kemsing area books
Displaying 1 of 23 books about Kemsing and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Kemsing
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Kent memories
Wedding Bells
My mum and dad, Alf and Enid Myers, met at Woodlands in 1948. My mum was introduced to Woodlands by my aunt Renee. They were married on 5 September 1948, and I was born in September 1949, and my brother Barry in October 1951. We spent many extremely happy weekends at Woodlands over the next 10 or 12 years. I remember playing mini-golf, watching tennis and swimming. We rambled, picked blackberries, ate picnics and danced on Saturday nights. If it rained, we played bingo or watched a film. I say a film, because I only remember seeing 'The Mark of Zorro', I've lost count of the number of times. I'm sure that in this day and age, Woodlands would have been closed down by Health and Safety, but I loved it. It spoilt me really as I always found other Holiday Camps to be too plastic and contrived. Woodlands was raw and honest and I absolutely adored it.
The Cottages on The Side Known as St Athreda
I used to be in Oakbank School and my uncle lived in Seal. His cottage is on the right hand side of this photo.
During WWII
I lived on Seal High Street (pretty well opposite the half timbered building & the horse trough in the photograph) from 1939 to 1951. My father was in the fire brigade. In those days you auditioned to become a choirboy. The Church music was very elaborate & mostly we enjoyed it - although we were discreetly naughty, especially during the vicar's deadly boring sermons. Wide knicker elastic & tiny black throat sweets provided excellent catapault material. We got paid - about 3/6 (17p) I week I think although most of got lost in 'fines'. Society weddings were very lucrative. Seal was a feudal kind of place with very wealthy people in big houses served by the 'village'.
Although the battle of Britain raged overhead nothing much got hit until the V1 (Doodlebug) & V2 rocket came along. The biggest danger was stray bullets from the fighting & an occasional strafing of the road.
There was very little petrol - even for the rich - and we... Read more
Oak Bank Open Air School
I was sent to Oak Bank school as a seven year old and stayed for about two years. The Matron was a lovely lady called Miss Bremner, and I remember I stayed in a dorm called Oak, all the dormitories were named after trees. I have never forgotten the beautiful Kent countryside and the wonderful interior of the house, I wonder if anyone else who was at the school has such good memories.
Oak Bank School, Kent
Reading someone else's comment about Oak Bank School I am fascinated by their memory. I went to what I only remember as an Open Air School in Seal when I was very young. Don't know what for but think I was a sickly child and this was for my health. I remember vividly the beautiful countryside and the school (where we actually lived) in beautiful woodland surroundings and there were wonderful walks in the woodland around the area. Could this be Oak Bank School and if so what was its purpose and who ran it? Would love to know more about it as my memories are really vivid in my mind.
Oak Bank Open Air School
I too went to Oak Bank Open Air School and remember Miss Bremner well - she seemed to be particularly kind to me, but maybe she was to all the charges in her care! I remember in particular the camp beds put out on warm days on which we had to rest for an hour. Also, on birthdays we could choose who we wanted to sit with and were given a birthday cake. Not all memories are good. I was given an Easter egg by a girl called Hazel, and one of the staff decided I had stolen it (she had bowlegs, although I don't remember her name), and shut me in a broom cupboard for the evening - not very nice.
Re Meddicks in Knatts Valley
My parents bought land and built a house in Knatts Valley named Holmwood in 1926. My mother was the first postmistress in the valley. My brother and I both attended Kingsdown Primary School from 1932-42. We grew up knowing the valley like the back of our hand. We left the valley in 1942 and have lived in Australia for the last 58 yrs My grandparents are buried in Woodlands Cemetery. My grandfather Meddick was the chief air raid warden in the first part of the war and died in 1942.
