Meopham memories
Here are memories of Meopham and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Meopham or a Meopham photo.
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
Memories of Kent
Where I Was Born
My Beginning, at Sole Street near Cobham Kent. (9th March 1946 - 2nd January 1951) I was born on Saturday March 9th 1946 at 3.29pm at Temperley, The Street, Sole Street, Kent. I was delivered at home by the local midwife and our doctor and family friend, Maxwell Landau with my Nanna, mother's mother, in attendance. There were many telegrams of congratulation including those from my father's parents, his younger brother Tony, Auntie Bell his mother's sister and husband Uncle Harry, mother's sister Rita and husband Rene, half-sisters Joy, Betty, Peggy, Norma and half-brother Bill, their respective husbands and wives and several friends and work colleagues. My first real memories are of my mother taking me out in my pram the following year in the snows of March 1947. Our small hamlet of Sole Street was completely cut off by the snow drifts that were in excess of five feet deep in places. To this day I can remember my mother struggling to push my big pram along the lanes and due to... Read more
Time For A Rest
We used to go on bike rides from Meopham and always went through Longfield Hill on our way. I do remember my brother entering in to a pool contest there with adults and winning the contest and getting a new two piece cue. It was a great resting place and a chance to get some liquid refreshments after riding/walking up the hill to the village. We would spend all day riding our bikes out to New Ash Green, Hartley, even out to Brands Hatch, and we could hear the motor racing going on from Meopham it was so loud. I know my way around my village because of all the times we went out riding on those weekends from school and the summer holidays.
Howe's Garage, Longfield
Rather than Longfield Hill, this looks more like Longfield itself with Howe's Garage in the centre foreground. My Dad worked here from the late 1930s to when he retired in 1973; it was run by his uncle Frank Howe and his son David (now living in Herne Bay) joined the garage from about 1960. I remember the old petrol pumps for Shell, BP, National Benzole and Power. Later taken over by the Co-op as Cascade Garage. Now car showrooms trading as Farrins. To the left would be the semi-detached bungalow built for Frank and his wife Florrie to move into from Pepper Hill, Northfleet around 1955. To the right is a telephone exhange and the village extends beyond up a slope to Longfield Station near the horizon top left (formerly called Fawkham Station). The village was visible from the Gallops, a favourite place for us children to run and play with good views down to Main Road where we lived and over the ridge northwards to Southfleet... 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
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
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