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Monkton
Monkton maps
Historic maps of Monkton and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Monkton maps
Monkton area books
Displaying 1 of 24 books about Monkton and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Monkton
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Kent memories
Childhood in Minster
My two brothers, my sister and I were all born in Minster in what is now called Turner Cottage but was then "The Swifts". My granddad was a village postman and my best friend's granddad was also a postman and we used to race to school perched on the baskets on the front of their bikes! At Watchester Farm we fed the ducks and loved seeing the piglets with the sows. We bought fishing nets in the corner stores (now "Morton's Fork") and fished for newts and minnows in the streams and dykes at Watchester Farm. We begged the metal ties from the potato sacks from the greengrocer and caught cobwebs on them from the fences in St Mary's Road on the way to school. In summer we'd play outside all day long, either "down the rec", in the street or on the marshes. Mum knew we'd stay together and look out for each other and we always did. If we cut or grazed our knees we'd lick... Read more
The Youth Club
There was a youth club held in a building across the carpark from Minster Primary School. I think this building was called the Leisure Centre, it also hosted Brownies and Guides. For a few pee we would spend hours playing Adam and the Ants records on a tiny ancient record player and jump around on the torn worn fake leather furniture and spend the rest of our money on shandy bass or crisps. Living on Monkton Road, we took the short cut to the youth club up the "bumpy way" skirting Spanton's fields to Molineux Road and the school.
I was really jealous of my older brother who went to cubs in an old stone building down near the Church. They built an assault course in the hall with ropes and crash mats and had a great time. Brownies was nothing by comparison!
The Newsagent in Minster High Street
I have only just seen this site for the first time and was very surprised to see the photograph of the newsagent's shop in the High Street. My mother's sister Elsie Atwell, nee Keen was married to the owner, Reg Atwell. When they were first married they lived in Ramsgate with a relative known to me as Aunty Nan. When their first and only child, a son called Clive was born he and I used to play together a lot in their house in Edith Road. My mother used to clean Elsie's house for many years, but sadly after a very bad argument one day, the sisters never spoke again. I do not remember what year they moved to Minster, but we were told of Reg's sudden death, followed by Elsie's when she was only about 50 years of age. Clive then carried on running the newsagents.
Childhood
I was born at Peartree Cottage which was half way down the high street. For a young boy growing up the war was one big adventure. The fire station was opposite our house and they made me some really great wooden toys. As kids we would watch the aerial dog fights, not appreciating people were dying. We made canoes out of jettisoned petrol tanks and collected persex from plane canopies which could be carved into rings etc. After the war my father who had been a Royal Marine returned home and after many and varied 'recession' jobs became the village postman for part of Minster and all of Monkton. He was a village councillor and an ERDC councillor for Monkton and was awarded the Imperial Services Medal for his work. In those days everyone knew each other and my god father Mr Cheesman was the sub Post master. I went to the two village schools in turn and then on to St George's in Ramsgate. It was a really safe... Read more
The Mud Flood
Date Unconfirmed. After torrential rain, the topsoil off the fields at the top of Prospect Road slid down the hill to Monkton Road. Any houses which were not slightly above road level were flooded. Our house being a good foot above it, remained untouched but our neighbours in the farmhouse Eden Hall had mud under the doors and lost their carpets. It took a long time for the remains to be cleared. It was really quite a sight to behold.
Vintage
These memories really are 1944 to about 1953. The corner shop by the church was a favourite as they used to sell home made toffee when sweets were on ration. One character I can still see was Mr White the baker being taken home in his trap by his horse after a lunch time visit to the pub at the end of his day's deliveries. Once the war ended we used to have great Guy Fawkes bonfire nights in the garden at Peartree Cottage with lots of people from the village. We kids used to spend many hours playing on the marshes and at the old Richborough wartime railway complex with its water towers, and had miles of track to ride the old pump-action trucks on. The youth club by the school was a favourite meeting place for snooker, table tennis and music. As I got older I was able to join the Institute and play serious snooker, in fact I still have the cue and case I won there when I... Read more
Minster
My father, Reginald Miller, took me to Minster where my grandfather and great grandfather came from. I now live in Sydney, Australia but am coming over to England in September 08. Can anyone tell me about the Miller family in Minster? (I believe my father and his brother Bernard were billetted with their grandparents in the First World War). Please reply to bette02002@yahoo.com.au.
