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Rolvenden
Rolvenden maps
Historic maps of Rolvenden and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Rolvenden maps
Rolvenden area books
Displaying 1 of 24 books about Rolvenden and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Rolvenden
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Rolvenden.
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MY BEAUTIFUL KENTISH BIRTHPLACE
I was born in East House, Tenterden Road, Rolvenden on 2nd November 1938. My dad was about to join the RAF and I was born in my grandparents' home. There were large cellars below the house - very scarey. East House and West House are joined in the centre by a 'shop' which was the Post Office and telephone exchange in the 1920/30s. My mother, Molly Allsop, was one of the operators of the switchboard in the switch room. Few people had telephones. My grandfather, Joe Allsop JP, was the village postmaster and the mail, telegrams and telephones were all run from that property. In the 1930s the Post Office was moved over the road to a small old double fronted shop which faced up the road towards the Recreation Ground and The Bull. The Post Office then was between Mr Phillips' sweet shop and the fish and chip shop (now a museum). As a little girl I used to be allowed to help Grandad by dusting his shop. There... Read more
Kent memories
Life in A Kent Village During World War Two
Benenden was my home for the first 5 years of my life. We lived in Greenwood, a lovely white Kentish weather-boarded house on the Cranbrook Road, sadly knocked down and modernised a couple of years ago. I was born on February 14, 1940 in a glorious country house in Langley called Rumwood Court, which is still there. It was a maternity home in the War. Of course my mum called me Valentine, because of my date of birth, but luckily Anthony came first. My brother, John, who was six, wrote to my mum, saying 'Call him Chysanthemum.' She kept the postcard for years, to show what a clever boy he was to spell it correctly. My parents had moved to Kent to escape the bombing in London, but of course the Battle of Britain was fought right over the homes of Kent. I remember seeing planes being shot down in flames just above where we lived. Later when the V-bombers came I remember running into the house... Read more
Visiting my Parents in Iden Green
I have very fond memories of visiting my parents, Margaret & Percy Thorburn who owned Coveney Cottage from 1961 until 1980.
We used to come down from London on the National Coach to Benenden and then a Fuggles Garage car/taxi would take us down to Iden Green. Alternatively we would meet my parents in the pub (name temporarily forgotten) and have a drink before driving back to their cottage.
I remember the village when it had its own public house and village shop, and lots of the older residents, Fred & Lily of Lilac Cottage, Mrs Daw from the other half of Coveney Cottage, Joan Witterkoff of Seerose Cottage, to name but a few.
My parents are now buried in St George's churchyard, and we come down from time to time to go down memory lane.
Clare House
Does anyone know where the name Clare House came from? Is this property in the High Street, north side? I had relations surnamed 'Clare' who lived in a very similar property in the 1930/40s. The front door is different now, and steps went up to it. Any information please?
22 High Street
The building on the left, next to the Town Hall with five windows on the first floor was W H Smith & Sons and my father, Gordon Howard, was the manager. I was born in the flat above the shop in 1955.
W H Smith & Son
The building on the right was W H Smith & Sons. My father, Gordon Howard was the manager and we were living in the flat above the shop from 1955 to 1965. You can see that the shop is closed because the shutters are down. The shop front was painted dark green. The windows upstairs are open so we must have been at home and it must have been fine weather!
W H Smith & Son
My father, Gordon Howard, was manager of W H Smith & Son in 1955, the year I was born. It's amazing looking at these photos taken at the time I was living in Tenterden. It's possible I saw the photos being taken or we might actually appear in one of them.
