Knatts Valley

Read and share memories of Knatts Valley and Kent inspired by Frith photos

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.
Contributed by ronald meddick

Family connections

I understand my great grandfather worked in this forge. He was born Charles Holness around 1830 and married Ann Marsh in the 1850s. My father's mother Agnes Annie Holness was one of their children. She had an older sister Alice, brothers Fred and Bert and William Henry who died of smallpox in May 1902. He worked on boats at Fordwich. My father's father was Charles Albert Tucker who was a blacksmith in Jubilee Road, Littlebourne and later had his own forge and cottages (May 1913) at East Rangdon near Dover.
A memory of Wickhambreaux contributed by Mrs MA Hargrave

Land Army memories.

The white weatherboarded house was the farmhouse of the farm where my mother, Joyce Clark, worked along with another 3 girls in the Land Army during the Second World War.  It was called Cogger's Farm.  She was there whilst the Battle of Britain was fought overhead.  They grew hops, wheat, barley, oats and enough vegetables to supply the local school.  The oast houses behind the house belonged to the farm.  The hops were picked each year by families from the east end of London who came down and made a holiday of it.  They slept in stone outhouses in the farmyard on straw pallets.  My mother was billeted with Miss Parrot (along with another Land Girl called Lot) in a house ...read more here
A memory of Lamberhurst contributed by Anne Allan

The present day hospital.

St John's Hospital is home to 35 elderly people. 24 live in the older part. There are 6 houses each holding 4 flats. House six can be seen in the photo, it stands alongside the hospital chapel. The chapel is used twice a week by the residents. Beyond the chapel and graveyard are two more modern buildings, St John's House is about 40 years old and comprises of 2 flats, one of which is occupied by the chaplain of he hospital. Alongside St John's House is St Elisabeth House. It has 8 flats and is for the more frail of our residents. It was built in 1999 and took the name of St ...read more here
A memory of Canterbury contributed by Susan Hedges