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Underriver
Underriver maps
Historic maps of Underriver and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Underriver maps
Underriver photos
We have no photos of Underriver, although we do have photos of these nearby places:
Hildenborough| Ivy Hatch| Shipbourne| Seal| Sevenoaks| Seal Chart| Plaxtol| Ightham| Leigh| Tonbridge| Riverhead| Kemsing| Ide Hill| Chipstead| Borough Green| Hadlow| Otford| Woodlands| St Marys Platt| West Peckham| Chiddingstone| Bidborough| Toy's Hill| Wrotham| Romney Street| Brasted| Wrotham Heath| Four Elms| Penshurst| Southborough
Underriver area books
Displaying 1 of 23 books about Underriver and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Underriver
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Kent memories
Hilden Manor
In 1971 I was a lad of 15 and had made friends with some people living behind the Hilden Manor. The owner wanted needed help to dig out a large pond in his back garden, so I volunteered with his two sons to hand dig this pond in the hot summer sunshine. We had not got very far when we hit concrete! We could not understand why concrete would be in a back garden of a relatively newly built house? It turned out to be the old swimming pool that belonged to Hilden Manor back in the old days, and after breaking through some of the large area of concrete, the finished article was really a show piece. This was in Stacey Road and I lived in Correnden Road just behind the Hilden Manor. I went on to have a part-time job in the manor, helping in the kitchen, peeling and chopping the veg for pocket money and looking on at those who could afford to dine there. Happy memories.... Read more
Ivy Hatch Court
These are the memories of my mother May born Ivy Hatch 1921.
The photo shows the gardens and rear elevation of Ivy Hatch Court. The house was owned by Colonel C.N.Watney and his wife Winifred from at least 1919 until approx 1945 when it was sold and converted into apartments/flats. There was a daughter Miss Patricia Watney and a son, name unknown.
Mrs Watney was a keen hunt supporter and rode to hounds with the West Kent Foxhounds
Colonel Watney is understood to have been a patron of St.Bartholomews Hospital, London
Household staff during the 1920s and '30s included:
Mr. Taylor - Butler
Mr Saunders - Chauffeur
Mr Ernie Cox - Head gardener (lived at The Lodge with wife and 2 children, Phillip and Doreen)
Mr Cunningham - 2nd gardener who lived with family at Crown House
Mr Horace Palmer - 3rd gardener who lived with wife and 5 children at Crown House
Mr William (Bill) Jenkins - Groom
My maternal grandfather Horace James Palmer, served with Colonel... Read more
Dads Birthplace
My father Fred Beeching, was born at Dovedale Cottage in 1926, sadly he has now passed away, but left us with many stories, he attended school in ightham, and my Grandparents also Fred Beeching and Rose Beeching are buried in St Peters Church yard.
It would be great if anyone has pictures or memories of Ivy Hatch, i have visited the Village twice, but now living in Germany.
Regards Brian
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.
