Hilden Manor

A Memory of Hildenborough.

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.