Constructed in 1962 by local builder E C Gransden Ltd, The Poles took its name from a footpath fenced with hop poles and which extended through an orchard near Suffield House to the lower end of Brick Hill in Poot Lane.
The estate included five detached houses at the far end costing £4,200 each while the remaining semi-detached houses sold for £2,800 each. All properties had three bedrooms but the detached houses had bigger interiors. The gardens were open planned with restrictions imposed by Kent County Council so that nothing permanent above one foot in height such as fences were allowed. The gardens were also generally well maintained and Cyril and Ellen Stock who lived at number 24 had the biggest and what many residents considered the best garden on the estate with widely admired irises.
Not many unusual things happened on the estate but Peter Julier who still lives at number 10 had a shock when he broke two digging forks while first trying to dig his garden. He then discovered that an ancient brick road that stretched down to Shoregate lay just under the surface. On another occasion after being phoned by neighbours who had left for their holiday, Frank Osborne had to climb through an open bedroom window via the coal bunker to remove a chicken cooking in the kitchen oven which his neighbours had forgotten to remove before leaving home. This act demonstrated the co-operation between residents.
Jenny Osborne and Nicola Mitchell once picked damsons from the hedge behind the estate, weighed and bagged them and then sold them at a cheap price to residents for cash, while John Uglow constructed a fireplace made of Yorkshire stone for his house in the driveway which got a lot of attention from neighbours.
With a strong community conscience residents contributed to shared events. On Christmas Day each year they helped Mr and Mrs Mitchell decorate their garage then children from the estate were invited to collect presents from a parent dressed as Father Christmas and carols were sung. From 1972 a carnival float was decorated on the estate and various residents participated dressed in costume. ‘Alice in Wonderland’ became the first float theme.
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The Queen's Silver Jubilee Celebrations at The Poles in 1977. Picture courtesy of Bryan Veale. |
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The Queen's Silver Jubilee Celebrations at The Poles in 1977. Picture courtesy of Bryan Veale. |
The Osborne and Uglow families later bought land from Courage Breweries in the locality and converted it into a shared allotment and Pat New remembers fruit picking for Fred Barden in the adjacent orchard during the summer months. Phil Cooper received a high profile as a wrestler and he performed annually at the village carnival for several years, while professional footballer Les Riggs, who lived on the estate with his wife Pam, won fame with Gillingham Football Club.
A wide variety of other people who were mainly young families lived on the estate which included, folk dancers Dora and John Nicholls, Upchurch cricketers Dave Woodhouse and Peter Smith and Peter’s wife Georgina who set up the village hairdressing salon. Other early residents included Bernard and Joyce Ballard, Pat and Roy Bennett, Catherine and Geoffrey Bull, Don and Joan Capeling, John and Valerie Durkin, Ernst and Bernadette Gürtler, Martin and Pauline Lamb, Janice and Denis Prentice, Joan and William Stearne, Diane and Bower Tristrum, Pam and Richard Borley and Brian and Beatrice Dean. Peter and Miriam Julier who founded the village badminton club are the only original residents still living on the estate.
Pat New has positive memories of The Poles and particularly remembers the quietness of the location after living in South London and Swanley. Helen Osborne also has good memories but says that periodic power cuts were a nuisance.
Overall, former early residents at The Poles say that it was a good place to bring up children and where a friendly and untroubled atmosphere existed.
Memories of Upchurch by David Wood
David Wood was born and raised in Upchurch and is able to write from personal experience about many people and aspects of the village and of changes that have taken place over the years, making ‘Memories of Upchurch’ a very readable book and a detailed historical study of the village.
Memories of Upchurch is available direct from David
Email: david3702001@yahoo.co.uk or from us here at
Upchurch Matters. Price £12 + £3.50 postage and packing.
