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The 1980s turned out to be a fairly stable period in the village history without the upheavals of the previous two decades when many important changes took place. There were some changes from 1980 to 1990, while some familiar faces disappeared and new ones appeared.
The new Holywell School had a change of headmaster when Mr Dixon replaced Mr Andrews who retired in January 1980. Mrs Tidmus continued as Head of Infants. Church organist Doris Rider also retired to be replaced by Douglas Moutrie. Later in 1981 the Crown publican Bill Cockhill and his wife Jean retired and moved away from the village. They were succeeded by former famous boxing champion Terry Spinks who had the pub completely refurbished then Keith and Linda Banfield replaced him. Just down the road in Horsham Lane long term landlords Eric and Pat Funnell successfully continued to manage the Brown Jug which attracted a small group of regular drinkers in a very small and friendly pub.
E C Gransden Ltd and R J Barnes & Sons continued as the principal village building companies, although not so many houses were constructed in the village compared with the previous two decades.
Cliff Wanstall still worked as the village sub-postmaster until he retired after a thirty year term in 1982 then Derek Edwards took over. Mrs Hudson managed the Upchurch Stores in The Street, June Smith managed the Wool Shop in Forge Lane, Mike Westwood worked as the village butcher, and an antique shop named ‘One Step Behind’ occupied the building that became ‘Terrys’ in 1982. Terry and Tina Honeyman who came from South London then became long term fruit and veg suppliers for village residents.
The village post office moved to the newsagents owned by Fred Clemons and where Geraldine Rowlands became the first female sub-post mistress in 1984. The former post office building then became ‘Snaffles’ that sold equestrian equipment. The Co-operative Stores continued as always although a little smaller than the present day Co-op.
Keith Chare served as the village vicar but he left and moved to Ulcombe in 1982. Reverend John Lefroy replaced him and occupied the new vicarage in Oak Lane with his family. Reverend Lefroy became the last full time resident Upchurch vicar.
John Ardley and Roger Pocock served as churchwardens. John Ardley also worked as a borough councillor. Bryan Veale continued as chairman of the parish council and when he stepped down in 1984 Joyce Gilbert took over.
The parish council continued to be active in village affairs. In September 1980 letters from residents suggested the construction of a children’s play area on The Paddock. An estimate of the cost showed it to be possible, so plans were made for a children’s play area to be constructed. A 21 year lease was also obtained for the Recreation Ground and the allotments.
When permission was eventually granted for a children’s play area on The Paddock, new fencing was placed around the area, new gates were fitted and 1,000 plants were planted to make the locality appear more attractive. The old trees were treated for preservation purposes, litter bins were placed on the site, and football and dogs were discouraged with warning signs. The Paddock then emerged with a new look.
Very soon the play area became established with seats, swings, and a slide. Plans were also made to have new sporting facilities placed on the Recreation Ground. These included two cricket strips, a rounders pitch, and a football pitch with goalposts.
Today's children's play area in the Paddock and goalposts on the Recreation Ground.
The parish council had to deal with rubbish being dumped on the allotments and trees being damaged in The Paddock in 1981. This resulted in a meeting between the parish council, youths, and parents. The youths promised to rectify the damage after a discussion and this affected the appearance of the village centre so much that Upchurch came runner-up in the Best Kept Village competition for two successive years. The Best Kept Garden Competition which became a popular annual village competition was won by Cyril and Audrey Robinson from Drakes Close in 1981.
The Neighbourhood Watch Scheme was set up during this period because of growing crime in the village which became a matter of great concern.
Some important changes took place in village sport when Upchurch Cricket Club obtained a new ground after Mrs Stevens had sold the club four acres of land adjacent to Holywell Lane. The club had lost its old Poot Lane ground which became Colts Field Farm owned by Charles Barling. Without a ground, the club had to play home matches at the King George Playing Fields in Sittingbourne until the new ground became available for use.
Upchurch Cricket Club eventually moved to its new ground at Holywell in 1987 then money raising events took place enabling the club to have a new brick clubhouse constructed. This gave them a firm base which attracted more players and lifted the status of the club.
Other village clubs experienced success when George Friend of the Horticultural Society won the National Chrysanthemum Silver Medal in 1980 and Denis Allen from Drakes Close won nine out of ten awards at the chrysanthemum section of the Sittingbourne Chrysanthemum and Dahlia Society show. The Horticultural Society had about 100 exhibits in its 1980 show. The number of exhibits increased during the 1980s with 250 exhibits in the 1983 show in what became a successful period for the society.
The Women’s Institute flourished and celebrated its 50th anniversary at Holywell School in March 1981. Pat New served as president during the first part of the 1980s then Joyce Gilbert took over. The organisation did its bit for the community when it had a clock fitted to the village hall wall in 1984.
The Darby and Joan Club which no longer exists thrived during the 1980s. It celebrated its thirtieth birthday in 1980 with a formal tea. Members travelled to different areas as a group to such places as Weston-Super-Mare in 1982 and Scotland in 1984. Some of the original club members such as Edith Colvin, Grace Eastwood, and Rose Humphreys still attended meetings and outings.
A few years later in 1986, Bernard Sketchley formed Upchurch Boy’s Football Club, the first village boy’s football club since Upchurch United in 1967. Mark Veale and Garry Lewis tried to revive the former Saturday Upchurch Football Club but the club did not re-form until 1999.
Tanya Uglow fulfilled her dream of owning her own riding school when she set up the Tanzor Riding Stables in Poot Lane in 1986. This became a very popular location for young horse enthusiasts to ride horses which became available for hire seven days a week and led to large numbers of riders hacking around the Ham Green peninsular which has continued to the present day.
The village fete and the annual carnival both ended during the early 1980s. The two events ended due to a lack of organisers and the unavailability of lorries to operate as floats in the carnival procession. The final carnival ended in 1982 after thirty years as the most popular annual village event, although the fete became re-established for a few years more recently.
A country fair with a 19th century theme took place in aid of the Church Repair Fund in 1983. It’s remembered for an exhibition of old Upchurch photos organised by Helen Osborne. The fair raised about £1,800 but this was just a one off event. However, the Upchurch Festival of Music which began in 1988 became a popular annual event in the church and the village hall. With music from Tuesday to Sunday,’ Upchurch Night’ included performances by Upchurch groups such as Holywell School, the Choral Society, and the church choir. Groups and musicians attended from all over Kent and the festival became an immediate success which continued until 2016.
Residents who lived through the 1980s will never forget the Great Hurricane of October 1987. It struck during the night and early morning hours of October 16th and 17th when most people were asleep in bed but some who were awakened described it as ‘very frightening.’
Although Upchurch did not suffer as badly as some other villages, tiles were blown off roofs, electricity cables were blown down or severed and the chimney stack on the Co-op crashed through the roof putting the shop out of action for a while. The hurricane caused some roads to be blocked by fallen trees and it partly destroyed Hilda’s Cottage occupied by Tony Witherden and his mother Dolly in Poot Lane. Eventually, the cottage had to be demolished.
Other big losers were local farmers with thousands of fruit trees damaged or uprooted and farm buildings blown and strewn across the landscape. The powerful wind gusted up to 138 miles per hour, the most powerful recorded in Britain for about 300 years.
The 1980s experienced changes that have had a big effect on the village today. The children’s play area has become established as a very good facility for young children and The Paddock is in a better condition than previously and is a pleasant place for residents to walk, while the Recreation Ground continues as an open space for residents to walk their dogs and for teenagers to use the sports facilities. Upchurch Cricket Club has advanced from being a small village club in Swale to being a major force in the Kent County League with greatly improved facilities and ground. Most other clubs from the 1980s are still flourishing such as the Women’s Institute, the Scout Movement, and the Horticultural Society.
Overall, the village emerged from the 1980s as a better place to live with improved facilities, while another hurricane has so far stayed away.
David Wood
About David
David was born and raised at Ham Green and still lives there today. He writes from personal experience about Upchurch village life and the changes that have taken place over the years.
David's book, Memories of Upchurch, is a very readable and detailed historical study of the village and is available direct from David at: david3702001@yahoo.co.uk price £12 + postage and packing.
Nowadays, Greylag Farm is a charming white country cottage in a pleasant setting situated at Ham Green. Constructed during the second half of the 18th century as a farmhouse, outbuildings are located at the back of the property and were once used for the storage of agricultural equipment and produce.
The house originally consisted of three bedrooms, a loft and four downstairs rooms which included a kitchen, a living room, a sitting room and a storage room.
Another feature that dates from the farm’s early period is a concrete boundary post with the letter U on one side and H on the other situated to the left of the driveway entrance to Greylag Farm. The post served as a boundary marker dividing the parish of Upchurch from Lower Halstow. This happened because during the mid-18th century the body of a dead sailor was recovered from the river but permission to allow it to be buried in Upchurch churchyard was refused by the village overseers. However, Lower Halstow overseers allowed the body to be buried in Halstow village churchyard. This resulted in the farmer who owned the land at Ham Green to present the parish of Lower Halstow with 500 acres of land in the area as a gift in appreciation for what they had done. The land was returned to Upchurch during the 19th century but the rights of Ham Green residents in the former Lower Halstow part to use Upchurch church were not restored until 1961.
During the late 18th and the first half of the 19th century farmer Stephen Hedgecock and his family lived at the property which became known as Hedgecocks Farm. The farm consisted of 40 acres. A garden was also located on the opposite side of the road’ slightly to the right of the house according to the Upchurch Tithe Map of 1839.
Stephen Hedgecock, a well-known farmer in the parish, became one of only sixteen Upchurch residents to be given the right to vote in a general election in 1832. He also patronised the church and the village school as shown in the list of the school accounts for 1828 and 1829 where he is listed as giving the school seven shillings.
The acreage of the farm had decreased from forty to only eight acres during the 1850s, probably due to the death of Stephen Hedgecock and the running of the farm by his wife and his son Stephen who likely sold some of the land.
According to the National Census for Upchurch dated 1881 farm worker George Harriss and his wife Ann lived at the property and they were still resident there in 1901. This indicates that the house had become a tied farm cottage believed to have been owned by landowners Webb & Co.
Well known Upchurch parish councillor and fruit grower Ted Tress lived at the property with his family from 1909 to 1923. The house still had ten rooms including a flagged stone floor downstairs, a dairy and a big kitchen with a massive bakery oven no longer in use. Ted Tress’s mother used it for storing her homemade jam. There were 6½ acres of orchard attached to the house.
During the inter-war years, farmers A Hinge & Sons bought the property and land along with other farm properties and land in the area.
Actor James Robertson Justice lived in the house during the 1930s. He left for a while to serve in the Royal Naval Reserve during the war, but he got wounded and had to leave the service. He became resident at the property until 1945.
Greylag Farm at Ham Green.
While Justice lived at Hedgecocks Farm, ornithologist and broadcaster Sir Peter Scott became a frequent visitor and he and Justice spent time on and near the river bird watching. During this period Sir Peter Scott suggested the name Greylag for the property to Justice, so from this point, the house became known as Greylag instead of Hedgecocks Farm.
Justice caused controversy while living at Greylag by bathing in a tin bath in the garden, marching around the Ham Green peninsular wearing a kilt while playing the bagpipes, racing around the country lanes in his open top sports car and swimming naked with lady friends in the river. The police arrested Justice in 1944 and he appeared at Sittingbourne Magistrates Court for breaking the blackout law. He was released after being given a warning.
After Justice had moved away the property became a tied farm worker’s cottage again belonging to A Hinge & Sons. Several farm workers resided at the property during the 1950s but Ken Baldock and his family resided there the longest from 1958 to 1975. Ken Baldock became a long term worker for A Hinge & Sons for whom he worked well into retirement. He also became a long serving member of Upchurch Horticultural Society where he exhibited flowers, fruit and vegetables.
When the Baldock family left Greylag, printer Frank Russell bought the house from A Hinge & Sons. He renovated the property over several years and sold it. He and his family then moved to Callows Cottages at Ham Green.
Tristram Bower, a surveyor who spent his time working in the Arabian Gulf and then the Falklands, renovated the house and outbuildings and lived at the property with his partner Valerie until 2018. As a keen artist, he painted pictures of the local landscape and wildlife and he exhibited these locally. He also had one of the outbuildings converted into a studio where he spent his free time painting and hanging his work. While at the property Tristram Bower had a blue plaque in memory of James Robertson Justice fitted to the front wall of the house which can still be seen.
Michael and Laura Sears replaced Tristram Bower at Greylag in 2018 and they are the present occupants. They re-named the property Greylag Farm, redecorated the house and improved the appearance of the paddock.
Nowadays, Greylag Farm, like other former farm cottages and farmhouses in the Ham Green area, is an attractive and well-known property of historical significance.
David Wood
About David
David was born and raised at Ham Green and still lives there today. He writes from personal experience about Upchurch village life and the changes that have taken place over the years.
David's book, Memories of Upchurch, is a very readable and detailed historical study of the village and is available direct from David at: david3702001@yahoo.co.uk price £12 + postage and packing.
A runaway postmaster, a robbery at gunpoint and several changes in location, Upchurch post office has experienced all of these over the years.
Post offices were only found in towns and cities during the 1840s and 1850s. A carrier on a horse and cart took a bag of mail from village residents to the nearest main post office, which for Upchurch was situated in Sittingbourne. The carrier returned with a new bag of mail and an appointed village postman delivered the letters to residents’ homes.
Post boxes were in use nationwide in 1857, a telegraph service became available in 1870, postal orders appeared from 1881 and a parcel post in 1883.
Kelly’s Directory for Upchurch dated 1867 records that a post box was located in the church wall with collections at 4-40 pm on workdays and at 10-15 am on Sundays, but a post office had not yet been created in the village. Until the end of the 19th century, Upchurch residents most likely used Rainham Post Office, already in existence. However, Kelly’s Directory for 1878 records that a money order office and a savings bank became available in the shop, more recently known as Terrys. Grocer, draper and baker Horatio West managed the shop during the 1870s and the 1880s. He also received post from Sittingbourne Post Office and letters were probably collected by residents from the shop or delivered to their homes. The nearest telegraph office was located at Newington railway station during this period.
Evidence of the first Upchurch post office is recorded in the National Census for Upchurch dated 1901 which records Tom Wraight as the sub-postmaster. He also worked as a grocer, draper and baker and the post office became established in his shop (Terrys in recent times) at some point between 1891 and 1901.
Tom Wraight took over the shop around 1890, and he also worked as a baker in the Old Bakery in Forge Lane. In his free time, he served as a churchwarden, and he became well-known in the village as a singer, a violinist and a very good billiards player. His wife organised village social events during the 1890s.
Ernest Cozens became sub-postmaster in 1904 when the post office temporarily transferred to the Old Bakery in Forge Lane. He soon left and became sub-postmaster for Rainham in 1905. Tom Wraight took over again in Upchurch, but due to failing health, he retired in 1911, and Edward Crowhurst succeeded him in 1912.
Upchurch Post Office has operated from five separate locations within the village centre.
Emma Wraight at the Post Office door in 1910.
Click photos to enlarge.
Harry Legge worked as sub-postmaster in the post office in 1916, and he remained there for eight years until he disappeared with £336 of post office takings in 1924. He also embezzled money out of Lower Halstow Working Men’s Club, where he served as treasurer. After a nationwide search, the police arrested him in Hull and brought him back to Sittingbourne where he attended the Petty Sessions, and he was then referred to Kent Assizes in Maidstone. After being found guilty of theft, fraud and in possession of a revolver, he served sixteen months in Manchester prison, but he never returned to Upchurch although his wife periodically returned in later life to visit her relative Harry Witherden in Poot Lane.
Len Hubbard took over as sub-postmaster in 1927. He was soon followed by William Neame. The Neame family initially lived at the Old Bakery in Forge Lane where William worked as a baker, but he then became sub-postmaster, and the family moved to the Upchurch Stores in The Street (now a big white private house). The building became the new location for the post office until 1952.
William Neame’s son Teddy worked as sub-postmaster in the Upchurch Stores from 1948, then from 1952 Cliff Wanstall took over, and he became the new village sub-postmaster in the new Post Office and General Store based in the present-day Snaffles building. A red letter box and a stamp machine were placed just outside and Cliff’s sister occupied the flat above the shop.
Cliff Wanstall worked in the post office, assisted by his wife Fay until 1982. Services he offered included premium bonds in 1956, National Savings Certificates in 1969 and assistance for customers filling in official forms. He sold many items in the shop, such as toys and wool. He also sold fireworks in the weeks leading up to November 5th.
When Cliff Wanstall retired in 1982, Derek Edwards from Lower Halstow took over. When he finished a big change occurred in 1984 when the post office was transferred to the newsagent’s owned by Fred Clemons, and Geraldine Rowlands who came from Upchurch became the first sub-postmistress to take the position. She finished in 1995 because she only wanted to work part-time, but the job became full time. Bernard Clemons officially became sub-postmaster, but Ann Adams who had assisted Geraldine did the job. Julia Kemp succeeded Ann Adams in 2001 and remained until 2011.
Julie Brissenden from Rainham came to work at the newsagent’s in 2001 and worked in the post office from 2014. Nothing much has changed in the post office since her arrival but changes have occurred in the layout of the newsagent’s.
A serious incident took place in November 2013 when the then newsagent Prafel Jadeja was confronted by a hooded robber who forced him to hand over money from the till at gunpoint. When the robber left Prafel called the police, but although filmed on CCTV the robber was never caught.
The newsagent’s, now known as Costcutters where the post office is located, is owned by Hitesh Savjad but is managed by Pritesh Patel whose wife Reshmika is officially the sub-postmistress but she is assisted by Julie Brissenden.
The post office has existed as a familiar location in the village for more than a century, and it continues to provide valuable services for residents.
David Wood
About David
David was born and raised at Ham Green and still lives there today. He writes from personal experience about Upchurch village life and the changes that have taken place over the years.
David's book, Memories of Upchurch, is a very readable and detailed historical study of the village and is available direct from David at: david3702001@yahoo.co.uk price £12 + postage and packing.
A well known feature of the village, the recreation ground has hosted many events and activities since the end of the nineteenth century and has served as an open space for general recreational use.
The parish council decided to take the field opposite Black Horse Meadow (the present allotments) in Oak Lane and convert it into a recreation ground in 1897. Previously it had existed as a stony arable field owned by St John’s College, Oxford. After preparation of the field, grass was sown and hop poles were used to fence in the area. George Webb & Co acting on behalf of St John’s College negotiated a lease with the parish council and Upchurch recreation ground came into existence.
Apart from occasional football matches involving village boys on the ground, the only development during the early years was the construction of an iron galvanized urinal which the parish council had erected after complaints from residents about boys publicly urinating on the ground. The urinal became the first public toilet in the village.
After a relatively short period, the parish council viewed the recreation ground as being too expensive to maintain, so after a meeting on 9th August 1906, they decided to abandon it. The parish council gave notice to George Webb & Co and the area fell into disuse but there were calls to re-establish it in 1919. An application was made to George Webb & Co for the site and an agreement was then made for a 14 year lease at a cost of £28 per annum. This included seven acres for the recreation ground and additional land for allotments situated next to it in Black Horse Woods which had formerly been part of the vicarage.
During World War Two as part of the war effort, the recreation ground was taken for food production. Initially, it stood unused then Sid Jenkins from Horsham Farm took it over for his pigs on a lease of £12 per annum in 1942. He held the ground on condition that he maintained the gates and fences and at the expiry of the lease he left the ground in the same condition as when he took it on. A local army unit also got permission to use the area for physical training in October 1942.
At the end of the lease, Sid Jenkins sowed grass seed on the ground and then vacated it allowing it to revert back to recreational use. After this numerous organisations used the area. These included the Jehovah Witness Movement in 1947 and fair proprietor John Body who rented the ground for £5 per annum in 1954. This led to an annual fair taking place on the site. A little later the ground became the home of Upchurch Football Club and they had a basic wooden hut erected for changing purposes on the Bishop Lane side of the ground. The judging of floats and fancy dress parades also took place as part of the village carnival from 1952 to 1982.
During the early 1960s investigations were made into the establishment of a new recreation ground after George Webb & Co refused to renew the lease. Reverend Bradshaw offered The Paddock but it was rejected and farmer Frank Stevens was approached about selling some land at Holywell but he refused. Later in 1963 farmer Vic Mannering from Lower Halstow offered to sell eight acres of ground at Twinney to the parish council. At a public meeting on 29th January 1963 residents argued that the proposed site was too far out of the village and rejected it. Former resident Mrs Robinson then offered some waste ground beside the recreation ground on the site of the present Bishop Lane but the parish council deemed it unsuitable. Finally, George Webb & Co and the parish council made a deal and the former recreation ground became available to village residents again.
A young David Wood aged 12 or 13, playing in goal on the
recreation ground with other village boys around 1963/64.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Upchurch Football Club used the ground on Saturdays and Upchurch United used it on Sundays for several seasons but when these two clubs folded junior clubs from outside the parish rented the ground for football matches and training purposes. Eventually, organised club football ceased on the recreation ground.
More recently, trees were planted around the perimeter of the recreation ground, a pathway was constructed at each end and gates were fitted at the Oak Lane entrance to prevent unauthorised car parking. Goal posts were erected to encourage youngsters to play football on the site instead of in The Paddock. After this, the parish council had a beacon installed at the Oak Lane end of the recreation ground in 2018.
Upchurch Recreation Ground.
The beacon consists of a four metre high oak post with a steel basket on the top. An arm on the side of the post has a shield with one side showing the trenches and the other depicting soldiers at ease. A memorial bench was later placed beside the beacon.
The lighting of the beacon on 11th November 2018 included a ceremony called ‘Battle’s Over, A Nation’s Tribute’. The names of the fallen were read out and a bugler played ‘The Last Post.’ This was followed by the ringing of the church bells ‘Ringing for Peace’.
Although not an annual event, the next planned beacon ceremony is for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Beacons on Thursday 2nd June 2022.
Issues have arisen over the years such as unauthorised car parking, an incursion by vehicles with caravans and equestrian enthusiasts riding their horses over the area, but the recreation ground has survived and is a familiar and popular open space in the village.
David Wood
About David
David was born and raised at Ham Green and still lives there today. He writes from personal experience about Upchurch village life and the changes that have taken place over the years.
David's book, Memories of Upchurch, is a very readable and detailed historical study of the village and is available direct from David at: david3702001@yahoo.co.uk price £12 + postage and packing.
Thanks to David Wood for sharing his photo of Upchurch Tennis Club who formed 100 years ago today in 1921.
The Tennis Club was at the Vicarage, where they had access to a court.
Horace Holloway is far left back row, and David thinks the man in the centre back row is Fred Cottrell, who acted as the club secretary.
Upchurch Matters
Throughout the centuries the present collection of islands in the river formed part of the Upchurch mainland. During the mid-18th century after years of erosion, the river cut channels through the land forming islands. Two of the biggest islands, Burntwick and Greenborough, were still used by farmers for growing crops such as wheat and for the grazing of sheep. Some agricultural workers lived in houses erected on these two Islands. The ruins of a house can still be viewed on Greenborough today. From 1850 to 1918 digging for marsh clay and the removal of a large quantity of this exposed the marshes to further erosion and destruction by the tides.
During the second half of the 19th century, George Lumley-Webb, a Tunstall based landowner, attempted to reclaim the land. As the owner of land in Lower Halstow and at Ham Green he saw the opportunity to reclaim land cut off from the mainland and flooded by the river.
George Lumley-Webb had inherited about 1,500 acres of land in Upchurch and Lower Halstow from his uncle Henry Murton. Murton’s Father had enclosed about 100 acres of land on Greenborough for agricultural purposes in 1802. This gave George Lumley-Webb the idea of trying to reclaim more land lost to the river.
Mr Lumley-Webb decided to reclaim the land by enclosing it with bricks to protect it from the river and flooding. The length of the entire area which included five creeks covered about two miles. Mr Lumley-Webb employed fifty workers to complete the venture and he bought an old boat to accommodate forty of these. The workers constructed a tramway for trucks to remove the mud on the site. About 1,000 old corn and potato sacks were used to contain the mud. In 1881 a dam was constructed at Bob’s Creek. Two workers were drowned while working on this but it did not stop the project.
Mr Lumley-Webb had the weakest parts of the wall strengthened with ragstone and brick burrs. Grass seed with wild white clover was then sown. The area had to be harrowed by a small pony with a plough attached. This was because the surface proved too soft for a horse and plough to do the job without sinking into the mud.
After completion of the project, Mr Lumley-Webb still had problems to deal with such as the South of England Oyster Company. On the eve of the project completion, they claimed £10,000 in damages arguing that millions of young oysters they had laid in the area had died. When taken to court their claim was adjudged to be dishonest and their case rejected leaving Mr Lumley-Webb free to proceed with his project.
Although regarded as a great success at the time, the project proved to be expensive as the initial cost of the enclosure totalled £15,400 with a further £20,300 added later. However, Mr Lumley-Webb remained unconcerned as he was motivated by enterprise and endeavour rather than by profit. He also wanted to put lost land to use that would have otherwise been wasted.
In total 627 acres of land were enclosed with 237 acres at Greenborough, 237 at Slayhills, 142 at Milfordhope and 14 at Shoregate from where a way for wagons and livestock to reach Greenborough island was constructed and the remains can still be seen today.
The workers completed the job in July 1881 and to celebrate the occasion Mr Lumley-Webb held a special dinner for the men who had worked on the project.
The enclosures lasted until a high tide broke through the wall in fourteen places and swallowed up the entire area on December 31st 1904, ending hopes of continuing with agriculture on the islands. After this, there were no further attempts to reclaim the land.
Click photo to enlarge.
The long-distance photograph, taken in 2016, shows Burntwick Island
with Greenborough Island in front, then Barksore.
Photo courtesy of Kevin Thornton.
Mr Lumley-Webb continued farming in the Ham Green area. He had two identical sets of tied farm cottages constructed for his workers at Ham Green in 1882. These became known as Callows Cottages and Webbs Cottages which still exist.
Mr Lumley-Webb’s orchards were initially managed by James Robinson and then by James Holloway who lived in The Homestead at Ham Green. James Holloway, who was very active in village affairs, gained local fame as a member of the church parochial council, a manager of Holywell School, a long serving member of the church choir, a churchwarden, a member of Upchurch Cricket Club and the bellringers, a parish councillor and as chairman of the parish council. He also entered fruit in exhibitions at the Royal Horticultural Society on behalf of Mr Lumley-Webb for which he won numerous awards.
George Lumley-Webb stopped farming in the Upchurch area during the inter-war years. As one of the most important parish landowners, he offered employment to local people and he gained widespread fame with his attempt to reclaim land lost to the river.
David Wood
About David
David Wood was born, raised and still lives in Upchurch today. He is able to write from personal experience about village life and the changes that have taken place over the years, making ‘Memories of Upchurch’ a very readable and detailed historical study of the village.
David's book is available from David at david3702001@yahoo.co.uk or from us here at Upchurch Matters. Price £12 + postage and packing.
Nasty diseases and infections have periodically affected village residents for centuries, causing suffering and death.
The first recorded serious outbreak of plague occurred in 1348 when bubonic plague known as the ‘Black Death’ broke out and became a pandemic in which 20 million people in Europe died. Approximately 4 million people died in Britain but records of death rates in Upchurch do not appear to exist, so the extent of the plague and the numbers of deaths in the village cannot be given. At least Upchurch survived as a village while some other Kent villages such as Dode near Luddesdown and Midley and Eastbridge on Romney Marsh completely disappeared after the populations had been wiped out by the plague. Other villages were burnt to the ground to prevent the infections from spreading.
People, farm animals and chickens caught the plague, people infected were dead within ten days and suffered from headaches, weakness, swellings, cramp and sometimes gangrene. Treatments such as blood-letting or boil-lancing proved useless, so without adequate cures lots of people turned to religion. In Kent, they flocked to the shrine of Thomas Becket in Canterbury to pray for protection. People regarded the plague as God’s punishment for man’s sins.
The next serious plague occurred in 1665 with the outbreak of the Great Plague. Parish records show that 6 Upchurch residents died of plague in 1665 while 14 died in 1666. Some of these included Elizabeth Foreman, John Lille, Richard Barnett, Thomas and Richard Emerson.
The overseers of Upchurch would have followed the guidelines of the time. These included keeping domestic and farm animals off the streets, preventing gatherings of more than 38 people with the exception of prayer meetings, those infected were quarantined in their homes for 40 days and a red cross painted on the front door of infected houses to warn others.
People infected with the plague displayed visible symptoms such as armpit swellings, skin blotches and sneezing. People carried posies in their pocket to ward off the plague but little else was available to cure those infected. The dead were buried in a mass grave in a separate part of the churchyard and were covered in lime.
During the plague, Stangate Creek became a base for ships to moor while the crews quarantined. This was done because people believed that the plague had entered the country from abroad.
Outbreaks of plague broke out in other years that also proved fatal. In 1634 there were 24 deaths from plague recorded in Upchurch. In 1638 59 residents died and in 1688 27 died. The outbreak was described at the time as ‘a malignant fever that hit Kent and Essex.’
The most long term ailment to affect Upchurch was a form of marsh malaria known as ague, carried by mosquitoes that affected low lying areas of Southern England. Residents of Upchurch, Lower Halstow and Lower Rainham suffered.
Bouts of ague affected residents in Upchurch from the 16th to the 20th century and it thrived in marshy areas, particularly in shallow pools of stagnant water. People affected had symptoms such as fever, sweating and shivering.
Edward Hasted wrote about the effects of ague on victims in his 1789 ‘Topographical Survey of the County of Kent,’
The severe agues which the inhabitants are very rarely without, whose complexions become of a dingy yellow and if they survive, are generally afflicted with this till summer, and again for several years, so it is not unusual to see a poor man, his wife and whole family of five or six children hovering around a fire in their hovel, shaking with ague all at the same time.
A cure for ague did not appear until the late 19th century when quinine was used to cure the problem. Although medicines were already in use these were generally inadequate. Reverend John Woodruff provided medicine for ague and distributed it to residents affected. According to the 1856 Upchurch alms book, Reverend Woodruff distributed bottles of ague medicine to Sarah Boakes, Mr Seager, John Boakes and his family and to Mrs Smith’s children. He also gave 53 bottles of ague medicine to villagers in 1857.
Reverend John Woodruff, a section of an old map showing Stangate Creek and
Keycol Hill Hospital and Sanatorium Shelters.
Click image to enlage.
Six Upchurch children were admitted to Keycol Hospital with smallpox in 1893. An outbreak of diphtheria occurred at Ham Green in 1894 and during the same period, an outbreak of typhoid occurred because of infected drinking water in wells. The construction of a new waterworks at Yelsted virtually ended the problem of typhoid in Upchurch in 1898.
Holywell School had to close periodically and classrooms disinfected after pupils were sent home suffering from measles or scarlet fever. According to the Holywell daily record book the school had to close for about a week in January 1896 due to an outbreak of measles and the problem periodically reoccurred well into the 20th century.
Life threatening disease was less prevalent due to advances in medicine during the 20th century, so only outbreaks of flu, measles and scarlet fever were periodically recorded, usually amongst pupils at the Infant’s School or at Holywell. However, a few residents died of influenza during the national epidemic of 1918, but Upchurch escaped lightly compared to neighbouring villages such as Rainham where much higher death rates and infections were recorded.
A very serious epidemic known as Coronavirus broke out nationwide in 2020. This quickly affected the whole country and a national lockdown took place with hand washing, social distancing, shut downs and self isolation. After two lockdowns a vaccination programme was introduced and this reduced the death and infection rates. In Upchurch numerous residents caught Coronavirus and some died. The lockdown was eased in April 2021 with further easing in May mainly as a result of an efficient large scale vaccination programme.
Even with advances in medicine, the recent pandemic demonstrated that we are not immune from the effects of nasty ailments that periodically appear.
David Wood
About David
David Wood was born, raised and still lives in Upchurch today. He is able to write from personal experience about village life and the changes that have taken place over the years, making ‘Memories of Upchurch’ a very readable and detailed historical study of the village.
David's book is available from David at david3702001@yahoo.co.uk or from us here at Upchurch Matters. Price £12 + postage and packing.
Generations of Upchurch residents have believed in the existence of a holy well at Holywell. This is the reason why the area has its name. Holy wells date back to pagan times in England, although many have been lost over time.
Hard proof of a holy well in Upchurch did not appear until 1949 when during the ploughing of a field, farmer Frank Stevens who lived in Holywell House and owned Holywell Farm discovered a 5x5 feet square sarson stone just below the surface of the land. He believed that this probably covered the lost holy well that some residents believed existed. An expert came to investigate.
Click letter to enlarge.
Research by John H. Evans (possibly of Kent Archives) given to
Mrs Ethel Stevens of Holywell Farm in 1949.
Thanks to Christine Stevens for sharing this information.
When the sarson stone that was embedded about one foot into the ground was removed a circular well extending to a depth of 5 feet 6 inches was discovered. Although filled with flints the water reached a level of 4 feet 6 inches. Evidence of any masonry or brickwork did not exist.
The sarson stone may have been used to cover the well during the 16th century Reformation when Henry XIII ended Catholicism in England. This prevented locals from reopening the well and it discouraged pilgrims from visiting the site.
The location of the well is in a field near the public footpath which extends from Holywell to Breach Lane near the bottom of a valley containing a stream which flows from Gore Farm to Twinney Creek. The site of the well is about 130 feet from the stream and 17 feet from the fence that marks the boundary between Upchurch and Lower Halstow.
Evidence suggests that local belief about a holy well existing in the area is correct. These days the sarson stone no longer exists at the site and the well is hidden under the surface of a field.
A marker positioned over Master John Schorne’s Field, where the lost holy well
at Holywell is believed to be located.
The well at Holywell is believed to be of Druid origin. Like the well at Tottington, a village near Bury in Lancashire, there may have been a circle of stones surrounding it or an ancient marker but this is not known for sure. A stone megalith called ‘The Devil’s Stone’ is located beside the gates of St Mary’s church in Church Lane Newington. Could this have a connection with the well at Holywell which is not far away?
Ancient wells were regarded as being mystical with healing and divine aspects. Visitors came from afar to either drink or bathe in the water to obtain a cure for ailments. Another clue is that a Neolithic road passes through the parish of Upchurch from Gillingham to Newington which shows that the area was regarded with some importance in bygone times. The name Halstow means holy place in Jutish. The jutes regarded Lower Halstow as an important location which may have been due to the presence of a holy well in the area.
According to James Rattue in his book ‘Holy Wells of Kent,’ the well was probably visited by pilgrims travelling along Watling Street to Canterbury and they may have stopped off at Holywell to visit the well. Furthermore, a 16th century will of Rest Radfyn’s of Queenborough states giving one penny to ‘Master John Schorne of Halstowe.’ This was done to cover overdue pilgrimage duties.
The well was likely connected to a local saint named Sir John Schorne who originated from Shorne in Kent. He became the rector of North Marston church in Buckinghamshire from 1290 to 1314 and he had a sizeable following. Although never canonised as a saint his followers considered him one with a connection to some miracles. For example, when a drought occurred in North Marston it’s claimed he hit the ground with his staff and a spring of water gushed up. This saved the village population from thirst. It’s also claimed that he conjured the Devil into a boot. In the Medieval period gout was known as the ‘Devil in the foot.’ Many of John Schorne’s followers asked him to help them cure gout and Schorne became famous for this as shown by an inscription on the holy well at North Marston.
Sir John Schorne
Gentleman borne
Conjured the Devil into a boot.
Schorne also became well-known for his ability to cure people of ague, a form of malaria spread by mosquitoes. This became common in low lying parishes such as Upchurch and Lower Halstow. Ague became so serious that after Edmond Drake’s period as vicar from 1560 to 1567 Upchurch vicars did not reside permanently in the parish until the early 19th century and only visited Upchurch to conduct regular church services, baptisms, weddings and burials.
The field where the holy well is located was dedicated to Sir John Schorne and was named ‘Master John Schorne’s Field’ in 1574 according to James Raffue in his book ‘Holy Wells of Kent.’ Schorne probably blessed the well at Holywell which allowed pilgrims to come and use the water to be cured of their ailments.
Sir John Schorne’s shrine and well at North Marston became an important 14th century pilgrimage site. Holywell, a similar holy well, probably had a shrine and chapel for pilgrims to use while on their way to Canterbury but hard evidence of this is not available, so if a shrine or chapel did once exist at the site these are long gone.
Over time the well lost its importance and it became part of village folklore. It remains an important historical village feature about which little is recorded and although the area where it’s located and the village primary school are named after it, the site remains unmarked.
David Wood
About David
David Wood was born, raised and still lives in Upchurch today. He is able to write from personal experience about village life and the changes that have taken place over the years, making ‘Memories of Upchurch’ a very readable and detailed historical study of the village.
David's book is available from David at david3702001@yahoo.co.uk or from us here at Upchurch Matters. Price £12 + postage and packing.
Not many out of the ordinary incidents occur in quiet country villages like Upchurch but in June 1912 residents experienced a sensational event when a large mysterious aeroplane flying haphazardly and in flames above the village was spotted. The news spread quickly and curious residents rushed from their homes to view the spectacle.
The story, according to the 'East Kent Gazette' dated June 1912, concerned a French pilot named Mr Jules Nardini who was flying a monoplane from Dover to Hendon after completing a successful crossing of the English Channel from France. While passing over Upchurch the plane’s engine developed serious problems and Mr Nardini, without many options, was forced to crash land it in a wheat field at Gore Farm.
Famous aviator Jules Nardini about to take off from Whitfield Airfield
Jules Nardini steeplechasing over crowds and aeroplanes at Hendon on
the Deperdussin monoplane.
After the plane looped down it landed heavily, the petrol tank was damaged and developed a serious leak. Mr Nardini, uninjured but shaken, climbed out to inspect the damage but as he did so a large crowd of Upchurch residents who had been watching the plane swarmed across the wheat field at Gore Farm to get a closer look. In the process of doing this, they trampled down a large area of wheat. In 1912 aircraft were not a common sight flying over the Kent countryside and this one probably had the same effect on the local population as a U.F.O would have today, especially as it had been encircling the village with visible serious problems.
Gore Farm owner Mr Crawford, who was not amused with what had happened, soon appeared on the scene. After inspecting the plane and his damaged wheat field, he invited Mr Nardini into his house to discuss the matter but in the process of doing this, somebody in the crowd dropped a cigarette or match on the ground. Petrol that had leaked from the plane on to the ground immediately ignited and the monoplane instantly went up in flames along with the surrounding wheat. The police were called to a chaotic scene and eventually drove the inquisitive but defiant crowd away while the blaze was tackled.
Eventually, the fire was extinguished and the monoplane survived but badly burnt and Mr Crawford estimated that about £50 worth of damage had been done to his wheat. In the evening he drove Mr Nardini to Chatham railway station from where the Frenchman was able to continue his journey to London. The damaged monoplane was then removed from Gore Farm and temporarily stored in the yard of 'The Key Inn' situated in Key Street.
In the meantime, Upchurch residents were able to gossip about the unexpected incident which appeared in both the national and local press.
David Wood
About David
David Wood was born, raised and still lives in Upchurch today. He is able to write from personal experience about village life and the changes that have taken place over the years, making ‘Memories of Upchurch’ a very readable and detailed historical study of the village.
David's book is available from David at david3702001@yahoo.co.uk or from us here at Upchurch Matters. Price £12 + postage and packing.
