From being a small rural village with a tiny population
living in thatched cottages surrounding the church for centuries, Upchurch,
which means ‘Church on the hill’, has grown into a big village in Swale and at
present has a population of over 3,500. Although the road layout is similar to
previously, many parts of the village are unrecognisable from past times and
some big changes have taken place.
The first significant rise in population took place in the
second half of the 19th century when the figure rose from 777 in
1871 to 1,121 in 1881, mainly due to the establishment of the brickfields. The
village population only rose slightly to 1,129 in 1901 and only grew gradually
after that until the 1960s. During this period several housing estates were
constructed in quick succession starting with Crosier Court in 1961, followed
by The Poles, Church Farm Road, Marstan Close and later Bishop Lane. These
estates attracted new residents from far and wide. The population then grew
substantially until it exceeded 3,000.
Old thatched cottages once existed at Ham Green and Wetham
Green while oast houses were located in Horsham Lane, Chaffes Lane and Forge
Lane. As a result of population growth and the building of new houses some old
historical buildings which were left over from past centuries disappeared for
ever. For example, on the site of Church Farm Road housing estate an old
Elizabethan barn, a forge and Church Farm Cottages had existed up to the 1960s
before being demolished. Opposite The Crown several buildings that dated from
the 18th century were knocked down while Bradshaw Close replaced the
old vicarage building which had existed since 1724.
There are still buildings which have survived from the
distant past. These include the church which dates from 1100, ‘Wayside’
situated opposite which is believed to have served as a vicarage, a coach and
horses stop off point, a pub and a confectionary shop at different times. The
site originally dates from the 14th century although the present
house dates from the 17th century.
The site of The Crown pub has survived from the 14th
century with a layout that suggests that it had a connection with the church, a
meat store, a coffin maker’s workshop and finally a pub. Gore Farm farmhouse
also dates from the 14th century and Black Horse Cottages in Oak
Lane survive from the 18th century. The Paddock still exists in more
or less the same condition since the mid-19th century with the
exception of the children’s play area and the recreation ground has existed
since 1897 although trees have been planted around the perimeter. A scout’s hut
named Drake’s Lodge adjoins it, the wooden hut that Upchurch Football Club used
for changing purposes no longer exists and Upchurch Football Club no longer
play there. Next to the recreation ground and opposite the doctor’s surgery is
the former police house where the village policeman lived. A policeman had been
resident in the village since the second half of the 19th century
and before then constables were elected by the parish overseers to maintain law
and order in the village. This is no longer the case.
Holywell School served the village for the education of all village
children from 1847 until 1883 when the Infant’s School was opened. Children of
secondary school age continued to be educated at Holywell until the 1930s then
began travelling to Medway for their secondary education. In 1976 the school
closed and the pupils were moved to a new building in Forge Lane along with
pupils from the Infant’s School to form the new Holywell School. The old
Holywell School eventually became the location for a private company while the
Infant’s School became a private nursery school named ‘Nursery Days’ in 1996.
Upchurch Children of secondary age now travel to Sittingbourne schools for
their education.
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David wood. |
The village post office has occupied various buildings starting
with the shop now known as ‘Terry’s’ during the late 19th and first
part of the 20th centuries. It then moved to the Old Bakery in Forge
Lane for a while, back to ‘Terry’s’ then to the Upchurch Stores opposite the
church in The Street. During the 1950s it moved on to the building now known as
‘Snaffles’ and finally to its present location at the newsagent’s in 1982.
The building opposite Snaffles is now the Co-op stores but
after its construction in 1893 it became the Edward 1st pub which
had originally been located at ‘Wayside,’ the white building opposite the
church. It became a convalescent home during and after World War 1 then the
Co-op Stores from the early 1950s.
Today there is more and better quality housing available
than at the beginning of the 20th century. A village hall appeared
for the first time in 1961 which has served as a venue for parties, village
organisations and sports clubs. Previously the Infant’s School and the former
Labour Hall served as the main social venues. The golf club replaced the hop gardens
in Oak Lane and a new location appeared first for the cricket club in 1987 then
later for the football club in Holywell Lane. A garage with a petrol pump
existed almost opposite Crosier Court in Horsham Lane from the 1950s but this
closed down and became a car showroom.
With the coming of Woodruff Close in Horsham Lane and the
construction of housing estates on the sites of the former brickfield and Four
Gun Field near Canterbury Lane, Upchurch is expanding and getting closer to
being joined to Rainham.
Outside the village centre farmland is worked more
intensively by fewer farmers than previously. In the past a larger number of
farmers and smallholders existed in the parish but due to economic
circumstances many went out of business and local labour has been replaced by
seasonal and temporary Eastern European workers. This has led to barns and farm
workers cottages being converted into luxury homes, mainly in the Ham Green
area of the parish and a change in the composition of the local population.
While ‘Pick Your Own’ strawberries are no longer available at Twinney, The
Barnyard farm shop still continues at Gore Farm.
Otterham Quay has served as a port over the centuries
allowing the transport of agricultural products and bricks to other locations.
In the 16th century it became an outlet for the export of corn which
made the village affluent for a while. It also became an important
consideration in the building of the brickfields during the mid-19th
century from where a single track allowed bricks to be transported to Otterham
Quay then on to other locations by barge. A similar situation arose at the
Wakeley Poot Lane brick works from 1862 when bricks were transported across
Wetham Green by rail to Twinney Creek then on to other locations by barge. By
the early 20th century three pubs known as The Anchor & Hope,
The Lord Stanley and The Three Sisters served the Otterham brickfield workers,
bargemen and seamen. Today only The Three Sisters continues to exist as a pub
in the Otterham Quay area.
The area of the village has remained about the same but Burntwick
Island just off the Ham Green Peninsular is no longer part of the village as it
got cut off by the river during the mid-18th century. During the
same period a large area of land incorporating the lower end of Poot Lane and
Ham Green which got handed over to the parish of Lower Halstow by the owner as
a gift was returned to Upchurch in 1882 although parishioners living there
didn’t officially obtain ecclesiastical rights in the village until the early
1960s.
Until well into the 20th century most Upchurch
residents were born, educated, married, worked and died in the village. Being a
rural area male residents found work on local farms, on the barges or in the
brickfields. Women did periodic fruit or hop picking on local farms to
supplement their husbands’ income. This remained relatively unchanged until the
1960s. At present residents generally work away from the village with many
commuting to London and are generally much better off than residents from
previous centuries who suffered hardship, periods of unemployment and disease
such as ague, a marsh malaria that wasn’t totally eradicated until the early 20th
century.
The church, which is characterised by its ‘candle snuffer’
tower and where Sir Francis Drake’s father Edmund Drake served as vicar, has
remained a focal point in the village but its social role has changed. Up to
the early 19th century it incorporated the village school. Although
it continues its traditional role for religious services, baptisms, weddings
and funerals, it’s now also the venue for musical concerts and fund raising
events. There is no longer a resident vicar but instead a group of clergy who
operate between several parishes which includes Upchurch.
Many clubs and organisations have existed since the second
part of the 19th century with the oldest being Upchurch Cricket Club
formed in 1883 and the Mother’s Union formed in the early 1890s. With a large
variety of clubs the village has catered for a vast range of residents’
recreational interests over the years.
The village continues with its long tradition of fund
raising which has remained a feature since the mid-19th century. Old
traditions have ended like the annual village fete and carnival, the village
marathon and the Empire Day celebrations while new events like the Upchurch
Festival of Music and theatrical plays have become established.
Upchurch today is a well organised village with good quality
housing and facilities for residents while still maintaining its rural
character with plenty of open spaces and a healthy environment for families to
live.
About David:
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. David's book ‘Memories of Upchurch’ is available direct from David at: david3702001@yahoo.co.uk or from us here at Upchurch Matters.
price £12 + p+p £2.
David Wood.
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