Upchurch Village Market - Sunday 25th May

Upchurch Village Market returns to the Village Hall this Sunday the 25th of May between 10:00am - 1:00pm

Upchurch Matters
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Nursery Days - Diary Dates for 2014

Tuesday 3rd June	Graduation pictures	Lee Baddely will be in to take photos of the children that are graduation.
Friday 13th June	Father’s day 3.30pm – 4.30pm	We are inviting the fathers, carers or men in the children’s lives in to join the children for tea.
Tuesday 15th July	Graduation 10.30am – 11.15am approx	This is a lovely (and a little sad) ceremony where we celebrate the children’s time at nursery and wish them well for the future.
Tuesday 15th July	Snowflake parents evening 4.00pm – 6.00pm	A chance for you to come and look through your child’s file and have a little chat with your key person.
Wednesday 16th July	Sunbeams Parents evening 4.00pm – 6.00pm	As above.
Thursday 17th July	Rainbow parents evening 4.00pm – 6.00pm	As above.
Wednesday 17th September	Teddy bears picnic 3.00pm – 4.30pm	This is to be organised by Snowflake room so watch this space.
Tuesday 30th September	Parent lunch 11.30 – 1.00pm	Today we are inviting parents into have lunch with their children.  Be warned it will mean sitting at a little table!  Nearer the time the rooms will start collecting information on who is coming.
Tuesday 14th October	Mad hatters tea party	Today we will be going through the rabbit hole and into the magical land of Alice in wonderland.  The children will enjoy a mad hatter’s tea party with teapots, cups and saucers and some special dainty food that asks you to ‘eat me’.
Tuesday 9th December	Snowflake room Christmas gathering 3.30pm – 4.30pm	Parents/carers are invited into Snowflake room to share mince pies, meet some other parents and listen to Christmas music.
Wednesday 10th December	Sunbeams Christmas performance 10.30am -11.15am / 2.30pm – 3.15pm	Yet to be announced, but always an excellent production, Sunbeams Christmas performance. More details nearer the time.
Wednesday 17th December	Rainbow Christmas craft morning 9.30am – 11.30am	Rainbow room invite all the parents in to the room to watch and join in some Christmas art and craft activities.  There will be lots going on and is an excellent opportunity for you to see the room in action.

Please note that Nursery Days is shut on all Bank Holidays. We also close early at 4:00pm on Christmas Eve and reopen on the first working day after the new year. Children in need will be announced nearer the time.

Mel.
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A History of ‘The Three Sisters’ Public House

The Three Sisters circa 1910.

With the coming of the brickfields to lower Rainham in the mid-19^th century which required a large number of men to do hard physical work, the construction of The Three Sisters in 1863 came as no surprise. Throughout the second part of the 19^th century and into the 20^th century brickfield workers regularly drank in the pub and some even lodged there. This contributed regular business which is probably a major reason why the pub survived while the Anchor & Hope and the Lord Stanley at Otterham Quay eventually closed.

There are several theories about how the pub acquired its name but the exact reason is unknown. The first of these is connected with three sarsen stones which are situated at the south west corner of the pub. These mark the footpath that passes through Natal Farm. Secondly, there were once three beacons situated on the marshes to guide shipping that were known as The Three Sisters. Another theory is that the pub was named after the three Hubbard sisters who lived in a nearby cottage during the 19^th century.

George Freeman served as the first publican of the Three Sisters with his wife Ellen who originated from Ireland. In 1871 his niece Frances Sarden and a lodger named William Lacy also lived there. George Freeman’s name appears on the 1861 census list as publican of the Anchor and Hope pub in Otterham Quay where he worked before taking on The Three Sisters. By 1881 George Clark had taken over and he remained there until the 1890s. Bill Edmunds then took over with his wife Rose and two children William and Rose. Bill Edmunds, a short, stocky man with bushy black eyebrows and a mustache became well known in the area and became a prominent member of Rainham Cycle Club whose headquarters were based at the Green Lion Inn in Rainham High Street. While serving as publican at the Three Sisters he organised regular excursions to the seaside and short cycling trips for customers.

During the 1890s ‘The Jolly Brickmakers club’ became established in the pub. Members contributed money so that social trips could be organised to different locations. Many trips took place including one to Yalding in 1894. Concerts were also held at the pub in aid of needy parishioners. In August, 1899 a smoking concert raised £4 for blind parishioner Richard Turrell from Otterham Quay.

In 1900 brickfield workers like Richard Parr and Fred Wilkman lodged at the pub along with a servant named Edith Wills who helped out in the building. Landlord Bill Edmunds who had made a big contribution to the pub while managing it died prematurely from pneumonia aged 40 in 1902.

David Wood.

 After the death of Bill Edmunds Henry Tassell took over as publican in the period leading up to the 1920s. He married the former landlord’s widow Rose and they had two children named Alec and Ethel. Alec became a well-known cricketer with Upchurch and Rainham cricket clubs and a bricklayer with E.C. Gransden Ltd. William Edmunds, son of the former publican of the same name also played cricket for Upchurch and became landlord during the 1920s. When he left Albert Roche and his wife Caroline arrived. They were succeeded by Ernie Huseman and his wife Eleanor during the 1930s and 1940s.

During the 1960s brickfield workers, foreign seamen from Otterham Quay and locals continued to patronise the pub with characters like Bill Richardson who lived nearby in a bungalow. He personally constructed it single handed over more than a decade. ‘The Keg Boys’ from Rainham with members like Stan Peace, Neville Huggins and Colin Chapman also periodically drank there along with other locals.

Robert Moulton and his wife Margaret became long serving landlords at the pub until the 1970s but with the closure of the brickfield trade from brickfield employees ceased and the pub had to rely on a hard core group of locals to keep the pub going.

One of the most popular landlords and innovators at the pub, a former talented local footballer named Mick Harris, resided there during the 1980s to the mid-1990s. A very outgoing, sometimes outspoken and lively individual, he encouraged a younger clientele with discos and music nights and proved to be a very popular landlord with large numbers of customers attending at weekends. In 1997 Sue and Graham Fry took over and they stayed until 1999.

The Three Sisters as it looks today.

Sally Godden who is a familiar local figure in the equestrian world now runs the pub which is known to many customers as ‘The Six Tits’. The pub has a regular band of drinkers, it serves food and hosts regular, live weekly music with Karaoke nights. Singers and musicians like Mickey Blue Eyes, Annie Love and Lisa Mills perform there. With a main bar at the front, a functions room and a beer garden at the back, oak beams on the ceiling, an open fire in winter and pub games like pool, darts and cards, The Three Sisters remains a popular pub in the area and has developed a new image compared to the old days when it attracted brickfield workers.

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 + £3.50 postage and packing.

David Wood.

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Bricks, Brickmen & Barges

Jane Gransden
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Allotment at Upchurch

If you are interested in renting an allotment, please do contact the Clerk. The allotments are managed by Upchurch Parish Council and are located in Oak Lane opposite the Recreation Ground.

Currently, the annual rent is as follows:

Parishioner: £16 per full plot /£8 per half plot

Non-Parishioner: £25 per full plot/£12.50 per half plot

(Rates valid as at 1st April 2014. Please note that the rent is due on 1st April each year.)

Claire Attaway, Clerk to the Parish Council.
Email: clerk@upchurchpc.kentparishes.gov.uk
Tel: 01634 363906.
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UpARA - Programme of Events

Upchurch Active Retirement Association

We had a very successful launch of our new association in Upchurch, with 77 members signing up at the inaugural meeting, which has now risen to 110, against our limit of 150.

Our next events are;-

Monthly Meetings (2^nd Friday of the month)

(Members Free; Guests £2.00)

Friday 13^th June 2014, 2:00pm

 Coffee Mornings (4^th Tuesday of the month)

(Members £1.50; Guests £2.00)

Tuesday 27^th May 2014, 09:30am

*

Tuesday 24^th June 2014, 09:30am

Village Walks (Every other Friday)

Friday 23^rd May 2014, tba

Outings

Thursday 24^th July 2014

Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury

“Oliver”

*

Wednesday 13^th August 2014

Day Trip to Brighton

*New members welcome*

David Powell - Chairman

Email: davidrpowell5@hotmail.co.uk
Telephone: 01795 843550

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