The Upchurch Coronation Celebrations of 1953 by David Wood

The coronation of a young Queen Elizabeth II was perhaps the largest event in the UK in 1953. The first coronation to be fully covered on TV. It captivated the nation with pomp and ceremony, similar to the recent coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla.

In Upchurch, a committee chaired by Cecil Bishop from Horsham Lane was formed to decide how the event should be celebrated in the village and how money should be raised.

Money raising events were soon underway in April, with a jumble sale and a house to house collection that raised £16. The committee also decided that all children under school age should receive a coronation souvenir and that a competition should take place to find the best decorated house and garden in the village. Mrs Porter from Crown Cottage at Ham Green won the Best Decorated House Competition, and Mrs Brunt from Oak Lane won the Best Decorated Garden Competition. This proved to be a very popular and well supported activity.

Upchurch Football Club planned to stage a coronation six a side football competition in May, but the KCFA refused permission. This setback soon passed as a coronation marathon was arranged for June 5th, and in preparation for this, the trophies were put on display in the post office. With competitions for men, women and juniors, it proved to be a great success and raised £30 for the coronation funds. The winners included Trevor Syfleet (men), Pat Atkinson (women), John Gilbert (boys) and Janice Lacy (girls). Carnival Queen Inys Hales presented the prizes. A hard working committee consisting of Mr Atkinson, Mr Bass, Mr Stewart, Mr Higgins and Mrs Bronger organised the event.

Queen Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh in

their coronation portrait, 1953.

The following Saturday saw the opening of coronation activities in the Paddock by Upchurch vicar Reverend Clark which also proved successful, raising £120. Events included maypole dancing, a fancy dress parade and races. Red, white and blue balloons and bunting decorated the Infants School, where free teas were served to children and pensioners by Mrs Burton, Mrs Grigg and Mrs Colvin. In addition, the Rainham & District Co-operative Society presented a special silver Elizabethan coin to Upchurch children to celebrate the coronation. Coronation mugs were also presented as souvenirs to all families in the parish.

A special coronation cricket match took place between Upchurch and Rainham at Berengrove Park in Rainham the following Monday. Unfortunately, Upchurch lost the match, but a collection raised £3 on the ground. However, the most popular and most well attended activity took place at the Old Forge in Forge Lane, where Vic Mannering, representing the Upchurch branch of the Conservative Association, showed a blockbuster film every second week to raise money for the Coronation funds. 

In October, at a special coronation committee funds meeting at the Infants School, secretary Ted Tress explained that £134 had been obtained from donations, £104 had already been spent on the celebrations, and £30 was in hand. This led to a public meeting being called on Thursday, November 12th, to decide how the excess money should be spent, and demonstrated that with sound organisation and fundraising efforts, the village coronation celebrations had proven to be highly successful, making 1953 a year to remember.

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.

Temporary Road Closure - Lower Rainham Road, Rainham

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Roadworks website one.network shows another temporary road closure of Lower Rainham Road, Rainham, this time between the junctions of Berengrave Lane and West Motney Way.

Lower Rainham Road is due to close for broadband network works by CityFibre from Tuesday the 27th of June, with estimated completion by Sunday the 9th of July 2023.

Access will be maintained, with a diversion route for vehicles in place.

For information regarding this closure, contact Medway Council: 01634 333 333

For details of roadworks, see: https://one.network

Upchurch Matters

Holywell Kids Club - Summer Holidays 2023

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Booking is essential and is taken on a first come first served basis, please use Arbor to book if your child attends Holywell.

Children from other schools are very welcome, please message: 07706 002060 or Email: kclub@holywell.kent.sch.uk

Holywell Primary School

Website: www.holywell.kent.sch.uk

Poolside Bar & Courtyard Music Night with Something Else at Upchurch River Valley Golf Course

Jenny Giles - Upchurch River Valley Golf Course

Telephone: 01634 360626

Website: www.rivervalleygolf.co.uk

From the Potting Shed - June 2023

Sponsored by Upchurch River Valley Golf Course Ltd

June will soon be here, and the summer is coming. May has been a better month with some warm sunny days, but there is a sharp wind up here which means that people are still in coats. Temperatures are definitely a couple of degrees lower than in Kent and still using the central heating. We are busy working on the garden. The Duchess is doing sterling work in the front, but the people are so friendly here that she seems to spend a lot of time chatting to passers-by. She did take me to task recently complaining that I was taking all the credit for the hard work, so I thought I would give her a mention. I am working out the back, and the vegetable patch is nearly complete, although there are still plenty of logs to cut. The chainsaw needs some 2-stroke, but the nearest petrol station is 7 miles away. Life in Suffolk is much more secluded, and a trip to the Supermarket is an expedition. Getting rid of rubbish is not easy as there are only 3 refuse collection sites in the whole county, and the wheelie bin is tiny.

The lawn has had a cut but is little more than a rough patch of grass and shows no sign of thickening up. I have been looking at local seed merchants, but they seem to specialise in paddock and livestock pastures. The best option for grass seed seems to be Amazon. A lot of standard lawn seed mixes are not very drought resistant, and conditions seem to be getting hotter and drier. It may not be a problem this year, but it is probably sensible to look for a mix that can handle drought better. Bermuda grass is a good option and is available from Amazon. It is slow to germinate and needs temperatures between 16°C and 22°C. Kentucky Bluegrass is easier and is also known as Smooth Stalked Meadow Grass (SSMG). It will turn to hay in hot conditions but is tougher than Ryegrass. I did look for Kikuyu, which is very tough but also very expensive.

Hopefully, your vegetable patch is up and running, and you may already be taking salad crops. As you clear a patch, re-sow more seed and keep the Lettuce, Radish and Spring Onions coming. Spring Onions are a good addition to stir fry dishes. Either cut lengthways or sliced. I also like to throw a fistful of sliced Spring Onions into a chilli or curry for the last 5 minutes to give a bit of crunch. Early Potatoes should be ready this month, and simply lift the whole root when the flowers start to fade. No need to cut down the haulms as this thickens the skins which is only required for Maincrop Potatoes. Early Broad Beans will be ready and should not be left too long. As the beans mature, they get tougher and need more cooking. A fully ripe bean can be eaten raw with a salad. Take a look at the “scar” where the bean connects to the pod. It should be green. If it has turned black, it has gone over. It is still perfectly edible but needs simmering for a while. Take your vegetable crops as they ripen so they are fully tender, and don’t let them get tough, stringy or woody.

The colour of the scar indicates the condition of the bean.

The borders and containers will start to billow and need some attention, and it will become obvious which plants are too close to each other. When planting young shrubs and seedlings, it is so easy to put them too close together only to see them grow and smother each other. Follow the planting instructions on the label or simply look them up in a book or on the internet. Height and spread will tell you how far apart to plant or whether it should go at the back or the front of the border. The clever bit is to check colour and form to achieve contrast. Dahlias and Fuchsia complement each other well and tend to flower from June through to the first hard frost.

We hope to establish a small fruit orchard next year, but at the moment, we have no fruit in the garden. In fact, I have not even seen an Apple Tree in Suffolk yet. There seems to be a complete lack of orchards up here and hardly any fruit trees in the gardens. Maybe I am walking around with my head down, but I haven’t noticed any blossom at all. I suppose the Cherries will be ripening in June/July and Strawberries, but all I can see are acres of Wheat. I miss the Braeburn Apple Tree from Oak Lane, the Victoria Plum and the ancient old Beurre Hardy Pears, which used to belong to the Vicar. June was the month when the trees would naturally jettison a lot of fruit as if to select the best ones for ripening. Then after June, it was the time to thin out a bumper crop before the branches got ripped off… happy memories.

June is also the start of summer and time for outdoor living. Get the patio cleaned up and brush down the garden furniture. Smarten up the chiminea and think about the marinades and punches. If you have some friends, you might like to invite them around. If you don’t, it doesn’t really matter. There is a saying up here that goes... “Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits”…. company will only spoil that. However, a pint of Green Jack Golden Best will compliment it wonderfully.

UHS is always looking for new members and tries to encourage a fun attitude towards friendly competition. So if you want to grow your own fruit, vegetables, and flowers or even enter any of the shows we hold each year, please get in touch. We would be happy to hear from you.

If you are interested in becoming a member, (all ages are welcome), please contact Membership Secretary Tracy Wells: upchurchsociety@gmail.com

Sean Barry

Poolside Bar & Courtyard - Jersey Boys and the Legends of Music Tribute Show at Upchurch River Valley Golf Course

Jenny Giles - Upchurch River Valley Golf Course

Telephone: 01634 360626

Website: www.rivervalleygolf.co.uk