New Books

Brenchley and Matfield Revisited

Brenchley and Matfield Local History Society

The villages of Brenchley and Matfield are fortunate in having, during the very early days of photography, a postman, William Hodges, whose hobby was taking photographs of the houses, the people, the villages and the surrounding countryside. This book not only shows many of Mr. Hodges' wonderful Victorian photographs, but also what the same scene looks like today, together with many other interesting photographs taken from the Village Archive.

However, this is not just a book of pictures: every reader, whether local resident, visitor or Kentish historian, will find a book full of the history of this lovely part of Kent, and it is hoped, a fuller appreciation of how this parish developed to become the place we know today.

Price £10.00 plus £1.00 P&P from Denise Barr, phone 01892 722339.

The Lost Powder Mills of Leigh

Chris Rowley

Over the last few years the Leigh Historical Society have been investigating the Leigh Gunpowder Mills, now ruined and buried in woodland. Their long and fascinating history is revealed in this 220-page, full colour book, which contains 130 illustrations including 12 maps. The book also tells many personal stories of the men and women who worked at the Mills.

Price £19.95 plus £2.50 P&P. To order a copy contact James Cook, Treasurer, The Cottage, Powder Mill Lane, Leigh TN11 8PZ. Cheques should be made payable to Leigh Historical Society.

Maidstone – A History

Cyril Cooper

Maidstone has been an important town in south-east England for over a thousand years; this fully illustrated account helps explain why. The town became indelibly associated with revolution and riot between the 14th and 16th centuries, and the townsfolk seem to have enjoyed an independent spirit ever since. Following the battle of Maidstone in 1648, the Mayor was Clerk to the court which tried Charles I and it was probably he who pronounced the death sentence. The town was a centre for the fulling process, and enjoyed a virtual monopoly in threadmaking. It provided ragstone for building, amongst other places, the Tower of London and Windsor Castle Chapel. A major source of hops and fruit, brewers such as Fremlins and Style and Winch were sited there. Paper making was another industry of importance.

Available from good local bookstores. Phillimore ISBN 978-1-86077-529-1. Price £16.99.

Lady Joanna Thornhill – Her Life and Times and her School

Wye Historical Society

Lady Thornhill was a remarkable woman, who founded the primary school that still bears her name in Wye. Born in 1635 in Cornwall to the Grenville family, her early years were spent in the troubled times of the Civil War, her father killed for the Royalist cause. Marriage to Richard Thornhill of Olantigh near Wye left her a widow in straitened circumstances after four years. She later became A Woman of the Bedchamber to Queen Catherine and remained a member of the royal household until 1692. Her affection for Wye saw her...

Lady Joanna Thornhill – Her Life and Times and her School

Wye Historical Society

Lady Thornhill was a remarkable woman, who founded the primary school that still bears her name in Wye. Born in 1635 in Cornwall to the Grenville family, her early years were spent in the troubled times of the Civil War, her father killed for the Royalist cause. Marriage to Richard Thornhill of Olantigh near Wye left her a widow in straitened circumstances after four years. She later became A Woman of the Bedchamber to Queen Catherine and remained a member of the royal household until 1692. Her affection for Wye saw her request burial there after her death in 1708/9 and a legacy of money to help the poor and initiate the school.

ISBN 0-9546499-0-11. Price £10.00 (post free) from Mr P Burnham, 24 Chequers Park, Wye, Ashford TN25 5BB. Cheque payable to Wye Historical Society.

Royal Tunbridge Wells – A History

C W Chalklin

Formerly a wilderness of forest and heath, within a few years of the discovery of the local wells by London society in 1606, the town had become one of the leading English watering places. The Pantiles had been built by the end of the 17th century and the surrounding hills covered with lodging houses. Within a century, a leisured class of retired professional men, and single gentlewomen, had begun to settle there. Summer visitors remained important until the 1960’s, though the number of commuters to London grew steadily from the 1920’s. The daily habits and entertainments of visitors and residents were described in contemporary writings, whilst the town planners and builders, and the local trades and craftsmen were largely ignored until quite recently.

Informative, readable and fully illustrated, this account brings together the best of the published work on the town, and includes much new material. Available from good local bookstores. Phillimore ISBN: 978-1-86077-526-0. Price £16.99.

East Kent Gazetteer in the Great War 1914-1918

Compiled by Hazel Basford & K H McIntosh for East Kent Branch, Western Front Association

A compilation of information and photographs garnered from many sources showing how East Kent was affected by the First World War. Includes listings of such evidence in each locality of much that still remains visible along with references to local and national archive material. A4, 120pp.

Price £19.95 (includes P&P). Available from Mrs H Basford, Chapter Seven, Old Tree, Hoath, Canterbury CT3 4LE. Cheque payable to East Kent Branch, Western Front Association.

The Westwell Chronicles

Elizabeth Hollis

The Chronicles tell the story of a small rural historic village and parish in Kent, from the Bronze Age to the 21st Century. For several centuries the Manor of Westwell was a refectory farm for Christchurch Priory, Canterbury, held by somewhat dubious means. The account reveals how the inhabitants lived and worked; their struggles to cope with events local, of the wider world and personal, the impact of wars and uprisings, death, poverty, their forms of recreation, housing, education and transport. It also shows changes that have taken place over the centuries, the advent of local government and, in more modern times, the threat of spreading urbanisation from Ashford, the impact of the high-speed railway and the motorway. However, Westwell remains, so far, a delightful rural oasis under the lea of the North Downs and Pilgrim’s Way.

Fully referenced with detailed documentation and index, sketch maps and photographs. Available from Headley Brothers Digital Ltd. Invicta Press, Queens Road, Ashford TN24 8HH. Price £20.50, includes P&P. Order Line: 01233 648874.