New Books
Finding Sampson Penley by Alan Stockwell
Published with the assistance of a grant from the KAS Allen Grove Local History Fund.
A cache of 28 playbills for the Tenterden Theatre dating from 1799 to 1817, all for shows presented by the Jonas & Penley company, led to the research presented in this book. A fascinating insight into the lives and work of a theatrical family typical of the late Georgian era and into the entertainment provided by small town theatres of the time. The Kentish towns of their circuit are reflected in the births and baptisms of the children – four at Folkestone, two at Tenterden, three at Sevenoaks, one at Broadstairs and one at Minster. Sampson Penley’s was the first theatrical troupe to visit France and the Netherlands after the retreat of Napoleon in 1814. In 1822, his company performed in Paris. Two nights of rioting followed, the French audience hurling abuse and missiles at the actors as revenge for the defeat at Waterloo, driving them off the stage before the army was called in to quell the rioters. Vesper Hawk Publishing www.vesperhawk.com £9.95
Addington – the life story of a Kentish village by Patricia Richardson
The first full history to be published of this attractive small village, telling the story of its land, homes and monuments from the Mesolithic right up to the present day.
Available from the author for £14.00, tel: 01732 842303, email: patriciarichardson@tiscali.co.uk, or in Sevenoaks Bookshop, High Street, Sevenoaks and KCC Online Library Shop, www.kentlibraryshop.co.uk.
The Life They Left Behind by Margaret Lawrence | Fundraising in support of Help for Heroes
A tribute to the East Peckham men of two world wars who left behind a life which once held an expectant future. Today the memorial in the churchyard stands in isolation and with the passing of time the once treasured names have become mere historical footnotes. This book presents research into each name, each man, giving their background and context within the village they left behind.
Published by East Peckham County Council. ISBN 978-0-9524828-1-9. £10.00
Available from Barnfield, Church Lane, East Peckham, Tonbridge TN12 5JH. Cheque payable to Margaret Lawrence (add £1.10 P&P), email: p.lawrence.801@btinternet.com
Under Shrub Hill – a Chestfield Childhood by Christopher Scoble
The story of a young family who moved to the village in 1947 from suburban Buckinghamshire to ‘real’ country. As seen through the eyes of the author, who roams the land, playing on old tractors, building houses in haystacks and trespassing on dangerous territory, developing throughout a knowledge of the natural world and a special love for country flora. An intimate look at family life in a rural community in the years following WW2, of especial interest to those who know Whitstable and surrounds, and East Kent.
BMM Publishing www.sportsbooks.ltd.uk ISBN 978-1-907524-32-5. £16.99
Augustine’s First Footfall
Gerald Moody
An investigation into the probable location of the landing place of St. Augustine’s mission in AD 597. Bede records that Augustine’s first footfall in Britain took place on the Isle of Thanet. The landing place is unknown to history and this investigation of the landscape, historical and cultural context of Thanet in AD 597 seeks to identify possible locations. Using archaeological evidence and new research on the historic landscape the significance of Augustine’s mission is reconsidered for a modern audience.
Although focussed on Augustine’s arrival in Thanet in the Anglo-Saxon period, the book contains valuable discussions of the evolution of the landscape and the region’s role in British history. The study traces the geological formation of the Isle of Thanet from earliest times and describes the significant geographic features that shaped its landscape.
Historiographical interpretations of Augustine’s journey and landing place are examined and compared with current knowledge of the Anglo-Saxon people who occupied the Isle of Thanet and whose lives and culture were shaped by this unique landscape.
A5 format, with 87 pages with 3 black and white and 6 colour illustrations, and 4 colour plates.
£9.99. Mail order price £8.00 + £2.00 P&P, available to order online from http://thanetarch.co.uk/publications/list.html A postal order form can also be downloaded from the page.
Franklin White’s Shoreham Characters
Shoreham & District Historical Society
Newly arrived from Australia in 1919, Charles Franklin White bought one of Shoreham’s oldest houses, ‘Reedbeds’, to live and paint in until his death in 1975. His son has gifted some hundred drawings of the working people of the village to the Historical Society, a few of which are reproduced in this publication. They are wonderful figure studies, capturing the village characters in exquisite detail in pencil, inks, chalk and watercolour. Most evenings he would be found drinking in The George as Franklin White decided upon his next subject, who would then be offered a pint as payment.
Examples of collections can be seen in the British Museum, The V&A, the Ashmolean and the City of Birmingham Art Gallery and in private collections.
A5 format. £4.00, available from saynor@shorehamkent.wanadoo.co.uk
Old Dover Road – Past and Present
Oaten Hill Society’s Local History Group
The latest book in the series on streets and families in the area, an illustrated history of places, people and events along Old Dover Road from the Riding Gate to the Gate Inn, Canterbury. It includes descriptions of a leper hospital (now developed for housing), current and former public houses, a former windmill, the man who captured Gibraltar, the KCC cricket ground, farming memories, the discovery of a new planet and the elegant buildings.
£5.00 or £6.20 with P&P. Tel: 01227 767343 or 01227 472932.
Canterbury and the Gothic Revival
Lawrence and Marjorie Lyle
How Canterbury’s visionaries helped to spread Victorian Gothic at home and abroad.
Canterbury Cathedral’s medieval Gothic image survived centuries of religious discord and neglect. From 1800 onwards a new generation was re-inspired by the artistic ‘Gothik’ vogues and the prevalent architecture. Through ambitious young architects, such as William Butterfield, who created a Gothic missionary college in two years, and the Dean of Canterbury, who wanted the Cathedral to rival St Peter’s in Rome, the rolling repair programme continuing in today’s Appeal began. This book explores the influence of artists, architects and religious reformers on the city of Canterbury and on the Gothic movement as a whole, showing how Canterbury’s visionaries helped to spread Victorian Gothic at home and abroad and includes over 60 illustrations displaying Canterbury’s gothic architecture and history.
978-0-7524-6294-3 - £14.99 Paperback Original.