Conference of Building Recorders

The thirty-second annual Conference of Building Recorders was held at The Barn, Charing, on Saturday 14th October 1995 and attracted an attendance of some 60 members and friends.

The Norman House behind the east side of West Malling High Street was not accessible until a recent change of owner allowed Roger Walsh to make measured drawings. His colleague, Ralph Lovegrove, described the building which is of stone, of two storeys, with an upper chamber with a fireplace and two windows with segmented heads and zig-zag mouldings. The roof was rebuilt about 1500. The buildings on the street frontage are later and timber-framed, and these were described by Sarah Pearson, who had recorded them for the R.C.H.M. In the ensuing discussion, Margaret Lawrence was able to refer to some relevant documents in the Centre for Kentish Studies.

The second speaker was Paul Bennett, who read a report of work done by the Canterbury Archaeological Trust on the large, medieval barn at Littlebourne. They had made a number of detailed discoveries, including that the crown-posts were a later insertion.

The third speaker, Dr. Richard Scarth, was invited to describe the experimental sound mirrors, devised in the 1920s and 1930s to track enemy aircraft. There is a group of these of various types at Hythe and Dungeness. Increasing aircraft speeds caused them to be replaced by radar just before the Second World War. They are well described in his booklet, published by the Hythe Civic Society with a grant from the Allen Grove Local History Fund.

Finally, Mr. Gravett announced the publication of the Kent Historic Buildings Index parts for Swale and Bexley. He also thanked the ladies of Charing Parish Church for providing tea and the Charing P.C.C. for the use of the hall.