Tonbridge Floods 1968

Yesterday I searched my home office knowing that I had an old newspaper of the last floods in town, and eventually came across the old, yellowed and slightly fragile copy of a special flood disaster edition of the 1968 Tonbridge Advertiser. It made fascinating reading, not only for the devastating flood images and reports, but also for the adverts and notices the paper carried in the 60's. Here are some of the images of those floods that prompted the building of the Leigh flood barrier.

It's very sad that Tonbridge has flooded again, and my heart goes out to the people affected. A previous post (below) carries a link to a Community Facebook page if you can offer help to local flood victims.

Thin line to safety - Residents of Avebury Avenue

Avebury Avenue - former Rugby Club and Drill Hall

Supplies and food being transferred by poles - Avebury Avenue

Tonbridge High Street

Cyclists on The Botany before the floods rose - Ritz Cinema is showing Camelot

Christmas jumpers are cool ... aren't they?

When did the Christmas jumper become so popular? They used to only be worn by grandads, the 'unfashionable' and geeks. Suddenly they've become super-cool and celebrities are happy to be photographed wearing the 'must have' seasonal sweater.

The high streets are now packed with woolly Rudolphs and Christmas pudding knits. It seems the tackier they are the better. Silly means funky.

Don't get me wrong I rather like a tasteful nordic winter print, but this new phenomenon is just a little garish to say the least. Even in a little town devoid of clothes shops like Tonbridge, there was plenty of choice to be had. Check out these devastatingly gaudy Christmas woollies I found on our High Street.

Christmas jumpers are now cool - but don't all rush - there were plenty to go around!!!!

 

 

 

 

Tonbridge Friday Market

Scout Hut Lamberts Yard

Did you know that Tonbridge has a regular market every Friday? And, the most important thing here is that all the produce is local. Yes, LOCAL. It takes place in the little scout hut in Lamberts Yard and you can always spot it from a distance by the red, white and blue bunting that's hung up outside, or by a sign on the corner of Lamberts Yard and High Street pointing towards the indoor market.

I popped in last Friday to see what was on offer and spoke to one of the ladies who was selling farm eggs.  She told me that the market was started 57 years ago by the Tonbridge WI in a small building on the former Angel Ground. They then lost this facility, and moved to the the Sea Scouts' Hut on the river behind the Teen and Twenty building, where they remained for many years. Finally, they moved to the hut where they now hold the weekly market. It is apparently no longer WI run although the Institute do have a stall to sell their jams, preserves, marmalades and chutneys.

All the produce is fresh and local. The meat is freshly delivered from a local supplier. All the crafts are local too. There's even a beautiful seasonal plant stall. I arrived towards the end of the morning, and to be honest there had been a blitz of buying, so there wasn't much left. You can order items for the following week if you don't want to miss out on any of the produce. There's even small cafe serving home baked delicious cakes, tea and coffee and very reasonable prices. The cakes are delicious!!!!!! So what are you waiting for???

 

Tomorrow the Mayor will pay a visit to the market, and so I would imagine everyone will have made an effort to bake and bring their very best to the stalls. So it's a good time to go.  If you're in town pop along, have a look at what's on offer and I bet you won't leave without buying something. In fact, you'll probably make it a regular on your Friday 'things-to-do'.

Tonbridge Daily Photo

Tonbridge Daily Photo #393 - Bagpipes on the bridge

There are two buskers I always love to hear in Tonbridge High Street and I'm pleased to say the bagpipe busker is one of them. He was playing his pipes today on Little Bridge. I also rather like the music played on an accordian by the man who occasionally sits outside Waitrose. Love them or hate them I personally find it adds atmosphere to the town.

Tonbridge Daily Photo

Tonbridge Daily Photo #388

An unusual view of Tonbridge High Street, The question is can you recognise where?

Tonbridge Daily Photo

Tonbridge Daily Photo #379  

Jefferys Passage hasn't changed much over the years, and whenever I walk down the narrow passageway I imagine how it might have been in the past. It was named after Jefferys the Butchers who once traded from this little alleyway off the High Street.

Jefferys Passage (date unknown)

Courtesy of Tonbridge Historical Society Pictorial Collection No. 15.Bank1

Creative military designs by Hillview pupils

The fashion and textile pupils at Hillview School have created military themed designs influenced by British Army uniforms. These were on display at the entrance of Angel Walk during the British Legion Busking day in Tonbridge High Street. 

A number of pupils were modelling the creative items in the town to help collect donations for the Royal British Legion. Well done girls!!!!

Tonbridge Daily Photo

Tonbridge Daily Photo #297

On Saturday September 28 Tonbridge High Street will come alive with music, buskers, performers and actors all raising money for The Royal British Legion.

A few more artists are needed to busk so can you help? Maybe your son, daughter, friend, member of your family, club or school would like to take part.

Contacts and information are here:-
http://thisiscoolsounds.wix.com/britlegionbusk

Or @BritishLegionBusk on Twitter

Say goodbye to another High Street shop!!

It's time to say goodbye to another Tonbridge High Street shop. The Supreme Card and Party Shop closes today and everything seems to be selling out fast. It's sad to see the town lose another shop, and according to the shop assistant it's going to be vacant for the time being.

 

A Taste of Tonbridge c 1873

Did you know that the town's market and trading area was once in front of The Chequers Inn on the upper part of Tonbridge High Street, and did you also know that it was here the annual Town Fair was held.
It made sense as the road was at it's widest at this point, and this could accommodate a good sized crowd.

After the Town Taster day I threw myself into a little research on previous fairs and market trading in Tonbridge, and I came across this piece from Neve's 'The Tonbridge of Yesterday' describing the town fair c1873, and the abolishment of the annual celebration by who we would now call the town council.

Shared by Tonbridge Historical Society Pictorial Collection No. 14B.104

I've copied it out below and it makes really interesting reading. Not quite sure why a Zulu came to Tonbridge though:-

'On the day of the Fair cheap toys, hokey-pokey, gingerbread, sweets (especially big peppermint humbugs) and other fairings were exposed on the stalls which made their appearance, chiefly on the west side of the High Street, between Mr L.M. Wibner (now Clarke and Coleman), and a point just below the Chequers, and also in the open space below the Town Hall (now Nat West Bank).

One or two stalls may occasionally have been seen on the east side, between the Charlton Cafe (now The Slug & Lettuce) and Swan Lane (East Street), and a shooting gallery and a primitive form of camera obscura near the Town Hall. Castle Square was given up to swings, roundabouts, Aunt Sallies, and similar attractions.

In later years the side shows diminished in number and deteriorated in quality: a fat woman and a Zulu with particularly repulsive habits, are specimens of what was good enough for those who patronized the Tonbridge Fair.

Some of the local tradesmen no doubt took a little extra money on Fair Day. Mr. Dutnall, for instance, used to clear his confectioners window of all his ordinary stock and exhibit a huge mountain of gingerbread biscuits which were regularly cleared out before evening.

The local justices resolved that the abolition of the Annual Fair would be for the convenience and advantage of the public.'

I still do wonder about that Zulu!!!!!!!

New starting point for this year's carnival procession

A message from Tonbridge Lions who want this year's Carnival crowds in the High Street, and not waiting for the procession on Quarry Hill Road and Railway Approach.

 'In a break with an almost unbroken custom that has existed over twenty five years, this year's Tonbridge Carnival procession, on Sunday 9th June, will not be assembling in Brook Street. 

Instead the carnival floats, classic cars, bands and other groups will gather in the Sovereign Way car parks, close to the Tonbridge Farmers' Market and then proceed from Avenue du Puy at 12.30 p.m.'

Tonbridge Daily Snippet

In 1778 a male midwife and surgeon opened a shop in the High Street offering to deliver babies free of charge within a radius of 4 miles of the town.

Tonbridge Daily Snippet

A one day Traffic Census in 1871 counted 210 hand trucks, 694 carriages & 23 'beasts' crossing Little Bridge on the High Street

Tonbridge Daily Snippet

Angells The Jewellers was established in 1830 and is probably the oldest business in Tonbridge today.

Angells at 110-14 High Street - demolished for road widenening 1960's

Bygone Tonbridge

This is an interesting drawing by George E Mackley depicting the area in front of The Chequers Inn in Tonbridge High Street. The Market Place was lost to the building of a new town hall that was demolished for road widening.

If you look carefully, the entrance to Castle Street is visible next to the building on the far right, and The Chequers Inn is still recognisable.  It seems that this part of the High Street was once the main gathering and trading area, and a busy space to place the town stocks, where the accused was at the mercy of the mob to be pelted with anything that could fit in their hands, especially rotten fruit and vegetables, dead rodents etc.

Miracle Escape

I believe that yesterday a car driven by an elderly man mounted the pavement by the National Westminster Bank, Castle Street and crashed into the window of the barbers and the bank. As far as I know nobody was hurt which seems a miracle, and luckily the damage to the buildings was only minor. Thank goodness nobody was sitting on the bench as it is in rather bad shape.

Butcher, Baker or Candlestick Maker

The boards have been erected and so something is happening at the former TSB in Tonbridge. We're all hoping for a change in our High Street, and now the new shopping complex and cinema on the Angel site has been been approved, could our town begin to attract newcomers?

We all know what we don't want any more of on the High Street, so what would you really like to see on this site?

Tonbridge Daily Snippet

The main thoroughfare south of the Bridge was originally called 'the road to Rye' and afterwards 'a continuation of the High Street'.

There arose, gradually and unofficially, a practice of referring to the stretch of main road from the Angel to the Bridge as 'Bridge Street, and this name is officially used in the early days of the Local Board.

In a meeting of the Local Board (town council) held in April 1872 it was decided by the sixteen members present that the name revert back to High Street. 

The Tonbridge of Yesterday
Arthur Neve

That Smell Over Tonbridge

 

This was Tonbridge High Street on Monday afternoon. It all looks quiet and nothing unusual is happening, but if I could have visually captured the sweet sickly odour that was in the air this photograph would show a different picture. If that chemical smell of bubblegum or candyfloss, or however it has been described, were tinted grey the High Street would not be visible, but be clouded so darkly that probably pedestrians wouldn't be able to see their way through the town.

There are many questions asked about this foul smelling odour that often descends on Tonbridge? Some are ... What is it? Where does it come from? Is it harmful? Why do we have to put up with it? Can it be stopped? Does it pose a health hazard to our children - asthma sufferers? What are the effects when it is mixed with pollution from cars? The list is endless.

The company who are responsible for this odour is Drytec who are sited on the Industrial Estate. If you are concerned about what you are breathing-in, contact Environmental Health at TMBC, but also inform and research yourself once you have the information. If you consider that it is a nuisance, especially so if it is on your property, complain in writing giving time date, location and description of odour to:-

Jacqui Rands

Environmental Health

TMBC

Gibson Building

Gibson Drive

Kings Hill

West Malling

Kent

ME19 4LZ

or email jacqui.rands@tmbc.gov.uk

Tonbridge Daily Snippet

During the 1960's chains of coloured Christmas Lights crisscrossed Tonbridge High Street and were later replaced by chains of white lights. They could be seen from as far away as the top of Quarry Hill and created a curve of light snaking through the distance.