Bromleag Volume 2: Issue 37 March 2016
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Bromleag Volume 2: Issue 37 March 2016 Bromley’s Sunday cinema fiasco Orpington’s meticulous historian Sundridge Park — from grand house to flats Early C15th schooling in Chelsfield and Keston Bromleag The journal of the Bromley Borough Local History Society Chairman Tudor Davies Springhall, Leafy Grove, Keston, BR2 6AH 01689 855744 [email protected] Treasurer Pam Robinson 68 Rolleston Ave, Petts Wood, BR5 1AL 020 8467 6385 [email protected] Secretary Elaine Baker 27 Commonside, Keston, BR2 6BP 01689 854408 [email protected] Membership Secretary Tony Allnutt Woodside, Old Perry Street, Chislehurst, BR7 6PP 020 8467 3842 [email protected] Programme co-ordinator Mike Marriott 2 The Drive, Orpington, BR6 9AP 01689 820794 or 07917 101520 [email protected] Publications John Barnes 38 Sandilands Crescent, Hayes, BR2 7DR 020 8462 2603 [email protected] Minutes Secretary Valerie Stealey 9 Mayfield Road, Bickley BR1 2HB 020 8467 2988 [email protected] Publicity and website Max Batten 5 South View, Bromley, BR13DR 020 8460 1284 [email protected] Bromleag Editor Christine Hellicar 150 Worlds End Lane, Chelsfield, BR6 6AS 01689 857214 [email protected] BBLHS website www.bblhs.org.uk Bromleag is published four times a year. The editor welcomes articles along with illustrations and photographs. These can be emailed, on disc or a paper copy. Items remain the copyright of the authors and do not necessarily reflect Society views. Each contributor is responsible for the content of their article. Articles may be edited to meet the constraints of the journal. Articles are not always used immediately as we try to maintain a balance between research, reminiscences and news and features about different subjects and parts of the borough. Next journal deadline — 1 May 2016 2 Bromleag March 2016 Chairman’s letter Delving into school archives Shortly after hearing our opening lecture of 2016, when Patrick Hellicar gave us an account of the author Miss Read’s childhood in Chelsfield, I opened the archives of Keston C of E Primary School. Immediately, a question came to mind: would Miss Read’s novel, Village School, bear any resemblance to reality as recorded in the Keston archives? A glance at reviews of her published books, led me to imagine they would present a romantic idyll and little more. How wrong could I be? Village School describes a year in the life of a small country school between the two World Wars. The teaching, poor facilities, few resources, social life of the village, childhood illnesses and widespread poverty are all addressed and everything is evidenced in Keston School archives. The introduction of food rationing in 1917 was accompanied by the provision of midday meals in schools which, by 1920, provided 50 meals in Keston each day. All the common childhood illnesses were prevalent, but the number of occasions when the school had to be closed was fewer than in pre-war days and infections such as ringworm, scabies and tuberculosis, no longer appeared. However, the dreaded human louse proved unconquerable! After 1921 school attendance improved during bad weather when the Bromley-to- Westerham buses supplied an hourly service. The inter-war years saw rising living standards for many people but in 1921 John Yelland’s home was a “gipsy caravan on Blackness farm” and the children from the families Lee, Cooper, Dennard, Smith and Contents — March 2016 News and Events 3 — 9 Web news 25 Letters 19 — 24 Society Meetings Along the River Cray 13 — 14 Bethlem museum and Richard Dadd 15 Chelsfield author Miss Read 16 — 17 Regenerating Beckenham Place Park 18 Features Sundridge Park 10 — 12 Bromley’s fight for Sunday cinema 26 — 29 Ancient origins of village church sites 30 — 31 3 Bromleag March 2016 News Ayres were registered as of “no fixed abode”, although they only appeared at school for a month or so in spring of some years. In contrast to Miss Read’s experience, Keston was a growing village and numbers of children outstripped the accommodation. The new Biggin Hill Aerodrome and the Acoustical Research Centre added over 20 children by 1931, and the school managers were obliged to halt further enrolments. In 1933, two of the three classrooms seated 50 children and the school cloakroom was pressed into use for lessons. Minutes of the Managers’ Committee regularly reported problems with the building: roofs leaked, gutters and floors needed constant repair, unhygienic desks caused concern but it was the school lavatories that demanded most care and attention. Only in 1931, when the building was connected to the main sewer system, did the use of buckets and earth closets come to an end. Children leaving school in 1926 and 1927 continued in the footsteps of earlier generations, with 52% entering farming, gardening or domestic service and another 19% at home or in domestic trades. When appointing a new Master in 1924, Sir John Wheeler-Bennett, Chairman of Managers, expressed his views on the aims and special nature of the school and what would be required of the prospective new Master: “The aims of the teaching should be the forming of good and sound character, with a bias to rural activities and respect for skilled handicrafts and domestic work, rather than for clerks and typists of which The City has more than enough.” He went on to say: “Bromley is now so accessible that there is no requirement for teaching at advanced level for children of 14.” Miss Read needed only to read the School Archives to write her book. For a lovingly expressed but realistic account, take up Miss Read’s Village School. It’s a delight. Tudor Davies Sources Keston C of E Primary School Archives by kind permission of the Head. Village School, Miss Read, Orion Publishing Group, 1988 STOP PRESS ... CAMDEN PLACE VISIT We have a really special afternoon out on Friday 15 July at 2.15pm A tour of Camden Place — not normally open to the public — followed by a three-course high tea including Prosecco. This is now £20 a head (our special price for BBLHS members) not the previously advertised £25 a head. However, this has to be paid in advance. It is a luxury visit but it will be a highlight of the summer. Mike is taking bookings now and places are limited (details opposite) 4 Bromleag March 2016 Meetings and events Meetings are held at 7.45pm on the first Tuesday of the month (unless otherwise stated), from September to July, at Trinity United Reformed Church, Freelands Road, Bromley. Non-members are welcome at meetings for a nominal charge of £1. Meetings 5 April AGM followed by Uncovering Scadbury with an aerial survey — Janet Clayton [This is a change to the previously advertised talk] 3 May Some historic buildings in Chislehurst — Joanna Friel The talk will be followed by a walk on 4 May, see below 7 June Street Furniture in South London — Sue Hayton [This is a change to the previously advertised talk] Visits Friday 1 April 1.30pm (visit approx two hours) A visit to Croydon Old Palace Meet in Old Palace Road outside the 15th century Palace in the heart of Croydon. £7 or £6 concession for guided tour and tea Booking in advance essential, contact Mike (details below) Wednesday 4 May 10.30am (walk approx 2½ hours) An historic walk around Chislehurst This is a Chislehurst Society event and will be guided by members of the society. Meet at Chislehurst Caves. Sunday 22 May 2pm (walk approx 2½ hours) Rediscovering WW2 in the streets of Bromley Led by Gordon Dennington Meet outside the Old Town Hall, Tweedy Road. The walk will end at Shortlands Station. Limited numbers so book with Mike (details below) Friday 17 June 10.30am Historic Bromley Town A walk by our vice-chair Michael Rawcliffe. Meet outside, or in the foyer, of the Central Library, Bromley, depending on the weather Limited numbers so book with Mike (details below) Mike Marriott, programme co-ordinator: [email protected] 01689 820794 or 07917 101520 5 Bromleag March 2016 News The Grangerised Horsburgh! For many years I had heard about a copy of ELS Horsburgh’s “Bromley” book which had been annotated, added to and corrected by local chemist, photographer and historian William Baxter soon after the book was published in 1929. When the Society was fortunate enough to receive a very generous bequest from the late Jean Tresize, I suggested that this might be a project on which some of the money could be spent, turning it into a useful adjunct to the original for the wider use of members and others. After consultation with Lucy Allen and Simon McKeon at the Central Library, where the book was held in a locked cupboard, my first concern was an annotation on almost the first page: “Grangerised ed.” Once we had discovered that this is just a fancy word for “annotated” (named after a Joseph Granger in 1769), my first task was to get all the pages scanned. Fortunately, Simon, with his Bexley hat on, was able to provide not only excellent scanning equipment but knew of two history students who would be prepared, for a reasonable fee, to carry out the important but unexciting task of making what turned out to be over 900 scans. Our thanks to Elizabeth and Harry for their work. The additions made by Baxter consisted of small annotations on existing pages combined with longer scripts on inserted blank pages, often with accompanying pictures or diagrams. He used a lot of abbreviations and references to then current people and events. That, together with his far-from-copperplate handwriting, set our team of transcribers a considerable task.