MARCH 1983 PRICE 10P Free to Members

5 ^ 6? ( THE NEWSLETTER OF THE LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY FOR THE LONDON BOROUGH OF BROMLEY Vol 7 No 1 MARCH 1983 PRICE 10p Free to Members CHELSFIELD, TUESDAY 24 MAY, 1983 Don't Forget Bromley The visit which is scheduled to take place on 27th May has been altered. It will now take place on Tuesday, 24th May. We shall be meeting at 7.30 p.m. on that day at Chelsfield Local History No. 6 Church. There will be a talk about the history of the village and the church, and there will be a display of photographs. If you have already bought your copy, The church is on the opposite side of the Orpington By- Pass, to the village of Chelsfield and there is ample car how about supporting the Society by parking space. selling some to your friends? GRANDFATHER’S BIGGIN HILL embers are reminded that the Society’s sixth publication The Committee decided to place on record their Ts now available. It contains six articles of great local congratulations and appreciation of John Nelson’s historical interest, contains 48 pages and includes some publication, “Grandfather’s Biggin Hill” . They are of the excellent pictures. It is selling well and is available at most opinion that it is an excellent well produced booklet and a stationers and bookshops in the area. It can be obtained at valuable contribution to the records of the history of the meetings by members at the special price of 80p or by post area. from the Secretary. 163, Tubbenden Lane, Orpington, Copies are available from Mr. J. Nelson, 69, Aperfield BR6 9PS., for £1. which includes postage. The price in the Road, Biggin Hill, Westerham, TN16 3LX. bookshops, etc., and at the Local History Department of the Central Library, and at other Libraries in the borough, is £1.20p. BROMLEY IN OLD POSTCARDS Please buy as many copies as you can and sell or give Environment Bromley is to mount an exhibition of old them to your relations and friends. We have had 3,000 Bromley postcards. This will be on Sunday, 27th March, printed and would like to sell them all as quickly as at 2 p.m. in the St. Giles Centre, Farnborough. EnBro’s possible. Organiser would welcome gifts of old postcards. (Philip Copies of the earlier publications are still available and Daniell, 300, Baring Road, S:E. 12). Eventually all the can be obtained from the Local History Department of the material will be donated to the Local History Library. Central Library or from the Secretary. A SHORT HISTORY OF ST: ANDREW’S PARISH, BROMLEY This book which is entitled “Not a Mile from Milk Street” , costs £3.95p. and is available from local f FUTURE bookshops and from A. J. Martin, 12 Cromwell Avenue, Bromley. Postage and packing is 50p. All proceeds go to MEETINGS St. Andrew’s Church redecoration fund. THE GREATER LONDON RECORD OFFICE AND HISTORY LIBRARY Chislehurst & Mottingham Local History, at Chislehurst Village Hall. Tickets 75p. This office is now at 40, Northampton Road, London, E.C.l. The opening hours are: Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4.45 p.m. There is a late opening on Tuesdays until 7.30 p.m. but by appointment only. The office is closed on Friday Annual General Meeting, 25th March at Central Library. Mondays and during the 3rd and 4th weeks of October. 8 p.m. Telephone numbers are — Archives. 01-633 6851. History Library. 01-633 7132. Maps and Prints. 01-633 7193. Photographs. 01-633 3255. Faringdon is the nearest under Members' Night at Central Library. ground station. Tuesday Visit to Chelsfield. Meet at Chelsfield SUBSCRIPTIONS 24th May Church. Mrs. Blatcher. These became due on 1st January, and it is hoped that 7.30 p.m. members who have not already done so, will pay their subscriptions as soon as possible. New members who joined after the 1st October, are reminded that their Friday A historical walk down West Wickham 24th June High Street. Meet at The Swan — corner subscriptions will cover the whole of 1983. 7.30 p.m. of Station Road and High Street. Payments should be sent to Mr. John Nelson, 69 Mrs. P. Knowlden. Aperfield Road, Biggin Hill, Westerham, Kent. TNI6 3LX. The rates are £4 for an individual member; £5 for a husband and wife; £3 for a pensioner and £4 for a husband and wife who are both pensioners. On Railway Travelling -Brom ley Record, Dec 1902 In the summer of 1868 I decided to remove from South occurence on the railway in my experience, while the truth London to the more pleasant and healthful country town of that saying about being safer in a railway train than of Bromley in Kent. It was at that time quite an open little elsewhere, has, to my mind, been frequently spot, charming in its rural simplicity and lovely demonstrated. The train has often been a shelter from the surroundings of hill and dale. Fields there were to the right storm, and a protection, for the time being, from the of you, and fields to the left of you, with no manufactories inclemency of the weather, not to speak of the sometimes within its boundaries, and it presented, consequently, pleasant conversation with known or unknown friends. many attractions to those who, while engaged in the City The railway train is, too, a capital match-maker, and many daily, desired when released from business, to breathe a unions (I trust, happy ones) have, apparently, sprung out purer air, and enjoy the blessings that Nature has in store of a train journey. It is a grand leveller also (for the for all who seek her out. Thirty-four years have passed journey), and we are as one for the time being, for we each away since then, but the countryside still “holds the field” . very soon find our own level inside the six by ten It has to-day the same old charm, though years have tried compartment, and we read each other, and, more or less, it, while of the benefits accruing one can yet say “Still they are read in turn by our travelling companions, while we come” . note also with pleasure, an apparently increasing desire to In all this time, I have, with few and slight exceptions, be courteous one to another, at least while on the line, and travelled to and fro daily, the distance being ten miles from particularly I have observed a growing unwillingness town, making twenty miles per day, which, omitting among the youth and manhood around to permit any lady Sundays, amounts, for the 34 years, to the respectable to stand in a railway carriage, all which, as one might say, total of some 200,000 miles of railway travelling, or equal is to the good. to eight times round the world in railway trains, within the Once only has the train in which I was travelling comef period stated. The time thus occupied being an abrupt stoppage, and that was in March 1874, when tkc-^ (approximately) 15,000 hours (1 Vi per day), spent in steam from a passing engine obscured our signals at railway trains, which works out to 600 days and nights, or Borough-road Station, which I afterwards heard were at nearly two entire years out of the 34, spent in railway danger, and our driver made an excursion into the rear of a travelling! And I am not weary yet, though turned three stationary train in front. Happily, no one was very score; for what with the later new carriages, better seriously hurt, I believe, though we were all more or less cushions, and the gradual on-coming of the electric light shaken by the impact, and some passengers reported by night, the journeys by rail are a very pleasant contusions, concussions, and the like. All the experience; while, in addition, we have now the option in compensation claims thereon were, I understand, liberally London of departure from four termini, and of two met by the Company. One gentleman who sat just opposite stations in Bromley, one season ticket being available for and came into contact with me on that eventful morning, all. The cost of this latter for the time named amounting to shortly afterwards set up in business for himself, owing, it some £440. appeared, to the satisfactory compensation he received! In Many and varied have been the experiences passed my own case, I wrote to the Company stating that I was on through during this time. On the whole, they have board at the time of the collision, but uninjured beyond a generally been of a more or less pleasant character, shaking, and had not had to absent myself from my daily anything of an unpleasant nature being an extremely rare calling at any time in consequence. A visit from the super intendent of the line followed, and, later, I was Bromley South Station 1890. courteously requested to call at Victoria, which I did, and Continued there received a small sum which amply compensated me. B ro m le y ’s Windm In constantly travelling one sees and hears much. You William Coles Finch in his “Watermills and Windmills” come in contact with “all sorts and conditions of men” includes a picture dated 1785 of two post mills in Bromley, and women, and the observant discover ample scope for and comments “ . Strangely enough I have no studies in character. We are told that “Iron sharpeneth confirmation of the existence of two mills, one only being iron, and a man’s countenance that of his friend” , and shown on the maps that I have examined .

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