‘Loose Threads’ Your local history magazine Number 13 The first of two issues commemorating the centenary of the declaration of the ‘Great War’ and the 70th anniversary of D-Day, featuring local men and women who served in the armed forces and on the ‘home front’ during two world wars Also in this issue * 35 years of ‘Loose Women’ * The Dairy House, Kirkdale * Bockingford’s war workers * ‘My Workhouse ancestors’ * The remarkable Barker family * Our valley’s Roman rulers * School looks back 100 years * Mystery of church’s patron saint * Memories of winters past * Coxheath’s corn mills ... And much more! The Journal of the Loose Area History Society £4.00 Nucleus', said Phil. 'I paid a visit and was enthused by the concept of the gallery and the warmth of the staff and volunteers and the fact that the student had actually sold some of his work. 'When I was teaching full time it was often exhausting. Producing my own work felt a bit like a busman's holiday. On my semi-retirement my partner Sue could see the potential advantage of me painting rather than getting under her feet and was full of enthusiasm and encouragement for the idea, so I signed up. 'Working to deadlines has been very good for me. I doubt I would have rediscovered my enthusiasm for painting without Nucleus. The concept of the gallery is inspirational to many local artists and something that has been missing from Maidstone for a long time. 'I hope to continue to develop my expertise and extend my work by producing Phil Brown: water colour portraits and develop a web site'. Artist at Loose Phil is inspired by the beauty of Loose and by walking through Loose Valley. 'It is hard Phil Brown of Northleigh Close currently teaches part-time in a radically different to the north. to imagine that you are only a describes himself as 'a proud local high school. The beer was flat and mile or so from the town’, he Yorkshire man from the steel 'Working with children expensive, you couldn't buy said. 'I love using water colour city of Sheffield'. He studied Fine fires my enthusiasm and delays mushy peas or have gravy with and have studied many Art Sculpture and Printmaking the onset of old age', he says. 'In your chips - and nobody could traditional and experimental at Hallam University in the the 1970s I produced large understand my dialect! artists. I enjoy the accidental 1960s and played bass guitar in a stainless steel and kinetic 'Teaching was quite a nature of the medium and feel semi-professional rock band. sculptures, including several steep learning curve and tended exhilarated if it works. He moved to London commissions for public to stifle my personal creative 'I am interested in the in 1973, completed an art buildings, which reflected the development'. development of British pop art, teachers' post graduate course industrial elements of a large While living in Loose in particular the work of Peter at Hornsey College of Art and steel producing city. for 33 years Phil has slowly Blake, as it represents an era Design, and has taught art in 'When I moved to become accustomed to a that had a big influence on my Maidstone for 39 years. He Maidstone in 1974 I found life different way of life and has personal development'. started producing etchings and watercolours, mainly as a hobby. He has spent recent years developing his water colour landscapes, heavily influenced by Old Loose Hill (below) and Church the quirky organic landscape House (left), by Phil Brown. and architecture of Loose village and the surrounding area. He contributes his work to raise money for charity, takes part in Loose Church Heritage Group's art exhibitions in aid of the steeple restoration fund, and exhibits his local water colours at Nucleus Arts, Gabriel's Hill. 'One of my sixth form students was exhibiting at 2 The Dairy House Kirkdale Loose This house, listed Grade II, is much older Parts of the house are more than 400 mains came to the village. The gate on the than it appears, parts pre-date 1600 (writes years old. In its time it has been a path is still there. Sometime after 1761 the Molly G Proctor). It faces an ancient track, miller’s store; the home and store was doubled in size and made into a Kirkdale, which in the opinion of a former workplace of a blacksmith, a beer house. The ground floor became a kitchen curator of Maidstone Museum was probably seller, a greengrocer, and a dairyman; (2) with a large inglenook fireplace (almost the way used to take stone from local and, since the 1950s, a private demolished) and a stone bread oven one quarries to the Medway at Tovil thus residence. wall of which remains. This was built with avoiding any steep inclines. 'galletting', i.e. small pieces of stone inserted The original bed of the Loose into the mortar for added strength (3). The 1570 William Lambarde recorded the mill stream flows through the garden. other room downstairs was the parlour. Its and its store. A map, 1761, shows the 4- Next door is part of Loose corn corner fireplace (4) has an unusual curved storey mill and the store, the latter is now mill (rebuilt c.1815 and now Brooklyn) and back (noted by English Heritage). Next to part of The Dairy House. The ground floor once owned by the Dean and Chapter of the fireplace is a small square recess of the store was built of stone, with a door Canterbury Cathedral. Both properties are between two beams. When recently to the north, height 5ft 6 in. (1.68m) under a enclosed by a continuous ragstone wall. In exposed there was an oak lining but it never massive oak beam. A ladder went to the first had a door, the use is unknown. The ladder floor, height 8ft. 11in. (2.72m) and another was replaced by a staircase with a door at ladder to the room under the roof, height the bottom and a small barred window at 5ft 6in (1.68m). A farthing, 1608, was found the top. The staircase (5) is panelled, most nearby. unusual in a cottage and probably came from It is not known where the miller another property (noted by English lived but drinking water came from a dip Heritage). There were two bedrooms on the well (see photo 1), there was a legal right-of- first floor and a third to the top of the store way for the miller to get water until the 1 The dip well and the path to the mill. 2This ground floor room was formerly a kitchen. 3 The ‘galleting’, once part of a bread oven. 3 but the other space under the roof had no under a lawn, traces of the other roof could various solutions were suggested including a window or floorboards. be seen pre-1970. When re-decorating then new road that went close to the church and Beyond the parlour were further a second fireplace was discovered in the through this house. However, Thomas buildings used as another cottage. It may sitting room with the ashes of the last fire Telford's plan to build a road with a viaduct have been built at the same time or later. still in the grate and a large pot hook above. and by-pass the valley was accepted and On the outside, to the right of the It is probable the large room had been opened in 1829. In 1856 there was a present front door is a large recess from the divided into two. proposal to construct a light railway from top of one window to the sill above. It was Blacksmiths have left several Boughton Quarries to the Medway at Tovil never an opening as the large beam goes examples of their work in the house which also needed the house to go. It was right across it. A possible suggestion was it including the pot hook, bars on the stair discussed at such length that eventually it was painted to look like a window to match window, iron bars to support brick arches in was not viable as insufficient stone the new one in the parlour to make the the fireplaces and elegant wrought iron remained. house fashionably symmetrical (6). hinges and bolts on the door in the old William French, a grocer and beer Early Deeds concern the lease and kitchen. retailer lived at Rose House (as the house release of a cottage and blacksmith's forge In 1857 the property passed from was then known) in 1882. on July 17 1826 between William Garden W. Hunt to Alfred Allnutt (or Allnaut) and From Deeds belonging to Peene and Samuel Udale Peene to William then to Hackett Hodsell. The miller was J. Brooklyn in 1886 The Rose beerhouse was Skinner and Hannah Randall. In the 1837 Antrum. In 1882 Mr Antrum bought his mill sold by James Hackett Hodsoll to Albert Tithe Awards it was occupied by Thomas and the two properties ceased to be owned Frederick Style for £830 (Winch joined the Skinner, blacksmith and Mrs Skinner, beer jointly, however the land surrounding them brewery later). William Harris, tenant, paid seller. The above map shows two detached has altered several times including a large £23 p.a. rent and John Harris was the cottages near Bridge Street, one has area which had belonged to the mill and blacksmith. A photograph c.1920 (8) shows a disappeared but the other was near the became part of Kirkdale Dairy c.1920 for large painted sign above the front door: 'The junction with Church Street, the stone £20.