A Walk Through Stourmouth

I will start my journey at Gore Street, off the main Ramsgate/Canterbury Road (the A253). It is at Gore Street you will find the small road sign posted to Stourmouth. This road, twisting and turning south for one and a quarter miles, brings you into East Stourmouth.

Crossing a bridge over the big River Stour, to the right you will see a public house and caravan parks. The Stour Bridge was renewed in the 1990s but in the time I write of it was an iron structure with high girders. In the late '50s, the Army Disposal Unit had to be called out as a bomb was found during routine repairs. My father found this very amusing; it transpired he had been instrumental in placing this bomb as a defence during the war and it had been completely forgotten about!

West of the pub the river splits into the Great Stour and Little Stour rivers, the little one going through the marshes to West Stourmouth. The Dog & Duck public house is in the hands of the CASH family, who have been there all my life. However, the named licensee is currently my nephew, Nigel FAGG who married Susan Cash. The couple have built up the caravan park (privately owned caravans/mobile homes used by Londoners as holiday homes) which started with a few dedicated fisherman and grew from there. The Dog & Duck provides good food, and entertainment too.

Modern day maps still show Plucks Gutter, where the ferry used to run. Just under the bridge, right alongside the river, is a small cottage that was owned by the Water Board. During the '50s and '60s Mr and Mrs Fred HODGES lived here; Mr Hodges worked for the River Board. I used to visit the cottage regularly as Mrs Hodges was my mother's best friend. This building was the original Dog & Duck - it had low ceilings, tiny windows, and small rooms. Moored on the river bank was a wooden boat known as a "blow boat" which the River Board used to clean the river. It was built by my father, who worked on it at one time and brought home lovely fresh eels that we stewed in a parsley sauce.

Carrying on down the twisting road, we come to a large, black barn on the right hand side of the road - just beyond is a bungalow. This farm was run by Mr and Mrs SOLLY. Between their house and the barn a cart track led to a right-of-way footpath along the Little Stour, with a diversion that wanders southwest to the Church List (the local name for Church Walk) and also to School Lane. My mother often helped out at the farm, working on the land. These Sollys might have been distant relatives but I was too young to know. I do recall that on hot, summer days when Mum was working there Mrs Solly would whisk me and a couple of other children off to the seaside for the afternoon!

Past the Solly farm a cottage nestles in a bend of Stourmouth Stream. Here lives one of the TIMMS brothers who farmed (and still do to this day, I believe) a large area of Stourmouth.

The next properties we see are on the left - a couple of cottages attached to Water Cress Farm. Opposite the cottages is Stourmouth House, which includes parts of two Tudor timber framed buildings. I don't remember the names of the occupants in my day, or those of the cottage tenants. I do know that James and Theresa BAILEY ran the farm. Opposite Water Cress Farm was a tied farm cottage where the HOGBEN family lived; Jim Hogben worked for Mr HEWETT whose farm was close by.

Now begins the main street in East Stourmouth. On the right was the village shop and Post Office, operated by Mr and Mrs STUART. Next door was a chalet bungalow in which farmer Hewett lived with his family. On the left of The Street was the white clapboard house of Mr and Mrs KNIGHT, and next to that was the brick house of Mr and Mrs CASTLE. After a gap - for a public footpath which wandered south past a small wood (full of bluebells in the spring) to Santon Farm - was another small cottage in which a second CASTLE family lived.

After the Hewett home, The Street meets School Lane.

On the north side of School Lane were a couple of ancient, rambling cottages - one of which housed Mr and Mrs FOAD. Next door was "The Retreat", the home of Mrs DIVERS, an elderly widow with one arm. The third house was a fairly modern one - "Minories" - where the TIMMS lived. Farmer Ernie Timms at one time, occupied the house on The Street where Mr and Mrs Castle resided.

Next to the Timms' was the old school, since pulled down. It was a square, red bricked building (typically Victorian, I imagine). There was one entrance to the left of the front leading into a small lobby with a couple of small sinks, and a tiny row of coat pegs. To the right you entered a large room, with high Victorian windows and a plain wooden floor. In the middle of the left hand wall was a large fireplace, surrounded by a big fireguard. A dividing wall split the space into two classrooms; this disappeared once the building was converted to a village hall (shortly before I began my education).

There was a small playground behind the school. At the back of this area were the brick built (and very basic) toilets. The playground also extended around the building to the front. To the left of the school had been added a concrete shelter for the pupils' use during the war - I can't say I'd have felt very safe in it, however!

On the left hand side of School Lane, opposite the Timms' residence, was the long, low bungalow of Mr and Mrs BEER. There were no other houses in School Lane then, although that's certainly no longer the case.

Turning the corner at the top of School Lane, alongside four allotments (now built on), stood four Council houses called Jubilee Cottages. I was born and raised in the first one - number 4. Next door were the WYLES, then the TRACEYs and, finally, Mrs LAMBING, a widow. Next to the allotments was an orchard, also opposite and behind were orchards. Each morning, in season, we would wake to the most wonderful dawn chorus you can imagine. In my day, along all the lanes were thick hedgerows, where hops grew wild. Such a pity it has all gone now! I notice, though, that new orchards have been planted so I suppose there's hope.

Instead of carrying on across Church List, a path to the left led down to Black Buildings - ancient, black clapboard houses. The names of the residents are gone from my memory, but I think it was at Black Buildings that my grandparents and their children were living during the 1891 census. From here, the main path would bring you out to the main road through Stourmouth.

To return to the The Street, via School Lane, the Rising Sun is on the south side of the road. When the landlord Mr CHAPFIELD died, the licence passed to his daughter and son-in-law Mr and Mrs Denis AUSTIN. The old pub consisted of a small snug and, through an entrance in the right hand corner facing the front of the building, the tap room; this was a wooden floored room with just a few wooden tables and benches, a dart board and a small billiard table. The locals frequented this room. Next door were a couple of cottages which, today, are incorporated into the pub itself. At the end of the cottages Mr Austin had a wooden garage and a wall - all that remained of the thatch-roofed Rising Sun Cottage which burned to the ground before I was born. The land at the side of the pub up School Lane, and behind it, was enclosed as a large, private garden where the Austins grew vegetables. A side gate and path from School Lane lead to a stable door with a bell which served as an off-licence.

Next to the pub was Stonehall Farm where Mr MORRIS had his two sons help out. Opposite the farm was an ancient cottage, thought to be the oldest in the village. Along this stretch of The Street on both sides were assorted cottages and clapboard bungalows, but I can only remember some of the names. I know Mrs FARBRACE (mother of my cousin's husband John) lived in a cottage reputed to be haunted. And in one clapboard bungalow was a family called TONG who seemed to have many children! Finally, on the north side of The Street before it bends right, was a fine detached house where the SHRUBSOLEs lived.

Just after the bend was "The Anchorage", a white cottage on the corner of Park Road which veered due south. At one time it was owned by Tom BROWN, who married one of my aunts. This first part of Park Road is now called Santon Lane.

Down Park Road/Santon Lane lies Poulder's Farm. In my day the large pond beside the road was always clean and well cared for; my Uncle John could be found there regularly, dressed in his waders and cutting back the rushes, etc.

Further along Park Road, on the left, was the house of farmer SOLLY and his wife (again, distantly related to us but I'm unsure how). Mum regularly helped on this farm, too; Mrs Solly would give me presents at Christmas, birthdays and Easter. Behind the house, and by taking a left hand turn further along Park Road, lay Santon Farm. I remember two lovely houses which were, in fact, tied cottages; the tenants names were BEERLING and WILLIAMS.

The next property on Park Road was the house and farm of a Mr and Mrs JOHNSON. And at the top of the road lived Mr and Mrs DAVISON. A room in their house was let to the local G.P. who was based in nearby Ash; he held a surgery there a couple of times a week. Opposite this house were the ruins of a mill, which burned down before my time. At this juncture there is a cross-roads. The road to the left leads to the hamlet of Elmstone, while the road to the right goes to Preston (past Preston School, where I was a student).

But I'll return to Stourmouth. The road begins to gradually loop around now, first twisting northwest, then due north until it eventually reaches the Little Stour.

Following the road west past Santon Lane/Park Road, one passes a couple of old cottages. Mrs MARKWICH occupied one and the other was home to my brother-in-law's sister and her husband, Rosie and Geoff DILNOT. When Rosie's father died, she built a detached house opposite (on New House Farm land) where their growing family moved to, early in my life. The next property on this stretch (on the north side of the road) is New House Farm where my sister and her husband lived; the FAGG family has owned this land since the 1920s.

There's a corner by this farm where the Preston Road heads south towards the village of Preston. Around the corner on the Preston Road (on the right) was a bungalow owned by a Mr and Mrs BRICE. He kept bees, and I have savoury memories of sucking honeycombs. A little further up, on the left hand side, is Oast House Farm which was worked by Mr and Mrs SHEPHERD.

If one turns right at the corner instead of left, a modern street map shows Newhouse Corner on the way to West Stourmouth. William Fagg built a bungalow here for his retirement, moving into it when his son and my sister took over New House Farm in the late '50s.

Neighbouring Dean Farm, on the east side of the road, was farmed by Mr WHITEHEAD. Next door was a house owned by Mr and Mrs SPICKETT (he was a market gardener).

The road dips and turns sharply north here. Opposite the corner are the two Dean Farm Cottages. I cannot remember the names of the tenants but my husband and I lived in one when we were first married. Around the bend are the cottage homes of Mr and Mrs DAVIS, and Mr and Mrs EPPS. There was another cottage occupied by Jack DOVE, then the church organist and choir master, and a TWYMAN family. I believe there were people by the name of EASON along here somewhere but they died when I was very young.

In my youth, the village eccentric lived in one of these cottages. He went by the name of "Jack" and was believed to be woman but, to all intents and purposes was dressed as (and looked like) a man. He/she was an artist. Harmless enough old soul, though - used to ring the church bells every Sunday! All the above properties and occupants were on the left hand side of the road. On the right was a fine old house occupied, for a while, by a Mrs LAMBERT. I believe Jack Dove took over the church duties from this lady.

Carrying on along the road, Puddleduck Farm is on the right and Plough Cottage is on the left. I remember this was also, at one time, an off-licence. The next property, Russell Farm was, in my time, let to various tenants; the owner (a farmer named KIER) lived elsewhere. A bungalow opposite this farm was home to the BLIGH family.

A tin bungalow on the right was the home of my Uncle Jack (Walter John BUSHELL). Almost opposite his house is a turning off to the right which leads to what was called Brewery Row but is now Brewery Square. Up here half a dozen Council houses sheltered various families (I can remember the names HARRIS and FARRIER). When these were first built - around 1948 - my sister and her husband moved into number 4 until going to New House Farm.

Opposite the Council houses were a row of tiny, tied cottages, belonging to New House Farm. Here lived, among others, Mr and Mrs KNOTT who worked for the Fagg family, and Mr and Mrs SHONK. Mr Shonk was the groom for the horses. Although tractors were coming in when I was young, there was one cart horse named Prince who lived out his retirement on the farm and still did occasional work. Mr Shonk looked after him, along with his other tasks.

Then there were the ruins of the old brewery, once operated by Francis A. WHITE. There was a cottage attached to the brewery in which lived an old woman, Mrs SARGENT. We children all thought she was a witch! She would come out and scream at us for playing among the ruins. I daresay she was only concerned for our safety!

Past Uncle Jack's bungalow, there was another bungalow wherein lived an old widow-woman. I think she may have been a STEDMAN. I can confirm that, although I am unsure of exactly where she lived, there was a Stedman in the village at this time.

Continuing north, we reach the rectory. When I was small it was still occupied by the vicar and his wife. Every summer, a fete would be held on the grounds of the vicarage and I remember these with great fondness. Next to the rectory was North Court Farm, the home of Mr and Mrs KIER. Following the track past the church, there's a row of cottages tied to North Court Farm, and here lived the McINTYREs and the COXes. There were others but, sadly, my memory does not hold good in this regard.

To return to the church - All Saints, where I was christened and married. There is a tombstone adjacent to the doorway, and under the old yew tree. Time has faded the wording but it has an amusing epitaph upon it, and therein lies a tale. The epitaph reads:

	To you who do this way pass by
	As you are now, so once was I.
	And as I am one day you'll be,
	So be prepared to follow me.

I distinctly remember the rumpus the vicar kicked up when under this, one day appeared, written boldly in large, chalk letters:

	To follow you I won't consent,
	Until I know which way you went.

It caused great amusement in the village and the culprit was never, to my knowledge, caught. But I don't think the vicar was amused and all traces were swiftly removed with soap and water!

I am reminded of the story of the church altar (courtesy of my cousin John). Apparently, at the time of the reformation of the monasteries (or the Civil War with Cromwell?) the locals removed the ancient altar stone and hid it under the front step at the front of the church porch, returning it to its rightful place when times became normal.

It is also said that some of the stained glass in a small window of what was known as the Lady Chapel (behind the organ) came from a damaged window in Canterbury Cathedral. Again, I have no dates etc, but imagine that a little research could verify this.