The Town of West Malling in the 1920's by Phyllis Stevens

My father married my mother, Ethel Tremlin Jones, in December 1911 at Lamberhurst and they lived in one of the Park Cottages at West Malling, which were opposite the Castle or Keep in St Leonards Street.  They were very happy there especially when my brother Ernest Arthur was born with the assistance of Dr Pope, the town’s doctor.  In 1914 Dad was called up to go as Manager of a woman’s factory making munitions at Cliffe at Hoo.  Mum went back to Lamberhurst and I was born in 1915.  My Dad joined her when he was de-mobbed in 1918.

Mr Henry Wood died in 1916 and the Manor was bought by the Trustees of Frederick Andrew, a solicitor from Lincoln, who left money in his will for a house to be bought and used as a convalescent home "for poor gentlewomen striving to earn their own livelihood".  In 1919 we returned to West Malling and moved into the Lodge at the front gates of the Manor House.  I was nearly four years old and my brother six or seven.  He went to the Church School at the top of Church Fields and I joined him there as soon as I was five.  Miss Funnell was in charge of the Infants and was helped by the Misses Hughes and Tomlin.  It was a very happy school and at seven I went into the Girl’s school next door.  The teachers were Miss Lester, Miss Harland, Miss Neaves and two others whose names I cannot remember.   I didn't settle there so my parents sent me to Elwood School, later called St Christophers, in the High Street next to Dr Robert’s house and surgery.  My brother went to the boy’s school at the bottom of the High Street near Bull Bridge, the headmaster was Mr Cheal.

I remember the High Street so well and most of the shops.  Going down the High Street from opposite the Church, next to Elwood School was the house and surgery of Dr Roberts, then what we always called Watery Lane but is now Water Lane.  Then a few houses, a cottage called The Salt Box, Wellards a shoe repairer, a sweet shop, Hitchcocks dairy, a coal merchant, The Bear Hotel, Newmans greengrocer, Reeds shoe shop, Hoads watchmaker, Olivers chemist - I always remember Mr Oliver because of his long beard.  Next came an alley called Mairs Nest and then the Fire Station.  If a maroon went off it was exciting to see the firemen on their bikes or running to get the fire engine out.  The next was the yard of the George Hotel and the George itself where the gardeners of the town including the cottagers would hold their shows every month or quarter.  My school used a room in the George as a gym and played tennis on their tennis court at the back.

Next to the George was Smiths who had two shops on the same side of the High Street, the first one sold household goods such as sheets, curtains, carpets, etc., then came Wellers the jeweller who visited the large houses in the district and kept their clocks in good order.  Next was Griffin the ironmonger who repaired mowers and radios when they were made popular in the early 1920’s.   Next was Harrington’s grocers and Carman’s a Gentleman’s Outfitters, Kents the bakers who had a Dentist upstairs which one could visit once a week, another chemist then Smith’s second shop which sold Ladies underwear, top garments and hats.   So we come to the top of Swan Street, cross over and we are at the Post office and still on the same side there is Foremans bread and cake shop, selling cakes which I doubt anyone could beat. (This shop after many years was taken over by Briggs and is now a Restaurant called The Bakery.)

We are now at Mrs and Miss Brewers sweet shop which sold children’s sweets and sherbet fountains.  This shop was a very dark small one, children were rather afraid to go in.  Once more a grocers T.D.Brice, then Stedmans a stationers who sold books, paper, envelopes, cards, etc., in fact everything that one requires for writing and they also sold toys.

I find it difficult to remember what came next, but I think there was an office connected to the Council and then the Westminster Bank.   Now we are at The Cabin owned by Joe Martin and Mr Marten’s the fishmonger.   Cross over to the West side of the High Street which runs parallel with King Street and there is Newmans a grocer, Barkaway a butcher, Fullager and Collins, drapers, a toy shop and a dairy called Armstrongs.  I was very friendly with the two Armstrong daughters and my brother with the son.  In the school holidays we would go down and watch them skim the cream off the milk and in the middle of the morning would be given a glass of the milk to drink.

A passage then ran from the High Street to King Street.  There were quite a lot of these passages on this side of the road.   Next came Norris a china shop. I am afraid I don’t remember just how the different premises were except for a Public House called "The Rose and Crown", a fruit and sweet shop and Viners which was quite a big store with a men’s department, the International Stores, the Joiners Arms, a sweet shop, Blanks the grocers and on the corner Miss Barton who was a great favourite with the children as she sold balloons, hoops, skipping ropes, tops, marbles, etc.

It was in this area that the buses turned round and of course there was a lot of open decked ones which children loved in the summer in spite of the flies, maybugs and other insects.  This is where West Street comes into the High street and on its corner was a butchers called H. Dunn.  I was very friendly with the daughter Joan from our early years at the infants and spent many hours in the cold store of her Father’s shop watching the sausages being made.