Anke: Royal Tunbridge Wells

I had no idea the K&S Hospital had once been the site of what looks like a fair old house with estate - is much known about it?

It's also interesting seeing St. John's Road as London Road.. I imagine the change came about because of the church in the mid/late 1800s, would that be recorded at all?

Further.. there is the area marked as 'The Lew' - this is of particular interest, being a whiskered Leopard. The Skinners' School song (by Cuthbert H. Cronk) refers to the place as 'The Schoolhouse by the Lew', and we were always told that 'The Lew' was a river forced underground by the building of the New Wing in the 1960s. If you wander down Somerset Rd from St. John's, New Wing is the first big building you see if you look over the walls. This always seemed an oddity, as one would expect that (a) building a structure like that over a river, no matter how small, would present problems; and (b) there's little evidence further away of where it comes out - unless the little stream at the bottom of St Michaels Rd & the foot of St. Johns School fields (another old school of mine) is The Lew.

But - this picture suggests The Lew running north/south, which would make the placement of that brewery (at the top of what is now Woodbury Park Road) a reasonable place to be.. but one would then need to find evidence of the water going down hill from there.. The lake at the bottom of Culverden would answer that one.

Interesting, interesting.. Sorry I'm not posting about windmills, tho I am fascinated. I'm surprised there wasn't one out toward Frant somewhere. Dad used to take us out to Nutley Windmill, which I believe is still in some sort of restored condition :-)

Purely out of interest, you wouldn't have ever noticed the location of Woodbury Park, would you? I used to live on the road, and oft wondered where it might be - whether the cemetery (clearly been a place of rest for some time, seeing that map..) was part of the park, or whether Grosvenor Park might have originally been Woodbury Park..

Crikey, thats the most in-depth comment ever. Thanks, Duncan. I'm glad I sparked such an interest in your brain :)

Have you picked up a copy of the Historical Atlas of Tunbridge Wells by the Civic Scoiety? It's a fascinating book with all the historical maps of town, surely your river could be traced on there?

Ill take a look in the book about Woodbury Park too as my interest is piqued now. I throroughly recommend picking up a copy though.

I don't have said romantische item.. Having been out of the area for nearly 20 years (save a coupla short visits) I'm out of touch with what's hip on the history front down there - other than your blog.

I'm hoping to get down again at some point through this coming year, and so will definitely visit the museum (now identified with curvy rear) for a copy

Very interesting post Chris. I've often wondered about the location and name of the windmill which gave our street its name.

Glad to help, Justin :)

Good one Chris.

Excellent post! I've always loved the Dodd paintings, but didn't know anything about his subject. Thanks! I wish these kinds of windmills would come back. Nowadays, the kind we see are huge, ugly things on gigantic poles.

Thank you kindly, Steph. Always lovely to hear from you :)

Thanks Dave. Glad you liked it.

The Lew was described as a rough working class area inhabited by vagabonds and gypsies! My Great x 5 Grandfather lived at Sims Cottages, which were located roughly where Dairy Crest is now. Looking at the 1841 census vagabonds and gypsies doesn't quite describe the occupants. Living next to my Great x 5 Grandparents were brewers, brickmakers, labourers and charwomen. George Martin, my ancestor was a milkman and lived with his wife and 3 grandchildren. My Great x 4 Grandfather lived next door with his wife and the rest of the children. Eventually there were 13! Sims Cottages were advertised for sale in 1893 as investment properties with tenants. They are described as having an attic, 2 bedrooms, sitting room, kitchen, outhouse and garden. The Martin family (my ancestors)had moved on by then, farming a dairy herd and opening a dairy 'Original Alderney Dairy' at Montpellier Cottage on Mount Ephraim which supplied fresh milk, cream and eggs from Down Farm. George's son John and grandson Henry Martin had a fine business J & H Martin's Original Alderney Dairy until tragedy struck in 1872. Henry's wife also ran a boarding house and a lady visitor and her daughter arrived from London to recover from illness, purportedly chicken pox. Unfortunately they lied and Henry Martin contracted smallpox and died aged just 41 and is buried in Woodbury Park Cemetery. The windmill would have been a significant feature in the lives of the Martin family and their cattle may have grazed around it and Henry Martin is buried in the same cemetery as the artist Charles Tattershall Dodd. The Martin family fortunes never really recovered although Henry's son Arthur E Martin ran a dairy in Hanover Road into the 1900's but his elder brother (my direct ancestor) seemed less entrepreneurial and worked as an coach builder, ostler, stableman and labourer until his death in 1930 in Frances Terrace.

PS and to close the circle - I live in Woodbury Park Road

Superb comment, Lisa. Thanks for taking the time to leave it :)

Aha! I have an oil painting of a windmill bought in a boot sale years ago. Been vaguely tying to trace the artist for years; may well be Dodd, judging by the style. Will investigate further.
Also coincidentally, good friends of mine live under the windmill in Argos Hill. The only way they could get permission to extend under the windmill was to have a grass covered flat roof.
Be lovely to see the actual windmill restored.....

Thanks for the comment, Helen. If it is a Dodd you could be sitting on a little gem there.
Richard and the Argos Hill society is doing a great job in restoring the old mill, I hope to get up there in the Summer.

argos hill mill was built and run by the westons who where relatives of mine

Thanks for the comment, Jean.
I trust you are in contact with the nice people at the Argos Hill restoration society?

I note with interest the map locating the Calverley Mill and the Larks Nest which subsequently became the Mill Cottage (21 Bayhall Road)I lived there from 1963 until 1972 and the original ovens were in our basement. We were led to believe that the windmill was at the bottom of our garden which is now the top of Windmill Street behind St Peters Church.I have searched for a map showing this mill but to no avail, so your little piece has filled in a few gaps, Thankyou.

Thanks for your comment, Ray. Glad to help fill in the blanks. It's amazing to hear you had some of the original parts in your house. I wonder if they are still there? Do you have any photos of them?

Nice to see some fine pictures of the mills, although I'm not sure they are of Culverden Mill, as they depict a smock mill (Are the Dodds pics named 'Culverden'?). I plan to research these two in some detail but I suspect the Calverley Mill was the older (I have a quote to John Warde from a millwright to rebuild it in 1827). I also suspect that Culverden Mill is of much earlier foundation than 1832. It's probable that they were both smock mills. I'll keep you updated.

At the back of the Church is St Peters St I lived at 38 Windmill Street from 1937 to about 1960