From: Diana Gibb
Sent: May 2009
Subject: the Co-op, Rusthall

My Father, Reginald Young, Born 25th. January 1907 in Chandos Road, Tunbridge Wells, worked as an errand boy for the Co-Op in Rusthall. This was his first job and I have very old photos of him with his bicycle parked beside the store and also standing in the shop doorway.

A few years ago I travelled to Rusthall and was so pleased to identify the shop, It is the One Stop shop and the alleyway next to it still looked the same as it was in the photo all those years ago. If I can find out how to send copies of said photos to you on the computer I will do so, I'm not very computer literate but try very hard!

I stumbled across your site by accident and I must say I'm very impressed with it, thanks for all your hard work on it.

Diana Gibb (Nee Young)

From: Susie Spragg
Sent: February 2009
Subject: the White House

I love your site – it is on my list of favourites and I have just been catching up on some of the messages.

I was born in the White House, in Harmony Street in January 1950. The house is between The Scouts Headquarters (now private residence I think), which was next to the demolished houses behind Morfetts shop. I remember the houses there, as they abutted our garden wall and I would climb up and look down into their decaying back yards. Old man Morfett(he was a real old lech) was keen to get planning permission to build on the land there.

The house is set on top of a high wall to the right of Harmony Street as you go down, opposite the pub and next door to Harmony House, which at that time belonged to Geoff and Joan Williams with their four children. (We are still in touch with them).

The White House was very old, having been one of the laundries in the area – we discovered a huge boiler built into the corner of the wall under the garden. We also had two wells under the floor in the kitchen.

My childhood was idyllic – playing on the rocks and in Bull’s Hollow. I too climbed all the rocks, known by name. I had a particular friend, who lived in the last house in Rusthall Park. The gardens backed onto the golf course and Bull’s Hollow. He and I often visited the owners of the house there – it was a brother and sister, who had half each – a strange house, built into the rocks.

The picture you have at the top of the notice board brings back particular memories. When I was about 10 years old, my mother was approached by the very elderly spinster who lives there (it is the first house on the left in Rusthall Park). She had a Canadian niece who was sent over occasionally for the long summers and I was summoned to play with her. Stephanie (as she was called) was a bit of a “blue stocking”, but I adored going there. It was a time warp and we played for hours in the gardens and summer house. I did try to keep in touch with her by letter, but as often happens she either moved or lost interest!

I was heavily involved with the Girl Guides in Rusthall (was even Lieutenant in 1966) and we had the use of Happy Valley with the Rusthall Scout Company. We spent wonderful Monday evenings in the Summer building bridges, clearing the undergrowth from around the lakes etc. It was like a huge secret garden, with the rhododendrons and azaleas out in full bloom. As you can tell, I loved it.

Just a few memories and probably not worth posting, but if anyone wants to get in touch, please do.

Susie Spragg (nee Stacey)

From: Beth Mooney
Sent: September 2008
Subject: Bull family

My 3x Gt grandparents, Robert and Mary Bull lived at Denny Bottom. I live in New Zealand, so it was a lovely suprise to find your great website of the area. Their son my gt gt grandfather emigrated to New Zealand in 1875.

Is Denny Bottom part of Speldhurst. I am visiting the Tonbridge area next month, but it will be just for the day. Is it easy to get to Denny Bottom from Tonbridge, as we will be travelling on the train from London.

My gt gt grandfather left his siblings behind when he came to NZ. I would be interested to know if there is anyone reading this, think they may be connected to my family.

Beth Mooney

From: Beth Mooney
Sent: December 2008
Subject: Bull family

Thank you for your information and for posting my email on the website. Your instructions on how to get to the area were very helpful, except that the taxi driver hadn't heard of any place called Denny Bottom, but when I mentioned the Toad Rock Hotel, he knew immediately! We had a lovely day's outing there. We were amazed at the wonderful rock formations and took plenty of photos. It was very exciting for us to discover Bull's Hollow and Bull's Hollow cottage, and to think that my ancestors once lived there. Unfortunately no one was home when I knocked on the cottage door. The area seemed to be so unique. Is there any other area in England that has such interesting rock formation I wonder?

I am certain that Bull's Hollow was named after my ancestors, Robert & Mary Bull as they are recorded on the 1851 census as living in Denny Bottom. His occupation on the census was a bricklayer. He was my 4x great grandfather.

I also have in my possession 2 original photos relating to the area. i don't know the date they were taken. My guess is that they are of a sister of my gt gt grandfather Bill and her family. The first photo is of her 2 daughters and on the back of the photo is written " This is Bulls Hollow with Hilda and Winnie Jellett. I wonder if you will recognize it. The other photo shows a family group and has the following written on the back: This is taken outside 1 Apsley St Denny Bottom. Young Albert Bull, his daughter Nell and Mable Jellett are in the photo. Nells little boy, Hilda, Winnie, Leslie and twins (Jellett) also Mables boy. Looking at the clothes etc I would think the photos were taken either late 1890s or early 1900s. Up until now, I have done very little research on my Bull family. I knew my gt grandmother who was a Bull very well. She lived until her 95th year and my son was 4, he was her first and only gt gt grandchild. Her father Thomas, arrived in New Zealand in 1875. I thought his father was Robert Bull, but found out that he was the illegitimate child of Sarah Bull, Robert's daughter. So Robert Bull was in fact his grandfather. As Sarah was unmarried, Thomas kept the Bull surname. His grandparents probably brought him up as one of their own. These photos had been sent to him, probably from his auntie in England.

We found the same houses in Apsley St and they are still recognisable.

Regards
Beth Mooney

From: Franklin
Sent: February 2008
Subject: Rusthall

thanks for making the rusthall website i have enjoyed it very much....

i was thinking it could include the fact that baden powell attended the old boys' school next to the church (unless i'm wrong) and i'd like to add that in about 1976 i saw two ghosts on separate occasions (a soldier and a maid with candle) at "yewside" 17 lower green rd. which i believe was a V:A:D: hospital in the first world war. i'd love to hear if anybody else has a ghost story from the same house!! I don't remember exactly but it looks like "two yews" was next door and if so we had the yews and the two old ladies and monty the dog who lived there in the nicer house!!

Franklin

From: Eileen Thompson
Sent: June 2007
Subject: Ancestry

Hello -
I do hope you won't mind me asking for information on your site ? I am researching my family history and discovered that my grandfather Thomas George Smith b.1874 and his brother John James Smith b.1872 were born in Tunbridge Wells - the brother's birth certificate specifically says Denny Bottom, Rusthall , but in the 1881 Census it gives his birth place as Speldhurst.

As I've had no luck with finding my Grandfather's info in Tunbridge Wells - I'm now wondering if he too, was born in Denny Bottom. His cert gives Seager[?] Cottages. Would you or anyone 'out there' have any knowledge or ideas about this? Their parents were John [James] Smith and Mary Ann Smith nee Cox. John's father was James Smith and both of them were Tailors - it says 'High Street' Tunbridge Wells - but could this have been Denny Bottom or Rusthall I wonder as I could find no records in Tunbridge Wells. But then - I've only searched on line so far.

Your site is very interesting and I think I will visit the area as soon as I can Thank you so much for your time

Eileen Thompson

From: Brigitte Baxter-Steiz
Sent: March 2007
Subject: Long Shot

After many years of trying this and that I've decided to go for a long shot and see if you can be of any help.

My name is Brigitte and I live in Connecticut. (USA)

I grew up in the UK and had a very best friend that I have lost touch with. When we were teens she lived right by Toad Rock and we came into your Pub a few times.

Her house was on a road near the rock (was going to type Toad but realised it was going to look like I'm typing a poem) - We had a few treally really fun summers in Tunbridge Wells... She moved there with her mother from Portsmouth, so we eventually lost touch after being best friends for years.

Her mother married a man named Glynn/Glenn. I have no idea what his last name is.

My friends name is Joanne Drew - She's probably married now and moved away, but as small as the world is sometimes I wondered if you could put this e-mail around a bit (hang it up or something) to see if anyone remembers her or knows where she went.

I've lived here here for 20 years - So I know it's probably another dead end. Joanne hasn't joined Friends reunited, she left school in 1984. My research so far jogged my memory that she went to Bennett Memorial.

She had 4 brothers Alan, Rodney, Simon and Steven (twins)

Oh, and by the way... the ploughman's lunch I had in 1983 was excellent.

Thank you and all the best.

Brigitte Baxter-Steiz

From: Fiona Graves
Sent: Christmas 2004
Subject: Rusthall website
I've just tracked down your excellent website and thought I'd drop you a line in the hopes you may be able to help me with tracking down any information on my great-grandfather, John Graves, who was a milkman in Denny Bottom at the time of my grandfather's birth on 26th March 1878.

John was married to Harriet (Lawrence) and his son (my grandfather) was called Mark William.

This is a bit of a shot in the dark - but I've just started researching the family and thought it was worth a try.

Thanks in advance

Fiona Graves
Southend-on-Sea, Essex

From: Francis Huddy
Sent: 13 September 2004
Subject: Rusthall website
Your website is fascinating and reminds me of many places I used to know some time ago.

I used to live in Bretland Road, just near the beginning at the bus stop in Rusthall Road, and remember going all over Rusthall, playing cricket up at the cricket pitch and even at the playing fields down in Ashley Park. Why did they extend the cricket pitch and then never use it? They must've done that in about 1985. It left the pavilion stranded, right out in the middle of the field.

We used to play cricket (just 4 of us) on that field every day after school in the early 1980s, just beside the pavilion. One day, the groundsman came along and was so incensed that we were playing cricket on his beloved pitch that he actually drove his car onto the pitch and ran over our wicket! Well, we knew it was owned by the council so we had every right to play cricket there (the police said the same).

Another strange thing on the website is your story 'Two Rusthall Ghosts'. Well, I can remember walking home from school one day, with a friend, from Southborough (St Gregory's) through Hurst Woods (in about 1981). This is really spooky because there was no-one around, just the two of us, and we actually heard this really eerie, shrieking noise of a heavy horse approaching at speed yet there was nothing there! We even started running away, assuming the horse was right behind us ready to run us over. I remember that to this day and to read of the account of the ghost is rather strange. I must say that I am not remotely a believer in anything paranormal, yet this is the only such experience in my entire life.

Anyway, the website is superb. The old pictures of Toad Rock and Rusthall in the past are a delight.

Many thanks,

Mr Francis Huddy
Exeter, Devon

From: "A.J.Fermer"
Sent: Sunday, December 09, 2001 7:07 AM
Subject: Denny Bottom kids' memories
I was really pleased to find this site - I lived in Denny Bottom as a small child, 3yrs old I think, when my father Arthur Walter Fermer was called up in 39/40 for the duration of the war. I lived with aunt Georgina and uncle Frank Bugden, uncle Arthur Fermer lived opposite and Aunt Liz (Georgina's sister just up the road).