Rainham History - History of Rainham Kent, Old Photos and Life in Bygone Times
Finds in St Margarets Church Rainham Kent
Medway News, 24/9/2009
A FRAGMENT of medieval glass is among artefacts uncovered during the restoration of St Margaret's Church in Rainham.
1987 Hurricane/Great Storm in Rainham Kent
1987 Hurricane/Great Storm in Rainham Kent
Along with much of the rest of the South East of England, Kent was affected by the severe winds from the Great Storm on the evening of 15/16 October 1987 resulting in hurricane force winds that destroyed many trees and damaged lots of buildings in the area. The event was made more famous by Michael Fish's comments on TV weather forecast that no hurricane was on its way a few hours before it struck.
This newspaper graphic shows how the storm progressed across the country in Oct 1987. Five people were killed across Kent by the winds and the damage they caused. A video of the news the day afterwards is here
I remember walking to school through all the debris - never managed to miss a day through the weather back then! - and finding the school closed with trees downed in the field.
We had lost electricity overnight but that came back during the day for us but many others were without power for several days where such damage had been made to the power lines from fallen trees.
This gallery shows a selection of images of the immediate aftermath and of trees uprooted taken some weeks later near Bredhurst and Queendown Warren. You can see the scale of the tree roots that have been ripped out of the ground compared to the person standing next to them which gives an idea of the ferocity of the hurricane force winds that hit Kent on 15/16 October 1987
This is a photo of tree downed in Marshall Road Rainham during the Great Storm of October 1987.
These are a few photos taken on the following day and the weeks afterwards showing some of the damage caused by the high winds.
Flag pole & washing line blown down by the winds in October 1987
Branch of cherry tree blown off by the hurricane force winds in 1987
The Queens Head Pub Wigmore/Harvester Restaurant Rainham
The Queens Head pub has been in Wigmore since at least the 1930s. This is a photo of it from approx 1930 when it looks fairly recently built. The Queens Head also became a Harvester Restaurant in the late 1970s.
The Queens Head is on the corner of Woodside and Maidstone Road in Rainham, Gillingham Kent. There is also a cash machine near the Queens Head located at the Total Garage on Maidstone Road approx 50 yards from the pub.
Snow in June 1989 (or was it!)
It's Snow Wonder!
Freak blizzards sweep through Medway in June 1989. This front page of Medway News shows cars in Lordswood driving through the snow but.
However, despite appearances of snow in the UK in June the weathermen insisted that it was all due to an intense hour long hailstorm but in some areas the paper claimed 9 inches of snow/hail had fallen.
In the previous week Medway had been basking in temperatures in the 80s.
Nineteenth Century Rainham - Health Reforms after Scarlet Fever Epidemic
NINETEENTH CENTURY RAINHAM
Titbits from Milton Union records by Audrey Perkyns
MEMORIES OF RAINHAM by Doug Kitney
MEMORIES OF RAINHAM From Action Forum July 2004
MEMORIES OF RAINHAM Part 1 by Doug Kitney
MEMORIES OF RAINHAM From Action Forum August 2001
Subcategories
Historical tales Article Count: 3
Historical tales
Rainham Life Article Count: 10
Rainham Life
Local Events Article Count: 48
Local Events
Photos Article Count: 143
Photos
Action Forum Article Count: 234
Action Forum is a free monthly magazine that is distributed to the Rainham area covering Wigmore, Parkwood and Hempstead as well. This archive covers old copies of the magazine dating back to its initial publication in 1969 and give a fascinating glimpse into life in Rainham over the last 50 years.
Link to Article Index - Action Forum Index - Photos and Articles from 1969 onwards