RAINHAM’S CORONATION CELEBRATIONS - Part 1 from March 2002 Action Forum
Many editors, both national and local, have commented upon the apparent apathy by our people toward celebrating the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and I have been comparing this with the coronation celebrations in Rainham in 1953. First I tried to remember how we lived at that time and I was surprised at the changes which have occurred. The population of Rainham was around 10,000, probably only a quarter of that now and six years before we had emerged from a damaging and exhausting war. Certain foods and particularly building materials were still rationed and licences had to be obtained even for new wood to carry out repairs. There were no mobile phones and only a low percentage of residents had static telephones, most of which were shared lines. The main means of communication was still by mail. Council house building was increasing but licences for individual private development were very limited, there was no estate building but a three bedroom pre war house could be bought for under £1,500. A primary school had been established in the huts on the old Anti Aircrafi Battery site in Maidstone Road as there was no school for infants and juniors south of the . accommodate the high birth rate of the ‘baby boom’ years immediately after the war. Some of the army huts were still occupied by squatters. The land between Rainham Mark and Darland Avenue on the south side of the A2 was still owned by the War Department and mainly unused. There was no Rainham shopping centre, no supermarkets or out of town shopping. Parkwood was still an attractive woodland area with a steep grassy bank in the middle known to us as ‘The Den’. I doubt if more than a third of householders had a car but I had recently acquired my first vehicle, a Scwt Ford van with a bus seat in the back for my 6-year-old son and all cars were coloured black. Most people still travelled to work by bus or bike and life was far from easy for many post war newly weds who still lived with in-laws or in ‘rooms’. Partners living together would have been frowned upon. I found a ycopy of a letter which I wrote to the local paper nphasising the need for a by-pass, the M2 was "eventually opened in 1963, but no link road was included in the original design so that had to be fought for to avoid even more tmffic travelling along the A2 through Rainham High Street en route to the link roads in Chatham and Sittingboume. These were the circumstances under which we were living when a Public Meeting, which attracted about 100 residents, was called some eight months before the Coronation. An organising committee was then formed with myself as Chairman, which is why I still have a file to which I can refer. Mr R. Lucas, Manager of Rainham Co-operative Society, was Vice Chairman, Mr J. Lewis, Manager of Barclays Bank, became Treasurer and the Organising Sub-Committee was chaired by Dr G.O.S. Reid. There were 51 organisations covering many interests in Rainham at that time and some of them arranged fund raising events to cover anticipated expenditure.
Photo of Coronation Party in Holding Street Rainham in 1953
The events arranged for the great day had to take account of the increased interest in television as this was the first great national attraction since its introduction and many people bought their first set for the occasion. I remember buying a second hand 9-inch set which had to be viewed from a few feet but even that was a great advance on wireless. It was assumed that many residents would wish to view the actual ceremony and subsequent events until early afternoon so events on 2nd June started around 2.30pm. The Carnival arranged for Wednesday 27th May had to be cancelled twice before it was eventually held and some of the events arranged for Coronation Day were also curtailed by inclement weather, which was disappointing to many who had laboured to ensure a happy and successful day. A copy of the programme had been delivered in advance to every household and I forget which events had to be cancelled or restricted.
The RE Cadet Band opened by playing as they marched along various roads leading to the Recreation Ground. Other events included the Peter Pan Starlets, London Mime Theatre, Tug of War Heats, and a Sheep Dog Demonstration. It was anticipated that over 1,000 childrenwould attend the free tea which was to be followed by a Comic Football match, Maypole Dancing and The Fueding Dudes with Hill Billy songs. Free tickets were provided for children to enjoy pony rides, and all types of side shows. There were 23 races for children aged from 5 up to l6, the youngest ruiming 80 yards and the 15 and 16 year olds had both cycle and one mile track races.
The Rainham County Secondary School from Orchard Street had a House Relay for a Shield whilst all other lst, 2nd or 3rd places received money There were many street parties whilst houses, shops and street standards were decorated, Gillingham Council also helped by erecting Coronation Arches across the A2 at West Moor Farm and outside the Vicarage which at that time was next to the Post Office. The day ended with a dance in the Co-operative Hall. The population seemed to be captivated by the Coronation of our young Queen and almost everyone entered into the spirit of the occasion. Rainham was proud to play its part.
P.S. Whilst typing this article a radio announcement has confirmed that the Salisbury Avenue NWA and Residents Association has cancelled its proposed Golden Jubilee celebrations due to lack of interest and the cost of insurance! However, I am pleased to hear that a Community Project jointly with the Rainham Theatrical Society and St Margaret’s Church are planning some celebrations.
Freddie Cooper
March 2002
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These photos show the maps and promotion for what was called the Rainham Park development which was part of Parkwood overall plan. This consisted of the roads opposite Durham Road off Maidstone Road Rainham and linked up with Lonsdale Drive when that was constructed. Kenilworth Drive, Lonsdale Drive, Tanker Hill, Sunningdale Drive were amongst the roads as part of this development. This promotional leaflet for Rainham Park was approximately 1965 before most of the development had begun. At the time there was no road connecting the ends of Broadview Avenue, Herbert Road or Arthur Road which were part of the Broadview Garden estate. Read here about Building the Broadview Garden Estate inc Herbert/Arthur Road
Interestingly the road layouts pictured were actually different when built. Lonsdale didn't end opposite Asquith Road but joined the stump road shown between Woodside and Asquith Road which is now Deanwood Drive and ran more parallel to Mierscourt before it connected.
Many thanks to Craig Blum for providing these scans as well as the Rainham Park house brochures.
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It was first suggested that a railway service be provided for Kent in 1824 - a prospectus was drawn up and accepted in 1825. The topic was raised in 1832, again in 1835, and in 1836 the South Eastern Railways Act was passed. However there were already short distance railways operating - the Whitstable Canterbury being the nearest to this district. The South Eastern Railway when it eventually appeared had government blessing - a point which must have weighed heavily in its favour when engaged in battle with rival companies. One of the first to be merged was the Thames & Medway Canal & Gravesend & Rochester Railway in 1849. Chief rivals were the East Kent, which became the London, Chatham & Dover Railway operating from Victoria and the South East & Chatham Railway out of Charing Cross. A main line to Rochester started at Fenchurch Street and proceeded by Tilbury, the ferry and Gravesend.
Below: Rainham station in the late 1800s, probably around 1890
The line from Chatham to Faversham was opened in January 1858 (the link from Chatham to Strood opened in March). With the extension to Faversham came the stations at New Brompton (Gillingham) and Rainham Newington. In 1862 Newington got its own station. One comment at the time the railway opened up in Kent was that 'all the parishes became very populous and places which were once quite rural are now covered with houses for the toilers of the metropolis'. Transport was now cheap and easy enough to be available to the ordinary people, and thus was born that section of the population known as commuters.
In 1858 it was only a single track but fortunately the Chatham and Gillingham tunnels had been built sufficiently wide to allow a double track later without the need for major rebuilding. The three major companies all had bridges over the Medway at various times and it was not until 1927 that the re-alignment of the track made the South Eastern bridge the sole survivor.
There had been suggestions to close Rochester and Chatham stations in the interests of economy much to the delight of Gillingham Council who saw a very rosy future for New Brompton. It would have been almost impossible anyway since Chatham was a major station and the only way to Rainham involved changing at Chatham. June 1899 saw the amalgamation of the three major railways into the Southern Railway - which it remained until 1948. One attraction in 1899 was the Continental service out of Victoria via Queenborough to Flushing.
Below: Rainham station in 1966, notice how little has changed from the 1890s which was the original station building from 1858.
In 1944 a flying bomb fell on a bridge between Rainham and Newington - just twenty yards in front of the Victoria train, killing eight and injuring sixteen passengers. After British Rail took over in 1948 the suggestion was made that Rainham station be renamed 'Gillingham East'. This caused such an outcry that the idea was quietly dropped in much the same way that the Premier Inn on Maidstone Road was originally proposed as Gillingham East. Then in 1958 the first electric train ran to Rainham. There was no ceremony - it was one of five pilot runs and the only passengers were electricians and engineers.
The above photo was taken in October 1966 prior to the rebuilding of the station in 1968 which was now carrying more than 2,000 commuters each day as Rainham expanded. This building lasted much less time than the original and was redeveloped again in 1990 to the current building. The most recent expansion was the additional of platform 0 in 2015 that enables Thameslink trains to start from Rainham.
Below: Rainham station in 1980
Below: Rainham station 1987 during the snow
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Woodside has always been a very busy road. In 1912/1914 land was sold off in plots of 200ft x 40ft costing £25 per plot and the road "made up" in 1925/1926 by Milton Parish Council.
Photo below taken in 1946 of Cheryl Domoney in the front garden of 28 Woodside looking into the street and houses opposite, numbers 29 Woodside (semi-detached house) and 31 Woodside (Bungalow).
The corner house at Hoath Lane was originally a stopping-off tea place for townpeople coming to their country plots. It later became a green- grocers. Opposite, was waste ground before the Spyglass was built in the ‘30s, and a few doors down a tennis court where players could also get icecream. Fruit trees covered most land along to Bredhurst Road and on that corner 'old iron' was collected for the war effort. Opposite was a house called The Parsonage, where the Priest-in-Charge of the Mission Hall lived. On the west corner of Springvale a small building sold fresh fish, later becoming Beale’s butcher's. We had a resident policeman and his family living on the south side of Woodside. The Smallholders Club, a well -known institution, was originally for exchanging or selling home-grown produce, hence the name. The first building was a tin shed, before Springvale was developed.
The Post Office, another well-known place since the early ‘30s, also sold petrol and paraffin oil. It was small but had all sorts of pots and pans hanging from the ceiling. Sweets in glass jars were ready to be weighed up - "An a'peth of those, please" (an a'peth was a halfpenny, pre-decimal). Some bought a farthing’s worth (quarter of an old penny)! It was always busy and friendly, as it is today. Along a little further, a footpath stretched from Woodside to Durham Road known as 'the six foot pathway' - said to be six foot wide… and very muddy! Opposite the Post Office was St Matthews, originally built as Wigmore Mission Hall in 1925. It’s beautiful sanctuary in dark oak opened up on Sundays to become the church. This was modernised with lighter-coloured wood around 1935-1937 (the carpenter lived in Springvale), but with a growing population it was necessary to extend out front in ‘52. Now the Howard Memorial Hall, it is the Lodge of the Masons and St Matthews
relocated to Drewery Drive.
Towards the Queen's Head, north side, a family opened up their front room as a general store and a little further along was a nursery full of produce in greenhouses, the owner living in Maidstone Road. On Woodside's south side, where the Osteopathic clinic now is, the front room held a Haberdashery, somewhere I loved and the next door garden was full of daffodils every year. The site of the Queen's Head was another patch of waste land, opposite was a shop which became Tarry's and there was a red telephone box at either end of Woodside. I have lived here for 93 years. In my younger days there weren’t many residents but everybody knew everybody. Modern Woodside is so different but we have a, much needed, pedestrian crossing thanks to our Mayor.
Let us know what I have missed out!
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During the construction of the Churchill Retirement living housing project on the A2 various remains have been found that date habitation of the area back to the early Iron Age, some 3000 years ago. Sandy Fleming from Rainham News visited the site to find out more
Watch her YouTube video on the discoveries here
Churchill Retirement Living statement re Rainham archaeology dig – November 2021
“Our site in Rainham is of historic interest due to its location, so having liaised with the relevant authorities we brought in a team of professional archaeologists and temporarily paused work on the site while they carry out their important work. We are pleased to be supporting this project and very interested to see what the team discovers.”
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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