Tickets please!

Are we British obsessed with the weather and the trains? Anyway, as I've waited recently in the glorious sun at East Malling station I often ponder how well the station is maintained, despite the best efforts of some. What caught my eye recently are the new (retro-style) signs replacing the old blue and white ones. What would also be nice are some flower boxes or hanging baskets full of flowers to welcome people to the station, or, as the case may be, send them off.

Anyway, if you have an interest in all things train-related, you may be interested in my previous posts on East Malling Halt. To continue the theme, please cast your eye over the photos above of another view of the old Halt and an old ticket for a journey between Borough Green and Wrotham and East Malling Halt (courtesy of some sellers on ebay). Sadly there are no dates for the photo or the ticket. If anyone has any thoughts, please post a comment on the site.

Dear South Eastern Railways...

It occurred to me today, having come across the photos below, that it would be fabulous if South Eastern Railways (or rail track, or whoever would be responsible) were to run a steam train journey for commuters instead of the usual trains. This could take place once a month on a Friday and would give commuters something to look forward to and maybe (going out a limb here) it would cheer every one up. Also, it be an amazing PR exercise for the train company. My cynical side, however, reminds me (in an annoying wittering voice) that there is probably a miriad of reasons why this is unlikely to ever happen, e.g. health and safety issues, number of seats, lack of carriages, lack of specialist train drivers, industrial action, personal injury claims, etc. Whilst I continue my daydream, you may wish to cast your eye over the photos below. The first is from the East Malling/Ditton/Barming avian blog and featured in a post on the 24th October 2007 (for train buffs: this is a 45407). The second I found on the discussion forum of a website called Watercress Line. The post was by a Mr Hugh Topham on the 20th August 2003. He writes: "Saw 73096 today at East Malling Station as photo shows Passed through at 12:58 on its way to Canterbury on a Cathedrals".

I expect there are more photos and information out there on steam trains and East Malling. If you have anything to contribute, please let me know.

Nasima Tandoori

So what is next for number 1-3 High Street, East Malling? I've only ever known it as Nasima Tandoori, but from the photos I've seen the building has had a fruitful life as many different shops. The old photo below was sent to me by Diane Brazier and the other more recent one (7th September 2006) is courtesy of Stephen on flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/esteph/). The building is looking a bit sorry for itself and I hope someone comes along to give it a bit of love and attention that it deserves. And the same goes for the old bakery (Sweets n' Treats). Even if these properties became residential this would be a good outcome. They could then feature plaques detailing their history like the old post office, etc. If anyone has heard any information regarding these properties, please let me know or post here.

East Malling Halt (3)

Another ebay auction has resurrected the East Malling Halt theme that started back in March (see my original and subsequent post). The item is a East Malling Halt totem sign. The seller described this as a "rare totem", which was reflected by the fact the winning bid was £450! Some totems on ebay have apparently sold for £2000, so maybe £450 is a bargain. I have included the photo the seller left below.

East Malling Postcards

There have been a few postcards recently posted up on ebay. I have included these below.

(1) The title of the first is "High Street, East Malling". The publisher is D.B.L Series No. 3956. The description is "colour printed postcard postaly used dated 1910 with a half penny stamp".

(2) The second is a unused postcard with a real photo. Name over shop is GH Standen. Under window is Parker & Son. No date unfortunately. Early 1900s I would expect (does anyone remember the shop, or know of a more exact date for the photo?).

These postcards are currently being auctioned on ebay should anyone be interested in making a bid!

The Woodman - Sweets Lane

Taking a stroll in the blistering sun last Sunday down Sweets Lane (15th April) I came across a building that used to be The Woodman Pub in East Malling (if it had still been a pub I would have been in there like a shot to ease my sun-drenched thirst). I had previously seen the old picture below and was therefore confident I would recognise the the building in its current form. What sealed it, however, was the empty sign frame, which appears to be the original. What is a shame is that I took my photo from a different angle! When I am next on Sweets Lane I will take a shot from the right perspective and replace the one below.

I have carried out a quick search on the Internet, which reveals that the building is now a nursery school. Also, on comparison of the photos there are a few changes to the building to note. Firstly, that it now has three windows at the top and a one bottom centre where the door to the pub used to be. The entrance to the house now appears to be on the right of the building, hence the gate.

Unfortunately, the old photo of the Woodman did not come with a date. If anyone knows (even approximately) when this was taken please let me know.

Many thanks to Kent County Council for permission to use the The Woodman photo.

East Malling Halt

For those of us who commute, now the clocks have gone forward we can again enjoy the train journey to and from East Malling in the daylight and appreciate the fabulous scenery of the Kent countryside along the way. Admittedly, I'm usually asleep on the train in the morning, but it makes all the difference in the evenings. There's nothing worse as the working day draws to an end than the thought of getting on a train where all you can see is your own reflection. Anyway, this leads me on to East Malling train station or, as it was originally called, East Malling Halt when it opened in 1913. This information was sourced from a great site called Kent Rail. For those of you wondering what a 'halt' actually is (i.e. in terms of rail transport), Wikipedia has the answer: "a halt is a small station, usually unstaffed and with few facilities" and the entry goes on to say that many stations have now removed the use of 'halt' in the title, as in the case of 'East Malling'. I attach photograph of East Malling Halt taken circa. 1950 (thanks again to Diane Brazier for supplying me with this). It looks as though the photo was taken from the perspective of station car park (though I could be wrong). And could the hut on the adjacent platform be the one that stands there today? Although the hut in the photo looks as though it has a door to the left (a waiting room perhaps?). If any one has thoughts on this, or any more photos, please let me know.

No Sweets 'n Treats?

How the mind wanders. I'm currently on the train to East Malling from London and thought it would be a good idea to introduce some present information to the blog to counter-balance the marvelous historical facts we have learned so far. Since I moved to the area last September I have wondered about the disused Sweets 'n Treats shop on the High Street with the greyed-out windows. Did this used to be the village newsagents? And, if so, are there any plans to reopen it? If anyone knows the answers please post or let me know.

Photo exhibition

I have learned, via Mr. Godfrey King's guestbook entry on the 'East Malling Memories' website (see links section), that a photo exhibition of East Malling will be taking place on the 7th, 9th and 14th April at the Clout Institute, West Malling. Mr King will be exhibiting his own work there. This is all very exciting and I'm sure there will be some very fascinating historical photos of the village.

Further details of this event and full Malling social calendar can be found by clicking here

Streams

I have been saving a few issues of 'In Touch' - the parish magazine of St James, as this often has various pieces of interesting information. In issue 43 (Summer 2006) it is written that "years ago, walking through the village, you'd be sure to hear the gurgling and trickling of little streams. Down by the church, along the Rocks Road, these miniature water ways always seemed to be full... Today, they are nearly always dry". This is fascinating. I was aware of the stream on the Rocks Road by the train station (which is very full at the moment as a result of all the rain - see picture), but not anything by the church. I would be pleased to hear from anyone who is aware of these streams, or any others, particularly if they have some photos!

Snow

I thought it would be good to have a few 'snowy' photos to kick-start the photos category, particularly now that the weather is getting better, as we can look back and go 'ahhhhh', as opposed to thinking about being snowed in, delayed trains, traffic jams, etc.
















There are some excellent photos of East Malling under snow in the King & Queen pub. A good excuse as any to pop in for a drink!

I've attached one I took on my mobile on the Rocks Road on 8th February this year.

If you have any others please email them to me (mailto:deanjmason@aol.com.