KESTON

OLD and NEWish

Based on photographs from the collection of

G.W. Smith

Adapted from a presentation to the BBLHS by Max Batten

January 3rd 2012

William Smith

1780 – 1860

Bromley/Bromley

Common

Thomas Smith

1811-1877

Hayes/Bromley

Common

William Smith

1836-1908

Hayes/Bromley

Common

George William

Smith

1861-1926

Bromley Common

Wallace Smith

Joshua Walter Smith

1868-1942

Bromley Common

Joshua Bernard

Smith

George “Gee”

William Smith

1898-1987 Bromley

Common

Leonard George

Smith

Harold Mark

Smith

Muriel Annie Smith

1905-1994

Bromley Common

Roger Evans

Blanch Smith

Elizabeth Smith

He was later assisted by his nephew George, “Gee”

who, in addition to adding to the collection, continued

to show the lantern Slides to local groups into the

1980s. The collection of which this is a small part was

presented to the Local Archives in 1987 and Gee’s

son Len made a series of tapes adding information to

the pictures. The material disappeared into Bromley

Library archives and that seemed to be that!

However, in 2011, the Smith family kindly donated

funds to purchase a suitable slide scanner for the

Library and three volunteers, of whom I was one,

turned the images into more easily viewed digital

pictures, as well as making digital copies of Len’s

descriptions which have been utilised in this

presentation.

So who was GW Smith? Well in a

sense he was two people. As we can

see from the family tree, the Smith

family has been in the area for a long

time. We are concerned initially with

William Smith who set up a builder’s

business in Bromley Common, in

Brewery Lane. In 1905 George

William, together with his brother

Joshua took over the business. GW

was always a keen photographer and

from the 1880s travelled around the

Bromley, Hayes and Keston area with

his heavy photographic equipment in a

small donkey cart. His collection of

glass slides were used to give

entertaining lectures.

Let’s first have a look at the

area I am covering in this small

selection of GW’s photos.

This map shows the area from

Leaves Green in the south to

the Croydon Road in the north.

We shall be starting in the

south, passing Keston Church

into Holwood, across to the

Westerham Road, Keston Pond,

down to Keston Common and

then along the Croydon Road to

Keston Mark.

Note in particular the junction at

Keston, and the names Jewels

Wood (bottom left) and Leaves

Green.

In this 1780 map, near

the top we can see the

Keston Common

junction but the most

striking difference is

perhaps the fact that

there was no

Westerham Road nor

Keston Ponds, the

road system being

concentrated on

Holwood.

Also marked are

Caesar’s camp, which

we know now is really

an Iron Age fort. We

can see Keston

Windmill in Heathfield

Lane and Keston

Church, even then

somewhat isolated.

Towards the bottom is

Leves Green and Jews

Wood.

Finally, notice that this

glass slide has been

damaged and poorly

repaired.

One of the big advantages

of slide digitising is that

you can improve their

quality, make repairs and

bring out details that were

not so clear in the original.

Here, I have removed the

Sellotape yellowing on the

left and restored the

missing area on the right.

Of course, this can be con-

troversial. How much

change should you make

to original material? The

removal of the yellowing is

maybe OK but what about

the road on the right.

Although I have replaced

the road from bits

elsewhere on the map, it is

only my guess at to what

was there.

I should stress that the

original very high quality

scans have not been

touched in any way.

Anyway, lets start our tour

of the district at the Crown

Inn, just north of the name

Leves Green on the map.

Probably taken around 1880, on the

extreme right is the Tollgate cottage. The

adjacent garage today is still called the

Tollgate. Of particular note is the condition

of the road, presumably GW had to

negotiate this with his donkey cart!

At this point I want to introduce an

additional benefit of the digital age, Google

Street View. Here is the Crown Inn today

kindly taken by the Google cameramen.

Although there have been considerable

changes, the building on the left would

seem to be the same as we saw in the

photo above so is a lot older than the

extension on the right.

Moving on along the road we come to…

Keston Church from Hadwell’s collection as sketched on 16 May 1841 and subsequently turned

into a photo by GW. The church is unusual in not being dedicated to a saint.

Note the chimney at east (near) end, the single window and the stepped shape of the chancel.

In this interior photo

taken around 1900 we

can see that the chimney

is connected to a pipe

through the church

presumably providing

some limited central

heating. Note the box

pews and the unusually

ornate pulpit with a

sounding board above to

improve acoustics.

When the whitewash on

the walls was removed in

the 1950s a copy of the

Ten Commandments was

discovered. Who or when

they were painted over is

not known.

A general view

of the church,

with the chimney

just visible on

the right.

Note the plain

bell tower.

A close up of the south

side. Excavations have

found evidence of at

least three previous

churches on the site

and pre-Norman,

burials in chalk.

Early maps show the

church with a steeple

and although this was

thought just to be

artistic licence, digging

in the 1950s found

suitable footings

around the filled in

archway. Bells in a

steeple were also

recorded in the time of

Edward III (1327 to

1377 if case you have

forgotten).

There is a Pepys family

vault on site with C18th

interments. The

stepped shape of the

church is known as a

weeping chancel.

A picture taken from the other side of the church but at a later date. Note the larger belfry with the open

lattice work. One bell made by Thomas Bartlet is dated 1621, a further 6 bells were donated in the 1870s

by the Derby family at Holwood. The fence is the boundary of the old church yard which has now been

extended. On the right can be seen part of the very large rectory which was finally abandoned in 1925.

A later view from the

lane where we can see

the larger belfry. The

identity of the bowler

hatted gentleman is

unknown.

Note the east window

is now divided by a

central mullion. Today,

of course, it is a single

window again.

We now move forward to the

Second World War, and a photo

taken by Gee Smith, GW’s

nephew, after bomb damage at the

east end and which demolished all

the tombstones.

Note the four stone marks/holes

which have appeared. These are

the original old wooden scaffolding

holes used during construction

which were then plugged on

completion of the building.

The same end of the

church after repairs in

1950 but before the

glass was replaced.

Just at the bottom

centre, you can see the

remains of a Roman

centurion’s coffin from

nearby Warbank roman

villa. Moved to

Wickham Court,

apparently in the 1920s,

it was badly broken by

stampeding horses in a

storm. It was removed

by Len’s father, Gee,

repaired and taken to

Keston.

It has now been

returned to Warbank.

This is a view of the Rectory at the west end of

the church around 1900.

A bomb fell on the empty building and badly

damaged it in 1941. But there was no damage to

the church including its stained glass window.

However, it was decided to use the building to

test the effectiveness of a new air raid

precaution, the Morrison shelter. This was

simply a steel reinforced table for use in houses

under which residents could shelter during a

bombing raid.

It is not clear if the engineers were over

enthusiastic or just thorough, but the entire

rectory was demolished, and the west church

window with it!

Is it possible that the building was chosen

because it was near Fort Halstead?

One of the graves in

Keston churchyard was

that of Mrs Craik, best

known for John Halifax,

Gentleman, which was

actually televised in 1974.

Born in Stoke, she lived in

Shortlands. She married at

39 and died during pre-

parations for her adopted

daughter’s wedding, aged

61.

Now we move on to

Keston Farm…

In the previous slide taken just to the south of the

church we see Keston or North Court farm around

1890.

On the left is the vicar’s tithe barn. It acted as an

occasional local judicial court for minor offences.

(The South Court was Blackness Farm).

Courtesy of Google Street View again, we can see

the farm today, with the house very recognisable

although the barn has been replaced.

Keston Court farm again, with the

tithe barn on the right. This is

included to again show what can be

done with digital processing. I am

not sure what had happened to the

original picture, above, but it is a

simple process to remove the

colour cast which I don’t believe

was intended.

An attractive view of

elm trees edging a

lane beyond which

lies Keston Court

farm. This is now

Rectory Road and

would have been the

main route before the

Westerham Road was

built.

GW may have been

experimenting with

filters given the

strange colour of the

trees. Since they are

in leaf it is unlikely to

be frost.

Holwood House at the time it was owned by William Pitt the Younger which he enlarged and also

levelled half the surrounding iron age fort. The 1795 picture probably shows the old main road passing

the house. Pitt had this moved, creating the present route of the Westerham road. Damaged by fire it

was replaced by Mr Ward who created a number of lakes, seven in all on the east side of the property.

These were in addition to Keston Ponds to provide a water supply to the property.

The present Holwood, owned for many years by the Stanley family, the Earl of Derby. In more recent

years it was occupied by Seismographic Services. This was an oddly coloured slide and I have

removed the greenish cast it had acquired. The House and surrounding area has now been heavily

developed but the old house retains its charm as can be seen the next slide. This is a side view (the

left side below). It was taken late on a January afternoon in 2006, hence the very low sunlight.

The Wilberforce Oak, taken in 1873, during a visit by African clergy including Bishop Crowther who it is thought to be the

gentleman at the back left. This is of course the site where William Pitt and Samuel Wilberforce met in 1787 to discuss how to

end slavery. A Wilberforce diary entry in 1788 reads: “At length, I well remember after a conversation with Mr. Pitt in the open

air at the root of an old tree at Holwood, just above the steep descent into the vale of Keston, I resolved to give notice on a fit

occasion in the House of Commons of my intention to bring forward the abolition of the slave-trade". In the background can be

seen the commemorative seat, erected many years later to mark that occasion and on which his diary entry is inscribed. The

tree itself, as can be seen by this picture, must have been past its best when Pitt and Wilberforce sat beneath it.

The tree’s decay is

also apparent in this

later shot of a

gentleman probably

called George Shorter,

and his dog.

A view from “just above the steep descent” mentioned by Wilberforce. It became very overgrown

and only the 1987 “hurricane” restored the vista as seen by Pitt and his guest.

This picture brings the story forward to 1982.

It was taken on a family excursion and

various relative were draped all over the tree.

when I took it. I don’t think we caused more

damage, but I have removed them to hide

the evidence!

The new central tree planted from acorns

from the old one unfortunately blew down in

the 1987 gale, narrowly missing the

commemorative seat, and the original tree

finally collapsed in 1991.

Another view of the commemorative seat in January 2006 which had been moved from its

position in the earlier pictures to a few yards away to bring it within the protection of the Holwood

fence. Originally erected in 1862 by the then owner, Earl Stanley.

This picture shows

some of the seven

lakes created by

Pitt with the help of

Repton among

others.

Fed by a spring

with small water-

falls between each

one.

It is thought they

are still there but

difficult to see amid

the trees.

Next we move

back in time…

This and the previous picture show the

iron age fortifications surrounding

Holwood. Dating from around 300BC,

those on the right or east side have

been levelled. It also shows the former

road via Holwood House and the new

road passing round the estate.

This second drawing takes a wider view

of the area and the Iron Age workings.

A ground level view of the ramparts and trench system seen in the previous slides with two large ridges, now

much reduced and in-filled. A gateway into this camp, from opposite Caesar’s Well became an entrance

route into Holwood. The area was excavated by the Keston Field Club in the 1950s and a number of photos

from that time are in the GWS collection.

This picture is thought to be of Mrs Nancy Piercy-Fox who led the work, standing on part of the

ramparts.

And this is the entrance to Holwood at Beckford Lodge. Taken in January 2006, it was at the

time hidden behind high fences whilst the house building work was going on the estate and

was difficult to access. It was very neglected but has since been refurbished and re-occupied.

A short distance south

along the Westerham

Road was the

Archdeacons Well and

Keston village pump.

On the right was a

small spring and pond

which still causes

problems in wet

weather. Christopher

Clark, the rector of

Keston and Hayes had

the facility installed to

serve both Keston and

Downe in 1725. Quite

a long walk for both

communities.

The pump was struck

by an army vehicle in

World War II and lost.

It is seen here in a

view looking west to

the corner near

Warbank.

Just below the

Westerham Road and

above Warbank is

Knightons once owned

by the Boosey family

(of Boosey and

Hawkes musical

fame).

This is the garden front

just before WW1 when

it was extended in

1912 by William Smith

and Son…

To include a billiards

room and other

facilities.

It looks pretty much

the same today but

is not easy to see

from the road.

This is Warbank roman villa below the Westerham Road, as it first looked after excavations in the

1820s. In the background was a building then called a Roman Temple, actually a burial area, and now

in somebody's back garden. Excavations were again carried out in the 1950s.

A Roman coin found at Warbank by Gee Smith in 1950 showing the Emperor Constantine.

An old sketch, dated 30th August 1828, showing the well and the three ponds at Keston. The middle pond

was originally a gravel pit with a stream flowing from the spring into it. It was then damned to produce three

ponds. The lower one has only been accessible to the public in the last 25 years or so. Note the small

building near the centre which was the pump house for Holwood. That may be Shooters Hill in the distance.

A similar but rather more

bucolic view with a

chestnut tree in the

foreground and the

pump house in the

background.

This used to be called

Cold Bath Hill and there

was a changing room for

people to bathe in the

therapeutic water!

As you probably know,

the story is that early

Romans were in the

area but very short of

fresh water. Noticing

ravens digging their

beaks in the ground here

the soldiers found a well,

hence the name,

Ravensbourne.

This is an actual

photograph from

pretty much the

same viewpoint but

many years later

and considerably

more overgrown.

We don’t have a

precise date for this

picture but almost

certainly before

1914.

From the same period, around the turn of the C19th , two boys fishing in the upper pond.

This shows the same

area, from the opposite

direction and it appears

the path between the

upper and middle lakes

has been improved so is

probably a few years

later. However, the most

noticeable feature here

is Keston Windmill. It is

clear from this how well

sited it was to catch all

available wind.

Also, note how bare the

area is beyond, just

heather (hence

Heathfield Road) and no

trees. In the lower right

you can see a sign

which warns people not

to let their dogs into the

water as it is used for

drinking purposes by

Holwood!

A close up view of

the mill , in 1914.

The main post is

dated 1716 making

it the oldest

remaining mill in

Kent. As a post

mill, the whole

upper building

rotates round,

pulled by a horse,

on the base to

catch the wind.

It had fallen into

disrepair and a

local subscription

had been raised for

its repair before

World War I. This

was carried out by

William Smith and

Son but…

Because the war

intervened the work

was never fully

completed.

But you can see

clearly what was

needed!

On the right is the pole

from which the horse

could pull the mill

round.

You can also see the

60 rung ladder used to

access the work. It

took 4 men to move it

around and to get it up.

It was last used to

repair Holy Trinity

Church after 1945 and

finally rotted away in

the Smith’s yard in the

1970s.

Standing centre in front of

the mill is a young Gee

Smith, Len’s father, on his

first job for the Company.

A picture of the mill taken one

very cold January morning in

2006.

So the Smith’s work was not

in vain, even if the sweeps

have now disappeared and it

cannot no longer rotate.

GW took a great many

pictures of the interior

mechanism for anyone who

is particularly interested in old

mills. These pictures are held

by Bromley Archives.

This picture is taken in

Leafy Grove, which

runs parallel to and

below Heathfield

Road.

Little is known about

the picture nor the man

in it but it appears to

have been taken with

the junction with Fox

Lane just behind the

photographer.

The other intriguing

thing about this photo

is the colouring. It

seems more than mere

tinting but how it was

done I don’t know.

Carrying on down the road to Keston Common with the Fox inn on the right and the windmill in the

background, the original sketch being dated 1837. Clearly artistic licence or artists’ impressions are nothing

new. I can assure you that even with no trees in the way, you cannot see the mill from this position!

The building on the right is actually on the site of what is now Keston Post Office, a few yards up the road

from the inn today. The post office is using the later stable buildings for the following Fox Inn….

Which we see here,

but it is still not the

building you see

today.

Note the very muddy

road with Fox Lane

disappearing round to

the left.

A view of the same building from the front showing the name of the inn keeper, Mr. Duck. His daughter

Sarah married William Smith who set up the building company. Interesting use (at this time) of “BY”.

This is Fox Lane as it looked in around 1912. It has since been surfaced!

A picture of Lord Sackville-Cecil, step-

brother to Lord Stanley of Holwood (three

times prime minister).

The source of this photo is not known but

the reason for its appearance is that

although he lived in the Oast House in

Hayes, the local vicar would not let his

mistress play the organ in Hayes Church.

So, as one would, he built her a church just

over the border in Keston where she could!

And here it is, built in

1889, St. Audrey’s in

Commonside.

Just behind the

camera is a house built

by William Smith and

Sons called Millfield.

During the excavations

Neolithic tools were

found there. It

appeared to have been

a tool making site with

lots of spoiled flints left

behind.

However, before the church was built it was the location of Olives Cap Mill, seen here in 1841. It was

being repaired in 1878 when there was a very severe storm which resulted in serious damage. It was

rebuilt using steam but was not successful. It was apparently the same tempest which sank HMS

Eurydice off the Isle of Wight with the loss of all but 2 of her 319 crew. On the right is the millers house.

Here we see the mill’s

replacement, St.

Audrey’s again with the

millers house

converted for use by

the church and as a

men’s club.

Unfortunately the

house was bombed

during the last War.

Moving further north and into the

Croydon Road we pass over the

Ravensbourne (now marked by a small

wooden fence on the south side), and

here was Sheepwash Cottage. This

was where in the past sheep being

driven to Croydon market were washed

on the way.

Thatched and weather boarded with

wattle and daub on the end wall, it was

probably over 200 years old at that

time.

It was finally demolished after the last

War.

Another view of

Sheepwash

Cottage but clearly

at a different time

of year.

On the opposite side of the road to Sheepwash Cottage was this building but what it was and who

did the painting is unknown.

Moving on to the

junction with Oakley

Road (on the left)

and Westerham

Road (on the right),

known today as

Keston Mark.

However, this shows

the Red Cross Inn

(see the inn sign on

the pole) as it then

was, only being

renamed after WW1

when use of the

name in this context

became unlawful.

This building pre-

cedes the present

structure which is

now residential ac-

commodation. The

Keston Mark, apart

from being a boun-

dary stone, was an

early form of the

cross which has

been incorporated

into the alter cloth at

Keston church.

Looking down the lime tree lined Westerham Road towards the then Keston Mark inn. And is that Mr.

Smith’s donkey cart?

Apart from the

missing trees and

fewer chimneys, the

modern Google

Street View picture is

easily recognisable.

Continuing up the

Westerham Road we

pass Towerfields; this is

the back.

The tower was removed

after World War II and

the building converted to

flats.

During the War, when

the operations room at

Biggin Hill was bombed

out of action in 1940,

they moved into this

building and then later to

the Rookery on Bromley

Common (now the site of

the higher education

college).

The next house up the

road was Ravensbourne

House, artistically shown

here in snowy weather. It

was home to the Bonham

Carter family for many

years.

It is still there, as flats,

minus its spire and with

rather less surrounding

parkland!

We complete our

tour round Keston

with the Smiths’

photographs as we

reach Fishponds

Road.

A few yards from

the junction with

Westerham Road

is Lakes Cottage. If

you recall from

earlier photos of

Keston Pond with

the little house in

the background,

this was the final

building and was

inhabited by the

man responsible

for pumping water

to Holwood.

It still stands with

its distinctive

brickwork, but

fewer chimneys.

The End