Ospringe, Faversham, Kent.

This is Water Lane, Ospringe, Faversham, one of the quaint villages on the A2 a regular coaching road, many historically famous people would and have traveled this route to the Kent ports from London and further.

Marine Parade, Tankerton.

Marine Parade with the Marine Hotel standing prominently, this was taken in 1910 and depicts a very desolate scene, a visit today would show a very different picture, on any reasonable day in the summer you would have difficulty parking your car on the left side.

Tankerton 1915

Tankerton in 1915, the Marine Hotel is on your left and at the top of the hill is the Tankerton Hotel now I think converted to flats or similar...

Whitstable, Harbour Street, just before WW2

Whitstable Harbour Street in 1938 this is the town that I grew up in and loved, change, although inevitable does not seem to have affected this particular scene, and on observation a lot less traffic...

Cromwell Road, Whitstable.

Oh! to have had a modern car in those days.

Today cars are parked both sides of the road and makes it very difficult to navigate its length, it is also used as method of avoiding Whitstable High Street which is worse...

Tankerton Hotel.

The quite majestic and in those days a thriving hotel, yet another sad tale of closing business.

Interestingly an area called the Shrubbery which housed a small entertainment building called the lawn pavilion now long gone.

This postcard dates about 1920...

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All Saints Church, Graveney.

This is a picture I did awhile back, and is a combination of Photography, digital art, and oil painting and with lots of artistic License...

I have left out the porch to give more authenticity as it was a much later addition...

A large copy of this was given to the church for purposes of raising money for urgent maintenance, it is believed that Barry McGuigan now owns the picture.

Barge at Oare, Faversham, Kent.

Taken by me from the Ferry House Inn, Harty, Isle of Sheppey, the barge is nudging up to her summer berth, the unmistakeable spire of the parish church, ST MARY of CHARITY, Faversham, this spire can be seen on good days at great distance.

The aftermath of the Great Gunpowder Works explosion at Oare, Faversham, in 1916.

The Great Gunpowder Explosion of 1916.

This picture is of the aftermath of the explosion of the Gunpowder Works at Oare, Faversham in occured at 2-20pm on Sunday the 2nd of April, the death toll is not exactly certain but 108 souls are thought to be the number, but there also many injured and maimed, a real disaster for a small rural town, many of the dead were buried in a mass grave at Faversham Cemetary.

I can remember in my late teens courting a girl whose Grandfather a Mr Holmes, was a victim of the blast, he was a Whitstable man, I knew him quite well, but he was permanently mentally scarred by the blast, some would say shellshocked he never worked again after that event.

This will give you an idea of the power of the blast, windows were reported as having been blasted out of their frames as far away as Southend it also shattered two plate glass windows, and was heard as far away as Norwich and Yarmouth.

It was here St Johns's Church, Swalecliffe where, I was unfortunately married, the land surrounding the church is now built on, and is now a council estate.
The WUDC put in St Johns road , and at that time I was working for Bowzell a Civil Engineering firm, and I was employed in putting this road in, little did I realise two years hence I would be domiciled on this estate, married and would live happily everafter in marital bliss for the rest of my life, Not !!! These turned out to be the darkest days of my entire life.

West Beach, Whitstable.

This view of West Beach , Whitstable was probably taken in the late 40's or 50's any native of pensionable age will be familiar with this scene.

Buckland Lake

Buckland Lake

The Medway Queen

Whitstables Oyster Fleet.

Here we see The Oyster Fleet at work and all on the same tack, this is 1898 according to postmark.

The Seasalter and Ham Oyster Fishermen

Seen here are the drudgers of Seasalter and Ham Oyster Fishery Company. They have landed on what I call the Long Beach in front of the oyster company.

The two master in the background could possibly be the "SPEEDWELL" which the company owned.

Whitstable High Street

Depicts Whitstable High Street in the 20's 30's.

Swalecliffe Post Office

I am not quite sure where this post Office was in Swalecliffe, I rather suspect that it was Chestfield PO and that it was wrongly named.

The Reculvers 1900.

A nice picture of the Reculvers in 1900.

Whitstable Oyster Dredgers

Part of the Fleet of oyster dredgers off Whitstable 1898.

Whitstable Oyster Dredgers.

Oyster dredgers off Whitstable showing how the wind was used to the best advantage

Herne Bay

Blean Village.

This is Blean post office

All Saints Church, Graveney, Faversham.

All Saints Church, Graveney.
This is a sepia of a painting I did two years ago, it does have some artistic licence

The Guildhall Faversham.

Tower Hill, Tankerton Whitstable.

This is the way tower hill looked at the turn of the century.

Borstal Hill Whitstable

The Arethusa

A painting by myself of the Arethusa at the start of her voyage to America, here,she is being towed down the Medway enroute to New York she was laid up and dismasted before her trip across the atlantic.

The ARK ROYAL

Taken at Cliffe she was outward bound after a visit to London.

Gravesend is in the background.

Upnor, Kent.

Depicts Upnor in the 1920's

The Sailing Barge " LESLIE "

This was taken in 1940 and as yo can see is in those days converted to a sailing mobile home or houseboat if you prefer.