Birchington Heritage Trust   - Newsletter   

Memories of Quex

by Alf Bedwell

Alf Bedwell, one of our best-known local residents, has spent most of his life in and around Birchington. He was brought up in Acol and when he left school at fourteen, he was found work in a nursery in Acol. The following year he began working in the Quex nursery for Major Powell-Cotton. In future editions we shall be publishing some of Alf's many fascinating memories.

Mr Graham, the manager of the Quex nursery, had orders to get ready for the 1934 carnival and we were told we alt had to do something. On the day of the carnival we had to report to the mansion so that we could be dressed up and have our photographs taken outside the front door.

One of the photographs taken that day shows a very strange machine called a velocipede which looked something like a large four wheeled cycle. It was probably a Sawyer's velocipede, made by William Sawyer of Dover. He was a carpenter, but in 1838-39 he set up a business in Chapel Street, selling a wide variety of these machines. Prices were from £15 to £40 and included special models for ladies and children, one version taking up to six people.

Later that year, Mr Graham said I should learn to drive as there was a small Morris van available. Of course, once I got going and was doing well, I was told to try the Lanchester so that I could serve as a part-time chauffeur to help Ted Milstead, who was the head chauffeur and drove the estate lorry. The day came when I put on my uniform and was ready to drive the Lanchester. Then I thought I really was somebody. I was ordered to take the car to the front door where the butler would give me my instructions. He told me I was to go to Rarnsgate and shut the door. So I drove off only to discover that I should have waited for Major Powell-Cotton to take him to the court in Rarnsgate.

When Major Powell Cotton and his wife returned from one of their trips, both Ted Milstead and I were sent to Southampton to collect all the animals and his equipment. In Southampton was the Queen Mary, which had just made her maiden voyage and we watched all the well-to-do people leaving the ship. It was wonderful, as at that time, I had never been farther than Maidstone.

One day when Ted was on holiday, I had to go to London to collect the animals from the taxidermist. This I did and on the way home I had to call at a nursery outside Maidstone to collect plants. There was a great big wild boar on the back of the lorry, covered with a sheet. I pulled into the nursery and out came a keen member of staff who climbed up the side of the lorry and lifted the tarpaulin. Of course, the first thing he saw was the head of the boar with these huge horns. He was so shocked, he lost his grip and crashed down on the ground.