Birchington Memories of the 1920s

by Dave Dallas

December 1987

Printed in the Residents' Magazine - January 1998

A considerable number of our new members (in the Residents' Association) are interested in the past days of the village. I would like to give my impressions.

I was born in Park Lane and all the ground was agricultural, except for the Primary School, Brunswick Terrace and "Dodinga". Down at the Square end was the Operative Decorators and Builders Ltd. and opposite was Golder's Iron-monger's store, with its delightful smells of paraffin, paint and tarred twine etc. In the bottle-neck at the top of the lane (which is still there) were the Acorn Inn, a sweet shop and a fruit & vegetable shop. On the corner of the Canterbury Road was a corn and meal store. At the rear of this was the village forge, which in those days was very active, as most of the traffic was still horse-drawn.

Turning down the Canterbury Road (then known as Church Street) the Church and some old cottages were the only buildings on the right hand side of the road until you got to the bottom of the hill. In 1926 the old Church House was built adjacent to the churchyard, which was used for many social functions - Whist Drives, Concerts, Pantomimes etc. On the left side from the Square there were a few houses, including the three little old cottages opposite the Church and another old one almost next to the pond. Then came our famous pond, sampled by many a damp child (skating on thin ice!). On the corner of Essex Gardens the old Vicarage still stands (now divided into two dwellings) and in those days (the 1920s) it was fully staffed with maids, gardeners, etc. A little further on was a large house, which was the abode of Mr and Mrs Stringer who had the largest family in the village. Life in those days was very much for the family. Sunday afternoons were spent in walking to Beresford Gap, Grenham Bay and on to Minnis Bay - mostly over open fields.

There were three hotels, i.e. the newly opened Beresford Hotel (the haunt of film stars like Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks senior) and also the centre for big dinners and dances, whist drives etc. and run with a 'rod of iron' by Mrs Austin. The next was the Bungalow Hotel, another popular place for people straight of the trains, and also for sports people with the hotel's tennis courts directly opposite and Grenham House School playing fields next door, with excellent cricket, Rugby etc. The third large Hotel was the Bay Hotel down at Minnis Bay, built in 1905.

There were (and still are) four bays along the cliffs, i.e. Epple on the eastern end, which was always renowned for collecting huge waves of seaweed, but it didn't stop families from enjoying a Sunday outing there, as it had a tea-shop, sweet shop etc. and the promenade was always full. Moving towards Beresford, there was a small gap at the foot of Colman Stairs, not a real 'bay' but a favourite spot for the kids when the snow and ice arrived and ideal for tea-tray sledges. A lot of the big houses and Bungalows had private tunnels down to the beach along this section. Beresford Gap came next and was always popular, especially with its sandy beach. It was the scene of a nasty RAF plane crash in foggy weather in the early 1920s. Grenham Bay, which comes next, was also very popular as sand was more evenly distributed in those days. Low tide and the heavy seaweed in the summer formed lovely pools for crabbing, shrimping and winkling. It was also great fun to explore the many caves along the cliffs.

Having arrived a Minnis Bay, there were Johnson's Tea Rooms in the Dip. The Johnson's also ran the Minnis Bay Post Office. The next favourite meeting place was the Minnis Bay Hotel - site now covered by a tower block of flats - and the Bar known as Uncle Tom's Cabin was a very popular rendezvous.

The walk from Minnis Bay to Reculver Towers was also popular - going past the Rifle Butts (active at this time) and Plum Pudding Island. A lot of children went fishing in the marshland dykes, where trout, roach and eels were found. All this land was agricultural.

The RAF at Manston was supplied by a small branch Railway from just west of Birchington station, across the fields above Brooksend, south of Quex Park to Manston. This was great fun for the adventurous youngsters hitching forbidden 'lifts' across the fields until it closed about 1925.

The "Square" of the village has basically remained the same. The horse trough was moved twice after its installation in 1909. The public houses, The Queen's Head, the New Inn (Pewter Pot since October 1961) and the Powell Arms were very well patronised. Horse brakes used to run "Mystery" tours on summer Sundays, but the horses always knew the answer to the mystery was "The Dog and Duck" at Plucks Gutter, where everyone needed feeding and watering!

Favourite shops in the Square were Apps, the Bakers, the International Stores, Vye's Grocers, Tumber's Sweet Shop (by the entrance to the Methodist Chapel), Jenner's Garage, Brock's Cycle Shop opposite and also Smith's the butcher (now the Tender Carver). Between Apps and the International there was a passage way to the Institute Hall, also a popular place for Whist Drives and functions. Community life was most prominent in the Boy Scouts, Cubs and Girl Guides, St John's Ambulance and Red Cross, Young Conservatives and "Cheerful Sparrows" and the Mothers' Union.

Of course, Station Road was renowned for very well known businesses, such as Barrow's famous Corner Shop, which also had a gramophone and wireless business next door, run by Roland Barrows. B.J. Pearson's run by Alderman Thomas (still thriving in 1988), Thurgood's family business (curtains, dresses, haberdashery etc.) next door to the old Cinema, which my father ran in the Silent Film days - 2d, 4d and 6d seats - with films such as "Way Down East" and comedies by Ben Turpin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Laurel and Hardy and, of course, The Keystone Cops. The cinema was family run, and if it was sunny, silent prayers were offered up for rain!! The Cinema was also used for Christmas parties for children. The music was supplied by my mother and a cane was always available to chastise the first two rows of children. It was sold in 1926, as the Talkies were just coming in. My father, of course, managed and played for Birchington Football Club between 1911 until 1975 (64 years). Then further down the street was Vic Holton's Hairdressers establishment, with his sister Vera (still going strong in 1988) and tobacco. Opposite Holton's, where the Co-op stands now and F. W. Woolworths used to be, was a very popular tea bungalow (Colonial style) called The Wayside.

A delight to see at Christmas time were the lovely displays in the shops, especially Ballard's sweet Shop with sugar mice etc.(next door to Greensted's, the butchers). Then came Wells, the ironmongers and Floyd, followed by Tibble's (men's outfitters) and Curtis (bespoke tailors).

After the horse-drawn brakes came Walker's well-known buses in chocolate and cream, with solid tyres. Return fare to Margate was 5d old money - and they were packed on Saturday nights. To buy two returns to Margate, 5 Woodbines, ¼ lb of Milk Tray and two 6d seats at dreamland for 2/6d (12½p).

In conclusion, it can be said that the people of those days were pioneers of the wonderful village spirit that still exists today.

I hope this will give some idea of life in Birchington in the 1920s.

Dave Dallas