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Post by Les on Oct 12, 2017 2:20:46 GMT
Maidstone I remember it well:
As a boy in the 1960s I well remember the fascinating industrial scene along the river around Fairmeadow. It must have been many decades since it had been a "fair meadow"! Sharps the toffee works across the river - not a lot to see but a big works. Much more interesting was the gasworks next door - front loaders running around pouring coal into hoppers, and the timber yard with barges being constantly unloaded of huge bundles of wood. Honnors the feed merchants had big silo blocks in Fairmeadow that used to load into trucks amongst clouds of dust. The power stations I remember because one had a tapered chimney (looked like the funnel of a wild West locomotive!) and the other a parallel stack, I often wondered why? Behind Sharps was the Courage brewery, the biggest brewery in Maidstone. On days when the wind was in the wrong direction, the smell from the maltings was absolutely sick-making! Opposite the Courage brewery was the Maidstone West railway station that in those days had a huge goods yard with dozens of small yellow articulated delivery lorries (remember the “Scammell Scarab” 3-wheel mechanical horse?). The rest of the town was boring to a young boy, by comparison, just shops!
There were two generators at the power station one for general power and one powered the Trolley busses.
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Post by msmith13 on Nov 25, 2017 18:40:12 GMT
What about Fremlin's Brewery (malting smell from there as well), the Electricity work and Maidstone Public Baths. By the way Sharps toffee works were the same side of the river as the Gas Works.
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Post by Les on Nov 26, 2017 15:01:51 GMT
yes all along St peters All ways reminded me of the dubliers song 'Dirt old town
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des
New Member
Posts: 1
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Post by des on Nov 26, 2017 16:59:22 GMT
Back in the '50s/'60s I was growing up in Loose where my father was a Dr. He was Dr Alan Warren and his surgery was in our house on the Maidstone side of Lancet Lane almost opposite a big shed where several trolley buses were kept overnight. My father had 3 brothers (Bill . George and Harry ) and they were all Drs as well with surgeries up Tonbridge Road and Rocky Hill. My father was a good friend of Ray Sharp who owned a Tailor's Shop at the top of Gabriels Hill. We would go on holiday every August down to Broadstairs where "Uncle" Ray had a bigger Tailors shop , his father's house and a Beach Hut . We stayed in a hotel and I have lovely memories of lots of fun there. When there was a Fancy Dress Competition there once Uncle Ray was able to dress me up complete with bowler hat as Mr Sharp's Toffee . Hopefully the attachment I've tried to include shows me on the steps of the hotel before winning a prize in the competition ! Attachments:
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Post by Les on Nov 27, 2017 15:26:41 GMT
Thank you Des.good to see you manged put up a photo my computer is down atm when I get it working will enhance it to see you plainly
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