History of Rainham Kent, Old Photos and Life in Bygone Times
Photo of Woodside, Wigmore, Gillingham in 1946
This photo of child with old style pram was taken in the garden on 28 Woodside Wigmore Kent in the summer of 1946 so within a year of the Second World War ending. My grandparents had built the house 7 years earlier, you can see the receipt for the construction here. Costs of Building in Woodside,Wigmore 1939
The bungalow opposite looks virtually unchanged in 2021!
Rainham Co-operative Coop Store 1975
This photo of Rainham Co-operative Store was taken in 1975 from the church tower. The store was located opposite St Margaret's Church and demolished in 1997 to make way for the new Medical Centre. The store front clearly shows the date of 1928 on the front facade. To the right of the photo you can just see the old Rainham Sorting Office that is now the McCarthy & Stone retirement home.
Photos of the demolition in 1997 are here Rainham High Street Coop Co-operative Store Demolition
HL Bodiam Seed Merchants Rainham Kent (Simes Ltd) 1920
This photo of HL Bodiam Seed Merchants shop in Rainham Kent was Simes Ltd in the 1970s. Photo was in Action Forum - May 1975 Number 69
Otterham Quay Aerial Photo
This undated aerial photo of Crescent Shipping at Otterham Quay Rainham Kent shows the full layout of the docks
Henry Street VE Day Party 9 May 1945 Rainham Kent War time
This photo of the VE Day+1 party in Henry Street Rainham Kent was kindly supplied by Paul Edwards. The reverse of the photo reads "Souvenir of the Children's Party held in Henry St Rainham on VE Day Plus One (9th May 1945) Paul believes that the man second from right is Percy Woolley and the lady far left may be Percy's mother Ellen.
The street has changed significantly since 1945 but based on the gaps in the houses I believe the photo was taken looking towards where numbers 9 & 11 Henry Street are now and the edge of number 23 Henry Street is on the right hand side of the photo. This would have been the location of Akhurst Building Yard.
Bumbles Wine Bar - Rainham Kent 1982
This photo of Bumbles wine bar was taken in November 1982. The sign in the window reads "Bumbles Open Thursday 18th Nov at 7pm" so presumably the photo was taken to advertise the opening of the wine bar on that date. Bumbles wine bar was located on Rainham High Street almost opposite Pudding Road. The wine bar was owned by James Field. The building is now PHC Homecare appliance repair shop.
Apparently the building was Fred's Cafe in the 1960s with many people having fond memories of visiting for strong cups of tea. By 1990 the building had become an Indian restaurant so Bumbles Wine bar was open less than 8 years. Fred's Cafe in Rainham is listed in the 1951 High Street traders at 126 High Street.
I can't really recall this wine bar existing in Rainham when I was a teenager so assume it wasn't open for very long.
The photo below shows the PHC service centre in 2001. You can see the step is the same as the Bumbles wine bar photo above.
History of Parkwood Estate Rainham Kent - 1978 Aerial Photo
This aerial photo of Parkwood housing estate in Rainham Kent was taken in 1978 and published on the cover of Action Forum magazine in 1983.
Deanwood Drive runs from the top left corner to the top right with Lonsdale Drive and De Mere close going off the top of the picture. In the top left Deanwood Drive meets Maidstone Road and the Queen's Head pub is just visible in the corner. Long Catlis Road runs from Deanwood Drive through the centre of the photo to the middle of the picture at the bottom edge. Foxburrow wood is still visible in the top right hand corner of the picture.
IN APPRECIATION OF PARK WOOD
The first ever Ordnance Survey map at a scale of one inch to one mile, published over 164 years ago on the 1st day of January 1819 by one Colonel Mudge in the Tower of London, reveals that where Parkwood now quietly hums, stood the Kentish forest of Park Wood. At that time, perhaps six generations ago, the nearest settlements were the then hamlet of Bredhurst and the tiny village of Rainham (but without a single house in Station Road!). Further afield, there were but forest and fields, with distant Gillingham a mere village.
But today, all the most beneficial aspects of village life throughout the ages have been brought together here. Not one person is unfortunate enough to live on a main road or bus route, and yet all have easy access to good bus services and to our motorway network. Many of the original forest trees remain for sure, particularly around Parkwood Green, which in turn affords a most relaxing and enjoyable approach past the “big houses”, the “Rectory” and Church, to the decidedly 21st century village centre whose complete range of both commercial and social services hardly need enumeration. Not for the residents of Parkwood the City style of drab uniform unbroken rows of houses all of identical style, in streets as straight as arrows with such charming names as Brick Street! Nor the criss-cross of telephone wires overhead for our feathered friends to perch on and spoil our cars!
Village greens abound and it can be but a matter of time before cricket is played on warm summer Sunday afternoons. Joggers and walkers alike will have noticed that they need never follow the same route twice, so varied and inter-connecting are the twittens and byways. They will also have noticed the artistic gardening skills which are developing for us all to enjoy, and when traversing Peverel Green some will be reminded of their links with London in that there is a Peverel Drive within a stone’s throw of the open spaces of Hampton Court Palace.
WK Barling's Drapery & Milliner Stores Rainham Kent
The photo of WK Barling's Drapery Stores Rainham Kent was published in Action Forum November 2010
W.H. Barling Drapery Stores on the corner of Ivy Street about one hundred years ago. The business had previously been owned by Walter Rush. On page 2 we include a letter from Wendy Bean (nee Green) updating the history of the shop her parents ran for nearly 30 years from I935.
Subcategories
Rainham Roads Article Count: 28
Roads around the Rainham - old photos of how roads used to look in days gone by
Rainham People Article Count: 34
Decades - Old Photos Article Count: 9
Old photos by decade