These photos show the maps and promotion for what was called the Rainham Park development which was part of Parkwood overall plan. This consisted of the roads opposite Durham Road off Maidstone Road Rainham and linked up with Lonsdale Drive when that was constructed. Kenilworth Drive, Lonsdale Drive, Tanker Hill, Sunningdale Drive were amongst the roads as part of this development. This promotional leaflet for Rainham Park was approximately 1965 before most of the development had begun. At the time there was no road connecting the ends of Broadview Avenue, Herbert Road or Arthur Road which were part of the Broadview Garden estate. Read here about Building the Broadview Garden Estate inc Herbert/Arthur Road

Interestingly the road layouts pictured were actually different when built. Lonsdale didn't end opposite Asquith Road but joined the stump road shown between Woodside and Asquith Road which is now Deanwood Drive and ran more parallel to Mierscourt before it connected. 

Many thanks to Craig Blum for providing these scans as well as the Rainham Park house brochures.

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RAINHAM’S CORONATION CELEBRATIONS - Part 1 from March 2002 Action Forum 

Many editors, both national and local, have  commented upon the apparent apathy by our people  toward celebrating the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and I  have been comparing this with the coronation celebrations in Rainham in 1953. First I tried to  remember how we lived at that time and I was  surprised at the changes which have occurred.  The population of Rainham was around 10,000,  probably only a quarter of that now and six years  before we had emerged from a damaging and  exhausting war. Certain foods and particularly  building materials were still rationed and licences had  to be obtained even for new wood to carry out  repairs. There were no mobile phones and only a low  percentage of residents had static telephones, most of  which were shared lines. The main means of  communication was still by mail. Council house  building was increasing but licences for individual  private development were very limited, there was no  estate building but a three bedroom pre war house  could be bought for under £1,500. A primary school  had been established in the huts on the old Anti  Aircrafi Battery site in Maidstone Road as there was  no school for infants and juniors south of the .  accommodate the high birth rate of the ‘baby boom’  years immediately after the war. Some of the army  huts were still occupied by squatters. The land  between Rainham Mark and Darland Avenue on the  south side of the A2 was still owned by the War  Department and mainly unused. There was no  Rainham shopping centre, no supermarkets or out of  town shopping. Parkwood was still an attractive  woodland area with a steep grassy bank in the middle  known to us as ‘The Den’.  I doubt if more than a third of householders had a  car but I had recently acquired my first vehicle, a  Scwt Ford van with a bus seat in the back for my  6-year-old son and all cars were coloured black. Most  people still travelled to work by bus or bike and life  was far from easy for many post war newly weds who  still lived with in-laws or in ‘rooms’. Partners living  together would have been frowned upon. I found a  ycopy of a letter which I wrote to the local paper  nphasising the need for a by-pass, the M2 was  "eventually opened in 1963, but no link road was  included in the original design so that had to be  fought for to avoid even more tmffic travelling along  the A2 through Rainham High Street en route to the  link roads in Chatham and Sittingboume.  These were the circumstances under which we  were living when a Public Meeting, which attracted  about 100 residents, was called some eight months  before the Coronation. An organising committee was  then formed with myself as Chairman, which is why I  still have a file to which I can refer. Mr R. Lucas,  Manager of Rainham Co-operative Society, was Vice  Chairman, Mr J. Lewis, Manager of Barclays Bank,  became Treasurer and the Organising Sub-Committee  was chaired by Dr G.O.S. Reid. There were 51 organisations covering many interests in Rainham at  that time and some of them arranged fund raising  events to cover anticipated expenditure. 

Photo of Coronation Party in Holding Street Rainham in 1953

The events arranged for the great day had to take  account of the increased interest in television as this was the first great national attraction since its  introduction and many people bought their first set  for the occasion. I remember buying a second hand  9-inch set which had to be viewed from a few feet but even that was a great advance on wireless. It was  assumed that many residents would wish to view the actual ceremony and subsequent events until early afternoon so events on 2nd June started around  2.30pm. The Carnival arranged for Wednesday 27th  May had to be cancelled twice before it was  eventually held and some of the events arranged for  Coronation Day were also curtailed by inclement  weather, which was disappointing to many who had  laboured to ensure a happy and successful day.  A copy of the programme had been delivered in  advance to every household and I forget which events  had to be cancelled or restricted.

The RE Cadet Band  opened by playing as they marched along various  roads leading to the Recreation Ground. Other events  included the Peter Pan Starlets, London Mime  Theatre, Tug of War Heats, and a Sheep Dog  Demonstration. It was anticipated that over 1,000  childrenwould attend the free tea which was to be  followed by a Comic Football match, Maypole  Dancing and The Fueding Dudes with Hill Billy  songs. Free tickets were provided for children to  enjoy pony rides, and all types of side shows.  There were 23 races for children aged from 5 up to  l6, the youngest ruiming 80 yards and the 15 and 16  year olds had both cycle and one mile track races. 

The Rainham County Secondary School from  Orchard Street had a House Relay for a Shield whilst  all other lst, 2nd or 3rd places received money  There were many street parties whilst houses,  shops and street standards were decorated,  Gillingham Council also helped by erecting  Coronation Arches across the A2 at West Moor Farm  and outside the Vicarage which at that time was next  to the Post Office. The day ended with a dance in the  Co-operative Hall.  The population seemed to be captivated by the  Coronation of our young Queen and almost everyone  entered into the spirit of the occasion. Rainham was  proud to play its part. 

P.S. Whilst typing this article a radio  announcement has confirmed that the Salisbury Avenue NWA and Residents Association has  cancelled its proposed Golden Jubilee celebrations  due to lack of interest and the cost of insurance!  However, I am pleased to hear that a Community  Project jointly with the Rainham Theatrical Society  and St Margaret’s Church are planning some celebrations.

Freddie Cooper

March 2002

THE PROBLEMS OF THE SHOPPING  CENTRE 2002

The news of the enforced closure of 10 shops within  the Rainham Centre has obviously caused consternation among the proprietors and great  concern among the public at large. It is understood  that those who have received notice from the landlords are Barry’s Fruiterers, Morecut Butchers,  Rainham Health Food Shop, Quidsaver, Boots the  Optician, Bookmark, Xpressions, Ascot Flowers and Pet Supplies, who all expect to be closed for about 28  weeks.

Some will obviously try to relocated as close  to the centre as possible but the immediate problems  for shop tenants and their staff is most worrying and  the long term impact may also be far reaching. The letter to ‘all tenants’ dated 14th March said  that ‘following the results of soil investigation it has  been established that remedial works are required to  the centre which would commence on 1st May’. Of  course such a disruption in the pattern of Rainham  shopping has given rise to much conjecture in fertile  minds particularly as to the cause of the problem  which has not been made public and only a minority  of residents will remember the buildings on the site  pre war. 

I was fortunate to mention the situation which has  arisen to the well known retired builder Mr Len Bridge only to find that he was actually born in one  of the three cottages which is now the ‘Nationwide’  shop so has an intimate knowledge of the area. His  address was then number 14 London Road and if one  views the buildings from the opposite side of the road  it can be seen that the original external structure of all  three cottages has been retained with shop fronts  which have been altered over the years. Mr Bridge  reminded me that just west of the cottages was the  blacksmith’s forge thought then to be operated by Bill Arraman. Many of us hung over the half door to  watch horses being shod or iron work being made or  repaired. Len and I agreed that one never forgets the  smell of burning horses hooves as the shoes were  fitted and the value which both the smithy and the  wheelwright next door were to a mainly agricultural  community.

These buildings together with a large  white ex farmhouse next to the forecourt of  Springates the wheelwrights, which was occupied by  Mr Bodiam who ran the corn chandlers now  Meridian Spice restaurant, covered most of the present High Street entrance to the shopping centre.  The other shops towards Station Road with the  exception of Barclay’s Bank have mainly the original  structures with new fronts.  Mr Bridge recalled that all the old buildings would  have had cellars, wells, cesspools and underground  water tanks to collect rainwater. He considered that  the wells were probably 50 to 60 feet deep, so the  water courses were fairly close to the surface  although now with heavier extraction they may be  lower. The fields at the rear of the properties were young orchards pre war but the land may have  previously been used for general agricultural  purposes for which farmers dug large holes to obtain  chalk to spread on the land and some of which were  then used for refuse disposal purposes. The other  problem which has caused constructional difficulties  locally relates to clay faults in the chalk sub soil  which have to be excavated and refilled with concrete  as otherwise the clay will expand and contract in a  different manner from chalk. 

A very large hole once appeared in the pavement in  front of the shop next but one to the western corner of  Holding Street and another developed outside the  shops opposite to the bottom end of the old Chapel  Lane (which is now the cul de sac just east of  Mierscourt Road). Len seems to remember a hole  suddenly appearing in the car park and most older residents had their own stories of sudden subsidence  and the reasons therefore. Perhaps the most  dangerous was the one that appeared on the railway  line just east of Berengrave Lane which caused a  derailment. l have a photo of the trucks.  No one locally seems to be willing to explain the  actual cause which has necessitated ‘remedial works’  but one hopes that this will become apparent as it  could have implications upon other buildings in or around the area. In the meantime it must be pure  conjecture. Whenever a subsidence occurs north of  the Church it is inevitable that the legend of Bloors  Place tunnel is resurrected. 

Freddie Cooper  25.3.02        

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This article about prefab (pre-fabricated houses from after the Second World War WW2) is based on information originally published in Action Forum in 2021 and started with the August 2021 cover photo taken on the site of what is now Clematis Avenue (off Fairview Avenue) Wigmore.

It was shared by my cousin Mrs Anne Pearce, now retired in Bexhill, and with her by her life-long friend Mrs Pat Kay. It shows the youngsters from that tight knit community and was taken by Pat ’ s late father, Mr Steve Smith. They think the photograph was taken in 1953 (the prefabricated houses having been built post war in 1947 and lasted to 1967/68 when residents were rehomed to alternative council houses in Rainham and Gillingham). They were common sights across the UK, where housing shortages were met with these asbestos and corrugated iron constructions. Loaded onto lorries the prefabs were delivered where they were needed and erected on 30ft by 22ft prebuilt brick foundations in a matter of hours. They are remembered fondly, with all ’mod cons' provided but freezing cold in winter. There were long gardens to these plots, with a shed provided, and my Uncle Bert kept chickens and grew many fruits and vegetables. There were other similar prefab communities across Rainham and Gillingham, perhaps recalled by our readers? Locations mentioned to us have been: Russells Avenue (end of Scott Avenue) and the top of Salisbury Avenue in Rainham. They were also in Scott Avenue leading from Solomon Road up to the A2 opposite Meredale School, Solomon Road and Sunderland Square, Maidstone Road (below what is now Bettescombe Road), Derwent Way, Taverners Road, Wakeley Road and some opposite the Railway Hotel by the Station. It turns out there is a prefab museum website (www.prefabmuseum.uk) which details the prefab design and origins and includes many photos and memories shared. The photo elicits for me memories of my Aunt Dolly cooking in the small kitchen, the chiming clock on her mantelpiece, the shiny brass tools around the fireplace. Strange how a single photograph can trigger so many nearly sixty year old connections. The retention of old family photographs, kept in shoe boxes or albums, some with names and dates carefully written on the back, assist our recall, whilst others lose their significance by the year as relatives pass who could put a name to a face, place or date to when they were taken. I rescued our family photo archive from Australia when my mother passed, which she had assembled over many years. Such archives are precious family treasure and dug out occasionally to refresh memories of older times.

You can see the prefabs in the distance in this photo of Rainham from 1958 which would become Sunderland Square/Scott Avenue/Russells Avenue

Your cover picture on the front of the August magazine certainly brought back childhood memories of living in a Rainham prefab, when we had not a care in the world, and the sun always shone! There were some errors in the locations mentioned. We lived in Russells Avenue, which was at the top of Solomon Road, where it still is today, not the end of Scott Avenue. There were eleven “houses” there, all of which were demolished and replaced with permanent housing in the early sixties I believe. The houses mentioned in Solomon Road, Scott Avenue and Sunderland Square were not actually prefabs; they were constructed from what was basically a steel frame with reinforced concrete panels. These houses were not intended to be temporary, as in the case of prefabs, but I believe there was an unforeseen problem with the degradation of the concrete, resulting in their premature demolition in 1997. The 38 houses in Sunderland Square were replaced by a development of over 100 houses. The main omission on your list is Mardale Road, which, along with its neighbour Wakeley Road, formed probably the biggest concentration of prefabs in Rainham. My family left Russells Avenue in 1958 to move to Gillingham, as the prefabs had already exceeded their intended lifespan, and, let’s just say they were “past their best!” I enclose a photograph of “our gang” taken in Russells Avenue in 1957. From left to right: Mick Curness (no.9); Keith Relph (no.8); my brother Keith Austin; Brian Austin (me) (no.6); and Robert Goodwin (no.4). My brother lives in Wigmore, and I in Rainham. I haven’t seen the other three for a very long time, but I believe Mick Curness went to Canada and Keith Relph to Northern Ireland. Although prefab winters had become decidedly uncomfortable by the late fifties, most of the prefab occupants I have spoken to over the years seem to remember their time in them with affection. I certainly do. P.S. In the background of the photograph my father, Jack, can be seen polishing his beloved motor bike and sidecar combination. He never seemed to be as fond of any of his subsequent cars as he was of his “bike.”