I've been sent these photos by Trish of old classic cars driving through Rainham in the 1980s. Having previously attended the Bucket & Spade run in my classic car myself I thought it was possible that these were from one of the early years of the Bucket & Spade run when it started from Gillingham Business Park. The run started in 1981 so these could be some of the very earliest Bucket & Spade run photos. The cars shown in the photos are SBR216V (Lada 1600), EXN767 (Railton) and PV2231 (Citroen? - plate reregistered).

On closer inspection there is a car at the rear of the second photo that looks a Mk3 Ford Fiesta which was launched in 1989 so these would have been taken after this date.

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The Wigmore estate was created in the early 1900s by selling off plots of land to people to build their own houses. It explains why the houses in the area are mostly different to each other.

Maidstone Road runs across the top of the picture and Woodside top to bottom at the left.

£10 per plot for 20x200ft

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JD Wetherspoon have now reopened the old Railway pub as their newest venue opposite Rainham Kent Station. The pub has a long history dating back to the early 1900s but closed around 2012 due to declining trade. It stayed empty until JD Wetherspoon bought the building and have massively extended it to create the new Railway pub. What was the old pub car park has now been turned into part of the building and there is an outside terrace for smokers and drinkers that faces towards Rainham station.

How the Railway Pub used to look back in the early 1900s when it was known as The Railway Hotel

The Railway pub in 2009

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The photos are dated on the back by our mother.

I am John Clements, and my (4yrs older) sister is Diana Clements. Until April 1958 we lived at 23 Maidstone Road (first house past Thames Avenue) and walked to school together.

Di is the girl in the centre of the photo playing the recorder, and sixth from the left, back row, wearing the striped cardy in the class photo.

I am sat on the floor, front right in 1956, and fourth from left, front row, in 1957.

I have no idea who anybody else is in these photos. I do recall some Hungarian refugees living in the old prefabs on Maidstone Road, and being friends with a boy from there, who may be in the photo.

I have a lot of old family photos, most of which are unmarked so are of people and places that I cannot identify. If I find any more Rainham-related ones I'll send them over. My parents, Ivy and John lived there between 1938-58, and mum was an active Townswomans Guild member. She returned to live in Parkfield Road in 1972, where she lived until her death in 1989.

The recorder one, is Stephen Sykes as the conductor, Me(Diana Clements), then Geoffrey Hunter, Susan Hunt and I think the side view of Susan Vale. We were in the larger Huts opposite the playground, and the teacher was  Mrs Whitehead. I think, as she used to play the piano at assembly in the big hall where the other picture was taken

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Category: History Articles