The Wakeley family began farming at Westmoor Farm in Rainham during the 18th century. They became the biggest farming company in Upchurch during the 19th and early 20th centuries and had a big influence on the village and its inhabitants.
Formed in the mid 19th century, Wakeley Brothers inherited land which included a sizeable acreage in Upchurch from Rainham farmer Thomas Dodd because of marriage between the two families. They employed large numbers of local people to work in their orchards, hop gardens, brick works and on their barges in the parish of Upchurch. They also had a blacksmith’s workshop at Church Farm in Forge Lane.
The company built six oast houses in different parts of the parish to store hops produced at their Seventeen Acres hop garden in Oak Lane where the golf course is now located. Many local Upchurch residents worked there over the years with the most well-known being Mrs Margaret Neame from the Upchurch Stores who organised and led a group of ladies from the village to work there during the 1940s and 1950s. A large number of Upchurch residents worked in the Wakeley hop gardens up to the 1970s.
From the 1880s Wakeley Brothers also had farm cottages constructed for their workers in the parish such as Wetham Green Cottages at Wetham Green, Plantation Cottages and Otterham Cottages in Horsham Lane and Red Brick Cottages in Poot Lane.
The bricks used for the houses came from the Poot Lane brick works which existed from 1862 to the first quarter of the 20th century. Most of the bricks from here were transported by a trolley rail system across Wetham Green to Twinney wharf from where the company barges took consignments of bricks to different locations along the river and as far as London.
The Wakeley brothers each had a role in the business. For example, Richard Mansfield Wakeley managed Moor Street Farm and involved himself in Upchurch affairs when he became one of the first parish councillors in 1894. He also contributed land to the parish for use as allotments.
William Wakeley learnt about the milling industry and after going to America to gain experience, he managed the Wakeley Brothers milling business and steam mill at Otterham Quay. He also won fame as a champion rose grower and he won many awards locally and nationally.
The brothers lived in Rainham but they all had a role in the family business. Thomas Stanley Wakeley dealt with corn and spent time at the corn exchange in London and in Rochester. He also organised the transportation of company agricultural produce from Rainham railway station to London and he dealt with the markets. His office was located in the oast next to Rainham railway station. In Upchurch he negotiated a land deal with Upchurch parish council at Church Farm in the village centre for the construction of the Infant’s School in 1882. As an evangelical preacher he also held services for his Upchurch congregation at the Wakeley granary in Otterham Quay Road during the 1860s. He was regarded as a very shrewd and clever businessman. His grandson William Wakeley became the last member of the family to run the business over a long period.
Richard Mansfield Wakeley who resided at and managed Moor Street Farm which covered part of Rainham and adjoining Oak Lane in Upchurch, became one of the first Upchurch parish councillors when the parish council was formed in 1894. He also contributed land to the parish for use as allotments. His brother John who also lived at Moor Street Farm helped him and he became a school manager of Holywell School.
Seymour Wakeley organised affairs at the Hartlip and Upchurch hop gardens and helped organise some of the early Upchurch fetes at the vicarage. He lived the longest of the Wakeley brothers, reaching 91 years old.
Brian Wakeley who became the only family member to live in the village. He resided at Church Farm Cottages in Forge Lane from the 1920s to the 1950s played a part in various activities and village organisations such as the tennis club at the vicarage, he played parts in various theatrical productions and he served as a captain in the Upchurch Home Guard during World War Two.
Female members of the Wakeley family also played a role in Upchurch village affairs. Mrs Minnie Wakeley, wife of Richard Mansfield Wakeley junior, became the first president of the Women’s Institute in 1932, while Dora Wakeley, wife of Seymoour Wakeley had a great interest in pottery and she founded and developed Upchurch Pottery with the help of her husband.. The business began in 1909 when a bottle kiln and workshop was constructed in the chalk pit just off Seymour Road in Rainham.
Ted Baker from Windmill Hill was employed as potter. He produced pots mainly influenced by Greek and Roman vases. He used a style of soft colours with a matt finish. This became characteristic of Upchurch pottery made of clay that Dora Wakeley obtained from the saltings just off the Ham Green prninsular.
Upchurch pottery developed a good reputation on the porcelain market and it became well-known nationwide and is recognizeable by its distinctive colouring and finish for which the village should be proud.
Wakeley Brothers farmed in Upchurch until the 1990s. They mainly produced top fruit such as apples and pears during their later period and they had a cold storage centre built on the site now occupied by Woodruff Close. They later moved to a new store in Spade Lane Hartlip. When the warehouse was destroyed by fire William Wakeley decided to finish farming and retired while his son James who had managed the land in Upchurch and Rainham left the area.
The Wakeley family influence on Upchurch remained big from the mid 19th century until the late 20th century. They offered employment to locals during this period, they involved themselves in village affairs and they had houses constructed which still exist while the hop garden, oast houses, the barges and the brick works have gone.