THE NEWSLETTER OF THE LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY FOR THE LONDON BOROUGH OF BROMLEY

VOL. 6 No. 3 AUGUST 1982 PRICE 10p Free to Members

Annual Publication (and Publications Secretary)The sixth publication of the Society is now being printed and will soon be available. It will contain the following articles:—West Wickham and the First World War by Joyce Walker. St. Luke’s Church, Bromley Common by H. E. M. Icely. The Southern Heights Light Railway by John Edwards. Bromley and the Bishops of Rochester in the Stuart Period by Vera Gotts.Hook Farm and the Westbrooks by Jennifer Scherr.Viola House School, Bromley by Patricia Knowlden.

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INDUSTRIAL ARCHAEOLOGYe Greater London Industrial Archaeology Society are

..osts this year for the tenth annual conference of the Association for Industrial Archaeology. It will be held at the Imperial College, London from 10th to 12th September. Anyone interested should contact Mrs. Brenda Innes, 9a Upper Park Road, Bromley. (Tel. 01-460 1416).□THE BOOK OF ORPINGTONThis high quality book, written by Mrs. Dorothy R. Cox, will be a limited edition of numbered copies. It will be available only by prior subscription from the publishers, Barracuda Publications Ltd., Meadows House, Wells Street, Buckingham, or from the author (Farnborough 54782). The cost will be £9.95, plus postage and packing. Subscribers will be charged on publication, which is dependent upon sufficient reservations. □

FUTURE MEETINGS

Thursday History of Downe — Miss M. Hughes23rd September at Downe Village Hall, at 8 p.m.

Saturday "Kent in London" Full day local history23rd October conference with other local history societies —

in small hall, Lewisham Concert Hall, Catford. Starting at 10 a.m. Tickets£1 each.

Friday Bromley Archaeology — Susann Palmer.29th October at Central Library, Bromley, at 8 p.m.

Friday H.G. Wells and Bromley.26th November A.H. Watkins — at Central Library, Bromley, at 8 p.m.

J.

For financial reasons the Society must sell as many of these booklets as quickly as possible. It is essential that someone should be prepared to take responsibility for them. The post of Hon. Publications Secretary is vacant and it is hoped that it will be filled quickly. The duties involve keeping a check on the stock and sales. When the booklets are received from the printer they are taken into stock and then issued to the various members who take them to the stationers and booksellers. They inform the Publications Secretary who ensures that the members concerned can account for the number of copies they have. The money received from the sales is paid by the Publications Secretary into the Society’s bank account. This is a most responsible task and it is essential that it is done. Please may we have a volunteer. □

Annual General Meeting ReportThe eighth annual general meeting held on 12th March, was presided over by the President (the Mayor, Councillor Kenward) in a very friendly yet efficient manner. The Chairman (Mr A.H. Watkins) welcomed the Mayor and Mayoress. The Mayor in reply, thanked Mr. Watkins for his welcome and said he was pleased to be able to attend. The minutes (which had been circulated) of the previous annual general meeting, were approved and signed as a correct record. The Chairman presented the annual report (which had also been circulated) and the President went through it paragraph by paragraph. The report was then approved and the officers and members of the committee were thanked for their services. The balance sheet and accounts, which had been given to those members at the meeting, were presented by the Hon. Treasurer (Mr. John Nelson) who explained certain items. They were then approved. Mr. Mack was thanked for his services as auditor and he was reappointed for the current year.

It was reported that as the charge for hiring the small hall at the Central Library, was to be increased from April, and also as postage rates had been increased, it would be necessary to increase the rate of subscription. The meeting decided that from 1st October next, the rates should be £4 for an individual member; £5 for a husband and wife, £3 for a pensioner and £4 for a husband and wife who are both pensioners.

The Chairman reported that (i) Mr. Filmer had stated that he was not prepared to continue as Hon. Publications Secretary, having said at the 1981 annual general meeting that he was only prepared to continue until a successor was appointed; and (ii) Miss Downs did not wish to continue to serve on the committee. The meeting passed a cordial vote of thanks to Mr. Filmer and Miss Downs for their services to the Society.

The officers elected were:—Chairman: Mr. A. H. Watkins, F.L.A.Vice-Chairman: Dr. A. J. Allnutt, M.Sc., Ph.D.Hon. Treasurer: Mr. J. S. Nelson.Hon. Publications Secretary: (No appointment made).Hon. Secretary: Mr. F. J. Whyler.

(Continued)

Sir Thomas Dewey1840-1926

When reading the more recent history of Bromley, one sees the names of local worthies, such as Dewey, Gedney

and Acton, so often that there is an inclination to wonder what sort of people they were. In the Baxter’s newscuttings

— Vol. 4b and 5 — in the Local History Department of the Bromley Central Library, there is a great deal of

information about Dewey, and the following is a summary of that information.

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He was born at Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, on 31st August, 1840, and came to Bromley in 1866, the same year as he married Miss Clara Daws. As soon as he came to Bromley he became associated with the work of the church, the schools and the cottage hospital. He had worked for the Prudential Assurance Co. since 1857 and in 1873 was appointed Manager of the Industrial Branch. In 1904 he became General Manager; in 1907 he was Deputy Chairman and in 1910 became Chairman, a post he retained until 1920, when he was 80 years of age. Then at a special meeting of the shareholders, he was elected President of the company. During his 63 years of service the premium income of the “ Pru” rose from about £5,000 to £30 million, making it one of the greatest commercial undertakings in the country. It was said that Thomas Dewey built the Prudential.

Above all he was a churchman and he was churchwarden at Bromley Parish Church for 30 years. In 1905 he was presented with a silver model of the church as a token of appreciation for this church work. He served on the Rochester Diocesan Board of Finance and was Chairman of their Building Committee. He always took great interest in education, including Sunday school work and was a teacher and later Superintendent.lt was his generosity which allowed the Building Committee of St. Mark’s church to go ahead with the building of that church.

(Annual General Meeting Report — continued)

The Management Committee will consist of the officers listed above, the Local History Librarian (Miss E. M. Plincke, B.A., F.L.A.) and the following elected members:—

Mr. H. Rob Copeland Mrs. P. E. Knowlden Miss M. Hughes, B.A. Mr. R. J. MarshallMrs. B. Innes Mr. J. M. Rawcliffe

Mr. J. Filmer was co-opted onto the Committee.

Consideration was given to the future activities of the Society and proposals by the committee about forth­coming meetings were agreed. At the conclusion of the official business, refreshments were served, and then members enjoyed a game of “ Call My Bluff” prepared by Mrs. Knowlden. □

Horsburgh reports that it was largely due to the energy liberality of Dewey that the tower of St. Mark’s w«s completed in 1903. The Chapel of Annunciation in the church which was dedicated in 1911, by the Bishop of Rochester, had been built by Dewey to the memory of his son-in-law, the Rev. L. J. Elwin, who was a curate there from 1900 to 1905. St. John’s church also received support, monetary and otherwise, from him.

In 1875, it was possible to demolish two cottages in Pieters Lane (now Cromwell Avenue) and to erect a new hospital building, and Dewey was the honorary Secretary to the hospital committee of management. Later he was Treasurer and Chairman until 1925, when he was forced to retire on grounds of ill-health. He was then elected President. He served the hospital for over 50 years and was its most generous friend and supporter. He was an active member of the Council of the Royal National Pension Fund for Nurses; Chairman of the Kent Nursing Association and President of the Bromley District Nursing Association.

According to Horsburgh, classes in various departments of science and art were started in one of the elementary schoolrooms at Mason’s Hill, in October 1873. Nine” ' students enrolled and Dewey was one of the first jc secretaries. (For the story of the Bromley School of Science and Art, see Miss Hughes’ article in Bromley Local History No. 3.) After the first year of this venture, 30 certificates were gained and these were presented to the students by Sir John Lubbock at a ceremony at the Town Hall in October, 1874. In those early days much of the routine work was carried out by the officers and Dewey devoted a great deal of time to work for this school. He was still a member of the committee when the management of the school was transferred to the Bromley Local Board in 1892. As a keen educationalist he took a considerable interest and an active part in the provision of a public library for Bromley.

During the 1914-18 war he served on the War Office Expenditure Committee and it was for his services to the Government during this war that he received his baronetcy.

When Bromley became a borough in 1903, the Committee of Incorporation responded to the feelings of the inhabitants by inviting him to be the Charter Mayor of Bromley. When the 21st anniversary of the incorporation was celebrated in 1924, the central figure was Sir Thomas Dewey, who with characteristic generosity marked the occasion by making gifts to a number of deserving bodies

Charter M ayor’s coach, Bromley High Street, 21st September 1903.

^and by providing a handsome sum as a nucleus of a fund to w build a new town hall. For example, one of his gifts at this

time was £100 to the Bromley Town Bowling Club, to free i from the debt incurred when the new club house was

built in 1924. He was in 1904 made the first freeman, and for many years was Treasurer of the Borough, a post from which he resigned in 1922. He presented the Mace to the Council. (Is it the one still used?).

It was Dewey who with a small group of others, obtained in 1904, from A.C. Norman, an area of land in Hayes Lane to be known as the Bromley Sports Ground, on which the Town Cricket Club, Football Club, Lawn Tennis Club and Bowling Club found a permanent home.

Some of the first wounded Belgian soldiers to arrive at Bromley during the early stages of the 1914-18 war were received at the hospital which had been set up in the pavilion in the garden of Dewey’s house, South Hill Wood. The pavilion was arranged as two separate wards. Later wounded British soldiers were received at this V.A.D. hospiital and Dewey showed great concern about their well-being and the hospital was run entirely at his own expense. His other residence, Peak Hill at Sidmouth, was also used as a war-time hospital. For his services to the wounded Belgian soldiers Dewey was awarded the “ Medaille du Roi Albert” . (For further information about the British Red Cross in the Bromley Area, 1910-19, see Joyce Walker’s article in Bromley Local History No. 4.). He was a co-opted member of the Kent County Territorial

Force Association and honorary Colonel of the 4th London (Howitzer) Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery.

Dewey gave constant help to local sports clubs. Mr. Baxter called a meeting at the Bell on the 2nd October, 1900, when it was unanimously decided to re-start the Gymnasium Club. Thomas Dewey was a tower of strength to this club financially and otherwise, and he was made its President. He was also President of the Bromley Football Club, Tennis Club and Cricket Club. His other interests were the Orchestral Society, the Choral Society and the Silver Prize Band, all of which he was President. He was also concerned with the Scout and Guide Associations in the area.

The grounds of his residence, South Hill Wood, were thrown open on many occasions for garden fetes, bazaars and other summer gatherings. One of the most popular events of the year was Sir Thomas Dewey’s cricket match, at which the local police, their wives and children were entertained.

He died in July 1926, at Peak House, Sidmouth. His last public appearance at Bromley was in the previous June, when he entertained the delegates to the Diocesan Missionary Conference to lunch at the Central Hall. His body was brought back to Bromley and there was a service at the Parish Church followed by interment at St. Luke’s cemetery. His wife had died in 1913. He left a son and four daughters. His property was valued at £402,000 and he left sums to local organisations.

Sir Thomas Dewey had lived in Bromley for about 60 years and he was described as the greatest benefactor the town has ever known. □

WidmoreOne of the most remarkable remnants of old Bromley is surely the ancient cottage at Widmore, with its quaint gate­way, with the initials “ A.B.” thought to be the initials of the builder, and the date “ 1599“ . There is in existence an engraving of this cottage dated 1714, which shows a notice hanging from the entrance arch “ J. Curtis, licensed to let Post Horses” . In 1813 the cottage was still inhabited by a Curtis, but it had ceased to be a post house.

The Bird in Hand Inn once had a pond in front of it. This pond seems to have been a source of local trouble. There were complaints in 1853, that it was being enclosed and not available for use by the local inhabitants. In 1855 the pond was reported to have been drained by the fire engine during a fire at Widmore House, then occupied by Mr. Telford. In 1860 there were numerous complaints that the pond, which it was claimed was the property of the parish, had been drained, that water had not been allowed to accumulate in the pond and that it had been partly enclosed by Mr. Telford. This is the pond at which it was said there was a ducking stool.

Old Gateway, Widmore c. 1905.

In 1859 an omnibus ran twice daily from the “ Bird” to Chislehurst, Orpington and St. Mary Cray.

In 1861, the Misses Telford who lived in the ancient cottage, had the floors relaid, when a number of coins were found under the old floor boards. These included sixpenny pieces of the time of Elizabeth I and coins of most reigns since. Also there was a copper token of the White Hart, Bromley, dated 1660, with a hart engraved on one side. Besides these, several Roman Catholic, Latin and English books and some manuscript sermons were dis­covered all hidden under the floors or in the wainscoting. Written inside one of the books were some verses which convey Roman Catholic or Protestant views according to the way they are read.

John Wesley, the celebrated preacher and divine of the 18th century, and the founder of the Wesleyan Methodist Church, appears from entries in this journal, to have paid visits and to have preached at Widmore upon more than one occasion. He mentions the place by the name of Wigmore. □

Borrowman o f Beckenham(Continued from M ay 1982 issue)

In 1902 he became Churchwarden at St. George’s. He was also a sidesman from 1906. At this time he was Solicitor to the Urban District Council and honorary Solicitor to the Beckenham Cottage Hospital. Borrowman had resigned from the Council to devote more time to church work. He was a very thorough man in everything he did and took a deep detailed interest in church affairs. When one of the church bells was re-cast, he watched it being done. His residence then was at 4, Copers Cope Road.

He revelled in the works of Dickens, and if anyone made a chance allusion or quoted anything from that great writer’s books, he always noticed it and responded in some suitable way, quoting from Dickens.

His great interest however, was in old documents, letters or inscriptions. These always received his closest attention. He was responsible for the careful preservation of the church registers and other church records. His monumental work “ Beckenham, Past and Present” ensured that much of the historical records of Beckenhar most of which came into his possession whilst he w engaged on this task, were preserved and not lost.

Borrowman was on holiday when he died. He knew he had a weak heart and rather surprisingly, had been cycling. On Tuesday, 24th August, 1910, when he was only 46 years of age, he died of heart failure. His body was brought back to the Beckenham he loved, and before a huge gathering, he was buried in St. George’s churchyard. He left a widow but no children.

“ Beckenham, Past and Present” , was published in the same year, 1910, but sadly after his death. □

Joint Meeting — “Kent in London” .The annual joint meeting with the other local history

societies in the area, will be held on Saturday, 23rd October, in the small hall of Lewisham Concert Hall, which is next door to Lewisham Town Hall at Catford. One of the speakers will be David Perrett who will b'' talking about the industrial archaeology of the south-ea. London area. There will be a full programme of talks and the various societies which comprise “Kent in London” will be staging exhibitions. The programme will start at 10 a.m. and finish about 4 p.m. with of course, a break for lunch. Tickets at £1 each will be available from the Secretary at 163, Tubbenden Lane, Orpington. (Farnb. 58679). □

THE GREEN STREET GREEN MAMMOTH

In Februay, 1855, John Lubbock (who later became the first Lord Avebury), was informed that workmen employed in the gravel pits at Green Street Green, had found a great number of fragments of bone. John Lubbock saw the fragments in situ as immediately after he received the information, he went to the spot before any had been removed and he said the tusk must have been 12 feet long. A sample was sent to Professor Owen who confirmed that it was part of a tusk of a mammoth and it was in fact, ivory. □

Designed and produced by Raven Studios Ltd., 5 Rectory Road, Beckenham, Kent on behalf o f The Local History Society fo r the London Borough o f Bromley. Editorial contributions or enquiries to: Mr. F.J. Whyler, 163 Tubbenden Lane, Orpington.