Vale Road Methodist Church

Reprint of an article that appeared in the Summer 2011 Edition of Common Ground.

By Philip Whitbourn.

Much consternation was caused recently, by an application to demolish Vale Royal Methodist Church in London Road, and to build a five-storied angular modern block in its place, incorporating fourteen flats above a new place of worship.

The church was built in 1878 by the well-known local firm of Willicombe and Oakley, to the design of the London architect Charles Bell. The building is in an early Gothic style and is faced with Kentish rag-stone, with Bath stone dressings and shafts of granite.

When the scheme was turned down, a person from the church was reported to have commented that it was not as though they were wanting to knock down Westminster Abbey. That, however, is not at all the point. If Westminster Abbey was to be taken as the benchmark for meriting conservation, then few historic buildings would survive in Kent. Canterbury Cathedral perhaps, but not much else.

The Kentish town of Dover boasts a noble castle, and Maidstone an Archbishops Palace. Nevertheless, in terms of historic townscape, they are both now examples of places where the whole adds up to less than the sum of the parts. In Royal Tunbridge Wells the reverse is true. Here we are fortunate in having a number of Georgian, and more especially Victorian, buildings which, although sometimes relatively modest in themselves, add up to a historic town of great character, where the whole exceeds the sum of the parts. Nowhere is this more true than in the sequence of older buildings facing our commons.

Vale Royal Methodist Church is included in the Local List of Heritage Assets within the Royal Tunbridge Wells and Rusthall Conservation Areas. In our town of Tunbridge Wells, two former Congregational Churches provide commendable examples of adaptation for new uses. One in Mount Pleasant for commercial use, and the other in Albion Road for residential use.
It would be good if that kind of approach could be explored at Vale Royal, where the old schoolroom beneath, might offer scope for the provision of a smaller continuing place of worship, if desired.

Pigs on the Green?

Reprint of an article that appeared in the Summer 2011 Edition of Common Ground.

By Alex Killick, Friend and Denny Bottom resident

In years gone by ‘pannage’ pigs (domestic pigs kept in a wood, forest, or on common land, in order that they might forage for fallen acorns and the like) were kept on Rusthall Common. When I mentioned this to a member of the Friends of the Commons recently she enthusiastically declared: “I think I’d rather like that! Bring back the pigs!”

But should we bring them back to “follow the ways of their choosing!” (From a poem about pannage pigs, though I can’t remember who by). Should we revive this ancient practice and bring the commons to life once again with the sound of their snorting?

To answer this question perhaps we should look at what happens in the New Forest, where this custom continues to this day. Every year, at about this time, Commoners are allowed to let loose their pigs to clear up fallen acorns and nuts (which are poisonous to the ponies.) Apparently walkers sometimes find their peaceful reverie disturbed by a stampede of up to a dozen excitable pigs, but this excitement generally passes as quickly as it began.

On a personal note I would like to tell you about an encounter I had recently with a pig (or rather some pigs). I was at a garden party thrown by my partner’s boss and I noticed some pigs (of the rare breed variety) in the field opposite. They were waiting by the fence and I was immediately struck by the intelligence of their gaze, eyeing the guests speculatively as if to ascertain if there were any pig lovers present, who might bring them a treat. So myself and a friend went over and fed them windfall apples. They were very tame, like animals from a petting zoo, and kept up a companionable grunting all through the encounter (pig small talk?). I have read somewhere that pigs use up to 33 different vocalisations and are really quite chatty! I was so charmed I gave two of them my two favourites names: Beatrice and Eugenie (after the princesses of the same name). Afterwards they gambled away, one seeming to be chasing a butterfly. So, I don’t know about you, but I am definitely a convert. As Winston Churchill once said: “A dog looks up to you. Cats look down on you. Give me a pig. He just looks you in the eye and treats you like an equal.”

I rest my case.

Toad Rock by Royal Doulton

We’ve been sent these photographs of a fantastic looking replica of Toad Rock in the form of, well, I don’t know. Possibly a tea caddy or something similar?

Have you ever seen such a thing before? Many thanks to good friend Carl Lewis for sending us in these photographs of his strange item.

Why not leave us a comment below if you know anything about the object or indeed have any photos of something you’d like to send us.

Thanks again Carl!

Photos from Friends

Here’s a lovely photo by Jonathan Bolland taken whilst on a walk over the Commons. Jonathan has lots of nice photos on his Flickr stream so click here to take a look. If you’ve got any to share then please add them to our Flickr Group.