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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2019 8:10:42 GMT
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Post by porkystone on Jan 28, 2019 9:06:43 GMT
Superb, thanks so much for posting that ! A worrying obsession with swans maybe ? |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2019 10:50:01 GMT
I thought the same. Would have liked more shops, pubs and industry. Interesting to see Fremlins and a flood.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2019 11:39:05 GMT
Thanks for finding and posting it Barney! It was strange seeing some places instantly recognisable and some not so!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2019 18:15:05 GMT
Fascinating. I was 10 when that was filmed! The world of my childhood.
Really strange to see the old brewery still there and the warehouses and wood yards. We moved here in 78, and that had all just gone, with the building of the the new bridge. Quite surprising how much is still there, though - quite frustrating in places, I recognised something and then the film moved on before I could place it!
I've actually seen the river more flooded than that - can't remember when (20-25 years ago?), but the old bridge was almost entirely under water, with only the middle bit showing. Also seen the river withour any water! They opened the sluice gates at Allington one summer (early 80s?) to empty the river so the banks could be repaired upstream. We happened to go into town that day, as as we drove over the bridge, I looked down - to see no river! Just a trickle of water in the middle of a load of mud. Apparently, it caused so many problems (according to the guy who used to run the boat yard at Tovil) that they decided not to do it again. Pity, because it was a very strange sight.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2019 10:57:08 GMT
Fascinating. I was 10 when that was filmed! The world of my childhood. Really strange to see the old brewery still there and the warehouses and wood yards. We moved here in 78, and that had all just gone, with the building of the the new bridge. Quite surprising how much is still there, though - quite frustrating in places, I recognised something and then the film moved on before I could place it! I've actually seen the river more flooded than that - can't remember when (20-25 years ago?), but the old bridge was almost entirely under water, with only the middle bit showing. Also seen the river withour any water! They opened the sluice gates at Allington one summer (early 80s?) to empty the river so early banks could be repaired upstream. We happened to go into town that day, as as we drove over the bridge, I looked down - to see no river! Just a trickle of water in the middle of a load of mud. Apparently, it caused so many problems (according to the guy who used to run the boat yard at Tovil) that they decided not to do it again. Pity, because it was a very strange sight. yes, i can recall the river being very flooded in the late 1980s/90s. My mum remembers sandbags out down by thr cannon when she moved here in 1970 |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2019 12:14:27 GMT
Fascinating. I was 10 when that was filmed! The world of my childhood. Really strange to see the old brewery still there and the warehouses and wood yards. We moved here in 78, and that had all just gone, with the building of the the new bridge. Quite surprising how much is still there, though - quite frustrating in places, I recognised something and then the film moved on before I could place it! I've actually seen the river more flooded than that - can't remember when (20-25 years ago?), but the old bridge was almost entirely under water, with only the middle bit showing. Also seen the river withour any water! They opened the sluice gates at Allington one summer (early 80s?) to empty the river so early banks could be repaired upstream. We happened to go into town that day, as as we drove over the bridge, I looked down - to see no river! Just a trickle of water in the middle of a load of mud. Apparently, it caused so many problems (according to the guy who used to run the boat yard at Tovil) that they decided not to do it again. Pity, because it was a very strange sight. yes, i can recall the river being very flooded in the late 1980s/90s. My mum remembers sandbags out down by thr cannon when she moved here in 1970 River Len used to flood quite regularly in Water Lane before Stoneborough/Chequers Centre/The Mall (or whatever its current name is) was built. For those who don't remember Water Lane, it used to run alongside the River Len where the Gabriels Hill entrance to The Mall is now. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2019 14:48:32 GMT
The len still floods in spot lane, willington Street and parts of mote park.
I wondered why that level of the chequers or whatever it is called now is called water lane thanks Dave
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2019 17:20:53 GMT
The Len is not the tiny stream it appears today, it is a proper river - just hemmed in and built over. When Maidstone first developed, crossing the Len was almost as difficult as getting across the Medway. Old records discuss the problems of two bridges, not just one. In fact, I think the Len bridge was the first 'Maidstone Bridge' - built while the Medway was still crossed by ferry and ford.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2019 0:25:46 GMT
Just watched the vid and I have to say I enjoyed it. Being an amateur historian I found it very interesting especially the ladies and gents fashion of the times and the fact that Corals bookmakers used to be a shoe shop.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2019 1:19:44 GMT
Is there any link to this on youtube? The BFI don't let me watch from overseas.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2019 2:32:12 GMT
Is there any link to this on youtube? The BFI don't let me watch from overseas. Then come home to Blighty dear boy your missing everything stuck out there in HK. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2019 11:50:34 GMT
The Len is not the tiny stream it appears today, it is a proper river - just hemmed in and built over. When Maidstone first developed, crossing the Len was almost as difficult as getting across the Medway. Old records discuss the problems of two bridges, not just one. In fact, I think the Len bridge was the first 'Maidstone Bridge' - built while the Medway was still crossed by ferry and ford. I'm not sure it appears a tiny stream. It's big enough to feed Mote Park's not inconsiderable lake, and the stretch along Palace Avenue next to the old Rootes building is pretty wide. Also, if my knowledge of local history isn't letting me down there used to be a number of mills along its route between Lenham and Maidstone. |
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Post by porkystone on Jan 30, 2019 12:47:48 GMT
The Len is not the tiny stream it appears today, it is a proper river - just hemmed in and built over. When Maidstone first developed, crossing the Len was almost as difficult as getting across the Medway. Old records discuss the problems of two bridges, not just one. In fact, I think the Len bridge was the first 'Maidstone Bridge' - built while the Medway was still crossed by ferry and ford. I'm not sure it appears a tiny stream. It's big enough to feed Mote Park's not inconsiderable lake, and the stretch along Palace Avenue next to the old Rootes building is pretty wide. Also, if my knowledge of local history isn't letting me down there used to be a number of mills along its route between Lenham and Maidstone. Certainly correct Dave, there's a chunky Wiki article on the Len and its mills: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Len |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2019 13:37:20 GMT
The Len is not the tiny stream it appears today, it is a proper river - just hemmed in and built over. When Maidstone first developed, crossing the Len was almost as difficult as getting across the Medway. Old records discuss the problems of two bridges, not just one. In fact, I think the Len bridge was the first 'Maidstone Bridge' - built while the Medway was still crossed by ferry and ford. I'm not sure it appears a tiny stream. It's big enough to feed Mote Park's not inconsiderable lake, and the stretch along Palace Avenue next to the old Rootes building is pretty wide. Also, if my knowledge of local history isn't letting me down there used to be a number of mills along its route between Lenham and Maidstone. In many ways, the Len and the Loose Stream were once more important than the Medway, as the mills they supported were Maidstone's industrial hearts in the days before steam. The 'stretch' of stream by the old Rootes factory is actually the old mill pond that used to power the mill that was (roughly) at the junction of Mill St and the new road. The size of the river itself can better be judged by looking at the bit in the Archbishop's Palace gardens. Part of the reason it's no longer the river it once was is Mote Park lake - that loses almost as much in evaporation as the Len provides in new water. If memory serves, it also provides the water for Leeds Castle. But the odd thing about the Len, is that it doesn't appear to go anywhere near Lenham. It's difficult to trace its course that far up river, and, of course, it has umpteen feeder streams, but none of them appear to come from Lenham. |
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