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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Kent => Topic started by: hazel.bevis on Sunday 17 December 06 16:04 GMT (UK)
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Does anyone have any information about The College, Ashford, Kent c. 1930?
Thank you.
Elaine
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Hi Elaine
Could it be the Wye College, Ashford, Kent which is an Agriculteral College which I believe is located on outshirts of Ashford.
Regards Linda
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Hi Linda
No, I don't think that it is Wye Agricultural College. It could possibly be a private school. I believe that it was in the centre of Ashford.
Thanks for your reply.
Elaine
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Hi Elaine
Have you got any other clues at all ie. who went there/how old they were .................. anything at all?
Casalguidi :)
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Hello
The only information that I have is that this was given as my Great-grandfather's address on my Grandmother's wedding certificate. My great grandfather was Frederick Harding and was an army bandsman in the Devonshire Regiment until he retired from the army. His occupation on the certificate is Gentleman's Service. I am assuming that this was at The College, Ashford.
Thanks for your response.
Elaine ::)
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Wye, Old College
Located just 60 miles east of London ( 7 miles from Ashford and 12 from Canterbury)in the North Downs 'Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty', Wye's Old College was originally founded in 1447 by Cardinal John Kempe, a son of Wye, as a College for the training of secular priests.
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I am fairly sure that The College, Ashford is not the college at Wye.
Are there any local people out there with memories of Ashford in the late 1920s/early 1930s?
Thanks.
Elaine
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Elaine, does the marriage certificate specify that your grandmother's father was "of the college" or would it be the address where your grandmother was living at the time ie. not necessarily that of her father as is the norm on marriage certificates? Is there an occupation for your grandmother?
There is a 1934 directory on the following site which you could look through
http://www.hereshistorykent.org.uk/
Could it be this?
http://www.rootschat.com/links/011j/
Search for (freetext) college in (town) Ashford for a picture
http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/
Casalguidi
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Hello Casalguidi
This is the address that my grandmother married from and I believe that she was living in the family residence at that time. She did not work until after WWII. As my great-grandfather's occupation is stated as in 'Gentleman's Service' I assumed that he worked at 'The College'.
Thank you for the interesting links that I will follow up tomorrow.
Elaine :-\
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There was a college which closed down in the 1990s in Ashford, on Elwick Road in the centre of the town. It was called South Kent College at the time (ie 1991) and was a very formidible looking victorian building. It also had a house in the grounds which became an office in the latter days.
The whole building is currently awaiting demolition, I think.
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I am fairly sure that "The College" was the name of the ancient house at the south-east corner of the churchyard in Ashford. This would have been (and maybe still is) the home of the Vicar of Ashford
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A belated thank you as I have just returned to this site. This sounds more likely; does anyone have any further information?
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The vicar at that time was Harry Blackburne http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Blackburne - he is certainly listed at the address in a 1926 telephone directory.
Casalguidi :)
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Yes, now I can see the connection. My great-grandfather (Frederick Harding) may have served with him during the Boer War and then moved to Ashford and worked for him there. I will do further research into this and would welcome any further information. Thank you.
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The only information that I have is that this was given as my Great-grandfather's address on my Grandmother's wedding certificate.
This would have been your grandmother's address I assume, not necessarily that of her father. It was quite common for girls to be be working and living away from home at that time. Is there an occupation for your grandmother?
Casalguidi :)
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Hi, no as far as I am aware my grandmother was not working at that time but living at home with her parents at a different address from the one given on the wedding certificate. I have found Frederick Harding rather elusive apart from knowing that he was an army musician/bandsman and that my grandmother and siblings grew up at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. I do not know where he was before Sandhurst apart from serving in the Boer War and being born in Camberwell, London (I only found that out yesterday as I thought he came from Surrey). My next step is to investigate his military career.