16 Kempthorne Street, Gravesend in 1924

[Moscatella]

A merchant seaman, Thomas Wells aged 62, arrived from Brisbane as a Distressed British Seaman in 1924 and his UK address given as the above, but I'm unable to find any more after his arrival. I'm thinking it may have been a seamen's refuge of some sort. I believe he had joined the navy in Swansea aged 16, but I have very little info on him apart from his birth origins in Portsea.

Does anyone know the history of 16 Kempthorne Street? It seems to be in a shopping centre nowadays, interestingly a Forces Charity Shop?  Is that coincidental or connected with it's history as some sort of refuge?

Any snippets gratefully received. Many thanks and Happy Christmas to you all.

[ShaunJ]

Looking at the censuses and the 1939 register it looks to have been a private house. Perhaps he was a lodger there.

[Moscatella]

Thanks very much Shaun for such a swift response

[Telinlethaed]

In the newspapers of the day, it was a lodging house.

[ShaunJ]

In the newspapers of the day, it was a lodging house

Not a lodging house, more a large family home that occasionally took in lodgers.  "Comfortable Lodgings" for 2 single men were advertised in a local paper in 1868 (by a J Ashdown) but  I haven't found any later ads. It is not a lodging house in the censuses.

[Moscatella]

Thanks to you both - it was just a possibility that if it had been a refuge or seamen's mission or somesuch then there may have been some record of him that would help me to track him after his initial arrival back in UK.

[PippaL]

It was the site of Princes Street School for Boys and Girls, probably set up by the British and Foreign Schools Society, as shown on 1862-75 map. The building continued to be used as a school until it was demolished after 1952 to make way for the St Georges Centre.