May 5–11 2025
Contact Rusthall Life magazine!
The magazine is a celebration of life in Rusthall and is published 6 times a year. It is delivered door to door to the 2000-plus houses in the village, and is available at local shops and in some surrounding villages. Please submit editorial and advertisements (pre-paid) for the next edition by 11th June 2025.
Advertising: Rob Mauduit advertising@rusthalllife.com
Editor: Jayne Sharratt Tel: 07532 339434 editor@rusthalllife.com
Director: Ed Langridge
local happenings
Banging the drum for the half marathon
Sunday 23rd February 2025 saw the latest edition of the Hendy Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon, in which the runners passed the edge of Rusthall, as they headed back towards town and the finish line.
It was great to see and hear Bloco Fogo positioned at the end of Coach Road, keeping the runners spirits up with their motivating beat.
The race, which is organised by local running club, Tunbridge Wells Harriers, is manned by volunteers and is a not-for-profit event, with all surplus funds from entry fees going to local organisations and charities – the Commons Conservators are one such organisation, and they provided a number of marshals along the route.
Many residents came out to cheer the runners on along the route. The Tunbridge Wells Harriers thanked residents for the patience and understanding of everyone in the village, saying it was once again, much appreciated.
Well done to all the runners who took part!
Keeping Rusthall beautiful with the litter pickers
On Friday 4th April volunteers from the Pantiles Rotary Club were seen litter picking on Rusthall Common before moving on to the High Street. Pictured are from left to right Rob Hickmott, president Paul Standen, and Ian Fawcett. The next day Commons volunteers Joy Podbury and Sa Danzey were seen out litter picking at the junction of Woodside Road and Apsley Street. Their hard work to keep our village and Commons looking lovely and safe for wildlife is much appreciated.
The Greener Rusthall group are looking to start a regular litter pick based from Community Co ee mornings. Their proposed dates are going to be Saturday 31st May and 21st June and anyone is welcome to join them between 9am and 11am. Look out for posters for more information or go along to Community Co ee and join in.
Paper theatre in Rusthall
Storyteller and puppeteer Sue Bodkin has brought a taste of Japan to Rusthall. She has become an exponent of kamishibai. This form of storytelling translates as ‘paper theatre.’ Popular kamishibai stories include The Tale of Momotaro. A boy, born from a peach, joins animals to defeat evil ogres.
The technique uses a special portable wooden box (‘butai’ in Japanese) which holds paper screens. These are slotted in while the narrator reads the story. Sue creates her own beautiful illustrations which show key moments from the tales. She researched this traditional art during lockdown, when she wanted to do something new and creative. “When people usually tell a story, it’s just spoken or from a book – I love the fact that with kamishibai, the audience sees a picture. This is more immediate.”
Kamishibai became popular in 1930s Japan and it was estimated that there were over 2500 itinerant storytellers in Tokyo, performing to a million children a day. It only faded with the 1950s advent of television (originally called ‘electric kamishibai’). Now kamishibai is having a revival.
It was a joy to see Sue perform The Rain Maiden, an epic journey into the eerie and mysterious underworld. Sue’s audience was spellbound. We heard how the evil curse of the Fire Goblin was defeated, how rain was brought to a parched land and how love triumphed.
Sue has shown how hand-drawn pictures and the storyteller’s art can create a sense of wonder and a powerful shared experience.
Anne Goldstein
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Could you be a Freehold Tenant of the Commons?
If you own property in Rusthall then you are likely to be eligible to be a Freehold Tenant of the Manor of Rusthall because originally most of Rusthall was built on land within the old Manor of Rusthall. Being a Freehold Tenant is an ancient privilege dating back to when Rusthall Common was open land continuously grazed. Then the Freehold Tenants living in the Manor were entitled to graze livestock, gather stone and sand and bedding materials for their animals. (The trees we enjoy today are mainly a nineteenth Century addition!)
Over the centuries times have dramatically changed the Common and if you enjoy Rusthall Common and would like to keep in touch with developments within it and also have your say on improvements then register as a Freehold Tenant by emailing sl@stephenlacey.co.uk for an application form. Or if you have questions contact our Chair ianbmarshall@hotmail.com
Carol Mellors (Registered Freehold Tenant)
A look back at Bretland Road
Rusthall Life reader Claire Passos got in touch with us to share this wonderful past and present picture of Bretland Road in Rusthall. She tells us that her neighbour shared it with her a few years ago – it’s great to compare the road and see what’s changed and what has stayed the same.
CHILDREN’SART CLASSESANDWORKSHOPS
Joinourfun&inspiringterm-timeartclassesand holidayworkshopsinRusthall,TunbridgeWells!
Tofindoutmoreandtobookgoto: www.startyarty.co.uk
• PITCHED ROOFING
• FLAT ROOFING
• NEW ROOFS
• LEAD WORK
• CHIMNEY WORK
• DRONE SURVEYS
• FULLY INSURED
• GUTTER VACUMMING
• FASCIAS, SOFFITS & GUTTERING
• PROFESSIONAL ROOF CLEANING
Continuing to campaign for a safer Langton Road
If you go down in the woods today… the big surprise, when you are walking on the newly redeveloped path above the spectacularly beautiful Happy Valley on Rusthall Common, is that you are very likely to be asked to take part in a survey. We caught up with John Barber, one of the people who has been waylaying passers-by, and asked him what is going on. He said that using a structured seven question format he and his colleagues are trying to identify people’s experience of crossing the A264 Langton Road to move from one side of the Common to the other. The exercise is ongoing with over 200 people’s input so far. There is already one clear finding: the number of significant near misses is surely far higher than ever has been recorded before. This highlights the danger of the speeds seen on the road and the lack of a safe crossing point. We look forward to John updating us for our next issue on the full analysis and how the findings will be used.
Tunbridge Wells - 01892 300330 39 Crescent Road, TN1 2LZ
tunbridgewells@welhamjones.co.uk www.welhamjones.co.uk
Go to a Green event this May
It was a pleasure to chat to Rusthall residents and co-founders of Greener Rusthall Paul Froome and Shally Hunt recently. Paul is currently organising an event at The Forum called ’The World we Want’ on Tuesday 13th May at 7pm. Scientist Bors Hulesch will be giving a talk aimed at anyone looking for a positive way to respond to the climate and nature emergency. Entry is free but please book in advance at The Forum website. “I hope that it will be a great event for people to come to who are concerned about climate change and nature but haven’t yet found a way to feel like they are making a di erence. The speaker is very inspiring and engaging – it’s di cult not to be moved by him.” Shally remains equally committed and tells me of the small things that we can all do in our daily lives to make a di erence and also help us by reducing our bills.
News from Flourish allotment
As you read this, we should be heading closer towards summer and keeping our fingers crossed for a nice one this year! We have had a busy spring; it is probably the most wonderful time of year on the allotment.
With the lighter days and the warmth, we are blessed with the birdsong, especially in the morning when it is quiet. We are sharing the space with robins, wrens, sparrows, tits, crows and magpies, and even a woodpecker! It really is a dawn chorus!
As the days have got longer and warmer, the di erence it makes to the plants is actually visible. We have had a few afternoons when the da odils and tulips have opened up to their full glory and the primroses have covered the beds in the first splash of colour.
It has been all hands on deck as our gardeners have been very busy planting seeds, pricking out seedlings and planting young plants outside in the hope for a bumper harvest later in the year. We are growing more flowers this year to encourage the pollinators in; it has been fantastic to see so many bees and butterflies already!
The insects are not the only busy creatures on the allotment; the frogs have filled both ponds with loads of frogspawn! The tadpoles have hatched so it will be exciting to see how many make it to adulthood; we could definitely do with a few more to keep the slugs under control!
If the insects are busy, our gardeners and volunteers are even more so! They have worked hard to sow seeds, water the site in the dry weather and prepare the beds for all the vegetable plants we are hoping will grow over the summer. Potatoes and onions have already gone in so look out for our first harvest. The job has been made easier this year with a generous donation of some new tools from Toolbank.
If you would like to know more about what we do, why not head down to Flourish for our Open Day on Thursday 15th May, 12 noon6pm at Southwood Rd Allotments, Rusthall. We look forward to seeing you there!
Kate Cheshire
Freyja’s ‘pick up your dog poo’ campaign
Completely sick of all the dog poo on Southwood Road pavement and down the footpaths (which she and her brother call poo alley) Freyja Rees, age 5, has undertaken a local campaign to tackle the problem.
So far she has been granted permission by 20 of her neighbours to display her poster on their fence or gate creating a compelling visual impact.
She echoes the feeling of many Southwood Road residents when she says, in her own words, “I’m getting really sick of all the poo in our street, it’s disgusting!’’
Supported operationally by her brother Jack (8) the campaign was conceived entirely by Freyja and driven by her newfound passion for campaigning.
We all hope this makes a di erence to the actions of the irresponsible dog-walkers and perhaps catches the attention of the local council. We’d love their support in tackling this issue.
Michelle Jueno (proud mum)
Editor’s le er
I am writing this just before the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, and I’m looking forward to a quieter few days. It’s been a busy month for me with lots going on, to say the least, but making an Easter decoration for my house with the blossoming branches of my apple tree was a therapeutic moment. I’m looking forward to the month of May when this issue comes out.
This issue has been a pleasure to put together, I was fascinated and moved by the article by Carol Mellors about the Girls’ Home. Looking to the future of Rusthall, I’m glad there is lots of content about nature and how we can look after it, and I was especially impressed by the campaign of Rusthall resident Freyja –I’ll look out for her running to be a Councillor in 2040 because she clearly has all the right skills!
As ever, this magazine is made for you, and if there are stories or photographs you would like to share with readers, please do get in touch with me. We also love to work with local businesses who advertise with us to tell their story and show our appreciation of their support –this magazine wouldn’t exist without the businesses who support us, and we hope that readers who want their village magazine to be here for the long term will support the businesses you see inside these pages. Wishing you a happy Spring season!
Jayne Sharratt, editor@rusthalllife.com
Launching Rusthall’s history book Glorious singathon!
The History of Rusthall by Dennis Penfold was launched on Saturday 22nd March at Rusthall United Reformed Church on Manor Road. It was an immediate success, selling out of its first print run that same day.
Dennis Penfold was, for many decades, Rusthall’s most thoroughly researched and knowledgeable local historian. At Rusthall Life we are particularly grateful that he sent us an article for each issue on the
On Saturday 22nd February the choir of Rusthall St Paul’s Church took on the considerable challenge of singing all 100 anthems in the Oxford University Press anthem book, culminating in a performance of Handel’s Zadok the Priest. The members of the choir sang between 10am and 9pm with breaks for lunch and tea, which has to be an incredibly impressive achievement! The Singathon raised £2000 which will go towards the choir tour of Normandy between 7th and 10th August this summer, where they will perform at concerts in Eglise de la Trinite de Falaise and Bayeux Cathedral. If you would like to hear Rusthall’s wonderful church choir sing a little closer to home, the date for your diary is their summer concert on 24th May – definitely one not to miss.
history of the shops of Rusthall High Street – so many readers told me how fascinating they found these. After his death Hazel Duncombe edited the manuscript he had left and with the support of Sue White, Sonia Lawrence and Jenny Blackburn decided they would get the book published. The result, following a hasty reprint, is on sale at The Venture on Rusthall High Street for £10. Get your copies while they last!
Local Repair Cafés
Anyone who would like to repair and reuse things more instead of throwing away and buying new will be pleased to know that there are two local Repair Cafes, one in Rusthall’s Sunnyside Hall and one in Trinity Theatre, Tunbridge Wells.
The Rusthall Repair Café dates are Saturday 3rd may, 31st may and 5th July. Doors open at 11am and last visitors to come by 1pm. Although visitors can turn up without any notice, they will get a higher chance of success if they email RusthallRepair@gmail.com with a note of what they would like done -make/model and photos help too. Information is also available on their Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/RusthallRepairCafe/)
The Tunbridge Wells Repair Café dates are Saturday 17th May, 21st June and 26th July. Doors open 9.45am and we start repairs at 10am and take our last repairs at 12.30pm and close at 1pm.
Full details are on our website - https://tunbridgewellsrepaircafe.co.uk/
Volunteers needed for parent and toddler group School Spring Fair
Playtime at St Paul’s is a friendly and inclusive group for parents and carers and their babies and toddlers. It might be called a parent and toddler group, but you are still welcome if your only little one is still a baby, or maybe even a bump! We know that parents need a cup of tea and reassuring chat just as much as the children enjoy the space to play.
On Saturday 10th May the Friends of Rusthall School will be holding its Spring Fair in the school grounds, with lots of lovely stalls, games and a BBQ and other refreshments. They will be raising money to refurbish their school library to make it a fresh and inspiring place to get stuck into reading. The gates will be open from 11am until 2pm, and it would be lovely to see you there. The fantastic ra e has a top prize of £100 donated by Rusthall Life magazine.
The group is run by Liz and Jayne and a rota of volunteers who come along to help out in various ways, including making tea. We’d love a few more volunteers for the rota – especially people who are able to help with set up and packing away, although we would welcome you to any role. If you would like to find out more please email Liz at liz.mankelow@uwclub.net or phone her at 07840 837968.
Enjoying crafts at the School Fair
Parish Council
News from
Could you help make Rusthall even better by becoming a Parish Councillor?
Do you care about your local community?
Would you like to have a say in decisions that a ect your area? We are looking for dedicated, passionate individuals to join the Parish Council and help shape the future of our thriving community. As a Councillor you would represent the views of local residents, influence decisions on local services and projects, and work with others to improve the quality of life within the Parish. No experience is required, just a commitment to the community, as training and support will be provided.
For more information please contact the Clerk, Claire Reed, at clerk@rusthall-pc.gov.uk or on 07398 715468 or visit: https://www.local.gov.uk/be-councillor
The Parish Assembly
The Annual Parish Assembly is to be held on Monday 19th May, at The Rackli centre, starting at 7pm. The meeting is open to all and is an opportunity to catch up with the activities and achievements of the Parish Council, and local groups, over the past 12 months.
Allotment Gardens
The Allotments have been a hive of activity over the past few weeks! On 16th March, plot holders from all three sites formed a working party and met at the Southwood Road site to replace 900ft of water pipe following the discovery of a leak that couldn’t be traced to shut o the supply. A huge thanks to all who took part to make the works possible. Pictured are some of the volunteers.
A new community shed has arrived on the Southwood Extension allotment site. Many thanks to the small team who made it possible. At their last meeting, the council agreed to the installation of a compostable toilet at the Wickham Garden site. This project has been funded by the allotment holders and the toilet will be in situ in the coming weeks.
If you are interested in taking on an allotment, there are currently a few plots available. For more information please contact the Allotments Manager, Jon Vanns on allotments@rusthall-pc.gov.uk or call 07983 920716.
Defibrillators
There are now three public access defibrillators in the parish. The latest, purchased by the Parish Council, has been installed at the Recreation Ground on Southwood Road. The existing machines are on the side of the United Reform Church on
Manor Road and on the front of the Toad Rock Retreat on Upper Street. The defibrillators are regular checked to ensure they are ‘Rescue Ready’. However, if you notice any defects with the machines or have cause to use one, please do let the Clerk know as a matter of urgency on 07398 715468
Free coaching for young people
Sport on your doorstep are currently running free football and boxing sessions for young people in Rusthall every Wednesday from 4-5pm on Southwood Road Recreation Ground, funded by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council.
Reporting problems on the road or pavement
(including potholes and street furniture)
These are the responsibility of Kent County Council and should be reported directly, via their website: https:// www.kent.gov.uk/roadsand-travel/report-a-problem
Once reported you will receive a reference number that you can use to track the progress of the repair.
Reporting other issues
Matters such as missed bin collections; business waste issues; dead animals; engine idling; fly posting or fly tipping; gra ti; illegal parking; littering; lost & found dogs; near misses on the roads; planning breaches and problems in a play area can be reported to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council at: https:// tunbridgewells.gov.uk/report
Contact Details
Visit our website: rusthall-pc.gov.uk
Email us:
Clerk Clerk@rusthall-pc.gov.uk
Deputy Clerk Deputyclerk@rusthall-pc.gov.uk
Chair of the Council paul.gripper@rusthall-pc.gov.uk
Allotments Manager allotments@rusthall-pc.gov.uk
Phone: 01892 520161
Dates for your diary
Kent County Council Elections 01 May 2025
Annual Parish Council Meeting 12 May 2025
Annual Parish Assembly 19 May 2025
For more details about the Parish Council and the many clubs and associations in the village please have a look on our website: rusthall-pc.gov.uk
Lilly Lampert – Beacon girl
It was delightful to read Lilly Lampert’s Jewish refugee story in Rusthall Life. She came to safety on the Kindertransport from Vienna to The Beacon. Her older sister Gerti had managed to arrive in Britain on a domestic servant visa in January 1939 and desperately wanted her sister to join her. However, a guarantee of £50 was required by the British government to bring Lilly over.
Gerti had the inspired idea of asking the celebrated Lincolnshire born tenor, Alfred Piccaver, if he could donate the sum. He was a great star of the Viennese state opera and she had been a fan of his. He had come to England in 1937, living in
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• Ingrowing nails • Nail Trimming
• Diabetic Foot • Reflexology
• Cracked Heels • Thickened Nail • Athlete’s Foot
Foot Washing
Putney. Piccaver was often described as the ‘new Caruso.’
Piccaver did not hesitate when he met Gerti and heard her story. He signed a cheque straight away. It seems that his kindness went further – he gave free singing lessons to a Kindertransport refugee, David Hadda, from Breslau in East Germany.
Lilly was taken to see Alfred to say thank you when she arrived in England, but she was too shy to speak. The girls later found out that their parents had been killed in concentration camps; their father died in Theresienstadt, their mother in Auschwitz.
Lilly came back to visit The Beacon with her family in 2022. Piccaver returned to Vienna in 1955. When he died, he was given a state funeral, with the Vienna Philharmonic playing Beethoven’s Eroica for him. Anne Goldstein
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local happenings
The gorgeous serendipity of charity shopping
We are lucky in Rusthall to have a thriving charity shop on the High Street. Over the years I have lived here I have made countless purchases from charity shops across Tunbridge Wells, most frequently the Hospice shop closest to home, and each time has been a little moment of joyous, pinch-me, I can’t believe my luck.
I’ve come to believe that almost anything can be found in a charity shop, often at the moment I need it most. A green Le Creuset casserole pan, a Burleigh mug with my own initial on it, a set of four St Agnes Pottery bowls in pink and blue that make me happy every time I eat porridge from them, William Morris curtains that perfectly fit and match the colour schemes of my living room and bedroom, Portmeirion pottery Botanicals storage jars, pink leather converse high top trainers, cushions, a vintage table cloth with a map of London on it, my favourite vase, original paintings by talented long dead amateur artists, and clothes…so many clothes!
This is far from being an exhaustive list. As charity shopping readers you will doubtless have your own list of unbelievable treasure you have found, and your own tips for finding it. Here is what I’ve learnt over the years.
1. Look often – so you looked yesterday and there was nothing? New donations are coming in all the time.
2. If you find an item of clothing you love in your size, keep looking for more – chances are that person with the same taste and dress size as you donated a whole bag full of things you will love. This is even more true of children’s clothing.
3. Scan the rails for colour, pattern and texture. This is a great way to find the designer and quality labels you would never normally buy.
4. Be just as discerning as you would be if you were paying full price in a shop – there’s so much out there, you don’t
need things taking up space in your life if, to paraphrase William Morris, ‘you don’t know it to be useful or believe it to be beautiful.’
5. Don’t be afraid to experiment with your charity shop buys. Maybe you always buy a navy coat to be on the safe side, but when the lilac jacket you’ve really fallen in love with is just £5, or the impractical pink silk flounced summer skirt is £4, you can a ord to take a risk for something you love. But only if you love it and it fits you – see point 4 again!
6. Get to know the brands that still look desirable and in good shape on the charity shop rails and the ones that don’t (they’re not always the ones you’d expect) – I’ve learnt to avoid buying the latter category new because I know they don’t wear well.
7. Be open minded – if you usually look at the clothes, check out the crockery. If you like looking for jewellery but need a new laundry basket, maybe that’s what the charity shop gods have in store for you today.
8. Look for specifics – sometimes you have all you need of most things, but you do need a black cardigan, or you enjoy collecting a particular pottery – so scan the shop for those things only and then walk away.
9. Respect the charity shops – they give us so much and can only continue to do so if they are treated fairly. Donate things to them but only if you think they will be able to sell them. Be friendly to the volunteers. It goes without saying, don’t leave things outside the shop when they’re closed (but I know no one who lives in Rusthall would do anything so anti-social!)
I’d love to know what your own favourite finds and treasure hunting tips are!
Jayne Sharratt
The 175 year history of Rusthall St Paul’s Parish Church
On 14th August 1850, John Bird Sumner, the Archbishop of Canterbury consecrated St Paul’s Church, Rusthall. Now, in 2025 it’s celebrating its 175th anniversary!
The church was built in 1849 to serve the expanding local population. It was the idea of the then Rector of Speldhurst, the Rev J.J. Saint who was also the Lord of the Manor at Groombridge Place. It was built on land purchased from William Neville, the 4th Earl of Abergavenny who also provided a sizable contribution to the finance and building costs.
St Paul’s was designed in the Gothic Revival style of the thirteenth century by the Derbyshire based architect Henry Isaac Stevens, probably because he had designed the nearby church at Fordcombe only a couple of years earlier.
It was constructed of local sandstone at the cost of £5,200 which was a considerable sum for the period. That included £190 paid to Lord Abergavenny for the two-acre site. The building society which was also involved in the finance originally withheld some of the funds as they considered there were not enough seats provided for “free use of the poor” and even though new plans corrected this, the church soon needed to be expanded.
By 1864 there was an appeal for further funds as, “since the Church was built in 1850 it was computed that upwards of fortyfive mansions had been built….and 133 cottages”. So, St Paul’s was extended in 1865 with the addition of a north aisle and that was followed by further work in 1875 when an organ chamber and vestry were added to the northeast and again in 1913 with a large western porch, with both a west and north entrance.
Church Centre
The site of St Paul’s, at the edge of Rusthall Common although picturesque was di cult to access on foot in bad weather and was
away from the main village area. The Rev Benjamin Smith, who was the first Vicar, was concerned about the problems many of his parishioners had getting to services and so from 1860 a small room was opened for worship in Rusthall High Street, then known as Workhouse Lane.
From small beginnings evolved the Mission Room, built and dedicated on 25th November 1887. Many activities were associated with the Mission Church: for example, Sunday School, Band of Hope, Boys’ Brigade, Mother’s Union, Scouts and Guides. Coal and Clothing Clubs were well supported. The church was extended in 1908 and the Parish Hall was added at the same time.
Now the Church Centre, it fulfils a vital role in parochial life. It houses the Family Service, two halls with kitchens and modern facilities, also the Parish O ce. It welcomes many and varied activities as part of modern Rusthall community life.
St Paul’s Parish Church has been given a Grade II listing by Historic England as it is a good example of an Early English Gothic Revival church showing a good understanding of medieval architecture and its application to the design of an early Victorian Anglican church. It has a fine extension of the 1860s to meet increasing accommodation needs. It retains a largely complete ensemble of 19th Century fixtures.
SOURCES: Geo rey Copus, St Paul’s Parish Church Rusthall 1850-2000. Roger Homan, The Victorian Churches of Kent, 1984, John Newman, The Buildings of England: West Kent and the Weald, 1980. Additional material from Len Evans and Rob Baker.
War Memorial
Just outside to the North of the church, on the boundary between the churchyard and the road is a magnificently stern, tall war memorial cross by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott bearing the names of the fallen in the First World War and constructed of Hollington stone.
News from our village school
Climate Change has been the topic for Key Stage 2 Children at Rusthall St Paul’s over the first term of 2025, and they embraced the subject, becoming experts in the causes of the crisis and the actions that need to be taken to make sure we have a liveable planet for future generations.
All the children’s hard work culminated in a mini-COP event, held in the school on 26th February. Speakers Gemma Stapeley General Manager of Tunbridge Wells and Rusthall Commons, Richard Mackintosh co-founder of Reset Connect who organise sustainability and net-zero events, and a Borough Councillor who was until last year leading the council’s response to Climate Change, all talked to the children about the importance of climate action and nature protection.
The children had prepared persuasive speeches about the changes they would like to see from leaders. “The future of the earth is our responsibility! We have a decision to make, either to not help and have a brutally polluted world or have a beautiful world full of lush green, blue skied wildlife? We have to act now, or our world will su er and temperatures will rise. The future generations are looking up at us as we choose,” wrote Year 4 pupil Teddy, while Year 6 pupil Agnes wrote in a letter to MP Mike Martin, “I am writing to inform you you need to take immediate action to protect and preserve our natural resources. Young people will need to have an unpolluted and clean environment to live in when they grow up.”
The learning doesn’t stop there – the children have gone on to write poems about protecting their planet and have started a campaign for teracycle collection from their school.
Forest School at Rusthall continues to be a big draw, with children able to walk oroad from the back of the school onto Rusthall Common, where they have their own dedicated area that they are allowed to use by the Commons Ranger. Pictured are some of the children’s spring crafts.
The children have lots to look forward to as they progress through the school – in Year 3 they have a sleepover in school, Year 4 have one night away on an adventure, Year 5 get away for two nights and Year 6 go to Isle of Wight so by the time they leave the school they have had lots of amazing experiences to look back on and have got used to being away from home without their families progressively.
USEFUL CONTACTS
Rusthall Guide Group etc.
Daphne Pilcher 01892 521691
Allotments
Allotments Manager – Jon Vanns 07983 920716
allotments@rusthall-pc.gov.uk
Bonfire, Fete and Community Coffee lisatoes@yahoo.co.uk
Community Cinema, Table Tennis, Badminton, Pickleball and Repair Cafe Eugene Gardner at Sunnyside Community Halleugene@rusthallcinema.club
ParishChair Paul Gripper paul.gripper@rusthall-pc.gov.uk
Parish Clerk Claire Reed
01892 520161 / 07398 715468
Clerk@rusthall-pc.gov.uk
Manor Road Pre-School 07972 739852
St Paul’s Church Parish Office 01892 521447
Playtime Parent and Toddler Group Liz Mankelow 07840 837968
Rusthall United Reformed Church Church Secretary – Mary Nolze 01892 536727
Rusthall and Tunbridge Wells Commons Ranger Daniel Colborne 07860 750597
The Molyneux Almshouses info@molyneux-almshouses.co.uk 07504 839548
Rusthall Football Club Jockey Farm 07897427522
Rusthall St Paul’s School 01892 520582 office@rusthall-cep.kent.sch.uk
Rusthall Scout Group Beavers, cubs and scouts rusthallscoutgroupwaitinglist@yahoo.co.uk
Rusthall Medical Centre 01892 515142
Out of
554250
810779 Rusthall Library rusthalllibrary@kent.gov.uk If
local happenings
Nature Watch
In March we had some warm dry weather at last and the natural world responded by catching up with flowers and Butterflies on the wing.
Now we have the summer to look forward to, lots of wildflowers and hoards of insects of all types, woods will have Bluebells, mixed with the white of Wild Garlic or Ransoms to give another name for this plant, usually found in damper parts of the wood. The first of the Orchids, the Early Purple, will be in flower. These are often found in Woodland with Bluebells.
The Bittern, according to the RSPB is on the up after nearly becoming extinct in the 1990s, with only eleven males heard with their booming call. After a lot of work restoring reed beds across the
country over the years, last year 238 booming males were heard. It’s been a steady increase over the years, even if you know where they are breeding it is not an easy bird to see but well worth the e ort. It looks like a brown streaky Heron.
In Kent, Elmley and Dungeness RSPB reserves and in Rye Harbour, booming males can be heard. By helping this one bird it also helps all other birds that use Reed beds like Bearded Tits, Reed Warblers which also helps the Cuckoo that lays its eggs in their nests as well as many di erent insects, which makes this an important trend.
On to Butterflies and the organization Butterfly Conservation are upset by the latest figures for last year. Newly released data from their surveys shows that 2024 was one of the worst years on record for butterflies in the UK and, for the first time on record, more than half of butterfly species in the UK are now in long-term decline.
Worryingly, last year was also the second-worst year on record for wider countryside species; – the common butterflies that live in gardens, parks and across the landscape such as, Gatekeeper, Large White and Common Blue.
This summer, they are asking us to make a promise to butterflies and moths. Will you put away the lawnmower and let some grass or vegetation grow long - all the way from April to September?
It’s simple: don’t mow all your lawn between April and September. This is the most important time of year to have long grass because it’s when most caterpillars feed and adults shelter, breed, lay eggs, and drink nectar from flowers. Plus, no pesticides or herbicides or as little as possible.
Alan Ford
The history of ‘Silverleigh’ Girls’ Home
For twenty-one years Hill View Road was the setting for a ‘Scattered Home’: the general term for a single sex children’s home housing long term, child residents from the Tonbridge Union Workhouse in Pembury.
The 1921 Census lists a Matron and thirteen girls aged 6-15 years. (The boys’ equivalent was Chalfont in Pembury.) The children of school age attended Rusthall Girls’ School. The Matron, Miss Ellen Cox devoted her entire life to caring for the girls. After her retirement, when she went to Barry, Wales to live with her widowed sister-in-law, she described herself on the 1939 Census as: Foster Mother Retired.’ Miss Cox clearly saw herself as a Mother to the girls rather than a Matron. No doubt she was responsible for the back garden being converted into a playground in 1916.
However, in 1917 tragedy occurred which would have horrified Miss Cox and her foster children. Lydia Skilton age fourteen, was carrying out her duties lighting a fire when her apron ignited. Although her screams were heard and she was quickly wrapped in a rug, her hysteria caused her to run back and forth into the street, which a witness reported as exacerbating the fire. Lydia died early next morning of shock and burns.
Older girls of fourteen plus years were being trained by Miss Cox in domestic servant duties by helping her to run the home. The Inquest
reported: ‘The deceased was a bright child, and would have made a good servant. It was not unreasonable to put a child of fourteen to light a fire.’ A verdict of Accidental Death was returned. Although the plaque on the house describes the children as ‘orphans’ that term did not necessarily mean that both parents were dead but rather that the children had been left, long term in the Workhouse. Usually, one parent had died or was mentally ill and at a time before child and unemployment benefits, it was impossible for one parent to manage children and work without willing nearby relatives. Every child placed long term in the Workhouse had experienced grief and loss.
In the 1921 Census, Edith Blackman aged eight and her big sister Emily aged ten, were in Silverleigh together. They had been born at 29 Gladstone Road, Rusthall, the third and fourth children of Ellen and Henry Blackman – a gardener. Their older siblings (aged twelve and fourteen) were both placed in Leybourne Grange, an asylum near Maidstone and their mother, having been born in Mayfield, Sussex was placed in Hellingly Asylum. So Edith and Emily Blackman and their fellow inmates would have had better opportunities in life due to the care and routine they experienced at Silverleigh in Hill View Road.
Carol Mellors
