Parish Cake - Winter 2018

IN ASSOCIATION WITH 

WINTER 2018 

Parish 

Cake 

YOUR SLICE OF CRANBROOK & SISSINGHURST LIFE 

FREE 

Festive Treats 

this Winter 

SCOTNEY CASTLE 

PUBLISHED BY CRANBROOK AND SISSINGHURST PARISH COUNCIL

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Help at 

bedtimes 

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Escort 

Services 

Domestic 

care 

Our Private Care Services provides tailored packages of 

care that can help people stay in their own home for as 

long as possible, rather than going into care home before 

it’s really needed. We assist those who need due to frailty, 

disability or illness to live a independently as possible, 

with comfort and dignity, in their own homes. 

For a free assessment of your care needs or to 

receive your brochure call us on 01580 762244 

www.townandcountryhomecare.co.uk

Parish Cake 

YOUR SLICE OF CRANBROOK & SISSINGHURST LIFE 

EDITOR: 

Cllr. Brian Clifford 

brian@brianclifford.net 

FEATURES EDITOR & CHIEF 

FEATURE WRITER: 

Cllr. Trisha Fermor 

trisha@parishcake.co.uk 

ADVERTISING SALES: 

Mignon Brian 

mignon@parishcake.co.uk 

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: 

Cllr. Graham Holmes 

graham@parishcake.co.uk 

PUBLISHED BY: 

Cranbrook and Sissinghurst Parish Council 

01580 713112 

www.cranbrookandsissinghurstpc.co.uk 

PRODUCED BY: 

Tally Wade 

Coffee Shop Media Ltd 

01580 848555 

www.coffeeshopmedia.com 

FRONT COVER: What’s on 

at Scotney Castle this 

Christmas? 

Hussey family 

Christmas eve: Saturday 

1 December - Sunday 6 

January, 11am-3pm. 

Storytelling with 

Father Christmas & Mrs Claus: Saturday 

and Sunday 1, 2, 8, 9 & Saturday 15 - Sunday 

23 December, 9.30am & 12noon. Child £9. 

Booking essential (please note a customer 

booking fee of 5% applies). 

Christmas lunches: Monday 26 November 

– Friday 21 December (Monday-Friday only). 

Two courses £22.95, three courses £25.95. 

Booking essential. 

Noah’s ark children’s trail: Saturday 

1 - Monday 31 December, 10am-4pm. £2 

per trail. 

Christmas shopping: Monday 5 November 

onwards. 

For more information or to book, call 01892 

893869 or visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ 

scotney-castle 

Whilst every effort is made 

to ensure accuracy, the 

Cranbrook and Sissinghurst 

Parish Council, editor and 

authors cannot be held 

responsible for published 

errors. The views or opinions expressed 

do not necessarily reflect views of the 

Cranbrook and Sissinghurst Parish Council. 

Inclusion of any advertising material does 

not constitute a guarantee or endorsement 

of any products or services or claims made. 

welcome 

Support our Shops at Christmas 

WITH CELEBRATIONS shortly upon us, we 

asked some residents for their favourite 

pieces of music at Christmas – maybe 

they are yours too? Have a look on 

page 18. As for festive treats, the 

offerings from Scotney Castle 

this season are sure to prepare 

you for a Happy Christmas – 

see more on page 43. 

Strolling around Cranbrook 

and Sissinghurst is a reminder 

about how our shopkeepers make 

every effort to provide what we might 

need. It’s so important that we use 

our local shops otherwise we may 

lose them! 

Having just studied the usage 

reports from our parish council website, 

it has proved to me just how many 

contents 

REGULARS 

4 Through the Lens 

5 Directory & What’s On 

7 Chairman’s Views 

8 Letters 

10 Parish News 

13 NDP Update 

Crane Valley Land Trust 

14 Club News 

20 Event News 

24 Short Story 

48 Parish Council Round-up 

FEATURES 

18 Christmas Favourites – 

our favourite festive songs 

parishioners keep an eye on committee 

discussions, events, how money is spent 

and a whole host of other information – 

www.cranbrookandsissinghurstpc. 

co.uk is our website address, if it’s 

news to you why not have look? 

Yes it’s Christmas – from 

my brilliant Parish Cake 

production team, Tally Wade, 

Mignon Brian, Trisha Fermor 

and me, we wish you all that you 

wish for yourself at Christmas and 

the New Year. 

ISSUE 7 WINTER 2018 

22 Old Cranbrookian Talks 

– speakers to celebrate 

500 years 

27 Local Heros – our 

voluntary fire crew 

28 Cranbrook In Bloom – 

Cranbrook takes gold 

29 Quakers Lane – how it 

got its name 

31 Kitchen & Garden – 

dealing with weeds and 

Christmas in a mouthful 

33 Have Your Say – 

commenting on planning 

applications 

35 Delos at the Castle– 

a new addition to 

Cllr. Brian Clifford - Editor 

Sissinghurst Castle Garden 

37 Tracy Moore – an update 

from the borough 

39 Droning On – Lance 

French on drone 

technology 

40 Helen Grant – the latest 

from our MP 

44 Business News – a 

new business hub in 

Cranbrook 

47 From our Sponsor – legal 

advice from Buss Murton 

50 Local Legend – Linda 

Clifford 

Parish Cake • Winter 2018 3

throughthelens 

Stone Street at Christmas, captured by Fraser Allen fraserallenphotography.co.uk 

S TAPLEHURST - KENT 

STUDIO@ VINCENZONARDI. COM 

MOB:07455 607107 

I LOVE TO COMBINE THE FORMAL AESTHETICS OF CLASSICAL ITALIAN GARDENS 

WITH THE HARMONY OF ENGLISH NATURALISTIC PLANTING STYLE 

4 Parish Cake • Winter 2018

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f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f in f Cranbrook f f f f and f f Sissinghurst f f f f f f f f f 


REGULAR EVENTS 

• Farmers’ Market every 

fourth Saturday in the month, 

9am -12 noon 

• Tempo Singing every 

Saturday morning at 

Cranbrook School Music 

Centre, 10.30-11am 

• Messy Church Children and 

Parent Group, second Friday 

each month, 3.30-5.30pm 

• Mobile Library, The Street, 

Sissinghurst, every Friday 

Morning in December, 

January and February, 

11.40am 

• The Children’s Centre, 

Cranbrook offers free 

sessions for parents and 

children throughout the 

week. Call 03000 411035 for a 

timetable 

DECEMBER 

FRIDAY 7 

5pm Nativity Parade, 

Cranbrook High Street 

7pm Pudding Club 

Christmas Party, The 

George Hotel, Cranbrook, 

for an evening of fizz, 

nibbles and dancing 

SUNDAY 9 

2pm Cranbrook Ladies 

Rugby Team V New Ash 

Green Ladies at Cranbrook 

Rugby Club 

7pm Folk concert – Peter 

Knight & Jon Spiers at 

St. Dunstan’s Church. For 

ticket details see www. 

stedithfolk.co.uk 

WEDNESDAY 12 

12pm Pudding Club 

Christmas Lunch (with 

pudding!), George Hotel, 

Cranbrook 

THURSDAY 13 

7.30pm Full Parish Council 

Meeting, Council Chamber 

- Vestry Hall. Everyone 

welcome 

SUNDAY 23 

6pm Carols by 

Candlelight, St. Dunstan’s 

Church 

MONDAY 24 

Christmas Eve, St. 

Dunstan’s Church. 4pm 

Crib Service (for the young 

at heart, come dressed 

as a character from 

the Nativity), 11.30pm 

Midnight Mass with carols 

TUESDAY 25 

Christmas Day, St. 

Dunstan’s Church. 8am 

Holy Communion (a said 

service using The Book of 

Common Prayer), 10am 

Sung Eucharist (a Sung 

Service with carols and 

communion) 

FRIDAY 28 – SUNDAY 30 

2.30pm Cinderella the 

Pantomime, Performing 

Arts Centre Cranbrook 

School 

JANUARY 

THURSDAY 10 




welcome 

FEBRUARY 

THURSDAY 7 

7.30pm Cranbrook School 

Presents Hairspray the 

Musical, Queen’s Hall 

Theatre 

THURSDAY 14 




welcome 

While every effort is made to 

ensure accuracy, dates and 

times may change. If you 

are organising an event in 

the parish why not drop us a 

line and we might be able to 

include you in the listings too 

– editorial@parishcake.co.uk 

directory 


Parish Council 

The Old Fire Station 

Stone Street, Cranbrook 

KENT TN17 3HF 

Clerk – Mrs. L. Ham 

Deputy Clerk – Mrs. L. Thirkell 

01580 713112 / clerk@ 

cranbrookandsissinghurstpc. 

co.uk 

BOROUGH & COUNTY 

COUNCILS 

Tunbridge Wells Borough 

Council 

01892 526121 

www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk 

Kent County Council 

03000 41 41 41 

www.kent.gov.uk 

USEFUL NUMBERS 

UTILITIES 

Electricity: 0800 727282 

(24 hrs) 

Gas: 0800 111 999 

Water: South East Water 

(drinking water) 0800 

0283399, Southern Water 

(waste water) 0800 820999 

(24 hrs), Emergency leak 0800 

0283399, Floodline 0845 

9881188 (24 hrs) 

CRIME 

Non-Emergency Police: 101 

Crime Stoppers: 0800 555111 

KCC Community Warden: 

Adam Osbourn 

07813 695741 

PCSO: Lee Jules 

07772 226048 

Neighbourhood Watch Area 

Co-ordinator: 01622 604395 

ROOMS & HALLS TO HIRE 

St George’s Institute, 

Sissinghurst: Ursula O’Connor 

01580 713938 

The Parish Room, 

Sissinghurst: Sue Crowe 

01580 712901 

ts.crowe@sky.com 

The Vestry Hall, Council 

Chamber and Addison VC 

Room, Cranbrook: 

01580 713112 (10am-12pm 

weekdays). 

A full list of over 30 venues for 

hire in the parish is available 

from the parish office 

USEFUL CONTACTS 

CHURCHES 

Congregational Church, 

Cranbrook: 01580 388070 

St. Dunstan’s, Cranbrook: 

01580 715861 

St. Theodore’s RC, Cranbrook: 

01580 713364 

Strict Baptist Church, 

Cranbrook: 01580 713212 

Trinity Church, Sissinghurst: 

01580 852275 

Vine Church, Cranbrook: 

01580 712620 

SCHOOLS AND PRE 

SCHOOLS 

Colliers Green CE Primary: 

01580 211335 

Cranbrook CE Primary: 

01580 713249 

Cranbrook Children’s Centre: 

03000 41 10 35 

Cranbrook School: 

01580 711800 

Dulwich Preparatory School: 

01580 712179 

High Weald Academy: 

01580 712754 

Rainbow Pre School, 

Cranbrook: 01580 715570 

Sissinghurst CE Primary: 

01580 713895 

Woodpeckers Pre School, 

Cranbrook: 01580 720195 

DOCTORS 

Jockey Lane Surgery, 

Cranbrook: 01580 713032 

Old School Surgery, 

Cranbrook: 01580 712476 

Orchard End Surgery, 

Cranbrook: 01580 713622 

DEFIBRILLATORS 

Cranbrook Medical Centre, 

Cranbrook 

Cricket Club, Sissinghurst 

Parish Council office 


St. George’s Institute, 

Sissinghurst 

Tennis Club, Sissinghurst 

The George Hotel, Cranbrook 

The Milkhouse, Sissinghurst 


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out chairman’s & about 

view 

Plans for community 

centre take a leap forward 

Heads get together to finalise vital details 

AFTER DECADES of aspirations 

that a community centre will 

be built in Cranbrook, the 

parish council has agreed to a 

joint, project-managed scheme 

as a huge step forward. 

Important meetings have 

been held with interested 

parties, including Guy Johnson, 

the landowner who wants to 

gift part of Wilkes’ Field to 

the town, and parish, borough 

and Kent County Council 

representatives. 

The four sets of solicitors 

have been looking at the rights 

of access documents, and 

those relating to the transfer 

of land for a portion of Wilkes’ 

Field and land that is part of 

the toilet block. I hope final 

agreement can be achieved 

by the end of the year with all 

parties, including the Cooperative 

Group. 

At the full parish council 

meeting in October the 

plan for a professionallymanaged 

scheme was given 

the go ahead, and also the 

authority to approve the legal 

documents by 11-1 votes. After 

20 years the centre is now 

much closer to being realised. 

We have sufficient money 

set aside to undertake the first 

stages involving the architect 

and project manager. It is 

good to report that we are very 

nearly there. 

On a festive note, I would 

like to wish everyone a happy 

Christmas and a healthy and 

prosperous new year. I would 

encourage those of you who 

would wish to give something 

back to the community to 

consider seriously standing 

as parish councillors in May. 

I would be happy to meet 

informally and discuss it with 

anyone who is interested. 

We are all delighted 

that Cranbrook in Bloom’s 

tremendous efforts have been 

recognised with a gold award 

from South and South East in 

Bloom and a silver gilt from 

Britain in Bloom. The town 

looked beautiful and the 

group’s efforts were admired 

not only by residents but 

tourists to our lovely town. 

Cllr. Bridget Veitch, chairman 

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more 

info 

For further information on the 

parish council please visit 

www.cranbrookandsissinghurstpc.co.uk 

(under the About menu item) 


Letters 

www.bussmurton.co.uk | T: 01580 712 215 

Star Letter 

Hawkhurst 

Ladies Who Latte 

Star Letter 

The author will receive 

a voucher for a hot drink 

and slice of cake from 

Cranbrook café Cocolicious! 

www.cocolicious.co.uk 

After running two women’s 

networking meetings I am 

convinced that women who 

actually go after their dreams and 

reach their goals are those who 

surround themselves with the 

right crowd. And don’t just take 

my word for it, there’s enough 

evidence that surrounding 

yourself with the right people is 

the fastest way to success. 

Women’s networks are not 

just about inspiration and 

learning from each other, a good tribe of 

like-minded people will boost your mood, help you believe 

in your dream and give perspective to the decisions and 

challenges ahead in all areas of your life. It is the collective 

energy of many that often defines whether you are going to 

give up on your project or carry on and persevere. We share 

our progress, keep each other accountable and inspire each 

other in monthly group meetings. So why not come along 

on the first Wednesday of each month 10am at The Queen’s 

Inn Hawkhurst? Alison Ede 

A Wasted Amenity… 

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council is holding us all to ransom. 

They are withdrawing the Saturday amenity vehicle for 

garden waste and they are charging £52 per year for a bin to 

dispose of it. 

They are also giving us no option but to have a waste food 

bin, which few of us need – who wastes food? 

This is all a money making venture forcing us to pay twice 

for collecting our bins. 

Brian Swann (a very disgruntled council tax payer) 

Come and Volunteer – 

A Reminder 

Volunteers continue to be needed at some of our tourist 

attractions. If you have some spare time please make 

contact with.... 

Windmill: 

Chris Lear – 01580 891821/volunteering@unionmill.org 

Museum: Rodney Dann – 01580 712475/curator@ 

cranbrookmuseum.org 

Cranbrook in Bloom: 

Linda Page – 

01580 713604/ info@ 

cranbrookinbloom.co.uk 

Friends of St.Dunstan’s: 

Brian Awford – 01580 715556/ 

brianawford@btinternet.com 


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Please send your letters to 

editorial@parishcake.co.uk or by post to 

Parish Cake, Cranbrook and Sissinghurst Parish Council, 

The Old Fire Station, Stone Street, 

Cranbrook, TN17 3HF. Please note, letters may be 

published in a shortened form at the discretion 

of the editor. 


Friday 7 December - Wednesday 2 January 

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newsbites 

News 

and views from 


Sissinghurst 

Speedwatch 

Takes a Break 

SIX YEARS after it was started, 

Sissinghurst Speedwatch 

members have agreed to take a 

break from monitoring drivers’ 

speeds through the village. 

The group has seen 

volunteers dropping out and 

calls for replacements have 

gone unanswered. Villagers 

complain that speeding 

continues, particularly in 

Common Road and The Street, 

and believe more effective 

methods such as cameras and 

regular police activity are now 

called for. 

There is also a minority who 

do not recognise the problems 

that speeding can cause. 

Members have decided to stand 

down until next March when it 

is hoped more volunteers will 

step forward and that, in the 

meantime, a way is found to 

introduce more permanent and 

constructive deterrents on the 

village roads. TF 

The Fiennes 

Stanley Wykeham 

Cornwallis Trust 

ESTABLISHED IN the mid-1980s 

from the sale of No 1 and 2 

School Cottages in Sissinghurst, 

the Cornwallis Trust has helped 

Couple say Goodbye to their Delicatessen 

AFTER 30 years running what must be the 

smallest shop in Cranbrook, Richard and 

Rosemary Clarke are closing the door for 

good. 

Perfect Partners in Stone Street 

has been the go-to place for top 

wines, interesting cheeses and 

other culinary delights but the 

couple have put the business on 

the market. 

Shortly before Parish Cake went to 

press Richard said they wanted to retire 

and he was hoping to sell the shop and the 

flat above which has been their home since 

they moved there in 1988. 

Richard said times were harder now for 

many apprentices and university 

students with books, tools 

and materials needed for their 

various courses. 

Students who may have 

chosen to study medicine, 

law, or to become a mechanic, 

electrician or plumber, an 

interior designer, or something 

else, could be offered some 

financial help by the trust. 

If applicants fit the following 

criteria of going on to 

further education, university 

or an apprenticeship, live 

in Sissinghurst, attended 

Sissinghurst Primary School for 

a minimum of two years and 

businesses in Cranbrook, adding: “The best 

years were in 2005 to 2008. We were doing 

well and so were others like antique shops. I 

think when Cranbrook School stopped 

classes on Saturdays it had a knock 

on effect.” 

Before taking over the tiny 

shop, Richard worked in the wine 

trade and was once asked to fly to 

Sri Lanka to teach airline stewards 

all about wine. 

His family business was brewing and 

his mother Isobel had lived for a time at the 

town’s converted forge. The couple, who have 

two girls and five grandchildren are hoping to 

stay in Cranbrook. TF 

Plantsman’s Illness Prompts Huge Support 

AFTER JEREMY Homewood collapsed at his 

home with a life-threatening illness customers 

feared it might lead to the closure of his 

popular plant nursery Bumbles. 

In October last year Mr Homewood, 

57, suffered an attack of vasculitis, a lifethreatening 

inflammation of the blood vessels. 

He will never walk again and has spent almost 

the whole of this year in Haywards Heath 

Hospital. 

But he is now living in a care home and 

has already made visits to the nursery in his 

wheelchair and planning to return at least 

once a week. 

While Mr Homewood was being treated 

his son Will, 30, took over the running of the 

business and others stepped in to help. 

Will put his own job as a logistics manager 

for a beer import company on hold and turned 

the clock back 12 years to when he and his 

father started the nursery together. 

With “plants in my blood” – Will’s great 

grandfather set up Springfields Nursery in 

Hawkhurst – he added: “My father lives for the 

business.” 

He went on: “People have been very kind 

and their kind words have been passed on to 

Dad. He much appreciated them and I am so 

grateful to people for their support. We had 

the best spring we have ever had.” TF 

are under 25-years-of-age they 

should apply for further details 

and an application form. 

Please contact Mrs Mellor 

at sissinghurstawards@gmail. 

com or telephone 01580 714618. 

The closing date for applications 

is 28 February 2018. 

Juliet Mellor 


news 

Friends Need Help 

AN URGENT call has gone 

out in Sissinghurst for more 

committee members to help 

the Friends of Sissinghurst 

Church (FoSCH) to survive. 

Currently there are 

only four members of the 

committee and they are 

finding it more and more 

difficult to come up with 

ideas for fundraising and, 

more importantly, to help 

run such events. 

Under threat is the popular 

annual FoSCH village 

lunch, which needs more 

committee members to help 

organise and run it. This 

year’s FoSCH book stall at 

the village fête raised only 

£168 compared to a previous 

record of more than £400. 

The Friends were set 

up 10 years ago by retired 

clergyman Canon Doug 

Redman who handed over the 

reins of chairman to parish 

councillor Trisha Fermor 

shortly before his death. The 

charity has donated several 

thousand pounds on a variety 

of improvements to Trinity 

Church including decorating, 

the installation of bespoke 

new oak cupboards, the 

garden area, and latterly 

the kitchenette in the new 

extension to the Parish 

Room. 

Cllr. Fermor said: “I feel 

I am letting down Canon 

Redman. We lost our hon. 

secretary who moved away 

from the village and appeals 

for a replacement have gone 

unheeded as have calls for 

more villagers to join the 

committee. 

“I would stress we do 

not have any plans to close 

FoSCH and we hope more 

people will join to help 

maintain our lovely church. 

But reluctantly we feel we 

cannot continue to organise 

events without more help.” 

Anyone who would like 

to join the committee can 

contact Cllr. Fermor at 

trisha@parishcake.co.uk 

or membership secretary/ 

treasurer Peter Mellor at 

advice@petermellor.co.uk 

Creatures Great 

and Small... 

CHURCHGOERS WERE forgiven 

for thinking they were seeing 

things when animals of all 

kinds met at St Dunstan’s 

Church. 

The vicar of Cranbrook, the 

Rev Ann Pollington, presided 

over a special pet blessing on 

one of the hottest days of the 

year. Among the more unusual 

pets were two ferrets who 

rested quietly in their owners’ 

arms, while dogs of all shapes 

and sizes made up most of 

the congregation. Among the 

hymns were All Things Bright 

and Beautiful in honour of the 

pets. TF 

BRIAN CLIFFORD 

Rickshaw 

Challenge 

Visiting 

Sissinghurst 

Raises £1,655 

for Children 

In Need 

New Partner at Buss Murton Law 

BUSS MURTON Law is 

delighted to announce the 

appointment of Julie Taylor to 

the role of partner based at its 

Cranbrook office. 

“Julie has worked 

tirelessly over 

the last three 

years to grow 

and develop 

the firm’s 

matrimonial 

services across 

the Weald as well as 

continuing to strengthen and 

expand the firm’s presence 

and commitment within the 

local community”, said Andrew 

Linton, the firm’s managing 

partner. 

Commenting on her 

promotion, Julie said: “I am 

honoured and privileged to 

accept the appointment of 

Partner at Buss Murton Law 

LLP. I would like to thank 

the partners and my fellow 

colleagues for their continued 

support which has 

helped me achieve 

this promotion. I 

look forward to 

working with 

the team in the 

many exciting 

opportunities for 

the future of the 

business.” 

Buss Murton Law is based 

in Tunbridge Wells with offices 

in Cranbrook, Dartford and East 

Grinstead. With nine partners 

and 28 fee earners, the firm 

works with commercial and 

private clients across the South 

East of England. 

For further information go to 

www.bussmurton.co.uk 


news 

Councillor Turns his 

Back on Tunbridge 

Wells’ Tory Group 

JAMES HANNAM 

claims the 

“contempt” 

the borough 

has shown for 

villagers he 

represents forced 

his hand. 

In his letter of 

resignation. Cllr Hannam, who 

is TWBC’s member for Sissinghurst 

and Frittenden, said his views on 

the council borrowing £91million to 

build a new theatre and office block 

were well known. 

He has also criticised the council 

for going ahead with a new refuse 

contract which sees householders 

paying a starting price of £52 a year 

to have their garden waste collected. 

This, he said, is far higher than the 

previous figure of £30. 

The weekend refuse service, he 

wrote, will be further restricted and 

will not accept garden waste. 

“The result of these new 

initiatives will bring in £600,000 

which will go to paying off the 

interest payments on the new 

theatre,” he said. 

“I believe that this treats the 

residents of Frittenden and 

Sissinghurst with contempt, making 

us cash cows to fund a vanity project 

many miles away that few of us will 

ever use.” 

His attempts at finding ways a 

new waste contract could serve 

the needs of residents had been 

“brushed aside” and he could no 

longer sit with the Conservative 

group. 

He said he would remain on the 

council as an independent and will 

not seek re-election in May. TF 

Troy Scott Smith to Leave 


AFTER 12 years at 

Sissinghurst Castle – four of 

them as head gardener – Troy 

Scott Smith is to leave. 

The announcement was 

made just days after he 

helped renowned garden 

designer Dan Pearson present 

a scheme to restore the Delos 

garden to its former Greek 

glory. 

Mr Scott Smith had his first 

encounter with Sissinghurst 

more than 26 years ago 

when he worked there as a 

gardener. 

“I had no thought then that 

one day I would return and be 

responsible for the garden as 

head gardener,” he said. 

He returned to Sissinghurst 

4 years ago and has been 

heading up a seven-year plan 

for the future of the gardens. 

He will be leaving in July next 

year to take up a job as head 

gardener in a private garden. 

Sissinghurst’s manager 

Philip Barnes said: “Troy has 

been an outstanding head 

GP Hours Extended 

AS PART of a nationwide drive to improve 

access to GPs, Weald surgeries are now 

opening for longer. 

To combat long waiting times to see a 

doctor, a new system has been launched 

which will allow people to make an 

appointment between 8am and 8pm 

Mondays to Friday and on Saturdays, 

Sundays and Bank holidays. 

Appointments can be pre-booked for 

routine matters or at short notice for less 

routine needs. Nurses and other health 

professionals will also be available in the 

evenings and on Saturdays. 

gardener and has helped 

shape and set direction for 

the garden by introducing 

the renewal project which 

commenced four years ago… 

“To be in charge of one 

of the finest gardens in the 

world has I know been a huge 

privilege and one that Troy 

has done with a huge amount 

of professionalism and 

careful consideration.” 

Hard on the heels of the 

resignation of Sissinghurst 

Castle Garden’s head 

gardener Troy Scott Smith, 

his assistant Wendy 

Tremenheere handed in her 

notice after 20 years’ service. 

Wendy said: 

“Unfortunately, purely 

co-incidentally, my 

announcement closely 

follows Troy’s. However, I am 

confident the garden will be 

left in good hands with an 

experienced, enthusiastic and 

professional team. I will miss 

all of them as much as I will 

miss the garden.” 

Working for the National 

Trust in total for 30 years 

she added: “I have loved my 

time with the trust, working 

in some fantastic gardens 

with great people but I have 

been thinking about making 

a change for some time now 

and decided my birthday next 

year in March would be an 

appropriate time to leave and 

follow other ventures.” 

Castle manager Philip 

Barnes said it was hard to 

articulate how important 

Wendy’s contribution has 

been. 

“Staff and volunteers have 

a huge amount of respect for 

her and a huge part of the 

garden’s success must be 

attributed to her dedication 

and care.” TF 

However, new appointments may not 

always be provided at patients’ own GP 

practices but full medical records will be 

available at another surgery in West Kent. 

Dr Bob Bowes, chairman of the NHS 

West Kent Clinical Commissioning Group, 

said: “We know that sometimes people 

have a long wait to see their doctor and 

we believe the new longer hours service 

will be of particular help to commuters, 

parents with young families and other 

people who find it difficult to get to their 

practice during normal working hours.” 

Patients are being encouraged to tell the 

group about their experiences of the new 

system by emailing nelcsu.engagement@ 

nhs.net. TF 


cvlt 

Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) Update 

ALL NDP groups have the right to 

decide which sites are allocated for 

development (housing, business etc), 

but each site needs to be assessed by 

the local planning authority and KCC 

Highways. A Strategic Environmental 

Assessment is also undertaken which 

involves consultation with Natural 

England, Historic England and the 

Environment Agency. This inevitably 

causes delays to the process, and we 

worry that our neighbourhood plan will 

lose momentum. 

Our NDP Steering Group and parish 

council must decide whether it is better 

to proceed with our plan without these 

allocations to enable us to move forward 

to the public consultation of the first full 

draft of the plan. 

Through a series of workshops between 

members of the Steering Group and 

TWBC Planning Policy department 

we are working collaboratively on 

this allocations process to allow the 

community to have the greatest input. 

Based on the evidence gathered 

through the engagement process, the 

NDP will support development schemes 

which best meet the needs of Cranbrook 

and Sissinghurst parish. We identified a 

need for more affordable housing and for 

more smaller housing units for entrylevel 

and downsizers. We recognise that 

to enable these we need to encourage and 

support alternative methods of housing 

delivery, such as community land trusts, 

co-housing and self builds. Cllr. Nancy 

Warne, chair, Cranbrook & Sissinghurst 

NDP Steering Group 

For more information visit www. 

cranbrookandsissinghurstndp.co.uk 

Affordable Homes 

with a Difference 

The Crane Valley Land Trust doesn’t settle for the 

ordinary, writes Mark Wade 

THE NEED for affordability has never 

been greater with a shortfall of at 

least 300 affordable homes within the 

parish. Our research shows a ratio of 

1:19 of average incomes to average 

house prices locally. This is one of the 

highest in the UK, making it virtually 

impossible for aspirant workers to 

live and work here – unless we as a 

community do something about it. 

The Crane Valley Land Trust (CVLT) 

was formed to help tackle this critical 

need – and not just in an ordinary 

way. We stand for affordability to 

rent or own and run by building to 

Passivhaus standards – almost zero 

heating bills. 

We are all local volunteers 

who freely donate our time and 

effort because we care. We are 

one of more than 290 community 

land trusts across the UK: www. 

communitylandtrusts.org.uk/ 

As a registered community benefit 

society, we can do all the usual 

things national developers do: buy 

land and build homes. That is where 

the similarities end. As a trust, we 

can also accept donations, receive 

government grants, access social 

investment funds and attract 

favourable financing. 

Our directors work for free. 

As a not-for-profit company, the 

CVLT does not have to return a 20 per 

cent profit to shareholders; unlike 

its commercial counterparts. This 

means we can afford to build to much 

higher standards than commercial 

developers, while offering discounted 

ways for local people to rent or own 

their own home. Homes that will 

remain affordable and in community 

ownership in perpetuity. 

The CVLT and Neighbourhood 

Development Plan (NDP) are 

dedicated to environmental 

enhancement, not just protection. 

We are guided by the High Weald 

Area of Outstanding National Beauty 

PICTURED ABOVE: 

A passivhaus 

development of 

affordable and 

full market homes 

in Norwich by 

Broadland Growth, 

design by Hamson 

Barron Smith 

more info 

(AONB) and by the Committee for 

the Protection of Rural England 

(CPRE) to maximise economic and 

cultural benefit by putting our people, 

businesses and nature first – no 

ordinary approach. 

We are your community trust. We 

are proud to be working with the NDP 

to find ways of meeting the aggressive 

housing targets for the parish in ways 

that offer a real alternative to the 

mass executive, dormitory estates 

of risible quality and no community 

value being foisted upon us. 

For more information on the trust and how 

to become a member visit: www.cvlt.org.uk 


clubnews 

A round-up of news from 

Cranbrook and Sissinghurst clubs, 

groups and associations 

Cranbrook 

Symphony 

Orchestra 

CRANBROOK SYMPHONY 

Orchestra’s regular members are 

drawn from Kent and 

Sussex – some have 

been playing for 

many years, others 

have taken up 

an instrument 

in later life - but 

all have a passion 

for rehearsing and 

performing classical 

music. 

Members rehearse on a 

Monday evening during school 

term-time at High Weald Academy 

in Cranbrook with Michael 

Hitchcock – a much sought-after 

conductor and orchestral trainer 

and a former Director of Kent Music 

School. 

The orchestra performs two 

concerts a year, and has raised funds 

for local charities – Hospice in the 

Weald and Kent, Surrey, Sussex Air 

Ambulance. Concert programmes 

have featured a wide repertoire 

– violin, cello, piano and trumpet 

concertos, and overtures and 

symphonies from many different 

composers. 

Keen to encourage 

young musicians, 

the orchestra has 

enjoyed performing 

concertos with the 

cellist Laura van 

der Heijden, winner 

of BBC Young 

Musician of the Year 

in 2012, and pianist 

Martin James Bartlett, 

winner in 2014. 

Our last two winter concerts 

have welcomed Freddie Flintoff, 

Benenden School Music Scholar, as a 

soloist performing the Mendelssohn 

Violin Concerto. Jackie Bell 

New members are always welcome, 

visit www.thecso.org.uk 

It’s time to 

think bigger 

WHAT LIMITS you? What’s preventing you 

from fulfilling your dreams? Often it’s not the 

obvious… 

We were recently privileged to host Reinhard 

Hirtler, an international speaker from Brazil. 

Reinhard visits The Vine each year and 

whenever he’s here he brings inspirational 

stories and motivational Bible teaching. This 

year was no exception. 

In addition to his busy speaking schedule, 

Reinhard and his wife, Debi, have a dream to 

open 100 homes for street-children. In Brazil 

there’s no state funding for orphanages, the 

bureaucracy a maze and corruption is rife. 

People said they were crazy, that there was 

no hope and that they’d never get anywhere 

with their dream. In spite of this they’ve just 

started building the fourth home for another 30 

children, and it’s already fully funded! 

Whatever your dream, the naysayers will 

tell you it can’t be done. There will always be 

“insurmountable” problems and reasons you 

shouldn’t pursue your dream. But, as Reinhard 

reminded us from Matthew’s gospel, Jesus said, 

“if you have faith as small as a mustard seed... 

nothing will be impossible for you.” (Mt 17:20) 

So, if “faith comes from hearing” what God 

says, what does He say about your dream? Chris 

Goodchild. 

For more information on the Vine Church, call 

01580 712620 or visit www.vinechurch.org.uk 


club news 

CRANBROOK 

RUGBY CLUB 

PLANS FOR a new clubhouse 

on the Tomlin Ground have 

been published. 

We are now planning our 

fundraising and preparing 

to make applications to a 

number of sources, including 

the National Lottery, Sports 

England and the local 

authority. 

Since the merger of the 

rugby and cricket clubs 

in 2012, we have worked 

on improving the playing 

facilities and now have 

excellent rugby and cricket 

facilities for our playing 

members, including our ladies’ 

team, junior members and 

their coaching programme. To 

attract funding for clubhouse 

facilities, we must show that 

these are widely used and 

needed so are looking to 

involve more sports, especially 

for mid-week users. We 

already have regular use from 

the Triathlon Club and various 

exercise classes. 

We would like to hear from 

others who might want to use 

the proposed clubhouse which 

includes a bar and kitchen and 

a function room able to seat 

150 people. This area will have 

a portable screen so the space 

can be divided into two areas. 

We also want to boost 

our membership and 

actively become more of a 

community club. To this end, 

we have introduced a new 

social membership - annual 

subscription £50 - which we 

hope will encourage many 

to join. There are matches to 

watch and always a welcome 

at the bar in the present 

clubhouse – with discounted 

drinks for club members. 

Tim Fagg, chairman 

Further information is on our 

website – www.cranbrook 

rugby.com. Enquiries about 

membership should be 

made to Peter Jovanovic 

(07720 260770). peter@ 

cranbrookrugby.com 


WATERLOO HOUSE TEAROOMS 

The Waterloo House tearooms has a hosting capability of 26 seats with a 

further outside seating of 12. Spread out over three floors in a mezzanine 

setting overlooking the antique retail section below. 

Our A3 rated kitchen allows us to provide a seasonal menu with more choice 

in hot meals along with sandwiches and classic fried breakfasts, all sourced 

within the High Street. 

We use local produce in our menus, from fresh milk and High Street 

butchered meat to local and in-house baked cakes and scones, suitable for all 

dietary requirements (GF/Celiac/Lactose intolerant . 

Currently Looking for more antique traders to join our team - enquire via email or call. 

01580 713802 (we take bookings) 

waterloohousetearooms@gmail.com 

www.waterloohouseantiquitea.com 

Find us at the bottom of Cranbrook high street, towards the windmill 

Two floors of 

antiques to peruse 

British-made gifts, art exhibitions & 

creative workshops in Cranbrook 

www.happyglorious.co.uk 

47b High Street, Cranbrook, Kent TN17 3EE 


feature 

CHRISTMAS 

Favourites 

We asked some Cranbrook and Sissinghurst residents to share 

the music they enjoy listening to during the festive season. 

GETTY IMAGES 

Good King Wenceslas – It provides 

me with the vision of snow and winter 

weather and charity to all people are 

my thoughts of Christmas. Linda 

Page 

Rockin’ Around The Christmas 

Tree - reminds me of watching 

Home Alone and being all warm and 

snug indoors as a kid surrounded by 

Christmas decs and presents! Julie 

Taylor 

The Shepherd’s Farewell – I 

particularly like the different choral 

harmonies and the whole piece has 

a wonderful calmness. I’ve enjoyed 

singing it with the Cranbrook Choral 

Society for over 20 years. Pat Stearns 

While Shepherds Watch’d Their 

Flocks (to the tune ‘Cranbrook’) 

– It was written by Thomas Clark 

of Canterbury for another hymn 

altogether. You might know it as 

“On Ilkla Moor Baht ‘at”. It’s such 

a joyous tune and the repetition of 

lines emphasises ‘And Glory Shone 

Around.’ Cranbrook is the tune for 

Christmas. Rev. Peter Michell 

Boar’s Head Carol – is a melodious 

and haunting macaronic 15th century 

English Christmas carol that describes 

the ancient tradition of sacrificing 

a boar and presenting its head at a 

Christmas time feast. It brings back 

memories of school when the boar’s 

head is carried on a platter carried by 

four Sacristans and preceded by the 

mustard pot carried by a fifth. Peter 

Mellor 

O Come All Ye Faithful – my first 

memory of attending Midnight Mass 

when I was all grown up and allowed 

to stay up late was this carol! It was 

the hymn in the middle of the service 

and I noticed we started singing it 

when it was still Christmas Eve. When 

the final verse came and we sang ‘Yea 

Lord we greet thee, born this 

happy morning’… I looked at my 

watch again and saw it was just past 

midnight, it was indeed Christmas 

morn. Rev. Ann Pollington 

Good King Wenceslas – When we 

were young, it was always snowy at 

Christmas. We used to go out in the 

dark singing this carol with torches 

and explore the garden and the copse 

and look for animal footprints like 

rabbits and our chickens. Happy 

memories. It was fun. Anne Marley 

Fairytale of New York – by The 

Pogues & Kirsty McColl, it takes 

me back to when my oldest two 

children were young, I have really 

fond memories of them singing it 

and the excitement of Christmas 

coming! Lori Ham 

Once In Royal David`s City – was 

composed by HJ Gauntlett who was 

my wife Sarah`s great, great great, 

great grandfather; an opportunity 

to reflect on past times, friends and 

relations who have passed to the 

other side before, of course, getting 

stuck in to the turkey. Hugh Ellison 

And from staff at the Buss Murton 

Law offices in Cranbrook, Dartford, 

East Grinstead and Tunbridge 

Wells... 

Driving Home For Christmas I 

just love the melody all upbeat 

and happy. Winter’s Tale reminds 

me of staying with my lovely Nan 

during the Christmas holidays. Last 

Christmas gives me wonderful 

teenage Christmas memories. 

Little Donkey reminds me when 

my children were small. It Came 

Upon The Midnight Clear such 

beautiful words, so relevant. Jingle 

Bells what’s not to love? Silent 

Night a classic with beautiful 

harmonies. 


feature 

Let There be Light! 

Urgent work needed as fire hazard increases, writes Trisha Fermor 

AS PART of plans to make St. Dunstan’s 

Church safer a scheme has been launched 

to raise £132,000 to completely overhaul 

the wiring. 

The present system was installed 40 

years ago and has deteriorated, according 

to a report made in 2009, and a further one 

this year which noted the effectiveness of 

the insulation has resulted in increased 

fire hazard. 

Parochial church council member Nye 

Jones said the future of the “Cathedral 

of the Weald” relied on making the 

building safer, fit for purpose and ready 

to accommodate future needs of the 

community and congregation. 

He said: “Our plan is for the unique 

asset of St. Dunstan’s…to engage more 

with culture and the arts, to create 

enterprise and to be 

more sustainable 

financially…” 

The vicar, the Rev 

Ann Pollington said: 

“We have been told 

that people going 

out to various bodies 

to raise grants can 

expect only 29 per cent of the total which 

leaves us with £71,000 to find. 

“Recently I asked the congregation 

if any of them had made a will leaving 

money to the church would they consider 

donating it now so they can see how it is 

being spent.” 

The Let There Be Light campaign 

aims to raise the money in 2019 and is 

looking to the generosity of the Cranbrook 

community, the worshippers, local and 

national businesses as well and charities 

and grant making bodies. 

Anyone who would like to donate can 

make out a cheque to St Dunstan’s PCC 

and send it to the vicar at The Vicarage, 

Waterloo Road, Cranbrook TN17 3JG. 

7 High Street, 

Cranbrook, Kent TN17 3EB 

Phone: 07917 252 585 

07786 707 476 

info@larkins-alehouse.co.uk 

www.larkins-alehouse.co.uk 

b Larkins’ Alehouse a @larkinsalehouse 

LARKINS’ ALEHOUSE 

Cranbrook’s first Micropub 

It’s a place to meet up with friends, chat 

and enjoy a pint of real ale straight from 

the cask. Local ciders and wines are also 

available, as are soft drinks. Free from TV, 

music and mobile phones. 

We now have our back garden open for 

customers. 

Check out the daily updated Webpage, 

Facebook or Twitter pages to see which 

ales and ciders are currently available. 

Opening Times: 

Mon and Tue 14.00 - 21.00 

Wednesday 12.00 - 21.00 

Thur to Fri 12.00 - 22.00 

Saturday 12.00 - 22.30 

Sunday 12.00 - 18.00 

Calling all Stall Holders! 

We are looking at holding an outdoor 

Market in The White Horse Car Park, 

Cranbrook 

If you’d like to join us - please call either 

Wendy – 07786 707476 

Julie – 07717 252585 or 

Elaine – 07803 340682 

Or email: info@larkins-alehouse.co.uk 


eventnews 

Some 

of the great events 

we are rightly proud of! 

Second Literary 

Festival a Huge Success 

CODS - Guys and Dolls Review 

OVER A four-show run Cranbrook Operatic 

and Drama Society (CODS) played to 

packed audiences at the Queen’s Hall 

Theatre in Cranbrook. Often described as 

the best-ever American musical, it was 

directed by Annie Hatcher with support 

from her musical director John Williams. 

The show opened with a great overture 

played by the in-house 10 piece orchestra. 

Cleverly placed at the rear of the stage 

both in view and then hidden behind 

a tasteful white curtain when scenes 

dictated. 

This production had strong 

performances from leading roles, including 

in pictures 

Sissinghurst 

Fête 

debut CODS performances for Duncan 

Fryer as Nathan Detroit, Monika Green as 

Sgt. Sarah Brown and Louise Franklin as 

Miss Adelaide. Simon Tomlinson starred as 

the smooth Sky Masterson. 

The famous number, Sit Down, You’re 

Rockin’ the Boat was superbly delivered 

by old favourite Robin Harrison playing 

Nicely-Nicely Johnson. An encore ensued 

mid-show which is a rarity in any theatre. 

The whole cast clearly enjoyed 

performing and a packed house left into a 

cold night chattering about another great 

CODS autumn musical. 

Andy Fairweather 

THE TOWN was buzzing for two days with all 

things “booky” when the second Cranbrook 

Literature Festival was held in September. 

It was a real community event and the aim 

of the organisers was to promote the joy of 

reading and the written word to people of all 

ages, said founder Christine Newman. 

The not-for-profit festival sees all the 

money raised from ticket sales being ploughed 

back into events for schools in the area to 

provide them with an author to spend time 

with pupils. 

This year, six local schools benefited from 

visits by authors Sarah Driver, Jonny Duddle, 

Kevin Brooks and Natasha Farrant. Festival 

founder Christine Newman said: “They 

all thoroughly enjoyed their time with the 

students.” 

Events for adults included an evening with 

BBC presenter, journalist and writer Jeremy 

Vine, a talk about her recipe books from TV 

celebrity Davina McCall, and poetry theatre 

with renowned performance poet Luke 

Wright. 

The festival also ran creative writing 

workshops, poetry sessions and talks from 

authors including Alison Weir, Ann Morgan, 

Louise Dean, Jane Thynne and Mimi 

Anderson. There were also competitions for 

children of all ages, including writing short 

stories and creating book mark designs. 

Twenty four shop owners took part in 

creating a Guess the Book Title design in their 

windows. James Steel was the winner with 23 

correct answers, Debbie Bell second and the 

Lock family third. 

Mrs Newman said: “All in all, a 

terrific community event, all 

organised by hard working 

The event 

was joint runner up 

volunteers to help promote 

with the Weald Literary 

the love of the written word 

Festival in the Cultural 

– and hopefully keep people Event of the Year 

of all ages off their electronic 

2017 

devices for a while!” 


events 

Sissinghurst Flower Show 

Success – Again for Beryl! 

THERE WAS strong competition 

in some classes, not least the 

children’s efforts to raise a few 

laughs at the village’s autumn 

flower show. 

The long and very hot summer 

led to problems with many 

flowering plants being past their 

best but entrants still managed 

to find plenty of colourful plants 

to fill the primary school hall. 

The children, however, 

managed to create some of the 

most intriguing offerings from 

vegetables and fruit to decorate 

several tables. 

Vegetable growers produced 

some prize winning specimens. 

A giant pumpkin, which 

needed two men to carry into 

the hall, was produced by the 

Sissinghurst Scout Group. 

Its leader Jan Ashley proved 

how big it was by trying to get 

her arms around it. Charlotte 

Crabtree showed off her weird 

looking Trompeta de Albenga, 

which looked more like a snake 

than something to eat. 

Stalwart member Beryl 

Bancroft was delighted to be 

the first recipient of the Nancy 

Congreve Memorial Trophy for 

the most points in the three 

shows of 2018. 

She said: “I was so pleased, 

I did want to win the trophy 

because I was very fond of 

Nancy, she was like family.” 

In her later years, Mrs 

Bancroft cared for Mrs Congreve 

along with Deirdre Robb. 

TF 

in pictures 

Cranbrook 

Apple Fair 

PHOTOS BY TRISHA FERMOR 


schools 

500th Anniversary 

Talks at 

Cranbrook 

School 

Headmaster Dr. John Weeds reports on two of 

the talks given by Old Cranbrookians this year 

in celebration of the school’s quincentenary. 

SARAH KEITH-LUCAS 

A packed Queen’s Hall Theatre 

was treated to an excellent talk 

by BBC weather presenter Sarah 

Keith-Lucas. 

The former head of Scott 

House gave a highly-informative 

talk focussed primarily on her 

scientific background and career 

path at the Met Office and then 

the BBC. The audience was 

treated not only to a nostalgic 

glance at the school in Sarah’s 

time at Cranbrook, when she 

was taught geography by current 

assistant head David Swinburne 

and, now sadly deceased, Tim 

Hartley. 

Clearly both had a big 

impression on Sarah as she 

went on to read the subject 

at university, specialising in 

the meteorology which has 

formed the basis of her highly 

successful career. In addition 

to the scientific insights, Sarah 

gave a real flavour of life on the 

other side of the cameras. 

In particular we got to know 

of some of the unsociable 

hours, including 3am starts, the 

unscripted nature of weather 

broadcasts and the technology 

behind the satellite-style 

weather maps which were 

introduced recently by the BBC, 

apparently causing quite a bit of 

controversy. 

The mixed audience of 

students, current and former, 

teachers, parents and other local 

people also had an opportunity 

to ask Sarah a whole range of 

questions. One such revealed 

that, according to Sarah and 

the scientific data, Gravesend 

is officially the driest place in 

Britain. All in all, a fascinating 

and hugely enjoyable evening 

– another wonderful example 

of Old Cranbrookians stepping 

up to the national stage in their 

chosen field. 

PTOLEMY MANN 

Ptolemy Mann studied at 

Central St Martin’s and the 

Royal College of Art after 

her secondary education and 

A-levels at Cranbrook School 

and a foundation art course in 

Maidstone. 

She has gone onto create a 

myriad of stunning images in 

textiles and position herself a 

leading textiles designer and 

entrepreneur. A good sized 

audience of students, staff, 

parents and people from the 

local community were treated 

to a highly absorbing slide show 

of the most beautiful pieces of 

Ptolemy’s work. 

At the root of her artistic 

philosophy is a deep-seated 

love of weaving, in which craft 

she has developed outstanding 

technical skills. Secondly, 

Ptolemy is a great advocate 

of colour and illustrated her 

talk with sumptuous images of 

gloriously colourful building 

designs, wall coverings, carpets, 

Bauhaus-style furniture and 

even the odd John Lewis cushion 

cover! 

She spoke glowingly of the 

influence Cranbrook School had 

had on her artistic development, 

especially the expedition to 

Tanzania. 

She provided inspiration to 

students by stressing the need 

to marry “art” with “craft” in 

their artistic pursuits. Equally 

telling was her candour about 

the ups and downs of the 

business world and her major 

influences – Bauhaus, Anni 

Albers and the Ikat school of 

fabric design. The talk was a 

very worthy addition to an 

outstanding series of lectures 

by Old Cranbrookians this year 

on a stunningly diverse range of 

topics. 


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short story 

The Battle of Brian 

Part two of our new short fiction feature by local author Minnie Rowland 

THE LOCAL obituaries have just 

informed eighty-three-year-old 

Brian Pilpott that his best-friend 

from childhood, Laurence Ledger 

has died on September 20th. The 

exact date that in 1943 both he 

and Laurence were nearly killed. 

Laurence emerged from that day 

a local hero; inwardly Brian felt 

second best. But did Laurence 

die on that specific date by 

coincidence? Lost in memories 

of the past, Brian finds he has 

wandered to the Cranbrook High 

Street shop, with the cement step 

that is so old it is sunken in the 

middle. 

Brian peered down at his 

orthopaedic, brown leather shoe 

that rest in the groove of the 

sunken-step. For so long, he had 

actively tried to avoid this shop 

and the memories it held. But 

not today. Brian placed a shaky, 

swollen jointed hand on the silver 

doorknob, took a breath and then 

burst inside. 

He took in his surroundings. As 

an eight-year-old, this had been 

Brian’s favourite shop mainly due 

to the selection of Beano comics 

and the pick and mix lolly jars. So 

to see nothing had changed, at all, 

was, well –disconcerting. Even the 

lolly jars, due to sugar rationing, 

were mostly empty or just a quarter 

filled. 

He turned his gaze to the bay 

window. Outside on the High Street, 

men wore hats, women wore victory 

roll hair-styles and ragamuffin 

children wore hand-me-down 

clothes. I’m back. So I’m… 

“Not dead,” said a female voice. 

He looked up to see a painfully thin 

and pale woman, standing behind 

the shop counter. She smiled at him 

without warmth and then loftily 

declared: “How often do you hear 

about elderly people wandering 

off appearing upset or confused or 

both? Patronisingly family deem 

them lost. Are they? Or have they 

been found? By me.” She tilted her 

head. “I, mercifully, take them to 

the exact moment of their precious 

past that they obsess, I mean, 

reminisce, about the most.” 

“BRIAN?” SHE ASKED SMUGLY. 

“DO YOU EVER WONDER IF YOUR 

WIFE, CLEMENTINE, WISHED THAT 

LARRY-LOVELY-LEDGER, AS THE 

GIRLS USED TO CALL HIM, HAD 

OF PROPOSED, FIRST!?” 

“Who are you,” Brian demanded 

in a shaky voice. 

“I’m the string in the music of 

time, Brian.” She pointed a long, 

bony finger to the clock. “At elevenpast-three 

precisely, you know what 

happens.” Brain saw it was now 

nine-past-three. She pointed to the 

door. “You can open that door, step 

outside and re-enter September 

20th, 1943. Become a child again. 

Become the local hero. You can 

change your fate,” she keened. 

This feels wrong! Brian’s stomach 

bubbled with fear. 

“Brian? Do you ever wonder if 

your wife, Clementine, wished that 

Larry-Lovely-Ledger, as the girls 

used to call him, had of proposed, 

first!?” 

I won’t hide this time, thought 

Brian as he strode to the door and 

placed a trembling hand on the 

doorknob. Just then, the sound 

from a low flying plane, filled the 

air. The people outside stopped 

what they were doing and looked 

up. “It’s not one of ours,” Brain 

whispered, tragically. 

No, it was is a German Focke- 

Wulf 190 flying level with the 

buildings on the Cranbrook High 

Street, preparing to perform a ‘tip 

and run’ on the local residents 

below. ‘A hit ‘n’ run,’ Laurence 

had savagely named these 

spontaneous, pilot-initiated 

attacks. 

The locals outside began to 

scatter in panic. Like an explosion, 

the rolling-roar of cannon fire 

filled Brian’s ears. The street 

below burst open with spraying 

asphalt, flying glass and screams. 

Determined, Brian flung the door 

open. The window of the shop 

exploded and the noise of war 

filled the world. 

Two young boys, sprinting for 

their lives, barrelled towards the 

shop. It was Laurence and Brain. 

Boy-Brain unseeing of the elderly 

man on the stoop, dove into 

the sunken groove of the shop 

doorstep and folded himself up 

into a ball. Brian looked down on 

himself and wanted to scream: ‘get 

up and be a man!’ But the littleboy 

was shaking and crying so 

ferociously, Brian was surprised 

by a sudden surge of compassion. 

Poor wee thing! Brian reached out 

to place a reassuring hand on the 

boy’s shoulder. But the boy was 


short story 

gone. That was when Brian noticed 

his reassuring hand was now small, 

with unblemished skin and that of 

an eight-year-old. The tiredness of 

age lifted from Brian like a weight. 

I’m young again! His knees no 

longer hurt and he bent them 

in readiness. It would be Brian 

who would see that a young 

mother pushing a bucket pram 

had frozen statue-still in shock 

with her eyes bulging impotently 

at the approaching plane. Just as 

Brian began his launch a terrified 

looking Boy-Laurence pushed 

him backwards, then pelted past. 

Cannon fire stabbed the pavement 

in his wake. An explosion of 

asphalt sent Laurence flying into 

the mother knocking her down 

and tipping the pram onto its side. 

The German plane whizzed over 

Laurence and the now screaming 

mother and child beneath him 

and soared up into the air, then 

disappeared. And just like that, it 

was over. 

A moment of horrified 

silence before the shocked and 

traumatised locals began to peer 

around owlishly. Those who could 

stand, did so. Some could not and 

others…they did not move at all… 

“You COWARD!” shrieked the 

woman behind him. 

“There are no cowards in war,” 

Brian roared and heard his voice 

was old again. He turned around 

and was surprised to see the shop 

now contained modern women’s 

clothing. But outside, it was still 

1943. Then Brian noticed the 

dejected looking young-Larry, 

staring wistfully at the elderly- 

Brian. 

“Larry!” yelled Brian, holding out 

a gnarled hand, “now let me save 

you, my friend.” Hope washed over 

Larry’s young face as he sprinted 

then leapt up into Brian’s open 

arms. Brian stumbled backward as 

he pulled Larry over the threshold. 

There was a flash of the elderly 

Larry who mouthed ‘thank you’ 

before he faded away. 

“Weren’t we two old fools?” 

Brian whispered to thin air. 

“Pardon?” asked a nervous voice 

he didn’t recognise. A woman, sat 

behind a small desk clutching a 

mobile phone. 

Brian’s face split open into a 

large and happy smile, as he strode 

to the door. “I said, I’m going 

home.” 

They took a step. 

Sutton Valence 

Preparatory School 

svs.org.uk 

New 50-week 

Nursery 

From January 2019, Sutton 

Valence Prep School will be 

offering high-quality nursery 

provision for 50 weeks a year. 

Wrap-around-care from 7.30am to 6.00pm 

Exceptional nursery care in stunning surroundings 

Morning transport service from Headcorn Station 

15-hour free entitlement sessions available 

Limited number of 30-hour free-entitlement sessions 

Children can join in the term they turn three 

Please contact Abigail Betts for further information: 

T: 01622 842117 | E: bettsa@svs.org.uk 


podiatry 

Our new service is now available, so why 

not get in touch to find out more. 

Podiatry 

Orthopaedics 

Physiotherapy 

In-house 

pharmacy 

Whether you’re an athlete, sporty or just like 

to be able to indulge in a bit of shopping or 

walking the dog, it’s easy to forget how much 

we ask of our feet until there is a problem. 

Our new podiatry service offers a full range of diagnosis and 

treatments, including preventative care, for a range of problems 

affecting your feet, ankles and lower legs. 

Our highly experienced specialists in foot and ankle care can assess, 

diagnose and treat a range of podiatry issues and create a specific 

care and intervention plan just for you. 

Podiatry is one of a range of services at Benenden Hospital including 

physiotherapy, orthopaedics, a brand new diagnostics suite and an 

in-house pharmacy, offering quick on-site referrals if needed and 

access to prescriptions before you leave. Free tea/coffee at the 

Pavillion restaurant and free parking mean you can take your time 

before or after your appointment. 

New 

imaging suite 

Blood 

testing 

Call us on: 01580 242 521 or visit us at 

benendenhospital.org.uk/podiatry 

The Benenden Hospital Trust is a company limited by guarantee. Registered in England, number 3454120. Registered charity number 1065995, 

Registered Office, The Benenden Hospital Trust, Goddard’s Green Road, Benenden, Cranbrook, Kent TN17 4AX

feature 

Tinker, Tailor, 

Soldier – 

Firefighter! 

Our parish’s firefighters are a closeknit 

team. Trisha Fermor reports 

THE ROLE of firefighters has 

changed dramatically since 

the days of horse drawn water 

pumps and hand-rung brass 

warning bells. 

Cranbrook Fire Station has 

been in the town more years 

than anyone can remember – 

once housed in what is now the 

parish council’s office at the 

Vestry Hall. Then there were 

moves to sites at Baker’s Cross 

and the Regal Car Park. 

Since 1988, the 13 men who 

make up the team have had a 

purpose-built station to house 

the appliance at the top of the 

High Street. It carries all the 

latest equipment to tackle jobs 

from fighting fires to cutting 

crash victims out of vehicles 

and saving heart attack victims 

with a defibrillator. 

According to Andy Parkes, 

watch manager, between 1 

April and 2 October this year, 

the crew has been called out 

323 times, the majority of calls 

having nothing to do with fires 

or car crashes. 

He said: “Seventy per cent 

of call-outs are for medical 

problems. It is not uncommon 

for us to turn up at someone’s 

house before an ambulance.” 

This new role as first 

responders has helped 

numerous 

people 

throughout 

a wide area 

covered by 

Cranbrook 

to be treated 

quickly especially 

when an ambulance with 

paramedics was too far away or 

already treating someone. 

Mr Parkes was keen to stress 

that the crew was a closeknit 

team with the emphasis 

on supporting each other 

particularly after incidents 

involving fatalities. 

“If someone is a bit down or 

very quiet after an incident we 

support them. There is good 

camaraderie and much more 

support now than before about 

mental illness and trauma 

training,” he said. 

Tuesdays is training night 

and jobs can include cutting up 

cars with the latest equipment 

or covering the high tower in 

foam. 

The crew all live within 

five minutes of the station 

and there is always room 

for more to join. The latest 

recruit is Scott Spencer, 27, 

who said: “Being a firefighter 

was something I have always 

wanted to do.” 

The 

team at 

Cranbrook 

ranges 

from a 

butcher 

to a window 

cleaner and a 

transport manager to 

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teeth treatments and hand stripping. 

Christmas 

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a shop manager. They are Phil 

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Anyone wanting to become a 

firefighter can go to the Kent 

Fire and Rescue website (www. 

kent.fire-uk.org) and apply. 

2b Carriers Road, Cranbrook, TN17 3JU 

07596 911331 

furgetmeknotsgrace@gmail.com 


in bloom 

Awards Double 

For Cranbrook 

Bloomers! 

Gold and Silver Gilt for green-fingered 

enthusiasts, writes Trisha Fermor 

THERE WERE two very good 

reasons for celebrating 

Cranbrook in Bloom’s successes 

this year. 

Not only did it win gold again 

in the South and South East in 

Bloom competition for making 

the town look so stunning 

but also a silver gilt in the 

invitation-only nationwide 

Britain in Bloom 

contest. 

Only seven small towns 

in Kent were invited to take 

part in the latter competition 

with Tunbridge Wells and Deal 

also awarded silver gilt. 

The judges were bowled over 

by the hard work people in 

Cranbrook had put in to make 

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the town look colourful and 

clean. Among the judges’ 

remarks were “no sign of dog 

mess, graffiti or litter seen”. 

They were also impressed by 

the windmill and commented 

on the “innovative idea” of 

sculptures around the town. 

CiB chairwoman Linda Page, 

speaking at the October 

presentation night, praised 

everyone who had worked so 

hard. Certificates were given to 

adults and children alike who 

had joined in the community 

effort. She also praised those 

who had supported CiB’s 

fundraising events, the garden 

safari, apple fair and the 

Chelsea fringe Nuts in May. 

Among those at the celebration 

evening were the mayor of 

Tunbridge Wells Cllr. Len 

Horwood and Cllr. Bridget 

Veitch, chairman of Cranbrook 

and Sissinghurst Parish 

Council, who presented some of 

the many awards. 

Eleven certificates of excellence 

were given to clubs and 

businesses, as recommended 

by the judges of South and 

South East in bloom. The Cubs, 

Rainbow pre-school, Cranbrook 

Primary School gardening club 

and forest school also received 

certificates. 

Other winners were 

Travis Perkins, Hurstways 

Construction, Food for 

Thought, White Horse, George 

Hotel, Cranbrook School 

Combined Cadet Force, and 

Cranbrook Guides. 

Linda and Brian Swann won 

a silver gilt for their front 

garden entry and 42 were 

entered altogether. Eleven 

gold awards were presented, 16 

silver gilt and some silver and 

bronze. Eight certificates of 

appreciation were also given. 


FROM THE 

ARCHIVES 

How Wind-mill Lane 

Became Quaker Lane 

Cllr. Robin Beck 

on the history of Quaker 

Lane in Cranbrook 

feature 

QUAKERISM IN Cranbrook began in 1655 

with the arrival to the town of William 

Caton and John Stubbs, two prominent 

Quaker leaders in Kent. 

Folklore tells of gatherings of the 

converted beneath a large oak tree at 

the top of Whitewell Lane and at private 

dwellings including John Colville’s house at 

Wilsley. 

In 1659 Andrew Rimmington of the 

Cranbrook Quakers purchased land to 

provide a burial ground as the clergy had 

refused to bury those who had taken to the 

Quaker beliefs. The quarter acre plot was 

located on what is now the Ball Field. 

However, any dissident groups that had 

separated from the established church 

suffered intolerance, animosity and legal 

persecution. As the site was considered 

to be too public a location for burials, the 

vendor of the land was persuaded to retract 

the sale. 

A site was then located at Courtstile in 

1672 which is still called the Quaker Burial 

Ground, located at the corner of Quaker 

Lane nearly opposite the Long Field 

gate. 

By 1722, the ground was 

nearly full and the owner of the 

Glassenbury Estate, was asked 

for an extension to the plot 

which was granted in November 

that year. But by this time 

Quakerism was beginning to decline 

and the last meeting was held in 1751. 

Local records denote that well over 100 

Quakers were buried over the two sites, with 

last ceremony in 1807 of Thomas Brown. 

The Courtstile site remained the property 

of the Quaker Society but in 1922 it sold 

the freehold to Walter Horsley 

of Wilsley. In 1946 the site 

and surrounding plots were 

auctioned, without any mention of 

the burial ground being the final resting 

place of many believers. 

It appears the name changed from The 

Wind-mill Lane to Quaker Lane around 

1900, according to the memories of Charles 

Kennard, a local octogenarian. 

IN ASSOCIATION WITH 


In the 

Garden 

GARDENING IN the tremendous heat 

of this Saharan summer must have 

affected people in different ways. I 

am sure I am not alone in coming 

up with some bizarre thoughts while 

trying to eradicate unwanted weeds 

and pests and avoiding sunstroke. 

Looking back on this particularly 

difficult growing year I found my 

mind wondering to remedies (rather 

than brute force or poisons) for such 

annoyances as slugs, ground elder, 

bind weed, and other nuisances 

which have plagued us for years. 

Top of my “most unwanted” list 

would be Aegopodium podagraria 

– a rather grand sounding Latin 

name for an irritating plant which 

can spread faster than Mo Farah 

can run. 

One day when temperatures again 

hit 33C, I was doing battle with this 

interloper, pulling out handfuls of 

long white roots and wondering 

what other use they could be put to. 

Well, foraging is now the trendy way 

to go. 

With more and more people 

turning their backs on conventional 

food, perhaps these white wonders 

could find their way as a substitute 

for spaghetti or noodles? 

This led me to wondering how 

else we could avoid trips to the 

supermarket for comestibles. Snails 

were pretty annoying this year 

and rather than buying prepacked 

molluscs from trendy fooderies 

we could start our own snail farm, 

especially if we grow lots of dahlias 

which seem to be their favourite 

food. We would obviously have to 

grow our own garlic and parsley as 

the traditional garnish. 

But it’s not just snails which 

are sent to try us. Slugs are a huge 

Aegopodium podagraria (Ground Elder) 

problem too but I am at a loss as to 

what culinary purpose I could put 

these irritants who make their home 

in my borders, under pots and in the 

cold frame. I have yet to find a recipe 

for these fiends and to be honest I 

am not sure how I could make them 

exciting enough to serve. Then there 

are the earwigs… 

Perhaps the idea of eating 

unwanted creepy crawlies to our 

gardens is not the way forward 

but foraging plants is certainly the 

culinary trend of the moment. 

Just imagine - flower beds alive 

with nettles, docks, dandelions, wild 

garlic, heartsease and countless 

other nibbles waiting to be 

harvested? 

No more scrabbling around with 

“broken dinner knives” but the 

sheer bliss of cutting and snipping 

among the roses and lavender before 

harvesting another handful of tasty 

Aegopodium podagraria for dinner. 

Happy Christmas! 

Penny Royal 

Let’s Cook! 

German 

Lebkuchen – 

Christmas in a 

mouthful! 

To my mind Christmas 

is never better 

celebrated than in 

Germany and thanks 

to my mother for this 

wonderful recipe for 

festive biscuits which I 

have enjoyed since my 

childhood. 

INGEDIENTS 

Makes 30 biscuits 

225g brown sugar 

225g honey 

225g light molasses 

250g sour cream 

2 tbsp butter 

1 tbsp bicarbonate of 

soda 

1 tbsp cinnamon 

1 tbsp cloves 

1 tbsp cocoa 

200g candied mixed peel 

100g slivered almonds 

225g flour. 

Juice of 1 lemon 

1 Warm the brown 

sugar, honey, molasses 

and butter. Cool. Mix 

the sour cream and 

bicarbonate of soda 

and allow to stand 

then add cooled sugar 

and molasses mix. 

2 Add the rest of the 

ingredients to make 

a dough. Allow to 

rest overnight in the 

fridge (this is the most 

important part). 

3 Preheat the oven 

to 180C/350F/Gas4. 

Use just enough flour 

when rolling out to 

make sure the dough 

does not stick. Roll out 

to thickness of a pound 

coin. Use a round or 

heart-shaped cutter 

and place on baking 

paper on a baking 

sheet. Bake for 15mins. 

4 Mix half the lemon 

with the same quantity 

of water with icing 

sugar and thinly frost 

the cooled biscuits or 

cover with chocolate 

icing. Store in an 

airtight container to let 

the flavours develop. 

Frohe Weihnachten and 

a Happy Christmas! 

Emma Fraser 


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planning 

Your 

Views are 

Important! 

Peter Mellor explains how to add your opinion 

about developments “bombarding”the parish 

CRANBROOK, SISSINGHURST 

and their surroundings 

are experiencing an 

unprecedented bombardment 

of planning applications by 

various housing developers. 

They are all jumping in 

prior to our Neighbourhood 

Development Plan (NDP) and 

the borough-wide Local Plan 

being determined. 

Both Cranbrook and 

particularly Sissinghurst 

have never faced such huge 

expansion that will affect all 

our lives and the resulting 

consequences on the local 

infrastructure. 

It is extremely important 

that when a planning 

application is submitted to 


Council (TWBC), particularly 

by a developer who will likely 

affect the quality of life in 

your own surroundings and/or 

that of the local community, 

that you take the time and 

trouble to write or email your 

views to TWBC. 

The yellow planning notice 

placed adjacent to the possible 

development site will give 

basic details and the planning 

reference number – which 

should always be quoted in 

any written response. 

For those on the internet - 

search for our borough council 

website and select Search 

for Planning Applications, 

read Comment on a Planning 

Application and then carry out 

a Simple Search to bring up 

the details of the application. 

To comment online you will 

need to register with the 

borough. 

It is important to download 

and read the useful TWBC 

leaflet Having your Say before 

commenting. 

For those not on the 

internet - write a letter to the 

borough, quoting the planning 

application reference number 

and the site name, and 

send to: Planning Services, 


Council, Town Hall, Tunbridge 

Wells TN1 1RS. 

Your views are important 

and are taken into 

consideration by the borough 

council – every comment, 

email or letter counts - so 

please just don’t leave it to 

others. 

Don’t let developers do 

what they want; if land has 

to be developed, it should be 

what we want! 

ABOVE: The yellow planning notice placed adjacent to possible 

development sites will give basic details and the planning reference 

number 

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SUNDAY LUNCH 

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each table with a gift for every child, he can't wait to 

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Children three courses for £10.00 

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or three courses for £21.00 

Salomons Estate is set in 36 acres of gardens 

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planning 

Vita and Harold’s Delos Replica 

to be Restored 

Sissinghurst Castle Gardens’ latest project 

recreates a landscape from the Greek island 

of Delos. Trisha Fermor reports 

WORLD-RENOWNED garden 

designer Dan Pearson is 

behind an ambitious plan 

to re-create an historic part 

of Greece in the grounds of 

Sissinghurst Castle. 

The section of garden, named 

Delos after the World Heritage 

site, was originally laid out by 

Vita Sackville-West and her 

husband Harold Nicolson in 

1935 after a visit to the island. 

Mr Pearson, who has designed 

gardens all over the world, has 

offered his services free to the 

National Trust and presented 

his ideas to invited guests at 

the castle in October. 

He explained the plan – which 

includes tons of Kentish 

ragstone to replicate the 

landscape and ruins of Delos 

- was ambitious, but added: 

“You have to break a few eggs 

to make an omelette.” 

He went on: “The garden is a 

piece of theatre, a creation. 

Delos is one of the most 

important archaeological, 

historical and mythological 

sites in the world.” 

The current garden, said Mr 

Pearson, had lost its way 

over the years and bore no 

resemblance to what had been 

there. 

Some trees will be removed 

while others will be replaced 

so the area can be opened up 

to maximise light and sun. 

The plan is to create terraces 

of stone and planting will 

be “ephemeral” to include 

grasses, euphorbias, Judas 

trees, columnar junipers and 

even pomegranates. Muchneeded 

drainage will also be 

installed. It is hoped work can 

start in February and take up 

to two years. 

At the end of Mr Pearson’s 

presentation he was asked if 

the garden would sit uneasily 

next to the ancient castle 

buildings. 

He said: “We need to be 

confident about what we do. 

We don’t want to be tentative. 

It will work because it is 

confident. 

“It is not going to be a Chelsea 

show garden in the wrong 

place. I am sure we can get it 

right.” 

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update 

Update from 

Cllr. Tracy Moore 

Councillor Tracy Moore, cabinet member for 

economic development, on Cranbrook as a 

unique asset 

I AM very aware that I have 

responsibility for healthy local 

economies across our beautiful 

borough. Although Royal 

Tunbridge Wells is the largest 

town, and gets a proportional 

share of attention, the borough 

has other unique assets which 

should not be forgotten. 

This is something that’s been 

in the forefront of my mind in 

recent weeks as I’ve had the 

pleasure of attending not one, 

but two, networking events 

in beautiful Cranbrook. I was 

delighted to be present for news 

of the launch of The Hive, a 

new co-working space opening 

in early 2019. This was closely 

followed by my first Pudding Club 

lunch hosted by Buss Murton. 

Speaking to local businesses was 

very informative and, I hope, the 

beginning of a closer working 

relationship. 

The borough council is 

strategically focused and the 

vision of the Five Year Plan 

2017-2022 can be distilled into 

‘Shaping the borough, making 

a difference’, encompassing 

the day to day services the 

council provides and also eight 

big projects. The Cranbrook 

community centre is one of 

these strategically important 

projects where we are shaping 

the borough. 

The hub presents some 

complex legal issues and the 

council has been working with 

the parish council to find a way 

forward. It looks like we now have 

an agreement, a project board 

has been set up and a project 

manager will be recruited shortly 

– progress indeed. 

The planning department 

has been working very closely 

with the parish council on 

the Neighbourhood Plan. 

The cooperation between the 

“THE HUB 

PRESENTS 

SOME 

COMPLEX 

LEGAL 

ISSUES 

AND THE 

COUNCIL 

HAS BEEN 

WORKING 

WITH THE 

PARISH 

COUNCIL 

TO FIND 

A WAY 

FORWARD” 

two is really productive, and 

demonstrates a much more 

collaborative approach to 

planning policy formation for 

Cranbrook and Sissinghurst than 

has existed in the past. 

There’s day-to-day interaction 

between the council and 

the parish and residents of 

Cranbrook and Sissinghurst, 

through planning decisions and 

interventions, conservation 

advice and more, which all leads 

to ensuring that Cranbrook 

retains its unique qualities while 

remaining part of the wider 

borough. 

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LETTINGS AND SALES 

PROPERTY EXPERTS 

George Cottage, High Street, Cranbrook 

Cranbrook has free car parking 

t 01580 720003 

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feature 

Droning On... 

Drones – their uses, some myths 

debunked and a look to the future. 

Lance French reports 

area of great excitement and 

development and there is even 

talk of creating a new flight level 

for drone-only traffic. Given 

the current rules and battery 

technology, it may be a while 

before the skies are full of them, 

but drone delivery will come. 

The CAA is working with the 

industry to prevent chaos over 

Cranbrook. 

Do not expect to see the skies 

full of drones spying on us in the 

foreseeable future although they 

will certainly be part of our lives. 

There will be drone delivery of 

urgent medical supplies, search 

and rescue services, filming, 

and maybe even personal flying 

taxi drones, all in the name of 

“progress”. 

Remember – most drones are 

just people out having fun, they 

are not interested in spying on 

you. 

WITH DRONES set to be in the 

top 10 Christmas gifts this year, 

it is time to de-mystify the 

ever-growing market for these 

must-have gadgets. 

Flying drones is made easy 

by the use of complete flight 

controller electronics that do 

much of the flying for the pilot. 

The modern technology is wellproven 

and reliable and while 

accidents do happen, they are 

thankfully very rare. 

Most drones are electric 

powered, relatively quiet 

compared to aircraft and are 

very small. It is hard to imagine 

that the noise and sight of 

them can really be considered a 

nuisance. 

All non-military UK airspace 

is controlled by the Civil 

Aviation Authority (CAA) and 

no matter what you might be 

told, they make the rules which 

are enforceable by the police. 

Pilots need the landowners’ 

“DELIVERY BY DRONE 

IS AN AREA OF GREAT 

EXCITEMENT AND 

DEVELOPMENT AND 

THERE IS EVEN TALK 

OF CREATING A 

NEW FLIGHT LEVEL 

FOR DRONE-ONLY 

TRAFFIC” 

permission to take off and 

land. There is no such thing as 

private airspace. What drones 

photograph and film is covered 

by privacy laws and it is no 

different to using a camera 

in the street – the same rules 

apply. 

The CAA’s remit is limited 

to safety and does not include 

concern over privacy or 

broadcast rights. Privacy issues 

are covered by the Information 

Commissioners Office, not the 

CAA. 

Delivery by drone is an 

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out & about 

Helen Grant 

Helen’s update on her work as MP for 

Maidstone and The Weald 

HELLO AGAIN everyone. 

2018 has, inescapably, been 

the year of the ‘B’ word for 

us all and it seems certain 

that the Brexit saga will run 

for many more episodes, all 

the way into the next decade. 

This is a sea-change for our 

country and I will continue 

to work with local authorities 

and the business community 

to ensure that we minimise 

the threats and maximise the 

opportunities for our county. 

Arterial highways after 

Brexit is a work in progress, 

but there’s also been a huge 

amount of effort targeted 

at restricting HGVs from 

traversing our rural lanes and 

bridges. A new multilateral 

committee has been convened 

for this purpose and I am very 

pleased to be a member of the 

team. I thank John Wilson and 

Councillor Sean Holden for 

their leadership in this task. 

Across the Low and 

Personalised Home 

Visiting Veterinary Service 

Nicola is a local vet and believes in providing 

a stress free as possible service for your 

beloved pets. 

• At home consultations 

• Dog, Cat, Rabbit vaccinations, 

• End of life care and 

compassionate, dignified 

at home euthanasia 

• Geriatric care and blood 

pressure monitoring 

• Pet Health Plan available 

• Puppy and Kitten welcome 

packs 

Consultations also available at Pets World 

Please call 01580 230585 to book an appointment. 

E info@wealdhomevets.com | www.wealdhomevets.com 

High Weald I have been 

lobbying continuously for 

improvements in our mobile 

phone and broadband 

communications. Alongside 

copious correspondence I 

also met with the Minister of 

State for Digital to progress 

that agenda. Some major 

strides have been made with 

the provision of fibre services 

in Cranbrook but there’s still 

much to do in and around 

villages such as Sissinghurst 

and Frittenden and I continue 

to push for faster and more 

consistent services in these 

locations. 

On a recent visit to Cranbrook 

Rugby and Cricket Club, 

to watch the ladies rugby 

match, I learned of planning 

permission success for a grand 

new clubhouse. It will provide 

the town with marvellous 

new facilities, complimentary 

to the proposed Community 

Centre, and I was pleased 

to be asked to get involved 

in the fundraising effort by 

Chairman Tim Fagg. Turning 

to the action on the pitch, I 

watched the number 14 player 

with particular interest; Katy 

Allen is my wonderful diary 

secretary, a longstanding 

Cranbrook resident and a 

former Benenden school 

student. I am proud to report 

she was cited for her sterling 

efforts after the match! 

As we look toward 2019, if you 

think I can help you, please get 

in touch - I am at your service. 

Call my constituency office 

on 01622 669623, my London 

office on 020 7219 7107 or 

email helen.grant.mp@ 

parliament.uk. 

I wish you all a very happy 

Christmas. 

Helen 


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MEET 

YOUR MP 

Helen Grant 

Helen Grant, MP for Maidstone 

and the Weald, holds regular 

surgeries around the 

constituency. 

If you would like to arrange 

an appointment to discuss 

an issue of concern to you, 

please e-mail Helen at helen. 

grant.mp@parliament.uk or 

telephone 020 7219 7107. 

helengrant.org 

@HelenGrantMP 

HelenGrantMP 

Produced by Helen Grant MP, House 

of Commons, London SW1A 0AA 

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sponsored feature 

Scotney 

Castle 

at 

Christmas 

Festive treats for everyone this 

Christmas at Scotney Castle 

NATIONAL TRUST IMAGES/ ROB STOTHARD 

THIS CHRISTMAS there is 

something for everyone 

at Scotney Castle. 

Join in a traditional 

Victorian Christmas 

inside the house, let 

someone else do the 

cooking and treat 

yourself to a traditional 

two or three course 

festive lunch in the cosy 

tea room, or simply enjoy 

a hot chocolate and 

mince pie after a winter 

stroll in the garden. Don’t 

forget to avoid the busy 

high streets and finish off 

your day with a visit to 

our gift shop for all those 

last minute Christmas 

goodies you need. 

If you are visiting with 

the kids then why not 

complete our festive 

family Noah’s ark trail in 

the garden, visit Father 

Christmas and Mrs Claus 

for storytelling in the 

Old Castle or wrap up 

warm for a visit to our 

children’s play area. 

HUSSEY FAMILY 

CHRISTMAS EVE 

Saturday 1 Dec- Sunday 6 

Jan, 11am-3pm. 

Celebrate the Victorian 

Christmas that the 

Hussey family would 

have enjoyed. Play with 

children’s 

toys under 

the Christmas 

tree, enjoy 

traditional 

decorations 

sparkling in 

the low light, 

dance in the 

hall and see the 

dining room set 

up for family 

Christmas 

celebrations. 

NATIONAL TRUST IMAGES/WILLIAM SHAW 

STORYTELLING WITH 

FATHER CHRISTMAS 

AND MRS CLAUS 

Saturday and Sunday 1, 

2, 8, 9 & Saturday 15 - 

Sunday 23 Dec, 9.30am & 

12noon. 

Father Christmas will 

be visiting Scotney and 

helping families feel even 

more festive this season. 

There’s storytelling and 

gifts to add a sprinkle 

of magic to all who 

visit (child £9, booking 

essential - please note a 

customer booking fee of 

5% applies). 

CHRISTMAS LUNCHES 

AND FESTIVE TREATS 

There are plenty of 

options available in our 

tea room, from light 

snacks, hot meals or just 

NATIONAL TRUST IMAGES/SCOTNEY CASTLE 

For more 

information and 

to book Christmas 

experiences, please 

call 01892 893869 

or visit www. 

nationaltrust.org. 

uk/scotney-castle 

NATIONAL TRUST IMAGES/JOHN HAMMOND 

mince pies. We have got 

plenty of indoor seating 

and a cosy log burner to 

warm you up after your 

visit to the garden. If you 

are looking for something 

more traditional you 

can book a two or three 

course Christmas lunch 

in our tea room between 

26 November and 21 

December (Monday- 

Friday only). Two 

courses £22.95, three 

courses £25.95. Booking 

essential. 

NOAH’S ARK 

CHILDREN’S TRAIL 

Saturday 1 - Monday 31 

Dec, 10am-4pm. 

Take part in our festive 

family trail around the 

garden inspired by our 

Victorian Noah’s ark, 

which will be on display 

in the mansion. £2 per 

trail. 

BEAT THE CROWDS 

Monday 5 Nov onwards. 

Your Christmas shopping 

is made easy with us. 

Don’t battle the busy high 

street but instead enjoy 

the relaxing atmosphere 

we can offer with a visit 

to our exhibition inside 

the collection followed 

by lunch in our tearoom, 

before buying all you 

need with our fantastic 

range of Christmas 

goodies. 


usinessnews 

WOW What 

an Evening! 

MULTI-MEDIA events promotion company, The Big 

WOW, held its first social networking event in the former 

Wilsley Hotel, once the studio and gallery of the Royal 

Academy and Cranbrook Colony artist John Calcott 

Horsley. 

Geoff Rabbatt (Direct 

Electrical) and Tracy Moore 

(cabinet member TWBC) 

Joe Mallion (Engine Room), Jo 

Pearce (Angel Fish Travel) and 

Dan Jones (Angel Fish Travel) 

Mark Ellis (Federation of Small 

Businesses and TWBC) and Julie 

Taylor (Buss Murton Law) 

ABOVE: (left to right) Julie Taylor 

(Buss Murton Law), Roger Keech 

(Let’s Do Business and Start Up Loans 

Company), Deborah Martin (Lloyd 

Martin), Dan Jones (Angel Fish Travel), 

Laura Clarke (Lloyd Martin) and Judy 

Bishop-Lund (Arctic Fox) 

David Northcroft (finance 

director – retired) and 

Tracy Moore (cabinet 

member TWBC) 

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ABOVE: Roger Keech (Let’s Do Business and Start 

Up Loans Company) with Liz Goodfellow-Williams 

(Wonder Women Network). 

Designed to create a buzz around 

business at the heart of the Weald, the 

evening attracted many active and 

influential members of the business 

community. 

Among those that attended were 

representatives from the Federation 

of Small Businesses, Let’s Do Business 

Group and the Start Up Loans Company. 

Parish and borough councillors together 

with many business people also 

attended. 

BRIAN CLIFFORD 


usiness 

The Hive business hub 

to open in Stone Street 

THE WAY people work and where has 

changed in the past few years. Technology 

and changes to employment laws have led 

to a rapidly expanding workforce that is 

more flexible and often functions remotely. 

There is also a record number of new, 

small companies being registered and 

feedback shows they feel inadequately 

supported. This is evident in areas such as 

the Weald. 

In 2016 Emma Wood and Stuart Smith 

started looking for premises to launch a 

hub to serve the business communities 

bridging the Kent and Sussex border. 

The aim was to create a centre offering 

co-working, business support services 

and a place for those running their own 

businesses to be able to socialise and 

network. 

New Hub to 

Create a Buzz 

The couple formed Flexi-Hubs and 

have secured premises in Stone Street, 

Cranbrook, to launch The Hive. 

Due to open next month, (January) it 

will offer a wide range of choices including 

guest hot-desking, a confidential business 

booth, a meeting and presentation suite 

and an Anglo-Greek eatery. The centre will 

be a Smartzone providing members with 

their own secure IP, hyper-fast symmetrical 

service and integrated telecoms. 

Emma explained: “Our aim is to create 

a vibrant and friendly hub, where anyone 

starting or running their own business 

can come for interaction, advice, support, 

funding, solutions to problems and 

company. Many who work at home alone 

are in need of interaction with others. It 

will also be an advantage to be able to work 

in a way that suits them knowing they can 

connect to a superior internet service.” 

The couple worked hard building 

relationships with organisations including 

banks, enterprise-funds, investors and 

advisors to build a support network for 

members. The Hive will also offer help 

to sixth form students to give them 

experience of a co-working environment, 

and exhibit art by Wealden artists. 

For more information visit www.flexihubs. 

co.uk and hivehubs on Facebook and 

Twitter. 

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Ask our 

Friendly 

Experts 

Buss Murton’s solicitors offer their expert advice 

PROPERTY LAW 

Private Drainage Systems – 

Matters to Consider 

Many rural properties are not 

connected to mains drainage 

for foul and surface water 

drainage and instead have a 

cesspool, septic tank or sewage 

treatment plant in place. The 

Environment Agency have in 

place ‘General Binding Rules’ 

which must be followed if you 

own a property with a septic 

tank or sewage treatment 

plant. Changes imposed by 

the Environment Agency to 

septic tanks discharging to a 

watercourse may leave many 

homeowners with a large bill to 

upgrade their systems. 

A septic tank is an 

underground tank made of 

two chambers where solids 

sink to the bottom and 

liquids flow over the top into 

a drainage field. These tanks 

are not permitted to discharge 

into any watercourse. If the 

existing system does drain to 

a watercourse then under the 

General Binding Rules, you 

must replace or upgrade your 

septic tank treatment system 

to a sewage treatment plant 

by 1 January 2020, or when 

you sell your property, if it 

is before this date. This may 

therefore prove expensive to 

the homeowner. 

On the sale of your property 

you must inform the new 

owner in writing that they are 

responsible for a septic tank 

discharge, providing records 

for maintenance and other 

information about the tank, its 

location and any changes made 

to the system. 

When buying property, you 

must also consider (if the septic 

tank or treatment plant is not 

on land you will own) what 

rights you have to use, maintain 

and access the system. If the 

system does not meet the 

General Binding Rules then 

you would also need to enquire 

whether an Environmental 

Permit is required. 

If you would like to discuss 

any aspect of selling or buying 

a property then please do get in 

contact with us. 

KERRY CARTER 

Partner, Property and Private 

Client 

We are happy 

to assist with 

any questions 

– please 

feel free to 

contact me 

on 01892 

502 304 or by email kcarter@ 

bussmurton.co.uk 

FAMILY LAW 

Tips: How to Prepare For Your 

Divorce 

The Christmas holidays will 

soon be here. It is this time of 

year when people re-evaluate 

their lives and the New Year 

can bring an increase in 

the number of new divorce 

applications. If you find 

yourself considering making an 

appointment in January here 

are points to consider: 

• Gather your Financial 

Information 

Before your appointment 

gather details of your 

financial information. 

Include estimates for 

the value of your home, 

mortgage, bank accounts, 

savings, credit cards, loans, 

pensions and earnings. 

• Take care of yourself 

It is extremely important 

to take care of your mental 

health. Your friends will 

be able to support you 

especially when frustrations 

arise but consider 

obtaining the support of a 

professional counsellor or 

psychotherapist to help you 

through the process. 

• Communicate with your 

spouse 

Understandably 

communication tends to 

break down and it will help 

the process if you can both 

still discuss matters. If 

you are going to find this 

further 

info 

Find Buss 

Murton Law at 

31 High Street, 

Cranbrook. 

01580 712 215 

info@bussmurton.co.uk 

www.bussmurton.co.uk 

difficult, consider engaging a 

family counsellor 

who will be able to provide a 

safe environment for you to 

do so. 

• Consider alternative 

methods of resolution. 

Consider the alternative 

methods of resolution, 

such as mediation or a 

collaborative approach which 

is likely to result in lower 

costs. 

• Compromise 

The outcome of divorce is 

compromise. Being prepared 

to discuss matters openly 

will simplify proceedings and 

reduce costs. If you can both 

maintain this frame of mind 

it is likely you will be able to 

agree a resolution acceptable 

to you both. 

If you would like further legal 

advice we offer a free 30 minute 

meeting for initial enquiries on 

any family law matter. 

JULIE TAYLOR 

Partner, Family and 

Employment 

If you would 

like to 

discuss any 

family or 

employment 

issues 

then please 

feel free to 

contact me 

on 01892 502 354 or by email 

jtaylor@bussmurton.co.uk 

legal 


update 

News 

and views from Cranbrook 

& Sissinghurst Parish Council 

Do you Know a 

Community Hero? 

THE PARISH Council has 

been invited to put forward 

nominations for the Kent 

Association of Local Councils 

(KALC) 2019 Community 

Awards established to 

acknowledge and give 

recognition to those selfless 

individuals from across the 

county that have made a 

significant contribution to 

their local community. 

Local Councils make their 

own decisions about how 

they want to identify those 

who have made a significant 

contribution to the local 

community and there are no 

pre-determined criteria for 

what the contribution to the 

community might be. The 

High Sheriff of Kent, Jane 

Ashton said: “There are many, 

many unsung heroes in Kent 

doing remarkable work for 

the benefit of others in their 

communities.” She added “The 

KALC Awards give recognition 

to those individuals and it 

gives me real pleasure to 

support them.” 

Originally launched in 2013, 

among last year’s winners 

included volunteers who had 

spent many years organising 

village activities, fundraising 

for good causes, keeping 

villages clean, caring for the 

elderly and lonely people, and 

a bell-ringer who maintains 

the bells and winds the church 

clock. 

Anyone that the parish 

council thinks merits an award 

can be nominated - the person 

must live or work within the 

parish. 

The closing date for entries 

is Thursday 31 January 2019. 


Parish Council 

Meetings – 

You’re Welcome! 

THE PUBLIC are welcome 

to all meetings. The 

next Full Parish Council 

meetings are on the 13 

December, 10 January 

and the 14 February in 

the Council Chamber at 

7.30pm. The March and 

September Full Parish 

Council meetings are held 

in the Parish Room in 

Sissinghurst at 7.30pm. 

Our Committee Council Members 

POLICY AND 

RESOURCES 

DEVELOPMENT 

Cllr. B Swann 

(Chairman) 

Cllr. Alison Bunyan 


Cllr. Andy Fairweather 

Cllr. Kim Fletcher 

Cllr. Bridget Veitch 

Cllr. Nancy Warne 

PLANNING AND 

PRESERVATION 

MANAGEMENT 


(chairman) 

Cllr. David Cook 


Cllr. Tim Kemp 

Cllr. John Smith 

Cllr. Nancy Warne. 

BURIALS GROUNDS 

AND PROPERTIES 


(chairman) 


Cllr. David Cook 



ENVIRONMENTAL 

MANAGEMENT 


(chairman) 

Cllr. Robin Beck 



Cllr. Andy Fletcher 



Cllr. Brian Swann 

NEIGHBOURHOOD 

PLAN 

Cllr. Nancy Warne 

(chairman) 

Cllr. Kim Fletcher 

Cllr. Matt Hartley 

Cllr. Tim Kemp 


Parish Council Tree 

Warden – Cllr. Trisha 

Fermor 

Parish Warden – Ivor 

Hatcher 

(Cllr. Linda Hall is 

not a member of a 

committee) 


Winter 

Strategy 

2018–2019 

IT IS the individual responsibility of every 

parishioner to take due care and attention 

in adverse weather conditions. 

The Cranbrook and Sissinghurst Parish 

Council has made no arrangements this 

winter for snow and ice clearance, salting 

or gritting of the Regal, Tanyard or Jockey 

Lane Car Parks. 

Cranbrook and Sissinghurst Parish 

Council will not undertake clearance of 

pavements within the parish. Residents 

and businesses are encouraged to clear 

the areas in front of their own property, 

although this will be entirely at their own 

risk. 

There are salt and grit bins throughout 

the Cranbrook and Sissinghurst parish for 

GETTY IMAGES 

use by parishioners. Spreaders are available 

from the Parish Office at the corner of 

Stone Street, under the Vestry Hall. 

Throughout the winter season all 

residents and visitors to Cranbrook and 

Sissinghurst must use the roads, car 

parks and pavements with due care and 

attention. It must be clearly understood 

that all users of the car parks do so at their 

own risk. 

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local legend 

LINDA 

CLIFFORD 

A Q&A with racehorse owner and 

former parish council chairman. 

As told to Trisha Fermor 

WHERE WERE YOU BORN? 

Bettenham in the parish 

of Sissinghurst and then 

I progressed across the 

parish and went to live 

in Sissinghurst Castle 

Farmhouse. I now live in our 

present house on the estate. 

WHERE DID YOU GO TO 

SCHOOL? 

Little Stream Girls’ School 

and then Coursehorn which 

became Dulwich Prep School. 

I was one of the first girls to 

go Little Stream. Later I went 

on to Walthamstow Hall and 

then Sheffield University 

where I read sciences. I 

wanted to go up north. I was 

brought up in an area where 

everyone votes Tory but at 

heart I am a socialist. 

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB? 

Working for the Royal 

National Institute for the 

Blind. I wrote their weekly 

newspaper which was also 

available in Braille. I then 

went into publishing working 

for David and Charles and 

ended up as paperback 

commissioning editor for Cape 

Chatto and Bodley Head. That 

was when I met my husband 

RIGHT: LINDA AS 

A YOUNG GIRL 

ON HER HORSE 

ZULEIKA WITH HER 

LATE BROTHER 

RICHARD 

Brian in London at the BBC. 

WHEN DID YOU COME BACK 

TO SISSINGHURST? 

When we came back to the 

village in 1976 we lived near 

the Three Chimneys and then 

moved into our present home 

on the Sissinghurst Castle 

estate. 

WAS YOUR FAMILY 

WELL-KNOWN? 

My grandfather Captain Beale, 

who farmed at Sissinghurst, 

was a magistrate with Vita 

Sackville-West and my father 

Stanley Stearns was chairman 

of the Kent National Farmers’ 

Union. James, my brother, 

was on the parish council 

and public service was in the 

family. 

Jack Moss encouraged me to 

take his seat on the Cranbrook 

and Sissinghurst Parish 

Council and suggested I carry 

on in the family tradition. I 

was a member in the 90s and 

chairman from 1999-2002. 

I was also a governor of the 

village primary school for 17 

years (chairman for three) and 

was involved with planning 

the building of the new school. 

I was also on the committee of 

St George’s Institute. I am very 

fond of the old building. 

YOUR PREFERENCE: DOGS OR 

CATS? 

Oh dogs, particularly 

Labradors. I have had many 

happy days beating and 

shooting. 

ANY CLOSE SHAVES? 

I was involved in a car 

accident at Castleton’s Oak 

which wrote off two antique 

Belgian cars. The ambulance 

came and I said I was OK but 

the next two days I was in a 

lot of pain. 

WHAT IS THE MAIN 

HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR LIFE? 

Winning my first 

steeplechase! I bred 

thoroughbreds and was 

lucky enough to have 

two wonderful horses, 

Sissinghurst Flyer and 

Sissinghurst Storm who did 

well. They were in training 

with Robin Dickin in 

Stratford-upon-Avon. When 

I was younger Vita Sackville- 

West named my horse 

Zuleika. 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE TV 

PROGRAMME? 

Coronation Street, I quite like 

it and it reminds me of my 

time up north [in a Yorkshire 

accent!] 

WHAT DO YOU DO TO 

UNWIND? 

Read, history and biographies, 

I am not very keen on novels. 

WHICH DAILY PAPER DO YOU 

READ? 

The sports bit of the Daily 

Telegraph and the Guardian 

online. 


lancefrench.com/air 

01580 852 727

Parish Cake - Winter 2018

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