Blendon

   this post is not finished and not edited or checked

  Blackfen Road

Chapel House. Erected to Danson Park, roughcast cottage turret and spire 1760. Sham chapel Eye catcher on the roundabout. Mock tomb covers a well head. Built as an eye-catcher across the park. Lead spire at its end, and a low flattened turret towards the road. The traceried windows look like a c 19 remodelling, but an c 18 drawing suggests that they are original

New Ideal Homesteads all round the area. Shopping parades built between the wars.

64-68 Jolly Fenman. Pub and micro brewery

273 Woodman pub.1930s pub

Blendon

Marked as ‘Blenden’ on Bowen's map c.1762 and on the Ordnance Survey map of 1805, earlier ‘Bladidun’, ‘Bladindon’ 1240, ‘Bladindoune’ 1327, ‘Bladyngdone’ 1332, probably -hill associated with a man called ‘Bloda', from an Old English personal name with Old English medial connective ‘-ing-‘ and ‘dun’.  ‘Blenden Hal;’  is marked on Bowen's map c.1762, ‘Blendon Hall’ on the 1876 Ordnance Survey map. First known resident was Joseph de Bladindon 14th house. He had a house which was bought in the Restoration by Jacob Sawbridge, of the South Sea Compaby

Blendon Road

Blendon Hall built 1763. the home of Charles Delamotte, one of those who accompanied Wesley to Georgia. His father was a sugar merchant. On his return home, Wesley called on the family on his way from Dover to London and was warmly received, despite the fact that he had left Delamotte in America. The Hall was demolished in 1934, but its gatehouse survives at the junction of The Drive. The hall was rebuilt after 1763.  This was a 17th century house was demolished in the 1930s and the estate was used for building suburban housing after attempts to turn it into a school. Over the years there has been a long running series of excavations to discover the exact location of the building and to see if the cellars and vaults still existed. There is a passage alongside the cellars. 

44 Blendon Road.  brick building with odd bellcote was formerly Bridgen National School, 1860.

119/123 Jays Cottages group of three houses was originally a pair of cottages built c1700. extensions to the east and the rear are c1939.

Three Blackbirds. An attractive mid 18th century pub with a fine roof.

167 West Lodge stone building c1860, . One of two lodges for Blendon Hall. The estate of Blendon, originally called Bladigdone, goes back at least to the 13th century. Early tenants included John and Maud de Bladigdone, The last mansion on the estate was Blendon Hall, built for Lady Mary Scott in 1763; Humphrey Repton later landscaped the grounds. Demolished in 1934, and the grounds have been developed for housing; a lodge, the bailiffs house, and many trees have survived.

Greensill lamp manufacturer

Blendon Methodist Church.  Alongside the red brick church of 1972 is the old white concrete church of 1935, a long low-lying building in art deco style, now in use as the hall. It was an avant-garde building for its time,

St.James the Great, low-lying red brick church 1937, parish church Note the open bell turret.  Note on the right-hand wall a small stone V moulding which is actually Norman from Rochester Cathedral

East Lodge

Oak House, Bartlett

Blendon Drive

Rochester Way

The catalyst for suburbanisation.

Westwood Lane

Westwood Estate by C.R.Leech

Plaza Cinema.  Architect Robert Cromie.  Opened 1937.  Renamed Odeon in 1946 and closed 1956.  On site of Somerfield’s car park.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Bromley by Bow

South Norwood

River Lea/Bow Creek Canning Town