Medway Villas

Places

Aug 16

Medway Villas

Paddock Wood today has one property named Medway Villa which is located in Maidstone Road. The plaque, which can be seen on the front of the property, suggests the year of construction to have been 1869.

However, detective work, based on census returns and newspaper entries, has discovered there were actually three adjacent properties named Medway Villas in Maidstone Road. By 1901 four of the properties were residential but the other two were shops; a butcher’s and a drapers.

Moving forward to 1911 four properties were occupied by people with connections to the railway and the remaining properties were a butcher’s and a general shop.

By 1921 we still have four properties being occupied by people with connections to the railway and two shops; a fish dealer and a general stores.

In 1927 Lambert and Symes offered 1,2,3 and 4 Medway Villas, Maidstone Road for sale at the Masonic Hall. The Villas realising £365 and £400 respectively were bought by Mr Halberson and Mr Amos Luck. Lot 3 comprising a butcher’s shop and a confectionery and tobacconist shop were purchase by Mr G Blunt, butcher of Paddock Wood for £640

In 1930 Kelly’s directory records Arthur H Cockerton as a shopkeeper in Maidstone Road which ties in with the name on the canopy in the photo. But we know that by 1939 the Cockerton family had left Paddock Wood with Mrs Cockerton in the Maidstone mental hospital and her husband having retired to Chatham, Kent.

In 1939 we have Harry Wright and family living at 6 Medway Villas, a confectioner and tobacconist.

Next door at 5 Medway Villas was Vivian W Woods and family who had a wet, dry and fried fish shop.

Numbers 1 – 4 Medway Villas were also occupied by local residents one of whom was a widow, Mary Wallis, whose son is commemorated on the war memorial.

Little is known about Medway Villas beyond this date. We can only surmise that when Tonbridge Rural District Council bought 9 cottages for redevelopment purposes in this area the residential properties were part of that package. Presumably Dowding House which opened in 1978 was built on the site where the 9 cottages had been standing.

In 2024 Sun Kong Chinese restaurant occupies 123 Maidstone Road and 125 Maidstone Road is occupied by Martin’s HairCare.