67 High Street

No.67 is one of a number of High Street properties that has seemingly been consistently occupied by traders of the same profession for centuries. The earliest census of 1841 lists Thomas Grover, grocer, as head of the property. This is the earliest we can be certain that the property was used as a grocer’s shop but we know that Thomas’ father, Richard,  took an apprentice, Alex Selby, in West Malling in 1782(1) so it is highly likely that the property was being used as a grocer’s shop prior to the 18th century, before it was passed down to Thomas.

Richard Grover was married to Anne Puxty, daughter of another established High Street shop proprietor, Alexander Puxty, who would go on to sell his drapery business, directly opposite number 67, to a young James Viner.(2)

Alfred Harrington

Harringtons Grocery

The shop passed through three generations of the Grover family before being acquired by grocer & baker William Jarvis and then, at the turn of the 20th century, it changed hands once again to grocer Alfred Harrington.

Born in Colchester, Alfred started his working life as a grocer’s porter but by the time we first see him in West Malling (1901 census) he is listed as a ‘shopkeeper grocer’ – the 1911 census also describes him as a baker, as well as grocer. It isn’t clear how Alfred made the step up from lowly shop porter to shop owner but there are two possibilities that are worth consideration – his father died in 1893 and any money left to his son may have contributed to the shop acquisition in West Malling or perhaps Alfred’s father in law, a farmer of over 200 acres, may have backed his son-in-law’s venture.

We have been lucky enough to talk to one of Alfred’s great grandchildren who has provided some happy memories of the shop and town from when he was a young boy…

“We visited my nan every Easter and I used to love going to St. Mary’s Church on Sunday morning where the organist, Alec Briggs, used to belt out some wonderful Easter anthems on the organ. Alec Briggs ran a tobacconist shop in the dip in King Street – it is called ‘The Therapy Rooms’ now.”

Alfred was born in Colchester in 1862 and married Rhoda Chanin, the daughter of a Devon farmer – they were married at St Paul’s Church in Tiverton, Rhoda’s home town, in 1901 and went on to have four children between them. The eldest of their children, Stanley Chanin, would eventually take over the shop from his father.

Another photo kindly provided by Alfred’s relative (below) shows Stanley’s wife May along with Tufty the cat, enjoying the courtyard at the rear of the shop(3) which sits between nos. 65 & 67. In terms of the buildings that can be seen, this area has thankfully remained largely unchanged since the photo was taken but it is sad to see that the courtyard is no longer given the same level of care and attention that was once bestowed upon it by the Harringtons. Stanley served in the East Kent Regiment which formed part of the British Expeditionary force during WWI whilst his brother Alfred James joined the  Royal Army Service Corps. During WWII Alfred would once again serve his country but this time closer to home as a Special Constable.

The Ancient House

Circa 1160-1180

Along with the adjacent property, no. 65, this building is known as The Ancient House. It is impossible to know the original use of the building but the property listing on the Historic England website speculates that it may once have been either owned by the monastery or a merchant’s house. What we do know from surviving documents is that at different times throughout history, some or all of it, has served as an inn as well as a jail. The buildings still boast a wealth of original features that highlight its extensive past. The photo below, described as showing a chevron patterned window found at the back of Harringtons, is taken from the West Malling Women’s Institute Scrapbook(4).

The original parts of the building were built circa 1160-80 – a period of history that witnessed Thomas Becket being canonised as Archbishop of Canterbury as well as his murder just 8 years later. Constructed primarily of ragstone, there is evidence that the building that remains today, may have been just part of a larger building when originally constructed. Surviving deeds from 1681 describe how some, or all, of the building was known as, ‘the Angel formerly the Bull’. The two sets of plans below show how the property was utilised and split between different owners in 1785 and 1901.