February 20th 1959

....On Wednesday the first lorries carrying an advance party of workmen rumbled through the mist and drew up in Stangrove Park where the housing development is to take place.

Courier Newspaper

On the Way to Edenbridge

On the map, Edenbridge doesn't look a million miles away from Sevenoaks.  But as soon as you turn off the A25 on the B2042 there's a sense of entering deepest darkest Kent.   Twisting turney lanes bring meaning to the term a country mile which is re-enforced by sequential signs first detailing 'Edenbridge 2 3/4 miles' followed by 'Edenbridge 3 miles' a bend later.

When I first called Audrey who runs community groups on the Spittal Cross Estate and Jane who is the Hon. Curator at the Eden Valley Museum,  I was immediately excited by news of a reunion between people who once lived on the factory estates - built to house families enticed down from London by companies promising a better way of life in terms of new housing after the war.  So in my mind I was visioning estates with sensibilities of Ebenezer Howard's ideology.

Google Spittals Cross Estate, Edenbridge and see what comes up.  I grew up in a council house and am a little tired of peoples, in some cases, mis-conceptions of social housing and the type of people that live there.

Ebenezer Howard

Edenbridge definitely shows signs of accommodating a town of workers and their families.  Community centres, the Edenbridge centre, primary schools encased in the centre of a picturesque village high street, doctors surgerys, health and leisure centres and the best chips I've had in ages.

Musings

Spending time, leisure time, being on time, time wasting...... museum objects??????
Need posters.........

Thinking about artists who use the poster and text

Bob and Roberta Smith
bob and roberta smith offical website

Mark Titchner
source and copyright

Age Concern - West Malling

The next group on my list is Age Concern in West Malling.  I met with an very enthusiastic Day Centre Manager Becky who thinks that a group of her clients will be really interested in taking part in the project.  With a hairdressers, cafe and common room on site, this will be a really good venue.  Need to engage a young persons group to work with them.

Maidstone Museum

We were hoping to get Maidstone museum on board but unfortuately they're packing up their collection in readiness for a £2m English Heritage extension. 

Maidstone - Harmony Community Arts Centre

I met John Kingdom tonight, the main man behind Harmony Community Arts Centre and a legend.

I don't quite know where to start explaining what these guys do, although the clues are all there in the title I guess, but it goes nowhere near really explaining what they're all about.

John started Harmony, on his own 10 years ago in the back of a pub. They moved to a run down hall in Mangravet Avenue in  2004 and transformed it into an amazing variety club and theatre where they rehearse and stage musicals.

John's built the scenery, staging, does all the managment, sings, acts. I'm sure he wouldn't mind me saying he's not the youngest of men now with his own fair share of health issues but he spends roughly 70 hours a week at the theatre.

Enough about John what about all the mums and volunteers and his own family that help keep the place going and all the children that live on and around Mangravet who take part in life at Harmony and love it.

There are some heart rending stories about the achievements that some of the children have mastered. Many have gone on to study theatre and drama at University and all return to see Harmony and John.

This is all beginning to sound like a homage to John, and it is but, I'm going to work with all the people that work behind the scenes at Harmony on this project as they range from the over 60's down to 11 year olds.

Lets start at the beginning

I've been commissioned by FrancisKnight to work on an inter-generational film project between young and older people on behalf of West Kent Arts Partnership (Sevenoaks, Maidstone, Tonbrigde and Malling and Tunbridge Wells District and Borough Councils).

The idea is to run workshops and along with the respective areas museum collections, film the perceptions (using both digital and super 8 ) that each group have of each other over several weeks.  The outcome will be a touring exhibition of their responses and our time together.

Press Releases:
Sevenoaks District Council
Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council