Above photo, date unknown, kindly sent by Anne Ford.

Above postcard, dated 1921, kindly sent by Anne Ford.

Above postcard, circa 1970s, kindly sent by Anne Ford.

Above Google image, October 2008.

Above sign, April 2006, kindly sent by Brian Curtis.

From the www.innsignsociety.com

From a local paper circa 1910s.

Lady's sad death at Edenbridge. The inquest.

The district coroner (Mr. Thomas Buss) held an inquest at the "Albion Hotel," Edenbridge, on Saturday afternoon, on the body of Emily Watson, the wife of Harold Charles Watson, proprietor of the hotel.

Harold Charles Watson said he was the proprietor of the "Albion Hotel," Edenbridge, and he identified the body as that of his wife, who was 55 years of age. She had enjoyed good health generally, but the last 2 or 3 months had suffered from insomnia. She had refused to see a doctor, although witness had frequently asked her to do so. She had also declined to go away for a little change. On Thursday they retired to bed about 11:30, and witness heard nothing of deceased during the night. He woke about 5 o'clock, and found she was not in the room; but he was not at all alarmed, as it had been her invariable practice to go downstairs between 2 and 4 in the morning, and sometimes she would not return. A lamp was usually kept on the landing outside, on in the room, and he observed that this was missing. Witness got up at his usual time, about 6 o'clock, and went downstairs, and found deceased hade not opened the house as she frequently did. Witness opened the house, and commenced to search for her, but not finding her indoors, he looked around the garden. He found the lamp downstairs and sent the servant upstairs to look for deceased, and she found articles of clothing in the room, showing that deceased was only partially dressed. Witness noticed the front door has not been unbolted, but the side door was thrown open. When witness's man, named Wybourne, arrived, he sent him to search the fields, and he found deceased floating face downwards in a pond at some little distance from the house. Witness went to the place, and on examining the body, found the left arm of the night dress very much burnt, apparently as if the lamp had been upset. So far as witness knew deceased had no trouble on her mind. They lived on the best of terms and she was very much attached to her children. She had never shown any suicidal tendency, or threatened to take her life. She did not take drugs to induce sleep.

Albert Wybourne, a cab driver, employed by the last witness, said that on arriving at his work at 8 o'clock in the morning, Mr. Watson asked him to assist in searching for the deceased. Witness went across the fields, and found her in the pond some distance from the bank in several feet of water. He pulled her out, and found she was quite dead. She was only dressed in her nightdress and a light cap and slippers. The pond was about 200 yards from the house, and in a direct line. Deceased would have to get over a stile to get to the pond.

In answer to the Jury, witness said it would have been difficult to have traced the exact road deceased had taken as the grass was long, and it had been raining.

Dr. Mudie, of Edenbridge, said he had not attended deceased professionally. He was called to her at 9 o'clock on Friday morning, and on arrival found her lying on the bed. She was dead. Witness made an examination of the body. He found a cloak or wrap about her shoulders over her nightdress. Witness noticed that the left sleeve was much burnt, but the cape covering it was untouched. Witness thought deceased had probably put on the cape to extinguish the fire. On removing the clothes witness noticed marks of a burning on the left side of the body. The marks were slight, and would not be sufficient to cause shock so as to result in death. There were no other marks of violence about the body. In his opinion the cause of death was suffocation due to drowning. In the absence of any evidence on the matter, witness thought that deceased in some way upset the oil over herself and so with a view to extinguishing the flames. When he saw the body she had apparently ignited her clothes, and went to the pond been dead 3 or 4 hours.

The Jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence.

From the Eden Valley Heritage newsletter Issue Number 36<./p>

THE ALBION HOTEL, MARLPIT HILL - SOME HISTORY.

By Joan Varley.

The Albion Hotel was built in the mid-1800’s on the western side of Main Road, Marlpit Hill close to Edenbridge Railway Station. Historic England describe it as “typical of the commercial Palladian style usually associated with early railway development.”

It first appears on the Rate Returns in 1849. William James Cripps was the publican from 1855-1859. At this time the Albion is listed as a ‘Commercial Hotel and Posting House’.

In 1860 the hotel was the venue for an inquest following the sad death of Harriet Wood of Troy Town. Harriet had taken her own life by hanging. The jury concluded that Harriet had ‘hung herself while in an unsound state of mind’ due to the distress of her husband having been charged with theft and committed for trial a few weeks earlier. Mr Wood was on bail at the time and along with a neighbour, Mr Newnham, had discovered Harriet hanging by a rope from an aperture through the ceiling. Medical assistance had been sought, but Mr Geare, the surgeon attended and declared life extinct.

Edmund Curtis is listed as the Victualler from 1861-1865. The 1861 census lists his wife Ann, son William (19yrs) and niece Jane Calbrias, aged 23 who was engaged as a barmaid. They had two female servants Ratamun King (16yrs) and Ann Nicholson (14yrs).

From 1871 the Licensed Victualler is listed as John Brickwood, aged 33 and from Millin [Milton] Abbott, Devon. He lived at the Albion with his wife Louisa aged 34 who hailed from Bedford, and their daughter Alice, aged 10 who had been born in St Pancras, Middlesex. They are listed as having two servants, Mary Pottendon, aged 21 from Westerham and fly driver, Charles Pocknell. On the day of the 1871 census their guests were an Auctioneer and Surveyor, Robert Shepherd of Horsham, and two visiting Farmer & Grazier’s, Thomas Fin from Lydd, Kent, and William Woodhams from Pinhurst, Surrey.

Caleb Withall appears to have been in residence at the Albion with his wife Susan and their four sons as early as 1873 when the Kent and Sussex Courier reported on a game of cricket played between ‘Eleven of the "Albion" and Eleven of Crockham Hill’ on the ground adjoining the hotel. It seems that after an amusing game, resulting in the former winning with three wickets to spare, the players enjoyed an excellent supper, provided by their host, Caleb Withall.

The 1881 census lists Caleb Withall, as innkeeper and fly proprietor. Along with his family and on the day of the census they had two servants and two female boarders. A fly proprietor employed fly drivers for hire and usually owned the flys. A "fly" was a one horse two wheeled light carriage.

By 1891 the Hotel Keeper was Mary Barnes, along with her four sons and four daughters. She had two servants and, on the day of the census, one male boarder. On Friday 4 January 1895 the ale house licence for the Albion was transferred to Stephen Bernard Walker.

In 1906 the Licensee, Charles James Brown was in danger of not having his Licence to sell alcohol renewed having been previously found guilty of selling unadulterated rum in March 1905. At that time, he’d given evidence that some bottles of rum had been ‘broken down’ by the previous tenants; he produced references as to his character, and letters and witnesses from locals as to the necessity of the house to Edenbridge. The Licence was renewed.

From 1911-1918+ the Licensee was Harold Charles Watson, a widower. He was living at the Albion with his widowed sister-in-law Kate Davis and his two daughters, Ruth Ida and Hilda Florence. On the day of the census there was one servant, Louise Muggeridge and two visitors, a printer’s clerk and dealer.

Julie Johnson remembers “my grandmother Lucy Watson worked at the Albion in the 1920's and early 1930's for a family called Baldock. The Baldocks moved to Eastbourne and mum could remember meeting up with the mother and daughter when they went on the annual Sunday School trip from Edenbridge and the surrounding villages on a chartered train to Eastbourne - pre-WW2.

Subsequent Licensees were Alfred Dean (from 1922). Richard Alfred Moore (from 1930). Herbert S. Rowe (from 1938). Herbert lived at the Albion with his wife Violet and daughter Gertrude, along with a Vera Violet Leefe who carried out unpaid domestic duties. Rowe died in Tonbridge in 1959.

The Albion was a popular pub with the farming community and in January 1937 the Edenbridge Young Farmers’ Club held their inaugural meeting there. The meeting was chaired by Col. H.I. Robinson and a Mr Voisey gave an interesting address illustrated by lantern slides. The meeting went on to elect a Mr B.S. Bush, who’d worked very hard to obtain sufficient members to start the club, as their first Chairman.

The following image from the museum collection, undated, shows the Albion Garage next to the hotel.

The Albion Hotel, Albion Garage and Marlpit Hill Service Station, after 1950. Image: P2014.2295.

Richard Johnson remembers “dad, Harold Johnson, who was working at Ajax Magnerthermic and another local businessman and close neighbour, Ted Millard, along with his uncle Ted Hyatt, whenever he and my aunt came to visit us at our home in the Ridgeway, would visit the Albion "for a quick pint!” At the time, early to mid-1960's, the landlord was Harry Hunt ... later, when I was working for Scientific and Research Instruments in Fircroft way, my then boss, George Walker, was another frequent visitor to the Albion and because of that he arranged for several of our companies’ Christmas parties to be held in the "upstairs room!" Certainly, very happy days! This would have been around the early to mid-1980's, I believe Harry Hunt was still the landlord.

A later view of the hotel showing the roadside pub sign and adjacent garden seating, c.1980. Image: P2015.2638

The Albion Hotel became a Grade II listed building in January 1975 and in 1994 was converted into flats.