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Sevenoaks Chronicle and Kentish Advertiser 20 January 1950.
"AT THE "PUB"
WATER FOR CATTLE BUT NONE FOR COTTAGERS.
A "pub" whose brewers have sometimes to send them barrels of water
because they have none.
A mother with an 8-month-old baby who has to carry water 300 yards or so
from a roadside standpipe.
A deputation from Sundridge Parish Council will tell Sevenoaks R.D.C.
about these things when it urges the need for a piped water supply to
struggling parts of the parish.
A "Chronicle" reporter this week heard bitter comments from Ide Hill
residents who are among those most affected.
At Hanging Bank 11 households find that living in a position of
entrancing natural beauty is inadequate elementary comforts and a flush
lavatory.
In her electrically lit cottage, Mrs. B. A. Cowland has a sink and other
fittings ready to use, but apart from a small rain-water tank at the
front door her water must come from the standpipe more than 400 paces
away.
Small wonder then, that Mrs. Cowlard's first comment when told that the
Parish Council were trying to come to her rescue was to exclaim "Jolly
good show."
This is where the occupants of eleven cottages at Hanging bank have
to go for water. Mrs. Cowland, seen drawing a supply, has to carry the
bucket 400 paces back to her home.
DOCTOR WOULDN'T COME.
"The doctor simply refused to come here when baby was born," she said,
turning to her eight-month-old son "You must have water for a young
baby, and my husband just can’t carry all I need before he goes to
work."
When Mrs. Cowlard returned from hospital with her infant last May it was
not long before she was under the doctor again. "He definitely put my
troubles down to carrying water." she said.
"What makes me so angry," she went on, looking down at the green valley
beneath, "is that all those fields have been piped with water for
cattle.
"Cows can be moved to find water—but you can’t move houses, and here are
we forced to cart ours like beasts of burden whilst the animals have it
laid on—I believe by the authorities."
Mr. D. Lynch is the lucky member of the little community at Hanging
Bank, for he has a deep water well. Disgusted by the failure to extend
the mains, he recently installed a pump to draw from the well, and is
now indignantly independent."
He still has to economise, however, and was cleaning his car with the
aid of half a bucket of water and a brush when our reporter saw him.
"What annoys me," said Mr. Lynch, who also had some incisive remarks
about animals coming before humans." Is that the District Council seem
to expect us to pay for the whole "shoot.''
"When it was first announced that Government grants would be available
for rural water extensions I urged that an application should be made on
our behalf at once, but this was not done, apparently because it would
not pay. It would cost several hundred pounds to install and the
resulting water rate would bring in very little.
"I should have thought the whole point of grants was to meet such
cases."
AT THE "PUB"
Near Mackrells Plain on the Sevenoaks side of Ide Hill lies the
“Woodman," a delightful country pub as smart as a new pin.
Here Mr. W. Searles, who had moved in only the previous day, told of
inspecting invoices with his predecessor which showed that the brewers
had had to supply barrels of water when none was left.
Mr. Searles, who said he believed the cost of laying on water was
considered prohibitive, said:- "I have a rotary pump and the lovely soft
water is a delight, but in a business of this kind main water is really
essential, especially when there is any chance of running out."
At Beech Grove, on Back Lane— which leads down towards Bessels Green. Mr
E. J. Dannlels opened up a well-protected underground tank almost full
of rain water. "I’m luckier than a good many." he said, "for a lot of
people have only small surface tanks to store water in."
Standing at his back door, Mr. Danmels told of the better part of a
dozen families nearby who rely upon rain water. These are not isolated
homes, far across the fields, but in most cases front, like the
"Woodman" and Beech Grove, upon well-used, metalled roads.
Nor do they exhaust the tale of waterless homes, for, as was stated at
the Council meeting, there is yet another "dry" colony near Sundridge
Hospital "within a stone's throw" of the main, as a councillor pointed
out.
The Parish Council's deputation should not be short of material.
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