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From an email received 5 May 2021.
Hi,
I came across your listings of the Prince of Wales, Rhodes Minnis,
and Flint Cottage. I have lived in Flint Cottage Rhodes Minnis since
1984.
Flint Cottage was built in 1898 in period style of solid flint
wall construction with brick lintels, designed to be a pub, with
barrel access to the sizeable cellar still visible under a cover
next to the front door. The story I was told by the previous owner
was that it failed to get a licence because it is in the same parish
of Lyminge as the nearby "Prince
of Wales." The assumption had been that it was in the same Elham
Parish as other properties on the east side of Longage Hill, but
alas the parish boundary was drawn along the footpath that cuts
between Longage Hill to Chapel Lane. As you have noted in the notes
for the "Prince of
Wales," the Lyminge Council were reluctant to grant many pub
licences, possibly because of the strong Methodist tradition in
Lyminge.
The victorian (VR) posting box built in to the garden wall also
dates from 1898, as I discovered when the wall was rebuilt in 2012.
During WWII a doodlebug landed behind Fir Tree Cottage (crater
still visible from Green Lane) and destabilised the flint walls of
Flint Cottage, leading to the installation of the 4 tie-bars at
first floor level whose ends are visible from outside.
The property housed council tenants until the early 1960's, when
it was condemned by the council and sold off for development, the
proceeds used to house the council tenants in newly built White
Horse Cottages adjacent.
The new owners changed the name from 'Fashoda' to 'Flint
Cottage', put in plumbing, central heating and new electrics and
moved in after about 4 years of part time work.
I hope this is of interest. I have added a photo of Flint Cottage
from the winter of 2017/18 showing the rebuilt wall with the
victorian post box, and White Horse Cottages on the right behind.
Patrick. |
