THE DOVER EXPRESS AND EAST KENT NEWS—FRIDAY, JULY 26, 1901

X - EWELL.

Ewell is our water bearer. Most writers have come to the conclusion that the name Ewell, anciently written Etewell, is derived from the springs of water that rise in this parish, forming the head of the River Dour.

Ewell in the Beginning.

To get an idea what a place would be called, one must imagine the prominent natural features which existed before mankind made or marred it. The first comer into this vale must have noticed down in its deepest depression a series of bubbling springs, which filled the hollow place around with pellucid water, and in giving the locality a name he would associate it with that water, and that is doubtless why this well-watered spot in the hollow of the hills has been called Ewell.

A Glimpse of Ewell’s History.

Like Dover, the physical aspect of Ewell, its hills and dale, must have remained very little changed during the long progression of centuries. East, north, west, and partly south, the hills encircle it, with a slight break for the outlet of Alkham bottom and a wider depression for the Dour Valley, which leads to the land’s end at Dover. The ancient Britons and the Saxons no doubt found this a convenient spot to fix their habitations sufficiently inland to be safe from the marauders of the sea. At the close of the Saxon period, Edrich de Alkam was the land owner under the King. At the coming of the Normans the parish of Ewell must have been a cultivated domain to be desired, for that voracious land grabber, the Bishop of Baieux, took possess on thereof, and handed to his faithful henchman, Hugo de Montford, who held the whole of it, a part being his own domain, on which were employed 15 villiens, and the other portion was let for cultivation to 12 borderers, that is, labourers dwelling in their own huts on the land. The land then was mostly waste or arable, there being but six acres of meadow. The woodland was scarce, being only sufficient to afford a run for ten hogs, which fed on beech nuts and acorns. There were then in the parish one church and four mills, so that the Normans took in hand a fairly prosperous going concern, but the Norman yoke tending to check prosperity, the population of Ewell and its values in taxes grew loss after the Conquest. A hundred years later, when the Knights Templars suddenly grew to be a power in the land, they sought a site for a house in this vicinity, and their choice was evidently influenced by the beautiful spring which they saw at the head of the Dover valley. Just above it, on the high ground to the west, they built their house, where King John, after coming off second best in his quarrel with Rome, Archbishop Langton surrendered his crown to the Pope’s Legate. That notorious act will always keep Ewell on the pages of history, for ignoble though it was, it directly led to two great national movements, one which ended in the signing of Magna Charta, and the other in the Reformation. It may be mentioned in passing, that Dover and Swingfield also claim the doubtful honour of being the place where King John resigned his crown, but; the weight of historical evidence is in favour of Ewell. Ewell, in other periods, presents no features calling for special notice. According to Hasted’s opinion, it was not a very attractive place a hundred years ago. He describes it as “unfertile, the soil being for the most part a hard chalk, the rest a cludgey, unproductive red earth, mixed with quantities of sharp flint stone.” He adds, “The houses in this village are little more than cottages, being most of them but meanly built of flint, a great part of them in a very ruinous condition, and it is far from being pleasantly situated.” We cannot agree with Hasted as to the situation, but probably the trees which now adorn the surroundings had not then been planted.

Ewell of To-day.

Leaving the region of history, and coming to Ewell of to-day, we have to do with a thriving and growing village, which is rapidly becoming a suburb of Dover. What the fluctuations of Ewell may have been as regards its population in times past, cannot be accurately stated, but during the latter part of the Nineteenth Century its increase seems to have been steady, though slow. In the year 1831 tie population numbered 310; thirty years later, in 1801, it had increased to 429; in 1871 the return was 557; twenty years later, in 1891, it was 500; and in April, 1901, it was 608. There are no special industries at Ewell, and its growth is mainly due to its residential attractions and the facilities afforded by the railway for communication with Dover. To the casual observer, much of Ewell is not visible. In passing along the pleasantly shaded road beyond the Railway Bell, the north-east side rises abruptly, is well wooded, and pleasant looking residences can be seen amongst the trees; but here and there are sloping roads branching off, and following these we find that there are two other roads on the upper level, parallel with the London-road, where there are detached residences with ample gardens and pleasant lawns, and proceeding further in the direction of Whitfield there is a promise of further extension, a large pleasant field, with a southern aspect, sheltered from northern winds by woods, is in the market as building land. More northward, this upper ground on the Whitfield side is intersected by winding roads, which find their way back into the main thoroughfare, the whole forming a very pleasant part of Ewell. This desirable place of residence in the past has had a drawback in the form of the water difficulty, but that is now overcome by the laying on of a supply from the Martin Waterworks. The older part of Ewell may be said to commence where the milestone registers 61 miles to London, 12 to Canterbury, and 3 to Dover. A little beyond that is the Post Office, kept by Mr. Keleey, and the cross road leading to Ewell-street. Here is the George and Dragon on the main road, a little further towards the church is the Fox Inn, and round the corner facing the stream is the Donkey Inn. For a population of 600, public houses are rather more than the demand would support, were it not for the fact, that visitors from Dover are numerous and thirsty. The cottages of Ewell are, as they were a hundred years ago, many of them old, but as a rule they are in good repair. The new houses which have recently been built are mainly of the villa class, and there is a prospect of more, a building site and a new road having been recently laid out above the London-road off one of the thoroughfares leading towards Whitfield. There is plenty more scope for building in this direction, and we fear that in the near future the introduction of bricks and motar will spoil some very pleasant and romantic walks above the George and Dragon, but we trust the enterprising builder will spare the allotment ground up there, which the working men of Ewell are cultivating to great advantage, owing to the pleasing rivalry inspired by the Cottage Gardeners' Society and its annual show.

Houses and Land.

The houses in Ewell now number 141 dwelling houses, 3 public houses, 5 shops, 1 slaughter house, one forge, one laundry, and one mill. The land, consisting of 1,001 acres, is divided into 37 separate holdings, without counting gardens. The largest single holding of land is 133 acres. About 200 acres of the parish is woodland. The principal owners of property are Mr. Henry Coleman, Mr. T. W. Watson, Mr. G. C. Holland, Mr. F. Boughton, Mr. R. Garlett, Mr. R. Philpott, Miss A. Holland, Earl of Guilford, and Mr. W. H. Smith. The holdings altogether number 180, and out of that number it appears that about 20 are their own landlords. The rateable value of the parish is £3,320.

A Visit to Waters End.

For correct information, there is nothing more satisfactory than going to the fountain head. The fountain head of the river Dour lies only some 600 yards above Stanley’s flour mill. No sooner does this river spring from its mother earth than the miller treasures up its infantile strength, guiding it through sluices down a viaduct to the overshot wheel, which the young giant manually turns as soon as he leaves his cradle. Few streams begin to work so early, and Miss Horsley, in her paper on the Dour, truly remarks that “the Dour does more in its short course than many another rushing, rapid and wide stream in other parts of England.” The watercourse above the millwheel passes a group of cottages in what may be termed “the Donkey district,” where the stream is spanned by a footbridge. A path on the left bank affords the opportunity of following the stream, which is clear as crystal and rapid in its flow. About 300 yards above the mill-wheel is the sluice through which this pellucid water leaps and dances. Above the sluice is a mere some 300 yards long and about 40 yards wide, in which the water rises from several distinct sources, and the surface is covered with green weed, excepting here and there passages made by the coots and moorhens which disport themselves there. Close to the margin of the mere is a path which at the waters end joins the road from the highway to Temple Farm. There is an iron gate on this path, which, although open, suggests the idea that it is not absolutely a public right of way. If that be so, it is very desirable that steps should be taken to secure the public right in perpetuity. As to the quantity and quality of the water that rises at Watersend, we made some enquiries. Its quantity cannot very well be judged, because it varies continually. Now that July is advancing the springs are falling off, and they will continue to do so till the close of the summer, November being the time when the fresh supplies begin to bubble in. The falling off varies according to the dryness of the spring and summers. Last year, the first time for a generation, the springs entirely failed, and the mere was quite dry. Whether that arose from the shortness of the previous rainfall or from the Folkestone Waterworks tapping the source is not yet demonstrated. The quality of the Ewell water is remarkable, not only for its purity, but for its warmth at the spring heads, and it is believed to possess some medicinal value.

Ewell Church and its Story.

From the Watersend stream it is but a short distance to the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, which, standing on the western slope, overlooks the village. This is certainly the most ancient building in the place, and it was just below it apparently that the dwellings were erected to form the first Ewell habitations. We noticed nothing about the architecture of the Church to prove its antiquity, but its origin was in Saxon times. The Normans found a Church here, and there has been one over since. In the Norman time it was appropriated to the Order of Knights Templars, and when they were suppressed by the Knights Hospitaliers of St. John were their successors until the days of Henry VIII, when the patronage of the Church went with the ownership of Ewell Manor, and is now in the gift of Mr. T. W. Watson, the owner of Temple Farm. The Church, which was restored at a cost of £2200 in 1874, is in an excellent state of repair, and the Churchyard is kept in good order. The burial place of the village has few monuments that possess any special interest. The oldest inscriptions that we could decipher are of the year 1752, but there are others that look older which we could not read, the natural desire for a perpetuation of memory being frustrated by a heap of flints being in one case piled against the inscriptions, and in another case by the gradual rising of the surface. One monument struck us as passing strange, it being in memory of a little boy of six years, who was killed by being driven over by a chaise, and on this is engraved “The mother of the murdered sleepeth, but the mother of the murderer sleepeth not.” Over a soldier’s grave there is a stone which states that the deceased, Richard Usher, of the 26th Regiment, was killed at Marquise in France on 11th October, 1822, by the accidental discharge of a gun, and beneath are these lines:

While sad remembrance prompts the tear,

Religion’s sweetest hopes arise.

That they who once were happy here

May meet again beyond the skies.

An Educational Centre.

Ewell has long been known as an educational centre. From time to time many seminaries have flourished here, and at the present time Malvern House Academy, presided over by Mr. R. H. Hammond, J.P., has a reputation for preparing young gentlemen for the Army, Navy, and other professions. The elementary school at Ewell is a model of its kind, affording accommodation for 128 children. It is under the control of Mr. French, who, in addition to the ordinary subjects, imparts technical training under the auspices of the Kent County Council. For many years this school was the special care of the late Vicar, the Rev. J. Turnbull, and his successor, the Rev. F. Mann, in that respect follows his example.

Ewell as a Pleasure Resort.

There is no place more favoured by Dover visitors than Ewell. Many like to go there by train and wander about its pleasant walks and a carriage trip up Crabble Hill and back down the Lower Road is a popular and interesting drive. At no distant date both the carriages and the railway may be superseded as far as visitors are concerned by the extension of the Dover electric tramway, which no doubt will ultimately include Ewell, Kearsney, and River in its circuit.