The Story of the DETLING POST OFFICE

Detling was provided with a postal service a few years after the adoption of the Penny Post for the whole country came into effect after 1840. As this was before the age of the motor car, or even the bicycle, the only means of getting the post between Maidstone and Detling was horse and wheel transport. Although the Sittingbourne road between the Chiltern Hundreds and Key Street had been made a Turnpike Road, this only meant in practice that the larger pot-holes were filled in with stones and rubble and ground level enough by the carts and wagons to give them passage. The road between the Chiltern Hundreds and the village was particularly hazardous, being deep in mud in the wet winters and in dust in the dry summers. So the only person in the village, who could be sure of getting post to and from Detling and Maidstone daily was the wheelwright and whose business in the village was active and flourishing until well into this century. Here ploughs and all other wooden farm machinery with all-kinds of wooden transport from heavy wagons to pony carts were not only repaired, but also built on the premises. Therefore Mr.Thomas Reynolds, wheelwright master became the first sub-postmaster to the village, and was succeeded after some twenty years by Mr. James White, also wheelwright and postmaster.

By 1899, the post office business had increased so much that Mr. White had the assistance of a Miss Elisa Smith as sub-postmistress.

The Parish Council, from its establishment in 1895, took an active interest in the Post Office. In 1998 they wrote to the Post Master in Maidstone asking for a post-box at the top of Detling Hill; not being successful with him, they then wrote to the General Post Office in London, but again without result.

In 1900, the Chairman at the Parish Council Meeting, drew the attention of members to “the long hours required by the Post Office from the Detling Postmistress, Mistress Smith, namely 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Sundays.” After discussion, they decided unanimously that application be made to the Post Office authorities in London that the post office be open daily on weekdays for business from 10 a.m. to 6.30 p.m.; no other alternations whatever on Sundays or in posting and delivery.

In October 1902, a proposal was put before the Parish Council that the Detling post office should be closed for business, sale of stamps and postal orders, etc on Thursday evenings at 6.30 pm, leaving the letter box open for the reception of letters. This proposal was carried unanimously and the Clerk directed to write to the post master at Maidstone to this effect. It appears from this, that Mr White had been keeping his post office for business on every day of the week until a late hour.

Some four years later, James White was replaced by Mr George Weatherley. Mr White had been wheelwright and postmaster for 20 years, but with the appointment of Mr Weatherley, the connection between the wheelwright and the post office was broken. No doubt, because it was no longer essential.

The great improvement in the condition of the roads and the coming of the bicycle made it no longer essential to use the pony and cart for the delivery and collection of the post. Mr Weatherley lived in Vine Cottage and the post office was moved to his house and as Mr Weatherley was Clerk of the Parish Council, the close relationship between Parish Council and post office continue.

During the First World War, when so many of the men were in the Armed Forces, women for the firs time came to undertake jobs previously carried out by men, Mrs Rennick, who is still living in retirement in Maidstone, described how she became involved in the postal service.

“During World War 1, the postman lived in East Court Cottage and had to join up, so Mrs Eatherley asked me if I could do it till he returned. I said “yes.” I had to be down at the P.O by 7 am to sort letters, etc and sway I would go down to Hockers Lane Farm, Mr Naylor lived there then, back up the village along to the Croft and Croft-side and two more close by, then along to Thurnham, to Aldington, Cobham, up Coldblow Hill House, there on to Coldblow Farm to Coldharbour to Little Budds, to Friningham, back on main road to clear Maple-Bar letter-box, then down to PO again. S ame each evening. I walked miles and miles and was so happy, raids or no raids. I was walking up the hill to go home. All of a sudden a picket was on duty, it was too dark to see one another. He shouted, “Halt, who goes there, friend or foe.” I shouted back, “Friend.” He came to me and said, “What are you doing, all alone on a dark night like this.” So I told him. “Gosh,” he said, “You are very plucky,” Luckily, Mr Winch the postman came back."

In 1924, Ernest Rogers took over a newly established motor engineering business and at the same time became the sub-postmaster. No doubt, its association with the motor car at that time was as convenient for the conveyance of post as the association with the wheelwright had been in earlier years. In later years, the post office was transferred from the garage to the grocer’s shop.

In 1923, it was proposed that a telephone should be installed at the post office, this was to be on the basis that the post office would make some grant towards the cost and that the Parish Council would meet any deficit out of the rates. The Parish Council felt that it was desirable that there should be a telephone at the post office and as they felt that there was to be considerable use of the telephone, it was more than likely there would be no deficit, they agreed, though only a majority, to meet any deficit.

But they were too optimistic; in fact, there were deficiencies in the years following. In 1926, the Parish Council met specially to consider a demand from the Post Office for £8 6s 3d. The Council thereupon wrote to the manager of the Post Office “and explain the unfair way the Post Office telephone had been treated, which was the cause of the deficiency.” But the Postmaster General did not accept this argument and threatened legal proceedings, so they paid up by cheque at once.

When Sidney Brown, the postman in the years immediately preceding the Second World War, was called up for military service, his wife, Mrs Mille Brown took over from him, dealing with collection and distribution of post throughout the whole village including the most distant farms, by bicycle in all weathers. Sidney’s working day consisted of cycling to the Maidstone Post Office in the early morning to collect the morning mail. In the mornings he delivered the post including parcels to every household below the hill. In the later afternoon collected the village post and took it by bicycle into Maidstone to connect with the night train to London. The village then had two deliveries a day.

During nearly a century and a half of its existence, the Post Office has, with the Church and the School, been the third unifying factor in the life of the village community. It has been not only the centre of our postal service, but also the centre for local distribution of news and information and for many purposes has been an advisory service for the village.

It is were to go, and all small village post offices are now under threat of closure, we should be one stage nearer to the break-up of the village community.

Post offices are now judged solely by the amount of business they do, so every item helps. If, therefore, you draw any form of pension or allowance, please collect it weekly in cash at the post office, and please give the post office every item of business you can.

This article has been kindly donated by the Detling Society. For further information on the Detling Society please click here