c1928. Photo Sevenoaks Society ArchivesNovember 12th marked the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the original predecessor of The Sevenoaks Society. At a well-attended meeting in Sevenoaks’ Club Hall in 1924, led by local dignitaries and presided by Lord Sackville, it was unanimously agreed that a new organisation be established, to be called the Sevenoaks and District Housing and Town Planning Association. It was to be impartial, non-political and civic-minded, working with but free from the local authorities and other bodies involved in town planning and the provision of housing. Its primary aims were to stimulate public interest and to educate and organise public opinion on these matters - and to act proactively on behalf of the community where necessary. Within two years, its membership had risen to 310.
Over its years, as well as raising issues of concern with the authorities, responding to various drafts of the local Town Plan, and prompting the building of new houses for eventual sale to tenants, the Association hosted talks by eminent speakers such as the internationally renowned architect and urban designer Lord Abercrombie.
The issues arising then, and where the Association sought to exercise influence, are remarkably similar to those of today and to which The Sevenoaks Society directs its attention. In its first year, there was uncertainty about the new Government (which had won by a landslide - from Labour to Conservative!) and the consequences for local planning. Concerns were expressed about a wide range of matters, amongst them proposals that could damage the character and beauty of the High Street; the impact of the motor car (congestion, the lack of parking and the need for safeguards to ensure the safety of school-children and pedestrians); the “ill-conceived” plan to drive a by-pass through Knole Park; and the urgent requirement for affordable housing. It started work on a survey of the area’s ancient monuments and pressed for protection of its trees. A major success in 1927/8, an initiative spear-headed by the Association, was the saving from demolition of the High Street’s historic Bligh’s Hotel. (Now the Oak Tavern and Tap-house).
Apart from the hiatus of the intervening war years, a continuous line can be traced from the Association to our own Sevenoaks Society. Acknowledging the main focus of its efforts, in 1930 it changed its name to The Sevenoaks Town Planning Association. In 1944 it recommended the creation of a Sevenoaks and District Civic Society and this in turn was replaced in 1952 by The Sevenoaks Preservation Society: the immediate forerunner of the Society of today.
It’s intended that a more detailed article will appear in the next edition of the magazine, covering the transformational years of the 1920s, the controversial plans to modernise the High Street, and new revelations of the history of Bligh’s in this time - including its spell as teetotal public house and how the iconic 16th century building was saved from destruction.
c1928. Photo Sevenoaks Society Archives
“They may have knocked down the wall and ruined the garden, but don’t worry Mr Chairman - they won’t get any further. As you instructed, we’ve sabotaged the bulldozers and bribed the workers”.
Keith Wade
