SNODLAND
(my kinda town!!)
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"When a
man is tired of Snodland,
it is half past two in the afternoon"
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First of all I hear you ask
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where is Snodland?
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Well let me tell you and also a
little bit about this thriving metropolis!! Then to quench your thirst for
even more information you can click on the links button for an abundance
of useless
useful brain fodder about good old Snoddy.
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Snodland
- home of the brave,
land of the free,
home of the wondrously insane
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Our town (for it became a town from being a large village, some years
ago), lies snugly on the sunny West bank of the River Mudway
Medway and is a natural haven for weary travellers as they make
their way from the beauty spot that is Strood to the quaint and old
fashioned M20.
So what I hear you ask has Snodland given to the world? What has put
Snodland on the international map?
Well I'll tell you about just a few (in no particular order) to whet
your appetite. |
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Two of our most famous
sons are
Thomas Fletcher Waghorn and Judge Dread.
Thomas Waghorn pioneered the overland route to India, whilst Judge
Dread pioneered the banned BBC record. The overland route to bring
tea back from India was discovered long before the thought of the Suez
Canal and cut days off the time spent sailing around Africa.
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Judge Dread hit the headlines by having his record "Big Six"
instantly banned by the BBC for being too risky. This of course gained him
instant success, notoriety, fame and a number 11. He followed up this
little ditty with "Big Seven", "Big Eight", etc. etc.
He also had success with a couple of albums on which there were always
references to Snodland. Latterly the Judge turned to DJing but remained a
big star in Germany and Japan. Sadly he died in 1998 doing what he did
best - performing on stage at Canterbury, Kent. |
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It is said by many
that those dastard Romans in AD43 did land on the North Kent Coast and
travel down to Snodland to cross the River Medway. Here they did
encounter our brave and fearless, if not naive, forefathers who got a
severe hiding from the Romans and retreated with their tails between
their legs to Colchester (fun spot of Essex). A large stone has been
recently erected to commemorate this battle, said to be the first of
the Roman invasions, on the bank opposite Snodland.
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We are the proud owners of a
rather splendid clock tower that has a rare type of mechanism.
Don't
ask me what this is but there is a book available in Snodland that
gives you the whole history and details of the clock.
The original buildings around the tower have housed over the years a school, a
film studio
(only the Second World War stopped Snodland becoming
Britain's Hollywood!), a glass blowing factory and a kitchen
manufacturer.
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Unfortunately in 1998, much to the disgust of
the local people, the site was cleared, save for the clock tower, to make way for houses.
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The very first
Policeman killed on duty happened
in August 1873 in Snodland.
PC Israel May was murdered by a vagrant
who was imprisoned for twenty years
(as it was considered
unintentional). Again this story is well documented in a book
available in the town. or you can read more at the Snodland
Historical Society
site on the links page.
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For over 10
years now the Snodland Chamber of Commerce has
produced Town Talk a the quarterly magazine with entertaining
and informative articles about local people and |
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places.
Originally
distributed as a single sheet flyer it has quickly grown
into a 40 page publication widely read not just all over
Snodland and Halling but world-wide as well.
Any body can
catch the latest edition by logging on to
www.town-talk.net
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"THE DRIFTERS"
COME TO TOWN
In July 2007 the Snodland
Chamber of Commerce, under the "Town Talk"
banner, organised the biggest entertainment festival
ever staged in Snodland. 40 plus events were staged
over a two week period catering for all ages and
tastes. Headlining at the festival "Picnic in the
Park" event were soul legends The Drifters.
It was a fantastic
fortnight thoroughly enjoyed by thousands of people
and really showed what Snodland can offer. It also
benefited so many local clubs and organisations who
put on most of the shows |
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No more!! No
more!! you cry. When will all this stop. Well here
actually.
I'm sure
now that you are now in need of a slight rest from all
this
Snodland litany.
Or possible you want even more!
Why not
come and visit us. Take in all that is wonderful about
our fair
town including the
Snodland Museum where there are housed many wide and
wonderful artefacts from life in Snodland over the
centuries. Or click on the
links button that
takes you to other Snodland based sites. Happy surfing
(and that's available in Snodland too - wind surfing
at Leybourne Lakes) and we look
forward to hearing
any comments you might like to make to
snoddy@homeandhobby.co.uk
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