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The Malt House
Originally this was five cottages alleged to have been built
in the 14th century. It has been extensively altered and converted
through the years but never entirely demolished.
It became a farmhouse, a guest house and a tea house.
For several years it was owned by a widow who later became Mrs.
Kerr Tyre, and she and her husband continued to live here for some
years after their marriage. They moved to Belfast as Mr. Tyre was
a manager of Shorts of Rochester who removed their Aeroplane Works
to Belfast after the 1939-1945 war. Mr. Brittain and family were
the next occupants, then Dr. W. Ewart Mahon who has recently
bought and restored Attwood Place. The present owner is C. G. D.
Onslow
An interesting entry copied from the Holywell
Park Estate accounts of 1804-1818 reads:- "Joseph Fletcher
received £8 annually from Ash Parish for the use of the Malt
House for brewing beer" – hence its name. Tea was 8d per
oz. at that time and home brewed beer was drunk at every meal by
working people. It cost about 4d per gallon, this would mean about
3s 0d of our money at the present time.
The Malt House
Idley Court
This house was built about 1701. The first owner was one Jeffrey
Hetherington, then came the Reverend William Hetherington. He was
followed by Thomas Coventry who passed away in 1815. The next year
it was acquired by Mordecai Andrew and it remained in that family
for nearly 80 years. For a time during that period it was occupied
by A. Phelps, son of the Rector of Ridley. He is recorded to
have been living there in 1860. It was then bought by Martha
Stoneham in 1890. |
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Some of the members of this family are
still in the neighbourhood. The present occupant is Robin G. W.
Farnell who has been there for the last 25 years.
About 1930 or a little later Idley Court was bought
by a land development company and the land was split up into small
holdings. Electricity has been installed in the house.
 
Idley Court Summer 1974
Ted Connell
Police House
A comparatively new feature of many of our villages is a Police
House. The one for this village was completed and occupied in 1957
and is really quite an attractive building. Prior to the erection
of this K.C.C. owned house, our local policeman lived in lodgings
and before that a privately owned house was rented for his
accommodation.
The Police House, Ash
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