Putting Local History on Display

St Mary’s Church, Chilham, houses a number of fascinating archives, some relating to the church and others to the local community's history. Early in 2026, the Friends of St Mary’s funded storage shelving in the Old School Room so these papers could be preserved safely and securely. During the installation work, it became clear just how interesting much of this material is, and the Friends decided to fund an exhibition station so selected items could be displayed for visitors to enjoy.

Our first exhibition features material from the archives of the Chilham Cottage Gardeners' Mutual Improvement Society. The minutes begin with a meeting held at the Woolpack Inn on Monday, 28 April 1879, recorded in beautiful copperplate script. Two weeks later, on 5 May, Mr Charles Hardy agreed to become president, and the society went on to meet fortnightly at the Woolpack Inn with a committee of four officers and ten members.

The records quickly show how active and competitive the society was. On 19 May, it organised a competition for the best three sticks of rhubarb, with prizes of 2 shillings, 1 shilling, and 6 pence, judged by Messrs Newing and Riddle. After the prizes were awarded, members discussed the growth and cultivation of rhubarb, including planting, manuring, rearing, and preserving, and a competition for the best three cabbages was arranged for the next meeting.on 16th May. It’s clear from these records that the

Chilham Cottage Gardeners were fiercely competitive.

One especially moving note appears at the top of an otherwise blank page, dated 18 December 1939, noting that no meetings were held in September, October, or November due to the outbreak of the Second World War.

Meeting records resumed on 15 January 1940, but by January and February 1943 attendance had fallen away, and it was decided to suspend meetings until January 1944, then again until January 1945.

The next entry is dated 7 November 1952, when a public meeting in Chilham Village Hall proposed and agreed to reform the society as The Chilham Gardeners Society, with a new committee assembled. From there, the minutes record regular meetings and a full programme of events. By May 1975, the elegant Victorian copperplate script had given way to the ballpoint pen, but the society was still active and going strong.

This is only the first instalment from the archives, and further items will be put on display at the beginning of September. These records offer a vivid glimpse into local life, shared interests, and community spirit across nearly a century of Chilham’s history.

Tony Webb, Secretary, Friends of St Mary’s Church, Chilham