King John's Lodge on Kingston Way?

Does anyone remember?

What happened to King John’s Lodge?

The map of 1938 still shows the old school on Church Road, but with additions, and in the gap between it and the Hart Road cottages stands Pond’s shop on Pond’s Corner. Behind it a large tract of land with a house supplied some of the produce for sale in the shop. The Welfare Centre is shown just south of the school and the King John’s Lodge is still marked as a considerable building to the west of Kenneth Road. When was King John’s demolished? By 1953 a bungalow stood on the corner of Kingston Way and Foxmeadows instead. Kingston House stands at the end of Kingston Way.

Apart from the Church, Rectory and the School to the north, in 1890 King John’s was the only building(s) in the area with a garden and an orchard and Coombe Wood reached, as well as south to Kiln Road, to the east to Kenneth Road.  

Does anyone remember anything about this, apart from what is mentioned by the Rev. Maley in his book? By 1938 there ought to be some photographic record? 

In the pursuit of Thundersley and Daws Heath history Roger Allen has kindly allowed me to scan maps of the area. 

King John's 1938
Roger Allen
King John's 1890
Roger Allen

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  • I am researching my relative Winifred Warren Foster (great aunt.)
    As you can see from the link {https://bit.ly/330ogsB } they lived in St John’s House until at least 1941, and maybe beyond when her husband died. The comment was that hopefully she stayed living in the house. I know she died 1968 and I will hopefully find out where she was living then.

    By oliver stovin (25/04/2021)
  • I seem to remember walking down the lane in that area where there were horse chestnut trees to collect conkers and further down near the house were horses and stables. I am not sure if it was a riding school or private stables.

    By Carol Powley[Southward] (09/08/2020)
  • What happened to the Gordon Smiths, who lived in Kingston House before you? Between 1964 and 1969, I lived in the bungalow at 1 Foxmeadows and was friends with Bruce Gordon Smith and his elder brother, who was a doctor.

    By KEITH C ESSEX (23/07/2020)
  • Kingston House was my family home from 1973 until about 1983. I lived there with my parents and four brothers and sisters. We were told that the houses in Fox Meadows were built on the site of an old house which I assume must have been the lodge. If anyone has any information about Kingston House I would be very grateful. Growing up we were told that it had been used for convalescing WW1 soldiers.

    By Julie Booroff (11/11/2013)

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