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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.
Some of the members of |
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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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