Other Notes

Ghost Bridges

Albert Shaw was, for many years until his retirement in September 1965, foreman at Slack & Brownlow Filters. A company that once occupied a factory on the land that is now the retail park. He moved to 39 Mill Crescent in the 1920’s and it remained his home for more than 50yrs, long after his retirement. At some point during his working life, he built a footbridge across the Mill Stream to shorten his journey to work! Although metal poles of the bridge can still seen on both sides of the water, the bridge is long gone. But, until 2020, the presence of the bridge was still evident on Ordnance Survey maps.

In 2019 a further bridge appeared on the latest OS map with no explanation. Both have now been deleted from future maps.

The Mackley Family

The Mackley Family have an association to Mill Crescent that can be traced back to 1901. George Jnr. went on to become a world-renowned artist, MBE and arguably the Crescents most eminent ever resident. Throughout his life, George remained influenced by his love of the water and memories of being brought up on the banks of the Mill Stream.

Soon after starting his teaching career at a school in Sheerness, Sheppey, perhaps early 1920’s George bought a sailing dinghy. With the assistance of two siblings who travelled overnight to meet him, the boat anchored in the harbour, was boarded by wading through the shallow water at low tide and then catching the rising tide, they set sale for home. It turned out to be an adventurous voyage from the estuary to its new headquarters on the Mill Stream. The crew experienced adverse currents and slept on board the boat overnight as they were unable to traverse the mud flats to reach shore. The next morning, they had to up anchor and beat a hasty retreat to avoid an approaching string of barges. Having eaten seasoaked bread, and raisins that had become flavoured with paraffin, the boat was safely moored, at the bottom of the garden of their home in Mill Crescent.

Writing to an artist friend George says ‘Having been brought up on the banks of a mill stream in Kent, where we had a mill for a neighbour and the constant rumble of wooden gear wheels with us, I am always interested in such subjects . . . . I find it hard it very difficult to avoid including boats and water in my designs and engravings . . . I never seem to reach the point when I have exhausted my interest in the old familiar things . . . I was brought up on the banks of a mill stream and was fascinated by water. We have fallen into it, cycled into it, been in boats which have capsized in it and entered the water when a boat sank’

‘The Mill’ also known as ‘Broken Willow’ is undoubtedly influenced by the weather boarded mill buildings, that once stood only yards from his home.