KENT-ENG-L Archives

Archiver > KENT-ENG > 2001-11 > 1004824755


From: "Adrian C Whittaker" <>
Subject: Re: [Kent] RE: Star Street, Gravesend
Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2001 21:59:15 -0000
References: <002001c1648a$947d7940$6944fc3e@dan>


Hello Jeannette,

As it happens dear ol' Blinky took me to task on this since he had
identified that there was a Star(r) Street in Gravesend in the 18th Century.
As a result I had a bit more research to do - what follows is what I sent
him off-list, and you will find your pub mentioned. I have sent material on
the Gravesend area public houses to Stan & Rob of the pubs index including
the Clarence Tap, hopefully this should be added to their web-site in the
not-too-distant future. But there is also the Clarence Arms (still in
existence) - this would seem to be fairly close to the site of the former
Star Court. Problem is that according to our Historical Society experts the
Clarence Tap in Star Street was in use from 1841 to 1843, the Clarence Hotel
(and Tea Gardens) at 46 Windmill Street from 1832 to 1862, and the Clarence
Arms at 77 Windmill Street from 1880 to the present. I should be interested
to have more detail of your two birth certificates if you can oblige.

"I suppose it was always going to be unwise of me to say that Star Street
had
never existed in a town that goes back to Roman times, but I must admit that
in
the absence of any timescale in your orginal posting I had based my response
on
the past hundred and fifty years. But I've dug deeper following your note.

My Gravesend year books run from 1898 to 1953 and list all the streets in
the town. Star Street doesn't appear in them. I've also checked my original
1865 Ordnance Survey maps of the town, again no sign of Star(r) Street. I've
searched my Pocock history of the town, dating from the 1790s, again no
sign.

However, in Eric Green's history of the local pubs there is a reference to a
Bricklayers Arms public house in Star Street in 1843, so the street
obviously did exist at that time. However the pub ceased to exist shortly
afterwards, altho' there was a new pub with the same title that appeared at
16 Stone Street from 1853 to 1910. There is also a Clarence Tap public house
listed as being in Star Street, 1841-1843. Stone Street is close by the
central Gravesend railway station

Now I suspect that this gives us a clue. The South Eastern Railway built its
line through what is now the middle of Gravesend in the 1840s. From memory
the line opened in 1849. This may be why there doesn't appear to be any
trace of Star Street after that time.

Maps - the earliest Ordnance Survey large scale maps date from 1865. And,
as luck would have it, Alan Godfrey ( alangodfreymaps.co.uk ) have recently
reproduced one which covers the eastern 2/3rds of the town centre. Kent
sheet 10.07 as they describe it. Altho' this has been photographically
reduced in scale you may feel that its worth the £2.00 or so investment.
The station is shewn half way down the extreme left hand side.

Earlier maps exist, but they are usually small in scale or cartographically
less than wonderful. County Archives or County Libraries may be able to
assist, try - www.kent.gov uk "

Cheers,

Adrian C Whittaker, in Gravesend, Kent, searching for:-
FRAIL in 17th/18th C Herts/Bucks/Middx, but also anytime, anywhere, and
WHITTAKER in 18th/19th C Essex and 19th/20th C London.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeanette Tipping" <>
To: <>
Sent: Saturday, November 03, 2001 4:46 PM
Subject: [Kent] RE: Star Street, Gravesend


> I was interested in your reply as I also have the address of
> Star Street Gravesend on 2 birth certs dated 1855 and 1856.
> The address was the Clarence Tap, Star Street, [actually The
> Clarence according to Pubs and Taverns Index]. Although I
> can see how the hand written abbreviation for Court [Ct.]
> could be mistaken for Street [St.]
>
> Jeanette
>
>
> >Star Street has never existed in Gravesend, almost
> certainly you mean Star Court. This was a row of four
> >clap-boarded cottages off Clarence Street just on the south
> side of the town centre to the east of Windmill >Street, and
> to the north of Clarence Place.
>
> ______________________________

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