Kentish Express Ashford & District
Now that’s what you call big news!
A Kentish Express reader was surprised to discover a copy of the newspaper from the 19th century under a floorboard in a house in Charing.
Nathan Kirby, from Appledore, handed in the paper to our newsroom after he found it in a house in Station Road while working with Hurstscape building contractors.
Mr Kirby was stripping the wallpaper of a room where electricians had removed the floorboards and came across the paper when clearing up.
The edition, dated Saturday, July 8 1899 is older than any living person in Britain and remains in almost perfect condition, with only slight water damage.
In 1899, the Kentish Express cost one penny, the equivalent of 1/240th of a pound sterling today.
The edition features a selection of advertisements which cost six pence for 15 words, and news and sport from villages around Ashford much like the paper today.
Many of the articles could easily be mistaken for recent events if it weren’t for the old-fashioned language used.
One entitled ‘School Reunions’ read: “Notwithstanding the fact that the weather was by no means all that could be desired the first meeting of the Ashford Grammar School Old Boys, under the auspices of the Old Ashfordians’ Association, which was held on Saturday, was a great success.”
One of the standout headlines highlights the prominence of Ashford in the past as a market town, stating that: “Wet weather and high winds damage corn, but improve other crops.”
Another story named ‘School Treat’ notes a fete held by a Sunday school, adding: “Various games were indulged in till four o’clock, when tea was served, the children being waited upon by an indefatigable band of teachers.
“It was computed that between eleven and twelve hundred children together with close upon a thousand adults, were present.”
The front page of the paper in those days was strikingly different with no photographs and tiny text.
What do you think? Write to Kentish Express, 34-36 North Street, Ashford, TN24 8JR or email kentishexpress@thekmgroup.co.uk