Hidden gems from 60s added to archive

In the last few months, I have been lucky enough to massively expand my photographic archive of old Ashford through generous support and donations of pictures.

Those depicting the town of 150 years ago right through to the 1950s and 60s have been donated in colossal amounts and feature a wide cross-section of the town, its businesses, its streets and its people.

Much of the material that has been uncovered had lay hidden for generations where other material had been forgotten about.

I am always so grateful and humbled by the generosity of individuals over the years. Sadly some of those who made such kind gestures are no longer with us.

For me, there’s quite a pattern of thought when it comes to pictures of old Ashford.

One often thinks that the material and the donations have dried up and that there are no more to be found but no sooner than you think this, even more turn up.

A discovery in recent times has seen more than 200 black and white old 120 format negatives found in a box of old camera equipment depicting the town in 1962 and 1963.

I have meticulously scanned many of them at high resolution and I am thrilled with the excellent quality and, above all, the phenomenally nostalgic content.

They are also extremely rare images.

This week, Remember When looks at a trio of these splendid images which were taken by the late Bryan Sales who worked in the surveyors’ department for the old Ashford Urban District Council.

The pictures taken in 1963 and were taken for survey purposes, during the infancy of plans to alter the town.

Many of the locations and businesses/streets featured in the pictures no longer exist.

Many thanks to Sylvia and Sid Marsh for their continued kindness and support.

Do you have any photographs or slides of old Ashford you would be willing to loan me to enable them to be scanned for a possible feature in an upcoming edition of the Kentish Express? Please don’t delay, feel free to get in touch.

Write to me: Steve Salter, Kentish Express Remember When, Unit 4, Park Mall Shopping Centre, Ashford, Kent, TN24 8RY.

Email me: rememberwhen_ kmash@hotmail.co.uk

Follow me on Twitter: @SteveKMAshford.

Or you can also leave a telephone message for me by calling the Kentish Express office in the Park Mall on 01233 623232.

The once-familiar menswear department of Lewis Hyland & Co. (better known as Lewis and Hyland) at no.93 High Street with its period and beautiful shop front. The alley leading to Tufton Street and onto Godinton Road together with the entrance to Ashtower Warehouse Co. can be seen on the left. Again, like its neighbour, no.93 was also demolished for the shopping development. Lewis and Hyland together with its main store in New Rents, eventually took a large unit in the new centre