downsmail.co.uk
Drawing raises new questions on location
OUR story about the painting of the Six Bells Inn has got people talking. A pencil drawing, clearly titled
Ye Olde Six Bells, Bearsted, was brought in to our Bearsted office by Steve Harbottle, from Downswood. The print has hung on his wall
for 25 years after he bought it in The Midlands. He was fascinated by our story. The former lorry driver trawled
stores across the country while waiting for his vehicle to be un- loaded, and said: “I found it in a junk shop and because it was of Bearsted I bought it for a pound, and it’s been on thewall ever since.” He believed the property – drawn from a slightly different angle –was inWare Street, andwas
also an inn. He took it along to the then owner of Stocks House, who agreed the likenesswas striking. Mr Harbottle said: “The owner
had no knowledge of it being a pub, although he said it couldwell have been because of items he found while restoring it. He said the oldest part had been a post of- fice.” Mr Harbottle’s pencil drawing is
by an E Petheram and is dated 1926. He added: “I’m not arguing the
fact that it may have been in Hollingbourne, but I’m100 per cent certain it’s the same house in the picture.”
Perhaps the artists were good at painting, but geographically chal- lenged?
Another call, however, suggests
they may have had an issue with spelling, too. Rosemary Pollock (83) from Hollingbourne, has a picture of the Six Bells, Bearsted, but hers is signed HAllington. She believes there is no dispute
that the property is in Holling- bourne, close to the church, and is probably by Helen Allingham. She said: “It would be extraordi-
nary for someone to be painting the same scene in the same period with only a slightly different name.”
Steve Harbottle It certainly seems that the scene
or a photograph of it made a great subject for more than one artist. If you have any information
about the Six Bells Inn email
dawn@downsmail.co.uk.
Residents hoping to bring picture home Continued from page one
auction in Fernhurst,West Sussex but decided it was too expensive. The painting did not reach its estimate but a telephone bidder was in negotiations with the seller as DownsMail went to press. The Sharpington’s made an unsuccessful attempt to buy the original when they first moved to the former pub – now known as Six Bells Cottage – in Upper Street, four years ago. They had already been approached by former residents and villagers keen to tell them their stories about the property’s history. Mrs Sharpington said: “We understand it was built in 1359.
of the building, which took its name from the nearby church – the only one in the area with a six-bell peal. The Grade II listed building
was re-moulded by the previous owner in 2007 andMr and Mrs Sharpington became its newest owners in 2011. Mrs Sharpington said: “I fell in
Since then, it’s been an ale house, a sweet shop and flats. It’s been home to many different people and for many different uses, which iswhatmakes it so interesting.” It was a pub until at least 1905 when a fire destroyed a large part
love with the place as soon as I saw it. There is little now to suggest it was an old ale house, but the house and Hollingbourne is a wonderful place to live.” It was in the Downs Mail that
the couple first read that the painting was to go under the hammer and it was the auctioneer who offered an explanation as to
why the picturewas entitled The Six Bells at Bearsted. Mrs Sharpinton said: “He told
us that Helen Allinghamwas staying with artistic friends in Bearsted and mistakenly believed that the house she discovered to paint nearbymust also have been in Bearsted, although it was Hollingbourne.” The couple have prints of
Helen Allingham’s two paintings of the house – from different angles – but it was Greg who took part in the auction by phone before pulling out. His wife said: “It does rather
feel like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but it is a lot of money.”
Hospital report ‘poor quality’ Triathlete Pam
THE damning report on Maidstone Hospital issued by the Care Qual- ity Commission (CQC) has now come under attack by the NHS West Kent Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), led by local GPs. The report had already been strongly criticised by KCC and Maidstone Borough Cllr Dan Daley, who is closely associated with local health bodies, and Den- nis Fowle, chairman of Maidstone Action for Services in Hospital (MASH). They felt the report lacked qual-
ity and did not fairly reflect the standards in Maidstone Hospital. NowtheCCGhas taken theCQC
to task through NHS England on two key points: The CQC was concerned there was not a consultant obstetrician
present when a woman attending A&E (for a non-maternity matter) gave birth. The CCG says this fails to recog-
nise that the Maidstone site does not have a consultant-led maternity service, nor that midwives from the midwife-led birthing unit sup- ported the mother in giving birth. Itwas not reasonable for theCQC
to expect all sites with an A&E to have a consultant-led maternity
Village clean-up
LENHAM’S autumn clean-up, organised by the parish council is from 9-11am on Saturday,Oc- tober 11. For details, call parish clerk Margo McFarlane on 01622 859682.
service as this would not be sup- ported by best practice models of care for maternity services. The CQC also said there was not always a consultant paediatri- cian on site at Maidstone. TheCCG said this again conflicted with the services model for children’s serv- ices that has been implemented by Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust across its sites. This service model was designed to meet best practice models for chil- dren’s services. Mr Fowle, who raised the issue at
a CCG meeting, said: “The CQC has a great responsibility to ensure its reports are fair and accurate and do not unfairly damage confidence in local NHS services. “I have always felt this was a poor quality report.”
boosts bells
FANCY taking part in a triathlon – at the age of 70? Undaunted by the prospect, and
game for a challenge, Pam Nash, from PilgrimsWay, Hollingbourne, agreed to compete in her first triathlon to help raise money to re- pair the bells at her local church. Mrs Nash, a bell ringer at All
Saints’Church in Hollingbourne had to swim 750m, run 5k and cycle more than 21k. She completed theHSBCtriathlon
at Dorney Lake in Berkshire, in an impressive two hours, 57 minutes and 51 seconds. Pam celebrated her 60th birthday
by cycling from Land’s End to John O’Groats with her husband Bill. She can be sponsored at Christo-
pher’s Village Shop in Eyhorne Street.
Maidstone East October 2014 39
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