BADSELL MANOR

The whole family crossed the bridge and bundled in through the front door, pushing and shoving. The children were all in high spirits after walking into Paddock Wood to see the opening of the railway station. There were screams and shouts as they yelled in excitement.

 

'Now calm down all of you,’ Ann Playfoot chided her offspring. ‘Now off you go and wash your hands, supper will be ready shortly.’

 

Ann and her husband Jeffrey made their way to the kitchen where Ann stoked up the open range with some extra logs and bustled around preparing the evening meal for her family. ‘Well I never thought that I would see the day! Fancy that, a railway station in Paddock Wood. Do you think that during the winter time, when the trees are bare, we might be able to catch glimpses of the steam locomotives as they travel along the line?’

 

‘It is possible, I suppose.’ If the truth were known Jeffrey Playfoot was as excited about the coming of the railway as the rest of his family but knew that it would be undignified to show his feelings. ‘I am still not sure that I hold with all these modern changes. It doesn’t seem natural travelling at that speed.’

'

So why have they called it Maidstone Road Halt?’

 

‘I told you this before. The only reason they have built the station here is because a farmer up the line objected to it being built on his land. More fool him; it is going to make it much easier for the hop pickers to get to us, when the season starts.’