Upper Bush has its origins as a small hamlet that grew up on
what is now the
North Downs Way
(then a well-used trade route) during the medieval period. There is no separate
reference to the hamlet in the Domesday book.
 |
| North Downs Way signpost |
The first recorded mention of the settlement is in 1320 when
the then bishop of Rochester,
Hamo de Hythe, is recorded as visiting the manor of Cuxton and holding court in
the Chapel at Birch. The exact site of the medieval chapel is not known, but a chapel did persist at Upper Bush until the sixties, when the by-then disused Hope Chapel was finally demolished.
By the late medieval period Upper Bush had grown, with the building
of at least two substantial timber-framed structures, High Birch and Borrow
Hill House, the latter dating back to 1390. Upper Bush Farmhouse, which
stood to the west of the settlement, is also likely to have had a medieval
origin.
It is unclear whether there were other, less substantial, medieval
dwellings on the site. The hamlet formerly formed part of the Cobham estate of
the Darnley family. It appears to have been a relatively late acquisition, with
the majority of the land being added to the estate between 1797 and 1842 and further
properties being added during the latter 19th century.
 |
| Upper Bush, 2019... |
Before 1797 Upper Bush was part of Lord Romney’s Estate in
Cuxton. Ownership of the Upper Bush before this date is unclear. It may once
have formed part of the manor of Cuxton, which was held by the Bishop of
Rochester in the medieval period, and passed to the Dean and Chapter of
Rochester Cathedral after the reformation. However, it is not mentioned in a
survey of the manor undertaken in 1649 and it is possible that the hamlet
originally formed part of the Whorne’s Place estate, which had been held by
ancestors of Lord Romney since the 15th century. Upper Bush had developed into
a thriving agricultural settlement by the 1840s.
 |
| 1869 OS Map showing Upper Bush. At this time it was a larger village than nearby Cuxton... |
 |
| Upper Bush from Barrow Hill, c.1910... |
 |
| Upper Bush, c.1910.... |
 |
| Detail from above photo: this pair of cottages was demolished in the mid-sixties |
 |
| Upper Bush Farm, c. 1947... |
 |
| Upper Bush, 1963... |
The principal farmstead by this time was Upper Bush Farm House,
which featured a pair of cottages, large barn, outbuildings and a cart shed.
 |
Upper Bush Farmhouse, c.1912 (now demolished)...
|
A
further large house was situated to the North
West. Smaller cottages were grouped around the green.
These were generally small yellow brick or weather-boarded buildings. High Birch
and Borrow Hill house were both divided into three cottages by this time. For some reason, the three cottages of Borrow Hill House were known as "Clack Alley".
 |
"Clack Alley", c 1904....
|
 |
| Borrow Hill House, just after restoration, 1971... |
Further development in the second half of the 19th century resulted in the
rebuilding of the farm buildings of Upper Bush Farm, including new barns and an
oast house along with the demolition of earlier barns and cottages.
 |
| Barn, Upper Bush 1972, (now demolished). The oast houses (also gone) were adjacent to this barn. |
Additional
cottages and the non-conformist Hope Chapel were also built along the south side of the green, alongside the track that now leads to the farm buildings.
The bungalows at the entrance to the conservation area were added in 1923.
 |
Hope Chapel, Upper Bush, c.1950 (now demolished)...
|
Upper Bush reached its largest extent just before the Second
World War, when it contained 22 houses, an off-licence and a baker.
 |
| The Old Bakery, 2019... |
During this
time, the Old Bakery appears to have been at the heart of the village as it
featured a bakehouse, brewhouse, flour store and off license to the rear, much
of this incorporated in a now demolished extension.
 |
| Bush Bakery, c.1900, with Mr. Henry Baker... |
 |
| Bush Bakery, 1931... |
 |
| The Old Bakery, 1973... |
 |
| The rear of the Bakery, c.1900, with Henry Baker, Percy Wood (holding "Spider") and Albert Baker. |
 |
| The rear of the Old Bakery, 1973... |
Upper Bush was transformed
shortly after World War II when the Cobham Estate was acquired by the City of Rochester.
 |
| Borrow Hill House, 2019... |
In 1960, Strood Rural District Council decided (with typical
municipal small-mindedness) to clear what was then
considered sub-standard housing in the hamlet. This left only five buildings
standing and involved the demolition of several historic buildings including
Upper Bush Farmhouse.
 |
| Upper Bush Cottage, 19th April 1913, with Mrs. Sally Bonneywell and her grand-daughter... |
It was originally planned to demolish Borrow Hill House
and High Birch but a campaign organised by local people led to the recognition
of the historic worth and restoration of these buildings. The only modern
structures to be erected recently are a group of barns at Upper Bush Farm, although High Birch has just recently developed an outbuilding as a rather nice
holiday let...
 |
| High Birch, 2019... |
Conservation Area status was granted to the area of Upper
Bush in 1994. One can only hope that
this protects it from the greed and rapacity of developers in the future. Historic Upper Bush and its surrounding countryside are among the last remaining green belt areas in the Medway Towns. It is a wonderful, beautiful, peaceful place. I hope it remains that way...
"I cannot begin to imagine what goes through the minds of councillors who can destroy such a place of beauty...": Derek Church, Cuxton - A Kentish Village, 1976.
References:
1) Cuxton: A Kentish Village by Derek Church (published by Arthur J Cassell Ltd, 1976, ISBN 0 903253 12 7), Chapter 6, pp 78-91.
2) Upper Bush Conservation Area Appraisal, Medway Council (PDF file, link here).
