Broadwater Down, Tunbridge Wells

[SCR]

Hello, thanks for reading this.

My father was born at 22 Broadwater Down, Tunbridge Wells during WW2.

I find this strange as the family home was in Canterbury. Does anyone have an idea what this facility was?

I do know that my grandmother was not married to my grandfather when my father was born.

Thanks

[nanny jan]

Hi,

If your grandma was not married to grandpa at the time of your father's birth could she have gone to stay with a relative; perhaps an older sister,cousin or aunt to have her baby?

Nanny Jan

[SCR]

Thanks for the suggestion, but there were no relatives in Tunbridge Wells at the time.

Although both towns are in Kent, it's about one-and-a-half hours' drive - even today!

[Dave Francis]

The logical step would be to check the electoral register / local directory for the year in question to find out who was living at that address. Perhaps a member of the Tunbridge Wells FHS might help?

Dave

[spongebob]

Broadwater down is just a normal road in Tunbridge Wells.

During WW2 the forest just South of the road contained an underground HQ...

http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/sites/t/tunbridge_wells_broadwater_down/index.shtml

Here is a page with a census extract for that road, showing the addresses in the street - looks like 22 was just a normal residential house. Could be that they were visiting friends when he was born.

http://www.theweald.org/P3.asp?PId=5346BWterD

If you need photos of the area and are not local I could probably provide.

Looking at the 1881 census it looks like a very large house as there is a housekeeper, a cook, 2 housemaids, a kitchenmaid and a butler!