The windmill that was first used as the company logo (left) still stands on the edge of Keston Common overlooking the Vale of Keston and the painting from which that logo was taken is a water colour painted by Marjorie Cradduck in 1973.
She painted another similar water colour in about 1965 (right).
The mill has recently (1996) been refurbished
although the sails are still much as they appear in the painting because
it was deemed too expensive and not entirely appropriate to repair them.
This was not the first reconstruction to save the mill. It was knocked
out of operation by a storm in 1878 and subsequently fell into disrepair
by years of neglect. An appeal was issued just before the First World War
and repairs were carried out in 1914. Sadly, judging from photographs from
that period, the sails have now deteriorated very much more.
the
other two being man-made. This picture was painted in 1969 by L.A. Johnson,
a local artist. The spring from which the ponds are fed is known as Caesar's
Well and may well be what first attracted the Romans to build a settlement
close by in what are now the grounds of Holwood House. The ponds are a
favourite fishing hole for many youngsters in the area, though what they
manage to catch is questionable. If the weather ever gets cold enough in
the winter for the ponds to freeze those same youngsters will probably
be found trying out some old skates retrieved from the back of a closet
or just sliding on the ice. For those of us a little older the Common and
surrounding area makes for superb walking or running recreation - providing
you don't get run over by a mountain biker in the process!
The "mark" or cross is presumed to have indicated the boundary between the
people of Bromley and the people of Keston; it may well have existed as a
division between two tribes for centuries before that. For a traveller to
overstep the mark without giving warning of his approach was to place himself
in jeopardy. Once
known as the Red Cross until the name had to be changed to avoid confusion
with the international organization of the same name, the pub stands at
the intersection of Croydon Road (A232) and Westerham Road (A233). The
pub has changed considerably from that shown in the picture taken from
the pen drawing of unknown origin dated 1872. Today it is on the corner
of a busy intersection and, with a BMW dealer located behind the pub and
a Toyota dealer across the road, one is more likely to find horses hidden
beneath the "bonnets" of Beemers and Celicas in the parking lot than waiting
for their riders to saddle up.
So, after a walk around the ponds
and a visit to the Old Mill, why not join us at the bar for a pint of Double
Diamond or, perhaps, a Bass? In doing so we are sure you will not be
overstepping the "mark"!
The Keston Group