MY HOME
By Mark Dennis

Every house and flat in Brompton has a story, its yours, your neighbours’ and anyone you ever knew here or who lived in your home before you. This is the story of my house, I hope some of you will share your stories and photos.

12 Prospect Row is just opposite the alley leading to Brompton Hill, and it always was. A print from 1755 shows it to the right of “n” towering over the other houses. We don’t know who built it, but as it is the only one with decoration over the door and has a rather impressive hall he was clearly of some status. . We moved in during 1995, and only got to own the back of the house “the cottage” (Known as 12A) in 2007.

The deeds to 12/12a Prospect Row do not survive but it appears to have been constructed in c.1746 (based on a reference to the sale of the plot in deeds of No.11 now deposited in Medway’s archives) and appears on the print by Milton of the Dockyard in 1755 where it is evident that it is the only three storey property in the Row, many of the others having been extended vertically since. It also appears in the Farrington painting of Chatham Dockyard, often reproduced and in the collections of the National Maritime Museum.

The core of 12a, a cottage with brick ground floor and wooden first floor crossing the plot has a number of legends associated including the notion that it is the oldest building in Brompton. This is not borne out by the available maps which show it to be contemporary or near contemporary with the front house in spite of the high pitch of the roof. Its upper floor is of wood construction, clap boarded and internally half panelled with a brick lower storey and north wall (this also houses fireplaces for each floor). The doors to each floor on the northern end of the west elevation are small and apparently 18th century or slightly later, they are now internal to the house as a whole. It seems to have had a single room on the first floor with an attic garret possibly reached by trapdoor and ladder. The configuration on the ground floor is unclear. It may have been servants quarters, stabling or an independent dwelling.

Early owners of the houses are unknown with no records of ‘12A’ at this time but 12 Prospect Row continued as a relatively respectable property.

From 1820s to 1850s Captain, later Major Valentine Beadon lived in the house. He was an officer of the Royal Marine Artillery. (See picture left, which shows the uniform Major Beadon would have had in the Royal Marine Artillery)

In the 1860s the Curate of the Holy Trinity Church (now demolished but was on the corner of Garden Street and Maxwell Road), Daniel Cooke, lived here, followed by Captain John Garnier of the Royal Engineers.

Around 1860 the two buildings were joined by a two storey bridging building which is freestanding and not keyed into 12 or 12a, merely leaning against them and joined by mortar to the main house and a rubble infill plaster rendered to the frame of the cottage In the 1870s a further extension was created by building to the rear of the plot.

During the second world war years the house was owned by a Royal Engineer Colonel whose wife refused to allow the railings to be taken for war use and thus preserving the only set of original railings in Prospect Row.

Post war the house was let in multiple occupation to a variety of tenants. In 1976 the house was divided into 12/12a with Brian Henslow (now owner of the Roffen Club in Rochester ) taking the rear section, Lionel and Ann Harrison the front element. The division was not logical and left the property in sections with the meters and services all in the cellar of 12 and a flying freehold. The area behind the natural wall of the front house was remodelled extensively with breeze block walls and 1970s style overdoor glass panels to provide borrowed light. A floor level change was imposed in the upper room of 12a to allow stair access to the attic room in the main cottage. At some point a third staircase was created and when first viewed by the present owners this related to the central 1860s section, being shuttered off from the main room of 12A

12a was then sold to the Woods-Leniers, academics who were often away abroad and sublet the property. In the late 1990s 12A was sold to John and Sharon Zeeuw who made internal alterations.

Prospect Row today by courtesy of “Google Earth”. No 12 is the one in the middle with four roofs in a row.

When we bought the front house from Lionel and Ann Harrison they had refurbished it inside and our first neighbours were Colonel and Mrs Peacey at No. 11 and Lt Colonel John Cormack MC the other side in No. 13. In 2009-2010 the ‘cottage’ was refurbished and the house is whole again.

If you have researched your house and would like to see it featured on this site, please contact Mark Dennis on mandvdennis@btinternet.com