A VISITOR TO THE EDEN VALLEY IN EARLY 1914 would have found a typical rural community with a collection of small villages and hamlets stretching from Penshurst in the East to Cowden in the West and up to Crockham Hill, just to the north of the small market town of Edenbridge.
Some locals were farmers, some were employed to service the large properties in the Valley, either as ground staff or in various capacities indoors such as scullery maids and cooks.
The largest industry in Edenbridge at the time was Whitmore’s Tannery. This generated associated cottage industries such as boot and shoe makers. Others were involved in retail and servicing the community such as Police, Postmen and Firefighters. A few were serving in the Army.
