What and Why Wyndham’s Avenue and Wyndham Close? by Brian Church

The earliest site plan that I have seen shows that what is now Wyndham Avenue was called Green Lane; and what was originally called Green Lane Close is now called Wyndham Close. We do not know what made Sevenoaks District Council or the developers make this change. The only Wyndham I can find is a few miles north of Bridgend in Glamorgan, South Wales. Can anyone throw any light on why the change was made?

The Wyndham Avenue houses were completed by the end of 1956 and were built by R. C. Brittan, builders of Lower Green, Leigh, who then went on to build the bungalows of Wyndham Close during 1957. (This was the same time that Gough Cooper were building the Brookmead Estate in Hildenborough). In 1957, when the bungalows were being occupied, there was a pond in the lower part of no. 4’s garden, which was home to a family of moorhens which were often seen scooting around the corners of the bungalows when I arrived home from work. Sadly, they must have been driven away or caught by the newly resident cats because they have not been seen again. We have been told that the large hollow in the gardens of nos. 3 and 4 Wyndham Close, which is adjacent to the much used public footpath from the end of Green View Avenue, was created by the excavation for the stone that was used in the building of St Mary’s – although we have not found any official confirmation of this. There is certainly a layer of sandstone down there which you can see when it is not a pond in the wet weather. There are also indications that there may have been some brick making in times past because we have found misshapen bricks there, though theses may just have been tipped from the Kiln Lane/Well Close brickyard.

What is now the garden of 3 Wyndham Close must have been used as a tip for any unwanted junk by the locals because for years after the bungalows were occupied, old cans, bicycle bits etc were frequently thrown over the fence – for as long as ten to fifteen years after the Close was finished.

Some of the better known residents from the earlier days have included Kent Wright who founded the Studland Caravans business while living at No. 6 Wyndham Avenue; and the Watts family, well-known for their cricket for Leigh for years after they left from no. 1 Wyndham Avenue. Out of the 17 houses and bungalows, my wife and I are the only original residents, most homes having changed hands several times.