The Poolway, Kent's Moat.

I found a photo of the Poolway recently, unfortunately, during last weeks hard drive clean up I seem to have lost the photo.

I don't think I ever went there until the late sixties and I don't remember it looking like it does in this photo.

The first thing I noticed is that there seems to be a road from the Meadway that goes up the middle of the shopping centre. This would explain the wide pavement between the shops and the bulbous shape at the end, presumably where there was a roundabout for the cars to turn or perhaps it turned right at the top and out onto Sheldon Heath Road.
I also notice a lack of flats above the shops, one of which is Axford's Newsagents but not the one that took over the Gas Board showrooms.

If anyone has any memories, or better still any photo's, of The Poolway please post them here.

No Volty there was never a road going up between the shops.it was pedestrianised from new. Built around 1960 I think.

Here's a pic from 2006 of the Poolway and one of Phil's from 1964

I have the 1964 shot but I wasn't too concerned about the lack of a road, or the two story shops, because the photo I have lost was dated early 50s.
Assuming SB is correct, this now raises some problems with said photo, leading me to believe it may have been mis-named.
That said, an aerial view of the Poolway clearly shows a road exiting at the rear of the centre and a road sized difference in the surface throughout the pedestrian area towards the Meadway. As does Bernies 2006 photo.

F & H Axfords, newsagents, appears to have started in 1960.
The Poolway appears to have started more or less the way it is now.
The Axfords shop, on the corner, was a gas showroom before it was a newsagents, meaning they were elsewhere in 1960.

I will have to search for the photo using other possible locations.

Here's a good write up of the birth of the blocks of flats at the Poolway, fitting in with SB's date of 1960.
http://ukhousing.wikia.com/wiki/Meadway

I've worked on those flats quite a few times great to rewire but nofines the sort of dry concrete mix they were made from was a poor building material , quite a lot of places around Greenvale Avenue were built with it too , lots of damp

I remember a bloke getting stuck in the window of his daughters flat , after a visit to the boozer and he froze to death . His daughter was out and he thought he would climb through a very small window , I'm pretty sure he was from Manor Road

Quote: Voltman wrote in post #4

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I have the 1964 shot but I wasn't too concerned about the lack of a road, or the two story shops, because the photo I have lost was dated early 50s.
Assuming SB is correct, this now raises some problems with said photo, leading me to believe it may have been mis-named.
That said, an aerial view of the Poolway clearly shows a road exiting at the rear of the centre and a road sized difference in the surface throughout the pedestrian area towards the Meadway. As does Bernies 2006 photo.

F & H Axfords, newsagents, appears to have started in 1960.
The Poolway appears to have started more or less the way it is now.
The Axfords shop, on the corner, was a gas showroom before it was a newsagents, meaning they were elsewhere in 1960.

I will have to search for the photo using other possible locations.

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Quote: Sheldonboy wrote in post #8

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Quote: Voltman wrote in post #4

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I have the 1964 shot but I wasn't too concerned about the lack of a road, or the two story shops, because the photo I have lost was dated early 50s.
Assuming SB is correct, this now raises some problems with said photo, leading me to believe it may have been mis-named.
That said, an aerial view of the Poolway clearly shows a road exiting at the rear of the centre and a road sized difference in the surface throughout the pedestrian area towards the Meadway. As does Bernies 2006 photo.

F & H Axfords, newsagents, appears to have started in 1960.
The Poolway appears to have started more or less the way it is now.
The Axfords shop, on the corner, was a gas showroom before it was a newsagents, meaning they were elsewhere in 1960.

I will have to search for the photo using other possible locations.

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SB is right.

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I now realise I was wrong about the gas showroom, I just remembered it was a utility company.
I did some work in there and found plenty of evidence of it's previous occupier.

Is it possible that the original Axfords was in a single storey building?
Was the Co-op there right from the start?
Could the road at the park end have come a short way into the shopping area?

The shopping centre was built pretty well as it is now, with the odd modification. Before this build there was I believe a single row of shops in Pool Road. (now gone). Axfords or another newsagent was in there I think.

That is the subject of the missing photo then.
Now I know what to look for perhaps I can find it on the net.

Well done Mr and Mrs SB.

Volty we have known it for over 55 years pretty well since it was built, probably used almost every shop between us. You are welcome SB (Mr).

Following a different approach to my search I have found the image in my own scanning folders.

Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

Yes that is the original Pool Road shops. No one ever called it Pool Way though.