Famous residents

Some famous residents of St Nicholas-at-Wade include the following. The village connections of the Bridges family and TJ in particular were celebrated on 28 June 2003 in 'Bridges Between Nations', the Sixth John Briggs Memorial Lecture, at which Ben Jones (grandson of TJ) and Lord Bridges (grandson of Robert Bridges) both spoke, and international soprano Christine Hubbard sang some songs with words by Robert Bridges.

• The Bridges family, ancestors of Sir Robert Bridges (Poet Laureate) etc. The current Lord Bridges GCMG is still titled The Second Baron Bridges, of Headley, Surrey, and St Nicholas-at-Wade, Kent. The Bridges Family was very influential in St Nicholas-at-Wade for over 200 years, living at St Nicholas Court (shown here in a painting by Rodney Tapp). Robert Bridges was born in 1844 and educated at Eton and Corpus Christi College, Oxford. After travelling extensively, he studied medicine in London and practised until 1882. He was Poet Laureate for 17 years from 1913-30. His only son Edward, 1st Baron Bridges of Headley, county Surrey and St Nicholas-at-Wade, county Kent, KG, PC, GCB, GCVO, MC was Secretary to the Cabinet 1938-46 covering World War II and the Nuremberg Criminal War Trials. On 7 April 1957 he made a radio appeal on behalf of the village church.
• Molly Bernhard-Smith, founder of the XXI Gallery. She was well-known in artistic circles in the first half of the 20th century, and frequently brought guests to St Nicholas, many of whom stayed. Her husband, Arthur Bernhard-Smith, was a ship's doctor but better known for his practical jokes; here are some newspaper clippings about his Meteor, Blue Grotto and Demeter escapades.
• Dr Thomas Jones, C.H. ('TJ') joined the Cabinet Secretariat on its formation in 1916 and remained as Deputy Secretary until 1930, under 4 Prime Ministers, Lloyd George, Bonar Law, Baldwin and Ramsay MacDonald, during the period of the Irish Settlement and the General Strike. He wrote prolific diaries which shed much light on what happens behind the scenes in Whitehall. He came from the Welsh mining village of Rhymney and also devoted much energy to Adult Education, founding Coleg Harlech. In 1924 he built Street Acre in Shuart Lane, St Nicholas-at-Wade, which has continued to be the family home.
• Salvador de Madariaga, author and leader in exile of the opposition to General Franco
• Bernard Miles, actor. His daughter Sally worked unstintingly to support Margate's Theatre Royal.
• Anthony Browne, children's author.
• Annalena McAfee & Ian McEwan