by Alan Watkins

awatkins@thekmgroup.co.uk

A croquet lawn where Charles Dickens and his family played has been dug up - to make way for a car park.

The play area at Gad’s Hill School in Higham - on the site of his former home - is now temporary parking area.

Plans are under way to build a £10m international heritage centre at the Grade 1 listed building.

But councillors are angry at the destruction of the historic - but unprotected - plot of land off Gravesend Road, near where Dickens wrote classic novels such as Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities.

They called for it to be restored as quickly as possible at a meeting to approve a string of alterations to the planned senior and junior school at the back of Gad’s Hill house.

Cllr Harold Craske (Con), one of the Higham councillors, said the area was destroyed three weeks ago.

“It was replaced with rough gravel and marked out with parking spaces. It is of historic value because all the references say it dates back to Dickens’ occupation,” he said.

“It obviously has to go back particularly if they are converting it into a proper heritage centre.”

A parish councillor pleaded for a completely new planning application to be presented to the committee.

Graham Ashby said Higham council had not seen the plans made available to the planning meeting.

Headmaster David Craggs said after the meeting a dozen car spaces had been provided on the lawn.

“You could not use it for croquet now - and you probably couldn’t in Dickens' day,” he said.

It was a temporary change while the new staff car park is built at the rear of the school.

“It will be restored, I hope within the next two months,” he said.

What do you think? Join the debate below.