Historical building in Faversham

Our historical building in Faversham is so old it has seen a thing or two!

For a start, it dates from the 1600s, reminding us that so much history has taken place on this very spot over the years. It is described as being built in the Dutch style, but has altered a lot over time. Just as we have altered it now…

In those early days, dental treatment would have been very basic. Whilst people ate less sugar than today (one of the main causes of tooth decay) they also had less access to good cleaning pastes and brushes. Problems with teeth would have been treated with herbal remedies, and sometimes some drastic extractions!

Today, what was a home during the rule of James 1^st England, King Charles I – and even the commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell, has been transformed into a modern dental surgery. The services we offer would have been undreamed of in times past. 

Our wonderful building also stars in a photo taken at the end of the 1800s, where it appears to have been a private house.

By 1910, just before WW1, it had taken a more commercial route and advertised itself as ‘private saloons for ladies and gents’.  Just a quarter of a century later it had become W Barton, tobacconist and hairdresser (the ‘ladies’ section was found at the rear of the  building). Back then you could even get a Genuine Permanent Wave at the princely sum of two shillings!

ConfiDent Surgeries intends to remain firmly in place in our fantastic building for many years to come. But it certainly makes you wonder what the future might bring! 

Faversham Facts

• John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, visited the town several times. On first making the acquaintance of the town’s people, he described them as: “ … more savage in their behaviour that the wildest Indians I have every yet met with.”

• Faversham is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Favreshant – meaning ‘the metal-workers’ village’