George Edward Bond

George Edward Bond Edward Cordall, born 4 July 1853 in Cheshire married Rachel Smith and had four children. Died May 1914.

He likely faked his death, moved south with Rachel's pregnant younger sister Sarah, took the name George ‘Edward’ Bond, and became a Medway architect.

Bond established his architectural practice at Victoria Buildings, 384 High Street, Rochester, where he operated as an a...
31/08/2026

Bond established his architectural practice at Victoria Buildings, 384 High Street, Rochester, where he operated as an architect and surveyor. The Victoria Buildings themselves, comprising Nos. 380–384 High Street, were designed by Bond and completed in 1889, their date stone bearing that year.

On this day, 30th August 1902, Plan #1684. Designs for the 3-storey ‘Nurses Home’ near to the main hospital, at ‘St. Ba...
30/08/2026

On this day, 30th August 1902, Plan #1684. Designs for the 3-storey ‘Nurses Home’ near to the main hospital, at ‘St. Bartholomew’s Hospital’, New Road Rochester, costing over £6,000. (Thomas Henry Foord donated £5,500 in 1903 specifically to meet the cost of building and furnishing a nurses' home.)

The building had a symmetrical front with verandas and arches under a triple gable-ended frontage. (With great views of the River Medway behind) The building has been re-designed since (1950's) and added too, and is now almost unrecognizable but still stands. -Colourised version in the comments section-

On this date, August 22nd 1904, (122 years ago) plan 2758, Bond returned to Manor Road, a short walk from the Theatre Ro...
22/08/2026

On this date, August 22nd 1904, (122 years ago) plan 2758, Bond returned to Manor Road, a short walk from the Theatre Royal, to design the Chatham Masonic Book Society building at No. 5. A building created for a Lodge of which he himself was a member and Chairman. This was a refined, ornate two‑storey English Renaissance structure—another collaboration with his trusted builder Charles Skinner.

The foundation stone was laid on 16 February 1905 by The Right Hon. Earl Amherst, M.W. Pro Grand Master of England and Provincial Grand Master of Kent. The building still stands today.

If you follow this page for its local history and design updates, you might have missed the curious tangle of facts surr...
22/08/2026

If you follow this page for its local history and design updates, you might have missed the curious tangle of facts surrounding George Bond and Edward Cordall. Their stories overlap in ways that shouldn’t happen. Their records raise questions no one has quite answered. And once you notice the pattern, it’s hard to unsee it.

This is your introduction — a glimpse at why some of us are beginning to wonder whether George Bond was ever who he claimed to be.

Another update on the ‘mystery’ villa design of 15 August 1902, recorded under Plan No. 2517, in which George E. Bond pr...
20/08/2026

Another update on the ‘mystery’ villa design of 15 August 1902, recorded under Plan No. 2517, in which George E. Bond prepared a villa residence on Maidstone Road, Chatham for Mr Arthur Parsons.
Thanks to research by Susan Griffiths and Adrian Griffith. Susan sent me a text about this information. Adrian sent a couple of images. Thank you both!

While we're on the subject of Villas on Maidstone road, Chatham: From the Builder Magazine, page 629, 24 April 1886 — Te...
19/08/2026

While we're on the subject of Villas on Maidstone road, Chatham:

From the Builder Magazine, page 629, 24 April 1886 — Tender for a Villa, a substantial three storey detached villa named Ingle side, built at 114 Maidstone Road, Chatham, by Seagers of Chatham for £1690. The house would, in time, become the Medway Registry Office.

Ingle-side’s first known occupant was Mr Edwin Smith, a grocer and wine merchant born in Wareham, Dorset in 1848. According to the 1881 census, his business was located at 87–88 High Street, Chatham.

By the 1891 census, Edwin, aged 40, was living at Ingle-side Villa with his wife, Alice, also 40, and their four children. The couple would eventually have seven children; all associated with the family home. Sadly, Alice died in April 1899, aged 49.
Just a year later, in April 1900, Edwin remarried, this time to Augusta, aged 45. The 1901 census records the newly married couple, with Edwin now aged 52, still living at Ingle-side Villa.

Edwin died in Maidstone 10th of May 1944 aged 95. Buried in Maidstone Road cemetery, Chatham.

An update on the ‘mystery’ villa design of 15 August 1902, recorded under Plan No. 2517, in which George E. Bond prepare...
18/08/2026

An update on the ‘mystery’ villa design of 15 August 1902, recorded under Plan No. 2517, in which George E. Bond prepared a villa residence on Maidstone Road, Chatham for Mr Arthur Parsons.

Thanks to research by Susan Griffiths and Adrian Griffiths, the field has now narrowed to two surviving properties: Nos. 124 or 126 Maidstone Road.

We can now confirm that the house was originally named ‘Lalla Rooke’ ( which is a best-selling 1817 oriental romance narrative poem by Irish poet Thomas Moore.) and stood at No. 54 Maidstone Road, later renumbered to No. 124. At the time the plan was drawn, Mr Parsons, a pawnbroker trading at 111 The Brook, was living at 3 The Paddock.

However, there remains a second possibility. The large building now numbered 128 Maidstone Road — formerly two houses — also fits the profile for being #126.

I hope this all makes sense!

A.I. restoration of the four statues on the Chatham Town Hall building representing: Justice, Music, Agriculture, and Br...
17/08/2026

A.I. restoration of the four statues on the Chatham Town Hall building representing: Justice, Music, Agriculture, and Britannia. They are on his original plans for the Town Hall, so possible they were designed by Bond himself.

Many thanks to Mr. Steve Buster Johnson, who supplied me with the following information about the Bond designed Leonard'...
16/08/2026

Many thanks to Mr. Steve Buster Johnson, who supplied me with the following information about the Bond designed Leonard's stores in Rochester High street:
The Leonards shops ranged from 104 right up to and including 122 High Street and used to be joined to the Eagle Tavern, with buildings 104 and 106 still standing to this day. 'Store 104' occupies No 104 High Street and still has the original green 'L' wall tiles from the 'sixties (104 and 106 were the last buildings taken over by Leonards before the fall of the Leonards empire in the 'sixties).

I thought they had all been demolished, glad to be proved wrong!😁
#104 was designed on the 2nd of February 1900, plan #1503.

On this date, 15 August 1902, under Plan No. 2517, George Bond prepared the design for a villa residence on Maidstone Ro...
15/08/2026

On this date, 15 August 1902, under Plan No. 2517, George Bond prepared the design for a villa residence on Maidstone Road, Chatham, commissioned by Mr A. Parsons, Esq.
The exact house number is not recorded in the surviving plan index, and its present location on Maidstone Road remains uncertain — though, given the survival rate of Bond’s villas in the Maidstone Road Conservation Area, it is highly likely the building still stands. Any further information or leads would be gratefully received.

Address

Medway Towns
Rochester

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when George Edward Bond posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category