This site is a tribute to the memory of Martin Hovey of Great Chart, Ashford.

LIFE OF MARTIN HOVEY

Martin was born to William and Coral Hovey on 13 June 1937, in Shortlands, Bromley. He had an older sister, Jean, who is now aged 87. Martin attended Bickley Park Preparatory School, Bickley, followed by Bembridge school, Isle of Wight. He made life-long friends in both places, including Steven (and subsequently Felicity) Raven and Clifford Henderson. During the war, the family were evacuated to Pitlochry, Scotland. 

As a teenager and young man, Martin was a keen tennis player, participating in Junior Wimbledon and making life-long friends, including Ivor (and subsequently Anthea) Warwick and Malcolm Gibb. After National Service in the Army, Martin worked in the family Stevedore business. He then established a freight forwarding and warehousing company called Forward Packers in Dartford. He subsequently became a Lloyds underwriter and more latterly a restauranteur, opening a Pizza Express in Liverpool and a number of Bagel Factory outlets in London.

In 1981, Martin met Jackie Sadoun who moved in to his house at Westmoreland Terrace, Pimlico, along with one or more of her children Alison, Christopher and Alexandra. After their marriage in 1982, the family moved to Yeomans, Great Chart, restoring the house and outbuildings, improving the gardens and planting a vineyard.

Over following years, Martin became a keen gardener and, partly through the philanthropic provision of garden allotments, made many friends in the village, including neighbours Marjorie Brisssenden, Norman and Tina Ellis, and allotmenteers Ken Gray, Alaisdair Hope and Jake Partner.

Martin and Jackie separated in 1989, but their friendship endured and his relationship with Alison, Christopher and Alexandra deepened over the following decades. Martin remained a central figure in the lives of his step-children, and subsequently his six step-grandchildren Benjamin, Bastien, Amber, Elliot, Zachary and Flores.

In every part and place of his life, Martin made life-long friends. To name but a few, they included John and Jill Berringer, John and Kate Haynes (and Martin's god-son Alex), John and Fran Gillingham, Bill and Pommy Pearson, Peter and Robbie Gethin, Keith and Victoria Bignold, Tony Arlidge KC, Peter Boizot, Sarah Barrett, Ray Brown, Andrew Bullock, Tom Higgins and Eddie Kidney. Martin also remained life-long friends with his cousins, David Bateman and Joe Hale.

After suffering a number of strokes and falls in the 2010s, Martin was diagnosed with vascular dementia. In the 2020s, his mobility and memory deteriorated and, following a fall at home in November 2022, he spent several weeks in hospital. In accordance with his wishes, Martin then returned home, with the assistance of full-time carers, Constance and Frank, in April 2023.

Consistently with his character, Martin passed away peacefully, without wanting to make a fuss, at home on Saturday, 19th, August 2023. He was much loved by his family and his friends, and will be greatly missed.