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Abinger Common
Abinger Common photos
Displaying the first of 27 old photos of Abinger Common. View all Abinger Common photos
Abinger Common maps
Historic maps of Abinger Common and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Abinger Common maps
Abinger Common area books
Displaying 1 of 16 books about Abinger Common and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Abinger Common
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Surrey memories
My Childhood
I was born to Victor Owen Colman Emmerson and Jean Florence Emmerson at the family home of Garden Cottage, Holmbury St Mary in September 1957. I have an older brother, John and a younger sister Diane who were also born there. My grandmother Catherine or 'Kit' was for many years housekeeper to Dorothea Flower who lived next door in Hurtwood Cottage. I have many memories of growing up in the village, attending Holmbury St Mary primary school, belonging first to the brownies and then the girl guides. Although I no longer have any family connections in the village there are still a number of family friends that still reside there. Some of my fondest memories are that of the special bonfire nights held near the village, the pyrotechniques of which were originally orchestrated by a Mr Bill Narroway.
Garden Cottage is still very clear in my mind, being built on a raised bank directly opposite the rather grand house and grounds belonging to Lady Catto. It was, and still is... Read more
Grandfather
According to 1901 Census my grandfather, Charles Thomas, was a footman at Hopedene. I would love further information about the house, the family and staff if possible.
Childhood
i was born in guildford in 1986 and my parents had just taken over abinger post office and stores this is the house in the middle of the photo with all the ivy (that wasnt there in my time) the window above the shop was my parents room the spare room and the lounge are the rooms to the left. i loved living here and have many great memories of going to abinger village school, fishing in the stream, playing on the green and in the ruffs going to the abinger arms(probably the 1st pub i ever went to) and the tea rooms at the clock house now apparently i have heard that these tea rooms have moved to my old front room and front garden! i also remember the teddy bears picnic and the teacher who made me wear a bear mask one year, playing pooh stcks in the stream, pony rides on the front part of the green. i remember bonfires either at the cricket club or holmbury... Read more
My Childhood in Coldharbour - Rosemary Mashford Nee Shields
In July 1959, I was born at home, to Eric and Ann Shields in Coldharbour village. My father was the village policeman; we lived in what was then the police house, which was situated next to the village shop opposite the schoolhouse. All of these properties have now been turned into private homes, but in the scheme of things, the wonder of Coldharbour is how little has changed in almost 50 years.
I have two older sisters Julia and Lynette. I think a third girl may have been something of a disappointment to my Dad who was secretly hoping for a boy to follow in his footsteps. In the fullness of time he was not disappointed; in 1972 he became a proud Dad for a fourth time, when my brother Barry was born and in 1980 just after Dad retired, I joined the Surrey Constabulary and served for 7 years.
Due to my Dad’s promotion, we moved from Coldharbour, it just happened that we moved out on... Read more
The Crown
I was landlord of the Crown from 1971 to 1973. I was only 19 and apparently the youngest landlord in England at the time. My father, Bernard Edmund had been landord at the Prince of Wales across the road, for many years. We had some wonderful times at The Crown.
Lightning Strike
Since this photo was taken the top of the large tree in the background has been hit by lightning. Around four or five feet of bare wood sticks out at the top of the tree. I don’t know when this happened.
My Forest Green Family
I moved to Forest Green when I was 2 but my whole family comes from the area. Christine Dendy (my maternal grandmother) was born in the village. Her parents were a housemaid and a gamekeeper/odd-job man for the Vaughan-Williams estate. My grandmother was born in the row of First World War council houses erected behind the village green and she married the son of a village shopkeeper from Ockley. Their children were my mother and my uncle. My mother married a Londoner she met through her job and I am one of her four children. Two years ago my husband and I upheld four generations of tradition when we married in Forest Green church and were doubly proud to display my grandmother's wedding pics from the same venue! Hopefully at some point we will move back to the area, though sadly the village school at Walliswood which at least four generations of my family attended has been closed.
