Abinger Hammer, Surrey

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.

Living in the Squre Shere

Photograph No. 1. I was born in July l940 – Virginia Le Roux. The house on the left of the picture was where I lived until I was nearly 13 with my parents. The long narrow upstairs window was my bedroom. My mother’s mother and brother also lived in the house. My uncle -... [more]

born and raised there

I was born in Shere in 1942 to the youngest child of George and Margaret Bryant. The Bryants were a well-known Shere family, my father being the eldest of nine children born and raised in the village. I had a very happy childhood in the village, attended the village school as did my older brother and sister and several cousins. I... [more]

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.... [more]

Living in the Butcher's Shop

Just on the right up a slight hill and only just visible is the butcher's shop. It was part of the Albury Estate but a new butcher could not be found so it was sold out of the estate and my father, Kenneth Parker, bought it. He redesigned the interior, renaming it 'Whitecroft' after the name on an old map indicating... [more]

The Crown

I was landlord of the Crown from 1971 to 1973. I was only 19 and 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.

Boys' Camp

By kind permission of the Lord Ashcombe, the Holy Trinity Junior Boys Club, Wimbledon, camped for four weeks every year on Ranmore Common. Most of us were choirboys, so we augmented St Barnabas's choir for their services twice each Sunday. Lord Ashcombe read the lessons. At that time there was a dairy next to his house, Denbies, and he gave us... [more]