Addington, Buckinghamshire

Being born at Stanwell Moor living there

The year I was born at Ashford Hospital my mother and father were tenants at the Hope public inn.  June and John Nicholson and June's mother Beatrice Porter lived there and brought me up.   Mrs Porter had once lived at Cheltham Villas, then the Hope pub.  After 9 years here they moved to 130a Hithermoor Road for 10 years and then... [more]

Magna Carta Island

I have several photographs of the house on Magna Carta Island taken during the 1910s and early 1920s. The house was owned by my grandfather during this period, John Francis Mc Gregor (a stockbroker) who was married to my grandmother, Maidie Scott  (her 'stage name', she was a music hall performer).
The photos are of my grandmother and my mother with... [more]

Memories of Stanwell

I am a Stanwellian but I have lived in Sussex for 40 years. My memories of the village are the large mansion in Oaks Road almost opposite the entrance to the recreation park, now sadly owned by the airport! I was born at 1 Hymans Cottage, Oaks Road, long since pulled down. There was a large mansion as you go oout... [more]

First Day of School

First Day of School
Arriving at Egham Hythe Infants School, aged 5, and being placed in the care of Mrs. Spenser. There I remained for one entire term. Most of the faces in the classroom were new. Some of the names heard for the first time. Rex Aldwinkle, Richard Howard, Christine Addison, Jennifer Shore, Christine Vass. I am amazed that I... [more]

Egham

I can remember Mullen's the Chemist, sawdust on the floor in the butchers which I would scoop up in a pile with my feet, the map where you could press a button and it would light up, the steam trains passing as I swung on the swings, Auntie Winnie at the sweet shop, buying second-hand scooters and peddling them home into... [more]

Magna Carta

The text to the Egham photographs calls Egham uninspiring.  What it may lack in architectural merit (although there are gems if you look closely, perhaps an architect would care to enlighten the readers) is more than made up for by its place in history as the location for the signing of the Magna Carta by King John in 1215.   This took... [more]

The old cinema

We moved to Egham in about 1955.  My father had been born in Medlake Road in 1920.  We lived in Oak Avenue, Egham Hythe in a house built in the 1930s.  I attended Egham Hythe Infants and Primary and later Magna Carta (on both its sites - Egham Hythe and Manorcrofts - it is now just in the Hythe).   In those... [more]

Picnics at Knowle Green

We had some very happy family picnics on Knowle Green. There was a small stream in which we used to play with our fishing nets and catch small fish and other water creatures. There were also plenty of wild flowers on the edge of the stream and dragon flies. There was also on the Green a herd of dairy cows brought... [more]