Blackheath memories
Here are memories of Blackheath and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Blackheath or a Blackheath photo.
The Volunteer Arms
My Great Grandfather Alfred Saunders (1863-1944) looked after the Volunteer Arms before he semi-retired, he also had an interest in the Forest King Pub and the Percy Arms at Chilworth (plus he had shares in Hodgsons brewery) The Forest King and the Percy Arms were operated by his cousins and it was a cousin who temporarily took over the Volunteer Arms
Forest King Pub
My Great Great Grandparents Frederick & Mary Saunders owned the Forest King Pub. He is listed as a publican in the 1881 & 1891 census and Frederick died 24 Jan 1894 and Mary died in 1904. Alexander Saunders was then the licenced-victualler.
Pub
My gran owned the pub at Blackheath which was called the Forest King, it was on the edge of the cricket pitch. There was also another pub called the Volunteer on the next road. Does anybody remember them?
Memories
It has been almost 50 years since I have seen the inside of this church. My mother; Molly Risbridger) was married in this church to a Canadian soldier Mr. Ken Lloyd Maxted. I am their son Robert Glenn Maxted. Happy Anniversary! 2007
I love you Mom and Dad,
Your Son,
Glenn
Family Shop
My Nan and Grandad often took myself and my twin sister to visit his mother and brother to BlackHeat, Lamb Lane, to their Local Shop. Wow, sweets galore! Lovely smelling cooked meats, it was great! I always remember the walk from the statino near some playing fields, then walking into the shop and seeing my Great Grandmother standing there with her big smile and her pinny. I don't think it's there anymore. My Great Grandmother lived on to be 104 - must have been all that lovely food! We visited in 1959/1969. - Mag.
Memories of Surrey
First Job
I started my first job at 16 as a trainee food and wine waiter at the Percy Arms in 1960, and I lived in rooms above the hotel, in those days it was a first class restaurant. The head waiter was a guy called Bernard. The owner was a lady and she used to have dogs that would wander around the restaurant. I visited the hotel in 1987 and the hotel had change to a more casual fast food restaurant.
I moved to Sydney, Australia in 1967, and went into the marine business as a boat dealer, married with 3 girls.
Regards
Mike Gaffikin
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 the owner of the field upon which it was built and lived in it for about 15 years. There was a slaughterhouse in the garden. People would ring for many months after we moved in to order joints of meat. I caught the bus to school in Guildford each day; there were 2 bus companies in those days. The owner of the garage opposite had a pair of Basset hounds called Austin and Morris, appropriately! On the right of the garage is the Post Office which had a good selection of sweets as I remember. On the left of the garage lived Mrs Boxall, a lovely old lady whom... Read more
My Childhood Garden - Part I
My mother has often said to me "You don't appreciate what you've got until you lose it". She is wrong, for I will never forget the wonderful garden of my childhood and write below the memories that I will hold for all time. It all began when I was five years old and my parents first drove from where we lived in London southwards to a small village called Shamley Green which is 5 miles outside of the town Guildford, Surrey. The day was overcast and chilly and it had been raining. Everything was wet and shiny. Jewel-like droplets of rain still hung from leaves and nestled within clumps of grass along the roadside. Occasionally I saw rainbow coloured slicks of oil glistening on the surface of some of the many puddles that had collected in small pools along the edges of the roads and lanes as we drove by. As I sat in the back of the specially rented car for that journey, hearing the sound of the... Read more
MY CHILDHOOD GARDEN - PART II
Some months later, how long I cannot remember for the passing of time means little to a child, except that it always seemed so long for things to happen; but I found myself again seated in the back seat of another rented car being driven again by my father with my mother sat beside him smiling and happy. This time the weather had changed and was warm and sunny. It was so warm that the windows of the car were open allowing the birdsong and tantalising smells of nature to flood in. This time the trees were covered in leaves that rustled softly in the late summer breeze. We drove past scented gardens that simply overflowed with a profusion of many flowers in all colours of the rainbow. All of a sudden something flew in through the window and started buzzing furiously round my face, which frightened me. My mother turned round and shooshed out whatever insect it was, all I remember was that it was green! My father... Read more
MY CHILDHOOD GARDEN - PART III
When we first moved into The Croft, as the house was called, access to the front door was gained by walking up a narrow slopping path up and along the grassy bank towards the wooden gate. The property along with others along Hullbrook Lane had been built back from the roadside on a raised bank. In time, my father decided this was not ideal and set about the enormous task of digging out a driveway leading down to the lane. The excess earth he used to build up the bank at the front into which were grown soil-retaining shrubs and conifers. This was a labour of love, as every shovelful of earth was dug by hand and transported in the wheelbarrow to various sites around the garden as well as onto the front bank. The retaining brick walls each side of the driveway eventually became covered with trailing plants which produced an abundance of white flowers in the early summer. A beautiful white magnolia tree grew at the top of... Read more
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