East Hanney memories
Here are memories of East Hanney and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of East Hanney or a East Hanney photo.
The Big Elm Tree.
This is the best picture yet of that great old tree that I have found. I sat on its roots at the age of 5 years back in 1939, and all through the war it was a great place to sit out of the rain.
I have a picture of it when it was young, and a picture of its stump full of flowers. Its branches were held together with chains and very few kids could climb it. I haven't seen it since 1952. It would be great if someone had a picture of the complete tree.
I lived in the house immediately behind "the big tree" from 1973-1975. I was only 8 or 9 years old and have fond memories of climbing in the lower reaches of that tree. I have a photo my parents took of the tree in the winter, and one can see how massive the tree's upper branches and trunk were in spite of having been severely cut back over the years.
I last saw the tree in 1977 on a visit to East Hanney. I don't know exactly when it was finally cut down, but is certainly gone now. Interestingly, while visiting for the first time in 30 years this past spring, I found that one could still see remnants of its trunk if you looked under the branches of the new tree planted in its place.
The Green East Hanney
I moved to East Hanney in 1956 at the age of 4, we moved to Manor Farm Cottage just behind the centre of the photo. the large tree on the left was known as "the big tree" and it was said that Oliver Cromwell camped there, the occupant of the house on the far end of the row was Mr Creed, I have a photo of me taken in 1957 just behind his house in the orchard, where the new houses are now.Every year a small fair was held on the green, the rides were supplied by Jumbo Collins from Challow, I left in late 1966 and the big tree was felled shortly after that.
A nice village for a young boy to grow up in.
Tim Gibbs
Memories of Oxfordshire
12a The Camp, Hanney Road, Steventon.
My memory of Steventon started in 1947. For those who don't know about Steventon Camp, it was a disused army camp about 1 to 2 miles from Steventon village, on the Hanney road. (I see the storage depot is still there, which when I was a lad was full of army lorries.) My family (Victor and Kathleen Davis, my sister Kathleen and myself) lived at no 12a, it was at the far side, away from the road, second one in from the corner of the camp facing open fields and Steventon. To be honest, itwas a bit basic, but clean, for us children it was a great place to live. The reason we came to live there was because of overcrowding at my gran's in Marcham and her ill health. We moved out, and with nowhere to go, squatted on the camp like so many people in our situation. 12a consisted of half an old barrack block (all made of wood) with two bedrooms and one big room for... Read more
The Prior Family of Steventon
My grandmother lived in Steventon with her own grandmother around 1880. She was Florence Prior and her own gran was Eliza Prior who by then was a widow and a laundress living in Timsbury Cottage. I have tried to find the cottage but the only place I have seen with a similar name is Timsbury Villa. I sometimes wonder if it is the same place. My own visit to Steventon was around 1986. I remember visiting St Michael's Church and having a picnic in the next field among all the cowslips and other wild flowers. It was beautiful. I walked around the churchyard and found many tombstones for the Prior family including one who was in the Grenadier Guards and was killed in the First World War. Intriguingly, I found a stone with an inscription remembering Stephen Prior who died 30 May 1864 aged 46. I am tempted to guess that this is my own great-great-grandfather who married Eliza the laundress. Who knows?
A Year in England
At the age of 11 I lived in Steventon with my family at 103 The Causeway for the school year 1968-69. This was a tremendous experience I have treasured all of my life. I attended school at St. Michaels and went to church there. My father was on a sabbatical leave as a college professor which is how we ended up there for that year. I now in 2007 am hoping to return with my family. My friend was Howered Wilkins. My parents reguarly had drinks at the North Star pub. My brother and I loved recording the engine names and numbers of trains as they passed and became friends with the men who operated the trains gates manually. I am Jim Steamer from the US.
Homesick
I went to Steventon as a 'Mother's Help' to an Italian family. I came from near Manchester. I had to clean, look after a baby and a toddler and help with cooking.
But I had never been away from home before and decided it wasn't for me. It was a lovely house on the Causeway which was a listed building. The family didn't own it. I remember the lady making me wash and iron all my bedding while my mum sat with me in the kitchen to take me home!
The Best Time of my Life
I was 8 when I moved to Steventon. We used to live in Didcot while I was a baby. I enjoyed Didcot and liked the town side of it. Also we moved here because my mum and dad wanted to live in the countryside while I was growing up to my teens. My mum is called Sharon Tappin and my dad is called Clive Tappin. So far we have been here for a year and I really like it here and also I am settled in to the school.
My name is Rebecca Tappin.
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