Egham 1960 Onwards
A Memory of Egham.
I was born in 1960 in Delham Ave and grew up at 1 the Crescent with my two brothers and sister. My father, Ronald Wykes, took the steam train to Waterloo each day as he was a banker in the city. After he retired he took up a strong interest in local history by chairing the Egham Historical Society.
Egham station, had a brick engine shed and sidings for trucks in the car park. The old signal box used to operate the level crossing gates by hand. The signal man turned a big green wheel in the box and we would anticipate the gates opening by watching him. I remember the dairy where the car park now is on Church St. We used to shop at Theakers hardware, Bennets for fresh warm bread, David Greg's and another butcher further down the high street opposite Walnut Tree Gardens. The was a fish monger and a sweet shop the 'Candy shop' (perhaps), on station road near the Ladybird shop.
Simon Wykes, my brother, and I took the green 441 double decker from Egham to Englefield Green to school at St Cuthburts. The fare was 3D. Often we would walk home down Egham hill. Sunday lunch time my father and my granddad would have a beer at the Anglers hotel, long gone, replaced by the Runnymede hotel.
I have lived in the US for 20 years and on occasion go back to see my brother who still lives in Egham. Very sad how it has changed for the worse. Congestion, over populated, everyone's garden is a parking lot. Most shops are gone, replaced by offices, and card shops. Inevitable with the airport and London. But Windsor Great Park reminds a beautiful solace. Coopers Hill and the slopes are there too, sandwiched by roaring roads and airplanes like slings of arrows racing overhead.
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I now live in Australia. I spent thirty years in New Zealand where I worked in engineering later the prison service and 22 years in the NZ police.
My wife Joan formerly Joan Warburton and I left NZ and moved to Australia in 2001. I spent several years in the Australian Federal Police ( AFP) retiring in 2012.
I have returned to Egham on three ocassions since 1971 and visited Egham on a regular basis visiting the pubs and catching up with my sisters Maureen Carol and my brother Barry
Terry and Joan