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Gomshall
Gomshall maps
Historic maps of Gomshall and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Gomshall maps
Gomshall area books
Displaying 1 of 16 books about Gomshall and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Gomshall
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Surrey memories
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 - John Grover had a shop to the left of the porch, where he sold fresh fish, fruit and vegetables, some of which he grew himself. During the war people would come from Dorking and Guildford to buy fresh fish. The fish came from Harlow’s of Grimsby in wooden boxes, when the empty boxes were returned to Grimsby, my uncle used to fill them with rabbits and other game caught locally, because food was scarce due to food rationing. My uncle used to smoke kippers in a shed near the stream. He also kept the white ducks which swam along the stream. I have... Read 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 remember the Shere bonfire nights which were very enjoyable. I left the village in the sixties and now live in Adelaide, South Australia. My elder sister still lives in in Shere with her husband who was until retirement one of the local postmen. I have only happy memories of my birth place. I was baptised and also had my confirmation at St James's Church in Shere.
Childhood
i was born in guildford in 1986 and my parents had just taken over abinger post office and stores this is the house in the middle of the photo with all the ivy (that wasnt there in my time) the window above the shop was my parents room the spare room and the lounge are the rooms to the left. i loved living here and have many great memories of going to abinger village school, fishing in the stream, playing on the green and in the ruffs going to the abinger arms(probably the 1st pub i ever went to) and the tea rooms at the clock house now apparently i have heard that these tea rooms have moved to my old front room and front garden! i also remember the teddy bears picnic and the teacher who made me wear a bear mask one year, playing pooh stcks in the stream, pony rides on the front part of the green. i remember bonfires either at the cricket club or holmbury... Read 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 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
An Evacuee During World War II
My name then was Babs Collins and my memory goes back to World War II, when I and others from my school in Victoria, London were evacuated to both East & West Clandon. We had been moved very hurriedly in July 1940 from Brighton where our school was first sent to in 1939. This second evacuation was because the Germans had begun to bomb the south coast preparatory to invading us after Dunkirk.....
In the drama, I was separated from my two elder sisters (imagine). I was taken in with another little girl namrd Josephine by a very kindly Mr & Mrs Holt of 1, Sophy Cottages, and there I stayed until July 1945, when I returned home to London.
All I can say is I was made to feel completely at home; Mr & Mrs Holt had four grown up children, all in the war (more stories to tell), and I became part of them and the village as a whole. In fact, my claim to fame is, in... Read 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. I have many memories of growing up in the village, attending Holmbury St Mary primary school, belonging first to the brownies and then the girl guides. Although I no longer have any family connections in the village there are still a number of family friends that still reside there. Some of my fondest memories are that of the special bonfire nights held near the village, the pyrotechniques of which were originally orchestrated by a Mr Bill Narroway.
Garden Cottage is still very clear in my mind, being built on a raised bank directly opposite the rather grand house and grounds belonging to Lady Catto. It was, and still is... Read more
