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Grazeley Green
Grazeley Green maps
Historic maps of Grazeley Green and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Grazeley Green maps
Grazeley Green photos
We have no photos of Grazeley Green, although we do have photos of these nearby places:
Burghfield Common| Stratfield Mortimer| Mortimer Common| Theale| Reading| Tilehurst| Silchester| Englefield| Earley| Bramley| Hartley Wespall| Purley On Thames| Caversham| Bradfield| Tadley| Sherfield-On-Loddon| Pangbourne| Sonning| Hartford Bridge
Grazeley Green area books
Displaying 1 of 12 books about Grazeley Green and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Grazeley Green
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memories of Grazeley Green.
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My Time at Rapleys, Grazeley Green.
I was born and spent my early childhood at Rapleys, Grazeley Green. My father's farm, James Farm, was at the far end of the Green in James Lane. We had a herd around 120 friesians for milking as well as arable and woodland. My mother had a smaller farm at Goddards Green which had about 60 milking Jersey cows and a bull. My memories are a bit hazy but in those days I used to cycle to Burghfield or Mortimer to visit friends. It was much safer for children to cycle miles on the road then as there was much less traffic. I do remember the 10-ton trucks that used to hurtle by from the gravel pits. They were on piecework so speed limits went out of the window. There was the Old Bell pub run by Mr Gissing. I was much too young to know anything about pubs then; but it was the nearest neighbouring property. The cottages the length of the green were mostly occupied by... Read more
Berkshire memories
The Lane Pauline Johnson
I used to walk to Blands School through the lane with my friend Jean Brookes, we would often stop outside the Clark's (Terry) house and climb up the bank where we could see Jean's house across the field. Then we would continue past the West's house (Peter). We were often late for school as you can imagine! The headteacher at Blands school was Mr Halfpenny, one of the teachers was Miss Tanner, a road leading of off Hollybush Lane was named after her. I remember Dauntless well, my mum worked there for a while in the 1960s, a few of the local lads got married to Wrens. I lived on Clayhill Road and my friend lived in the Close.
Memories of The Lane
I remember the Lane so well. Pauline Johnson and myself used to use it on a daily basis to go to school. We used to dawdle and chat and skip and tease the boys, Terry Clark and Alan Berry being two of the names that come to mind. We used to love the little stream that ran along the bottom and often stopped to look at the brown pebbles and the endless amount of frog spawn. I wonder, is that steam still there ? My friend Pauline and I must take a walk along there soon to check !
Burghfield Village
I think it was 1950, when my late wife and I were courting and trying to find a home we could afford. We chanced to hear of the condemned Village School and the adjoing Hall, which the Church Commissioners wanted to sell for site value. We saw the place one lovely evening, walking across the Green with the church bells ringing. Although we were given the key to the enormous front door, it was unnecessary as the place was a wreck. The thatched roof had virtually disintegrated. The only service was a standpipe in the hedge! But we thought we could save it. The Bradfield District Council were most helpful, but we had to prepare plans for the conversion. Our parents helped us to pay for these, but they thought we were mad! We bought it and saved it from demolition. I started a Youth Club in the adjoining Hall and one of the children we have kept in touch with, eventually took Holy Orders. He is also... Read more
Blands School
I remember Mr Halpenny and Miss Tanner at Blands School, it didn't seem strange at the time to have some small change as teachers. Miss Tanner had apple trees and she always left a box outside her gate for us to have on the way to schoool or take home.
Rose Lawn Burghfield Rectory
Met my future wife, Janet, whose parents lived on the caravan site behind Rose Lawn ran by Rev Nicholson. I was a biker, Janet's parents disapproved of motorbikes, so whilst courting I used to bring her home at night & park at the Hatch Gate pub at the bottom of the hill & walk her home up to the caravan site. We married 1966 at Burghfield Church. Moved into a caravan on the site - no bathroom, a toilet that had to be emptied every week, in a shed next to the caravan & a cess pit dug in the garden for drainage. Had to move away in 1968 when we started a family, but a happy start & still together. Often visit Burghfield as Jan's mum still lives Burghfield Common - doesn't change much.
Life in Burghfield in The 1950s
The passageway led from Clayhill Road all the way through the village, and came out on the Reading Road, some 2 miles away, the passageway was used by us children daily as a short cut to school, and it went by the side of most people’s fields and the odd house.
Further down the passageway and at the top of a steep hill (looking down), was Mr Barker’s bungalow. My father told me once that one dark night during the Second World War, Mr Barker’s bungalow was hit by a stray bomb, apparently after a raid on London during the blitz in 1940, and on their way back to Germany, a plane jettisoned its remaining bombs in and around Burghfield. His house roof and walls were badly damaged, and although he had this repaired, you can still see the damage caused by the bomb and shrapnel.
I’m told you could see the distant lights and search lights high in the night sky that was used to strafe the... Read more
