Memories of Hinchley Wood
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Hinchley Wood, Hotel c1955
Ref: H439005
My uncle Lawrence married Peggy Smurthwaite in about 1935 and took over the Hinchley Wood Hotel. It was already well-known to him and his brother, Ellis, because he was a partner in the building firm E & L Berg which had developed an estate over the other side of the Kingston Bypass. Though he knew little or nothing of the licenced trade, his wife, Peggy, was the daughter of teh Smurthwaites of the Kingston Hotel (now demolished). They later moved to the Roundabouts Hotel in West Chiltington, West Sussex; while there they began building. After Lawrence's death Peggy continued building, having disposed of the Roundabouts. The Hinchley Wood Hotel has gone, sadly. It was a meeting place for service men and women, particularly RAF aircrew. Peggy led a conga train through her normally staid pub on VE day. She was a most glamourous woman, an example of a 'South of France' type of pre-war days. Lawrence was a burly and genial sporting type who had been a bayonet-fighting instructor at Aldershot, a warrant officer 1st class. He was a good small-boat sailor and fisherman. Sadly, they were childless.
Shared on 06 April 2008
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