Church School On The Green

A Memory of Houghton Regis.

My memories start long before there was a Tithe Farm estate. In my time it was a farm and the footpath I used to go to school started there, it meandered al the way over the fields to Carcutt farm, where I lived all through the war years. I didn't leave Houghton Regis till 1963 to travel to Australia where I still live. But Houghton Regis is still in my heart. There was a little shop on the green where kids could go and buy (not sweets, they only came with food coupons but you could get Oxo cubes to suck and sherbert to suck through a straw). I remember the pageants on the green and fairs with lovely rides and stalls, to thow coconuts and rings, The High Street had little shops all the way as far as the top school, I can remember the butcher Mr Pratt who always spoiled me with the best meat we could afford and the green grocer, I believe his name was Mr Green, then another grocery store and a line of cottages, one of which we later lived in and oppposite was the lovely old Norman church across from the Kings Arms public house, we always said they went to get forgivness for their sins then went to the pub after to start again.

Where Tithe Farm estate now stands were paddocks where the Home Guard used to practise during the Second World War, and we had to be careful walking there as they had dug ditches to hide in in case the Germans got that far.
I think that was the best years. Last time I visited I found the village had changed so much I could not believe it. Where was the old Red House next to my school, where were the hounds that sometimes came out at playtime to exercise on the green, where were Colonal Part and Lady Part who owned the Hall and the horses and the beautiful grounds wher the chauffeur's grandaughter and I used to play, when I fell out of a tree complete with branch and broke my arm, I remember being carried into the Hall and the ambulance sent for, and the old black Daimler that came to the hospital and picked me up. What wonderful years, I could go on and on. I have photos somewhere if you are interested of those days.