Cheshunt St. Mary''s Mission

A Memory of Cheshunt.

I was born in Barnet but brought up for my first 20 years in Cheshunt. Does anyone remember the St. Mary's Mission which was halfway down Windmill Lane where Roundmoor Drive is now. Long since demolished I would imagine. I was sent there on Sunday afternoons when I was around three years old in about 1948/9. The services were run by Mr. Gowler who preached fire and brimstone to the quavering kids. Miss Lindsell ran the infant section. There was no WC, just a bit of spare land at the back. Certainly not acceptable in this anti-bacterial age, but we survived. I went to Gews Corner School when Mr. Rann was one of the teachers (how scary was he?!) and dear Mr. Oldacre, who knew every child's name, was Headmaster. Then onto the Secondary school for five years. That was in the days of Mr. Smith as head and Basher Bates who prowled the corridors, a cane concealed in his sleeve. Miss Jean Williams was head girls' teacher. Jay Norris of course, a wonderful English teacher, who gave me a lifetime's interest in good literature and poetry. Times have changed, I live in Australia and have done so for 34 years, but my memories of Cheshunt are fresh and I visit the UK regularly. So many memories, the Embassy on Saturday mornings, the Pantry at Waltham Cross with its tantalising "foreign" smells, and Cheshunt library where I spent so many hoursI lived in Turners Hill, maiden name was Edginton. Love to hear from anyone who remembers me.