A Great Place To Live

A Memory of Ickenham.

I was christened at St Giles in 1950 and lived in The Grove until I got married in 1972. I went to Breakspear Primary School and then Vyners. As a boy I was always playing in the woods by the river Pinn, building camps and rope swings across the river! No close parental supervision then. We were all able to play as "boys"and learn from our mistakes. We had no tTV until I was ten and I don't remember being bored. I only recall being out with my mates all the time. I was mad on football and played in the road every day with a tennis ball, except Sunday when I was only allowed to play in the back garden, then sing in St Gile's church choir in the afternoon. How I hated Sunday. I was in the 1st Ickenham cubs and scouts where I learnt so much and went camping! Proper camping, digging latrines, wet pits, cooking on the camp fire and kit/tent inspections daily - just like being in the army. In my teens I was motorbike mad and had a BSA, AJS,Norton and Triumph. We used to hang out at the Polish war memorial lay-by and ride to the Ace cafe at Stonebridge. In the sixties the Coach and Horses was the "in" pub where everyone went on Friday night and Burtons dance hall on saturday night. I also used the public bar at the Fox and Geese which was rough and a bit of a dive. I could go on and on but I think I've said enough for now!

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