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Mapledurham
Mapledurham photos
Displaying the first of 21 old photos of Mapledurham. View all Mapledurham photos
Mapledurham maps
Historic maps of Mapledurham and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Mapledurham maps
Mapledurham area books
Displaying 1 of 7 books about Mapledurham and the local area. View all books for this area
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Memories of Mapledurham
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Oxfordshire memories
KENNYLANDS CAMP SCHOOL
My best friend and I attended Suttons Secondary Boys School in Hornchurch Essex, and both of us were fortunate to be chosen to attend a two month summer term at Kennylands, situated at Sonning Common Berkshire. Actually we were both lucky twice and attended two years in succession. The Camp was beautifully laid out in two seperate halves, divided by a central dining hall and a flag pole. I didn't realize until I arrived at camp that the 'other half' of the camp was for girls.
No entry to the girls' half was permitted under the threat of being expelled. The only exceptions were to attend church on Sundays and when parents visited. We were required to attend ballroom dancing lessons each week and many of us lads would likely never have learned to dance properly without these lessons taught by Mrs Gibbs the headmistress. We played all kinds of sports and also did normal school work. The community living taught us many values that would come in handy later... Read more
WW2
I was evacuated to some wooden bungalows in Goring Road and lived with Percy and Renee Bonner. Renee's relations were Romany gypsies who lived in Woodcote. The photo shows The White Lion and the village shop which I believe was "Pointers Stores". Percy ran a log delivery business, and these were delivered by horse and cart to surrounding areas by Percy, and although only 10 yrs old, myself!! I can safely say that despite the war and my young ignorance, they were the happiest days of my childhood.
I remember a shed nearby in which shoe repairs and accumulators were re-charged and the proprietor suffered a pronounced limp. A nice chap he was. The shed was sited at the entrance to a drive to a large house whose owners were named Brewer or Burton or similar. I spent many hours with a son of the house called Peter, exploring surrounding areas.
The Bonners were wonderful people and treated me as a son. They did have a young daughter called Lena... Read more
Story After, my Family
Regarding the statement of Percy Bonner and his wife Rennie Bonner, written by Ken Crammer:
These people were my aunt and uncle.
Uncle Percy and Aunt Rennie went on to have 2 children, Louisa and Percy aka Penny, both married and continued to live in Crays Pond with their children and grandchildren near by.
In 1966 Uncle Percy was in a tragic accident when a tree fell on him and he was killed, Aunt Rennie died after having a heart attack in the 1970s.
Aunt Rennie was the sister of my father Joseph Smith.
The photo brings back memories of waiting outside with my coke whilst Uncle Percy and my father were inside drinking pints.
If anyone would like to contact me regarding any of the persons above then please email me johnalbiejoe@yahoo.com
Bonners
Penny went on to have 2 boys, Joe and Frankie, Frankie being the same age as me. We used to play at Rogers Yard, Penny Royal, which I think was once owned by Penny's dad. But given two Frank Rogers in the family I am not sure.
RAF Woodcote; 70MU; 1941 - 1959.
Very few people realise that there was a RAF Maintenance Camp in Woodcote during and after the Second World War years. There is a comprehensive history of this operational base with archive photos and local oral memories at :- http://www.mycetes.co.uk/b/index.html Have a look now before all the old tell tale signs are gone forever as nature reclaims the land back.
Star Brush Factory
We lived in a council house adjacent to the Star Brush factory where my father worked for some years before we moved to Peppard. While our house was very modern by some standards, we had no electricity for some years, but we did have flush toilets. I remember the beech trees being hauled into the factory for cutting up for making the backs for brushes which were then sent to London to be shaped and the bristles fitted.
There was quite a successful cricket team in the village in which my father played as a bowler and opening batsman.
I can still remember the petrol pumps at the local garage with the price at one shilling and one pence a gallon!
During the Second World War we were kept awake by the aircraft from Benson airfield going out to bomb Germany and were woken up in the morning when they returned.
Our neighbour was Tom Clark who was the village baker at the village stores before he was called up... Read more
Tudor & Mills Family Roots
I have always loved Highmoor; my father, John Tudor Mills, was born there, at Satwell, in 1924, his mother Doris Tudor having been born opposite St Paul's church in Highmoor in 1900; her parents, George Tudor, of Cowhill, Gloucestershire,and Annie-Marie Smith, of Kingsclere, moved to Highmoor circa 1898 following their marriage (his second). George Tudor was a local "Excavating Road Contractor", and worked in partnership with the Frouds of Assendon. George's sister, Hannah Davis, nee Tudor, was already living in the area (Ipsden) with her family; when Mr Davis died, she moved to Bix, circa 1901, living at Bix Brand farm; her daughter married Horace Froud,and their descendants still live at Laurences Farm, Bix,to this day. My grandfather, William "Billy" Mills, was born in Lyminster, Littlehampton, but moved to Rotherfield Greys when his father, John Mills, became a farm bailiff there some time between 1900--1911; John lies buried in Rotherfield Greys churchyard, William at Fairmile Cemetery. George Tudor had been married previously, having already fathered 12 or so children before Doris... Read more
