My Very Happy Childhood In New Haw Road!!!

A Memory of New Haw.

We originally moved in 1957 when I was 5 from Thornton Heath in Surrey to Burleigh Road in Addlestone because my dad had started working for Peto Scott (TV makers) near Weybridge. Then in December 1957 my parents bought a lovely house with 1/3 acre garden in New Haw Road, number 143. We were a family of 4. Reginald and Rachel Hope were our parents, Rosemary my sister and me, Robin.

143 is just 2 doors north of what is now The Moated Farm Drive. It used to be Bentley's Farm. It's now a golf course. I worked on Bentley's Farm when I was in my teens. I got paid 2 shillings an hour! It was a nice bit of pocket money by the end of the week!

I used to love going up to the shops opposite The White Hart Bridge on my little bike. There was Kinch's first, the green grocers, then the Post Office and Wavy Line grocery shop. Then there was another entrance into Bentley's farm (shops there now) and then there was Brooks the newsagents. Then there was Bentley's Farm Shop. After that there was another 'Brooks' shop and that was a butchers. My friend Susan Binder lived in the house behind the shop. I'd love to meet up with her again! We went to school together - New Haw County Primary School (now demolished) and later Fullbrook.
Then there was The Bentley's Farm Shop, Braithwaites and Browns, another grocery shop opposite.

I used to go fishing in the Wey Navigation Canal in the summer. I remember when the canal froze solid and we were all skating around on it. I think it was January 1963 from memory. I used to swim in the canal as well, at The Addlestone Swimming Club, up the top end of Burcott Gardens. Mr and Mrs Cooper who ran it were such lovely people! I got my bronze Life Saving Medal in 1966 after training at The ASC then doing the exam in Guildford. We were all featured in the 'Surrey Review' after that.

I used to go to 'Happy Hour' at The New Haw Gospel Hall on a Monday evening I think it was. We had some great friends there including The Marter and Papworth families.

I always looked forward to August with great excitement as Traylins fair would set up in a field near The Black Horse Pub (now a 'Pick your own strawberries' field) for 2 weeks with a fireworks display on their last day. Dad would take me to that as it was on quite late on a Saturday night.

My dad eventually went to work for Vickers on the old Brooklands Race Track site in the R&D dept. (which later became BAC -British Aircraft Corporation) working for Barnes Wallace and mum did school medicals with the New Haw and Addlestone clinics. My mum was a SRN (State Registered Nurse)

I think my happiest days in New Haw, looking back, were when I attended New Haw County Primary School (later New Haw Middle School) I had so many great friends there. I loved their Jumble Sales as well which they often held in the playground on a Saturday afternoon.

Alas, on 4th July 1967 we said goodbye to New Haw and moved to a remote area in West Wales. This was my dad's ill-conceived "money saving" plan. I've missed New Haw and Addlestone ever since we
left New Haw Road! If I ever get the chance to move back there, I will!

Love you New Haw!!