Hook
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Hook memories
Read and share memories of Hook and London inspired by Frith photos
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London memories
Origin of pub name.
The pub was originally known as 'The Gate' - hence the sign hanging over the door. The current name is a corruption of 'Borne's Gate' from the time of the landlord whose name was Mr Borne. The pub still exists, beside the stream of the same name, Bonesgate Stream.
A memory of Chessington contributed by Ms C Dunford
The Toby Jug - Where is Mr Seaton now?
In the 1950's and early 60's, a Mr Seaton was the manager of The Toby Jug. I would like to trace him or his descendants in the hope of obtaining some information on a Maestrovox Electronic Organ which used to be attached to the piano in the pub dining room and dance hall for the official Maestrovox website that I run. I can be contacted at s.m.ward@btconnect.com or via the website www.debbiecurtis.co.uk/id99.html
I would also be pleased to hear from anyone who remembers this unusual organ attached to the piano or has any pictures of it that we could see.
Thanks
A memory of Tolworth contributed by Steven Ward
Growing up in Brighton Road
I remember my happy childhood in Brighton Road so well. We lived at 114, heading toward the Portsmouth road. My grandfather had built the house. It lay back from the road.
Mr and Mrs Harper ran the paper shop that had a telephone cubicle in it.
There was a shop next to the Black Lion that sold lemonade for a penny a glass. My friend Susan Dunford lived further down the road, we would wander and play and it always seemed very hot in the summer. We went to the pictures on Saturday mornings, Sunday School in the afternoon, afternoon tea at Packhams, the lovely proper post office. I went to Hazlewood School, I had to go over Surbiton station ...read more here
Art Deco in Berrylands
Like many local children I spent most of my summers at this pool and on very hot days visitors came from all over south London. There were paved terraces to lie on, a cafe for refreshments, and a childrens' paddling pool. In the grounds outside were two tennis courts, which were well-used by the locals. It was a perfect example of Deco architecture but was closed in the 1970s. Oddly, the area of the pool itself was not built on and was incorporated into the surrounding "Open Space" which leads to Berrylands Station, although the area of the tennis courts became a cul-de-sac of houses. A small ...read more here
A memory of Surbiton contributed by Anna Farlow
Extracts From Hook & London books
Nestled in the rear slopes of the North Downs, the village derives its ancient name from the Saxon word ‘wudmeresthorn’, meaning ‘thornbush by the boundary of the wood’, and was mentioned in the Domesday Book. This 1930s mock-Tudor shopping parade still stands on Rectory Lane as it winds its way south to the junction with the Chipstead Valley Road, where the buildings of the Woodmansterne Treatment Works, belonging to the Sutton and East Surrey Water Company, are just visible.
An extract from from"Around Cheam, including Sutton, Ewell, Banstead and Epsom Photographic Memories".
Much of Banstead High Street was rebuilt during the 1920s with a series of shopping parades. The leafless lime tree in the middle distance occupies the spot where the village pond once existed, while All Saints’ churchyard is concealed behind the trees on the extreme right.
An extract from from"Around Cheam, including Sutton, Ewell, Banstead and Epsom Photographic Memories".
The station, on the branch line from Sutton to Epsom Downs, opened in 1865, and the white stuccoed house, now a builder’s offices, dates from around the same time. The small confectionery kiosk was one of a trio servicing the requirements of commuters, with other branches at Sutton and Epsom. The roof of the station no longer bears the white lettering, and the building is almost a mile from the town centre itself. The road almost immediately makes another sharp bend over the railway line below, before passing the Cuddington Golf Clubhouse and continuing on to East Ewell.
An extract from from"Around Cheam, including Sutton, Ewell, Banstead and Epsom Photographic Memories".
Originally founded for ladies in the autumn of 1890, the club admitted gentlemen to membership within a year, and from a tin hut close to Banstead Railway Station it moved to this site in Burdon Lane nine years later. A putting green was added in 1923, and further major development took place in the years after this photograph was taken.
An extract from from"Around Cheam, including Sutton, Ewell, Banstead and Epsom Photographic Memories".
Situated on the corner of Sandy Lane, these courts, flanked by suburban houses, now form part of Cheam Fields Club. The pavilion in the background, although substantially altered, has also survived to the present day.
An extract from from"Around Cheam, including Sutton, Ewell, Banstead and Epsom Photographic Memories".