Memories of Croxley Green
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Year: 1940s
CROXLEY STATION 1940-1945
Hi, my name is Brian Nicoll. My mother, father and I lived in 10 Frankland Rd from 25/9/35 when I was born until 1956 when I got married. As a small boy I used to have a friend called Roger Gosney who lived over the Croxley station, his father was the station master. It was a great place for him and I to play in and around, the living area ran right across the top of the station with windows overlooking the road. It had all passages in the roof with lots of places for us to play hide 'n seek. His mother was very nice and made us cakes. He had a sister, I can't remember her name. They were very lucky as one night a German plane dropped bombs on a row of cottages just along the road that runs on the left side of the station, the whole fronts of about 4 cottages were blown away. My uncle took me round the next day and you could see the bedrooms and lounges all open, like looking into a dolls house. I don't know if anyone was killed or hurt there, I was only about 8 years old. There was another bomb dropped nearby which fell in the back of the fish and chip shop which was opposite the Red House pub but it didn't do much damage. I spent a great childhood roller skating around the station, playing down the canal and over the Croxley moors, it was a great place to live then. I attended York Rd, Harvey Rd and Durrants High Schools. We could play cricket in the street, no traffic, only horse and carts, coalman, milkman, baker, fishman all came up the street. I couldn't wait for school holidays to go swimming down the canal and getting towed down the canal on a rope that hang out the back of the longboat with the barge lady swearing away at us while trying to knock us off with her mop (I learnt how to swear very early from them. I think they would give Gordon Ramsey a lesson or two. I remember doing a few trips from Uxbridge to Dickinsons papermill on a large barge full of esparto grass towed by a beautiful big shire horse, I got to ride on its back while it towed it along, so lovely and slow watching the country go by, very peaceful, a lovely memory. I also belonged to the Croxley scout group, had good times camping at Lady Clutterbux farm in Chorley Wood way, now a big motorway I believe. If anyone knows where Roger Gosney /David Foster /Peter Crowley/ Alan Letter or any of the scout group in the 45-50s are, I would love to hear from them. Brian Nicoll Last edited: 30/07/2008 13:21 by Brian Nicoll |
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Year: 1940s
The Watford to Rickmansworth railway in the Second World War
Croxley Green station is now - in the 21st century - merely a shadow of its former busy life. My Auntie Dorrie (Doris Lacey) worked at this station throughout the Second World War and beyond and told me many stories of working life on the Watford to Rickmansworth line. Auntie recalls being at home in Hatch End in 1940 – she would clean the house on Thursdays. One Thursday she thought she would seek work and went up to the railway station to ask for vacancies – she chose Hatch End as this was a proper mainline railway station – not the underground! She was posted to Croxley Green which was easy and friendly (in the booking office). She also did relief work at Watford High Street which led to an offer of permanent work there. She said no. Later she went to work at Euston but she hated her first job there – two women and twelve men. She made the tea. She was promoted and refused to make the tea! She eventually became a clerk in the British Railways personnel office. Her memories of the ticket office at Croxley Green are vivid. The watercress growers of the Chess Valley would bring their baskets to the station to be sent to the markets in London. She got on well with these regular station visitors and they gave her some of their used baskets which she lined with old fabric to make my first carry cot when I was born in 1945! On Watford market days the young mothers of Croxley would catch the train to Watford High Street station but they would leave their prams in the left luggage office for which they had to pay a penny. Auntie felt so sorry for them that on the days the station master was not on duty she would let them leave their prams in the ticket office for nothing and keep an eye on them herself. The station master never found out! Her morning shift began very early before the first train of the day. She would set off from home in Hatch End shortly after 4 am and pedal along Oxhey Lane past Carpenders Park and Bushey Arches. She bought the bike from my mother for £5 after Mum joined the WRAF and was posted to Egypt. Auntie remembers a policeman would regularly see her on these early morning rides and pedal alongside her to keep her safe! All her memories of Croxley during the war years are full of happy anecdotes of warm-hearted and caring local people. Last edited: 10/07/2007 10:55 by John Howard Norfolk |
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 Croxley Green, 1897 (ref: 39688) |
Year: 1980
Whitethorn Morris dance at the Coach and Horses on Croxley Green
For many years in the 1980s and 1990s morris dancers performed outside the two lovely pubs on Croxley Green - the Coach and Horses and the Artichoke. Whitethorn Morris frequently chose these pubs as their venues for Boxing Day entertainment. The Whitethorn Band provided lively music and I would lead this on my accordian. The dancers put on an exciting visual display in their red white and blue kit and shiny clogs with bells, the surrounding crowd of onlookers would cheer and clap while stamping their feet in the frosty air and we musicians would blow on our fingers to try and keep them warm! Sometimes other Boxing Day revels took place and we would see a procession of vintage cars and bikes including a "penny farthing bike". It was great fun. I sometimes wonder what my old school music teacher Mr Stoupe at Pinner Grammar School would have made of it as he didn't consider me good enough to study "GCE O Level Music" in school back in 1959! Last edited: 27/01/2008 14:58 by John Howard Norfolk |
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Croxley Green, 1897 (ref: 39688) |
Year: 1947
The Croxley Elm Trees
The 1947 council house development that was built on the north side of Baldwins Lane, west of Manor Way became my home area after moving from Rochester Way in 1948. I loved the beautiful tall Elm trees that lined Baldwins lane and dotted the edge of the Green. I think the tree in the photo was at the junction with New Road and the Green almost opposite the Artichoke pub. The tree stood well into the 1950s Posted: 12/12/2006 21:42 by Leon Moore |
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