Sheerwater memories
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Memories of Surrey
ST JOHN'S CHURCH (1950's And Early 60's)
St John's Church has its own peculiar smell which I used to appreciate during "the long kneel" (communion). Once a month, (or every week) an army of children would be frogmarched from The Langsmead School to attend Sunday Worship. The Langsmead Room now is the only reminder of the now defunct Boarding School which the pupils funded by collecting a mile of threepenny bits. My friends and I went to Sunday School and thoroughly misbehaved ourselves but the vicar, of the time, was very patient with us. One day we were mucking around in "the long kneel" when "Goody Two Shoes Evelyn" reported us and dragged us of the see Mr. Costin. We were petrified that he would find out we had been making my childminder's son turn head over heels in front of the altar and playing the organ without permission. He was, however, extremely kind to us and put our names in the birthday book. A few years later I belonged to Children's Union... Read more
The Bus Stop
In 1961 I remember starting West Byfleet School and waiting by this bus stop for the bus to take all the Byfleet pupils home. Straight opposite the bus stop was the school uniform shop 'George C Wenn', everything had to be perfect and we had to wear hats, white ones in the summer and maroon and gold in the winter, we all looked very smart. I also remember rushing home to see the new television programme 'Coronation Street'... then out to play before tea.
West Byfleet
I started at West Byfleet CS in 1963 when Fred Goodger was the head master, and a more paranoid man I've yet to meet, but some of the teachers were great! I remember the school very well and so many pupils. I came from Pyrford and West Byfleet was a long way in those days! I remember the shopping centre and Camerasports where we all bought our records (mostly The Beatles) and I remember the excitement when 'Sgt. Pepper' came out. Everything was a lot more innocent then. We had Parish Day on the Rec and my mate Ginger Gammon broke his legs on a swing there! I had lots of other friends, some of whom I'm still in touch with, but so many I lost touch with. I live many miles away in Bristol now but still get back sometimes. I married a Byfleet girl (Judy Pinnock who used to work in Paula Marks record shop) and moved some 27 years ago. Happy memories.
The Library
I don't know the exact year the library was built in West Byfleet, only that it opened the flood-gates for me & I would be the first to campaign against closing libraries, thanks to this inclusion to 1960s West Byfleet. The fact that it was circular encompassed that feeling of 'modernism': I was able to wallow in so many stories, fact & fiction, all for free!! It even lent LPs to play on my little Dansette portable record player!
The offices in the background of this photo replaced a beautiful row of houses, one of which I think had its front room servicing as a doctor's surgery: or it could have been the dentist. Although at the time it seemed criminal to demolish these places, the offices served me well for some temp work during college holidays!
Further back was our first supermarket: The notion of collecting all your items in one basket rather than asking an assistant was scary but wonderful! I remember following... Read more
Centenary Celebrations
I am currently collecting records of memories of members and relative memorabilia of those people who attended the youth club at West Byfleet. If there are any members out there who would like to contribute to the exhibition that will be held sometime in April onwards, please contact me at arfairlie@ntlworld.com or phone me on 01932 343618.
Thank you. Alan Fairlie
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