Sonning memories
Here are memories of Sonning and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Sonning or a Sonning photo.
Lock Keeper
My grandfather, Edward Ernest Light, was the lock keeper at Sonning when this photo would have been taken. He was married to Lily and they had 3 sons, Edgar, Harold and Len, and a daugher Evie. Harold was my father and was born in the lock keeper's cottage in 1912 (and was later married in Sonning Church). My grandfather was very proud of the lock gardens and frequently won the Thames Conservancy cup for the best kept garden. I have one of the cups, dated 1922 and an oil painting of the lock in all its formal floral glory painted around that time. I believe E.E. Light remained at Sonning Lock until he retired to Bournmouth in the 1930s. All 3 sons were expected to do their bit at the lock, including looking after the boats that were hired out and helping with the planting of all the many flowers that helped my grandfather win so often!
Great Great Great Grandad James Sadler
To be honest this isn't a memory, more like a discovery whilst compiling our family tree with a new-found family member Jim (also James) Sadler. My G.G.G.Grandad was James Sadler, born 1815, father of 5, Lock Keeper from 1845-1885 or thereabouts. When he died in 1885 his son Thomas William Sadler took over. Maybe if Thomas had any sons then the Lock Keeping may have stayed in the family? As it is, and as far as I am aware, Thomas and his Wife Eliza Sadler nee Warner had two daughters Lilian and Flora.
Memories of Berkshire
The Butt Inn
Somewhere, not too far from Woodley, there is a pub called the But Inn, it was somewhat an old-fashioned pub where instead of hand pumps for filling up pint glasses there were barrels tipped on their sides and a wooden tap knocked into the barrel. There was a spill bin to capture any drips from out of the barrels. As far as I recall the brewery was Weatherheads that supplied all the beer within the wooden barrels. The Landlord had a Great Dane dog which often would howl until the landlord opened the living room door; off it went straight to the spill bins and lap up all the dregs and would then get so drunk that it would do the splits on all fours. I was roughly 20 years old and that would make it 42 years since I was in that pub. I know that the pub is on the internet and that it looks as if it is a thriving pub. I don't suppose that the beer... Read more
The Polehampton Schools
I think this picture could show Mr Farthing who was a teacher at the Boys School, near the railway bridge. When I was walking to and from the girls' school at the other end of the village I often used to meet him rolling along, puffing his pipe. I had schoolfriends who lived at public houses on the High Street. One pub was the Duke of Wellington - the name of the other escapes me. You can see a baker's shop. I won't divulge the name of the baker, but I can remember his dog devouring the icing off one of their birthday cakes. Mrs. H., his wife confided to us that they had re-iced it it, because they didn't like to waste a good cake! (I don't think we bought cakes there after that.) I remember the mill at the bottom of the street being decorated for the Coronation. One of a group of passing cyclists commented, "Gosh, they've even heard about it here!" Perhaps it was a sleepy... Read more
The Royal Oak Public House And my Cousins
When I lived in Twyford and surrounding areas between when I was born in 1944 and when I moved away from the area in 1971, much of my time was spent in Twyford. My uncle, aunt and my cousins lived in Norton Cottage, which was situated 20 yards from this side of the Royal Oak, and set back from London Road shown in this photo. The house between the Royal Oak and Norton cottage belonged to Mr and Mrs Jones, who were always good neighbours to my uncle and his family. When the area was 'developed', I think in the 1970s or early 1980s (I'm not sure exactly when) the Royal Oak, the Jones's family house and Norton Cottage were all demolished to make way for the new shops and public house, for which I think they kept the name of the Royal Oak. I remember going into the new pub with my cousin in the 1990s and where we were stood at the bar, he said that that was... Read more
Tappa's Tump NW Morris Hold A Dance Workshop in Loddon Hall Road
What an amazing day! One moment Twyford is enjoying a quiet Sunday morning on a cool February day and then dozens of cars arrive from all over the south of England delivering Morris Dancers! The occasion was a dance workshop day run by the local dance team, Tappa's Tump North West Morris, a group of smartly turned out women who perform energetic dances wearing clogs! The visitors were dancers invited from other dance teams who then spent the day learning new steps and tunes. The community hall in Loddon Hall Road provided a spacious indoor venue for more than one hundred dancers and many musicians and I had fun joining in providing some music on the stage. My own dance team, Whitethorn Morris, attended from Harrow, and had an enjoyable and energetic day finishing up with tea and cakes in the late afternoon. A great day and a great memory for the many dancers and musicians!
I Was Born Here
Seeing this photo brings back many happy memories, on the left of the photo are two black gates and the first cottage next to them is where I was born back in 1955. Shortly afterwards they were demolished and a service road was put in that led down to the school canteen and the playground of the boys school. The bakery across the road was owned by Uncle George and many a time on a cold winter's morning I would walk around the back into the bakery itself with my sixpence and get my fresh hot bread rolls, and then go and stand with my back against the wall next to the ovens. My mum also worked in the school canteen along with Mrs Gale so I always knew what we were having for tea that night, what was left over from lunch that day.
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