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Speen

Speen photos

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Speen maps

Historic maps of Speen and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis.   View all Speen maps

Speen area books

Displaying 1 of 7 books about Speen and the local area.   View all books for this area

Memories of Speen

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Buckinghamshire memories

Two Weddings

My parents were married at Great Hampden church in July 1929, they were Neater Ruth Groom of Prestwood, and Harold Aubrey Hall of Beenham in Berkshire. January 4th 1956 Barbara Hall, their only child, was married to Reginald Frank Ridgley, also of Prestwood. My mother died in April 1994, the wild cherry blossom and bluebells were adorning the Glade as we followed her coffin up to the church, we walked that way so often in the years gone by. Dad followed her in Feb 1995, it was cold and grey, but there were a lot of people, sharing the memories of lives spent in this lovely area, and Rev Phillip Hill who conducted our wedding, and the dear old Vicar who was there in my childhood, walking round his Parish, visiting, always happy to talk.

PIGLET

We came to live in Downley Road in 1987 at The Barn which was in a bit of a state in those days. Wife, daughter, me and three cats. The very first memory I have is of our first weekend here when we thought we would  quickly nip out to the back of the common to get our bearings for half an hour, and trudging back exhausted four hours later after getting hopelessly lost!

We spent the best part of 4 years improving and renovating during which time daughter Kim left and got a flat. Angie got a job at Bradenham Manor and the ship sailed on.

Naphill is a very nice place to live with some very decent people and we were very happy here. A retreat from the week's business. Someone actually told me that if you lived in Naphill, you'd made it!

Sadly Angie my wife passed away in 1994. Over the ensuing years I have changed jobs and come to terms with living... Read more

The Chequers

The Chequers c1965
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At the age of 16 I remember picking cherries on the trees (still existing in the photo and just shown to the left of the picture) while being too embarrassed/shy to acknowledge the presence of my first "girlfriend", Valery, on her bike below.
The Chequers was my fathers local from the mid twenties until the mid eighties. He hardly missed an evening's visit during the whole of that time, so the Chequers became a rather "looming" object throughout my childhood, rather like a third (naughty) parent. But it did provide the odd Vimto and packet of Smith's crisps in the late forties/early fifties.

Prestwood Village

The Chequers c1965
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I was 12 and lived in Prestwood for about 6 months, Oct 41 to March 42. Lived at Delsyde, Hockley Road with my parents in the house of the Adams family including Isabel aged about 10 and Leslie about2, Mr Adams had a business in Wycombe in the tyre trade.
The landlord at The Chequers was a widow, cannot remember her name but she had a son at RGS Wycombe and I cycled to school with him a few times. At that time there was a brickworks in Prestwood and I went with Isabel Adams to watch bricks made by hand, that works was later used as a storage for war surplus. Great excitement when the greengrocer got a crate of oranges. There was a baker on the road to Missenden, bread made on the premises, he had a gas engine to mix the dough, speed control was by a 'hit and miss' governor. Someone must remember it. ... Read more

When I Was A Boy

Duke Street c1955
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I was born in Princes Risborough and fondly remember as a young boy going into the shop with the bay window (shown on the right of your picture) to buy sweets and giggle at the young girls. The shop was known locally as 'Blue Kettle Jacks' although it was properly known, I think, as The Old Blue Kettle.

OLD AGE

Duke Street c1955
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With regards to this photo, I think if my memory serves me right it is Duke Street looking back from what was Benyons garage to the Market Square, I remember there used to be three butchers shops in this street alone!

St.George Playing Field

I do think this picture could be a lot earlier than 1955.
I think this Aylesbury road, heading down into Risborough. The St.George playing field, being on the right behind the hedge.
The houses in the distant right, are down Longwick road I believe.

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