Witley memories
Here are memories of Witley and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Witley or a Witley photo.
Family History
My great grandfather lived in and owned Lea Park and I am interested in the history of this wonderful building. My father Austin Stone wrote in one of his crime novels of the underwater fountain in the lake?! Any information and records/photographs would be most gratefully received.
BUTCHERS SHOP, WHEELER STREET
BUTCHERS SHOP, WITLEY. My mother and father ran the butchers shop in Wheeler Street, Doris and Mick McCullough, from 1936 to 1953. I remember the sweet shop next door (Fairfields) and the Co-op opposite (now Witley Wines). There was also Crossways Stores. I wonder if anyone else can remember my parents or maybe shopping at the butchers? I sometimes went with my father to Witley Station at about 6.00 am in the morning to collect the fish which had come down from Billingsgate and went with him delivering meat in the area, places such as Chichester Hall for school meals.
Rapley Family
My memories are all in the mid 1950s when I used to visit my grandma and aunts and uncles. My father is commemorated on this war memorial and the vase seen on the left was one his brother had placed there. It was always filled with flowers until later on, after my uncle died, it was put on the family grave.
Northfields, Witley
As a child on holiday with my aunts, uncles and grandma who lived at Northfields (where the post office is situated by the main road), I would spend many happy times buying pens, pencils, notebooks etc. I remember a Mr Bannister used to run the shop then.
Those Were The Days
I worked at Enton Hall in Witley, and often saw actresses and actors who were there for treatment, ie. Anthony Newley, Rita Hayworth etc. On one particular morning I arrived to clean Anthony Newley's chalet and found that some young girl, or girls, had plastered his door with a million lipstick kisses...to say that he was not amused would be an understatement? The proprietors were Norman Jarvis and Mr Reddell.
One Very Good Pub in England
One of My Employments of Yesteryear: Did you know that this public house has a corner where George Elliot used to write some of her famous books? Situated right opposite the War Memorial and next door to where Harry Swallow, who I believe was the head master of Witley School. I used to work there as a waitress in the 1950s and loved being part of Arthur Newland's team...a great boss to work for.
Jasmine Cottage, Petworth Road
In 1956, my family moved into Jasmine Cottage which stands behind the wall on the left of this picture. It was (is) the centre cottage of 3 in one old building. There was a family that lived in the house on the right, where I got my first sight of a television. The program that was on TV when I first saw it was a Test Match, (cricket). The White Heart pub was just up the road on the right and if you turned left, opposite the White Heart, the church was on the right and the village school was on the left. I went to that village school before becoming a boarder at KES. I now live in Kentucky, USA
1950 Year of my Birth in Witley
I was born in Sandhills, Witley in 1950. Witley is still a very picturesque village.
Sandhills
This is where I was born in 1950. I remember being pushed in my pram into Witley to the Post Office. Although I was only a baby I remember the peace of the area. It was a wonderful place to be born.
Memories of Surrey
Royalty at Milford
In 1962 I was in Cledwyn Evan's class at the primary school. In the Summer terms Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother used to visit King Edward's School in Witley, and Mr. Evans led his class to the roundabout to see her go by. He was enthusiastically ragged about it by the other teachers!
We all stood just by the walnut tree on the left of the picture. We waited, but not for long. The Rolls-Royce came whispering up to the roundabout and sailed past us. Then I saw the Queen Mum lean forward to tell her driver to pull up, and he reversed the car back to us. Mr. Evans gulped, she waved and smiled at us through the window, then suddenly they were off towards Witley. I noticed Mr. Evans was very red faced!
Mousehill Green
This picture is of Mousehill Green, Milford. You haven't a title for the picture, so I thought I'd let you know. I remember it from 1953 onwards, but this picture obviously predates that.
The green was often used for fairgrounds. The shop by the road was the Delicatessen, now a craft shop I think, not sure though.
Church Road Shopping Parade
This is Church Road, 200 yards north of the church, not Haslemere Road. The building on the left of the photo is now a club. In the 1950's we children used to call it "The Wobbly Man's Club".
More Royalty at Milford
Further to Mr. Mike Taylor's story about being taken to see HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother passing through Milford on her way to King Edward's School at Witley. I was a pupil at King Edward's during the time of her visit, and whereas Mr. Taylor's story implies there may have been a number of visits by Her Majesty, I only recall the one, which I believe to have been in 1956. Mr. Gordon Humphries MA was the Headmaster at the time, and it was the only occasion upon which we pupils had seen him at all flustered. HM had lunch with us in the dining hall, and the two things that stick in my mind about the day was meeting this tiny, smiling lady, and that we had something called 'vol au vents' for lunch. These latter were considered by us to be a complete denial of the human child's right to a square meal! To this day I find it difficult to picture royalty eating without envisioning their... Read more
My Stay at Milford Chest Hospital
I spent nine months at this hospital from August Bank holiday 1954 till April 1955 after having a mass x-ray earlier that year. I was only 17 years of age at that time and the photo brings to life the time I spent there along with the memories, and not all bad by any means. I am now 72 years of age, worked a full manual life in the building industry, run marathons, and still play Badminton and Tennis and can hold my own against youngsters, so much for the TB I had, or maybe the help I had at that hospital all those years ago. I would be very interested to hear from anyone who was there at that time. Is the building shown the men's ward? I think it is.
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