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Woodham
Woodham maps
Historic maps of Woodham and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Woodham maps
Woodham area books
Displaying 1 of 16 books about Woodham and the local area. View all books for this area
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Memories of Woodham
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Surrey memories
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... 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
My Childhood In New Haw
Our family moved to New Haw when the new council houses were built at Heathervale. We lived at 26 Park Side. Everybody moved in about the same time so during the fifties there was great community spirit in our street. The residents even managed to build their own social club (Park Side Club). My father Basil Ponting was involved with this, but probably only on the drinking side.
It's still possible for me to remember some of the families that lived in our street, names like Doig, Pacey, Norman, Richards, Burgess, Redmond, Saul and Hill etc. I attended New Haw County Primary School (now demolished) from the age of five until I was sent to a school for the Partially Sighted in Seaford, Sussex.
Heathervale Park was right behind our house but somehow we preferred to play out front, pushing our homemade trolleys around the block. When we did go over to the park there was always a parkie (as we called him) on duty so it... Read more
NEW HAW CHILDHOOD
I have lived in New Haw most of my life. My family moved from Kings Road to Farleigh Road in 1949. One of my first memories was being taken to the New Haw Clinic for day care as my mother worked in London. There I encountered Nurse Lytle whom I met later at West Byfleet and Fullbrook School. We nicknamed her "The Nit Nurse". Pocket money in the 1950s was not very generous - but at the age of 5 I clutched 2d in my hand and made my way to "Hunts" to buy either 4 blackjacks and 4 fruits salads (1d for 4) or a packet of polos. Mr. Hunt first ran the shop solely as a sweet shop but later branched out selling wallpaper, paint and all things DIY - today the shop specialises in nail extensions and manicures. Next to him was the jeweller "Mees" (which is now a hairdressers) - I used to do a lot of window shopping there. Kendals used to sell corn, chicken... Read more
Wedding
I married in this church in March 1974 my maiden name was Whittle in those days. I also attended the youth club in the hall that was behind the church for a few years.
