The Jolly Farmer

A Memory of Camberley.

I was born in Camberley in 1953, we lived in Caesars Camp road which joined the A30 London Road just along from the Jolly Farmer pub which stood at the junction of Gibbets Lane. The story we were brought up with is that is was so called because that's where the Highway Man "Dick Turpin" was hanged. The Gibbet being another name for the scaffolding that was put up to hang people in those days. The name of the pub was also based on a highway man legend in that the "Jolly Farmer" was a highwayman.

The youngest of three children we used to play on the common which extended for miles on the opposite side of the road from the Jolly farmer pub.

The last time I went back there in the 80's the common no longer exists and its all a housing estate

We went to school at Old Dean Estate school which was later renamed the Lorraine School. The badge of the school was based on the berry and oak leaf badge of the "Free French fighters" that were based there during the war. I can remember that swimming lessons were at the Blue Pool and they would walk a class load of children down through the woods to go swimming in an open pool in winter. After swimming we would get changed and buy a hot cup of oxo at the cafe for 3d to warm up before heading back to school. I was 7 when I leaned to swim with the school your 1960 picture of the Blue Pool on this website is exactly how I remember it.