My First Recollections

A Memory of Sonning.

I was born Reading in 1945 and went home to The Red House in Sonning which adjoined the White Hart.

My earliest recollection is when I was at the hotel at the age of 5, while visiting my grandmother who was the owner of the hotel. She was a woman in a man's world and was eminently capable of keeping such an undertaking on the rails.

She was the owner throughout the war years and raised large, sums of money for the war effort.

I distinctly remember the power boat called the Usk that was an inboard made entirely of wood, powered by a petrol engine.

There was also my great uncle John Shepherd who used to run the Tap Room just near the main entrance and held forth.

The manager, Bill Shepherd, was called Uncle Bill by my sister Valda and myself, was not a relative at all. But a very competent Hotel Manager who became a member of the family during the hard times of rationing etc.

I remember the gardener who had only one tooth in his mouth and we called it his 'Onion Spearer'. He managed to produce most of the hotel's needs as far as vegetables were concerned and turned all the garden beds into producing vegetable patches. I think his name was Ted?

I recently visited the White Hart and it has changed a lot to cater for the requirements of the masses. During its heyday it was a fairly exclusive hotel and I remember the large cars and posh people.

I am looking forward to some comments on this posting.