The Stanwell I Remember In The Early 1970s

The previous comments have brought back good memories for me. I was born in Stanwell in 1950 but my parents were from the east end of London. My Dad was one of the first group of people who were brought to Stanwell when the airport was being to be developed.
I remember the ponies at the vicarage because the scout hut was at the back of vicarage and the scouts was a big part of our lives. There were about 20 boys in the scouts and we met each week to do scouting kind of things, and went camping every year for a week.
I remember the Rev Hoyle. He was a scary guy for us young kids. These days I recognize that he was one of the old style of vicars who carried weight in the community and was involved in all manner of community and charitable things. He lived in a (what seemed to be) huge house on the village green. I also have fond memories of Mr. & Mrs. Hurleston (sp?). They were kindly old people (to me) who were in some way attached to the church and they just spent their time helping people in the village. They rode around the village on their bicycles. I don't really know exactly what they did, but they were very well respected and always their when someone was in need; financial need, illness, family problems, and they prayed for you.They were the opposite church people from the Rev Hoyle. Approachable, jolly, caring, and humble.
I didn't know the vicars daughters, but I certainly knew Charley the blacksmith. He was a lovely man and friendly - in a rough kind of way - to the children. We would often just go an watch him working. If I remember correctly his smithy was between the village hall and the "sweet shop". All three of those establishments were a big part of our lives. There was all kinds of things going on in the village hall. My mother was big in the Women's Institute. The scout group put on (terrible) gang shows in the village hall to raise money. I remember that I was at a gang show rehearsal on the day that John Kennedy was killed. When then news came through, the rehearsal was closed, and we all went sadly home.
I went to Lord Knyvetts school and Town Farm School. I was also a patient of Dr. Venables. I spent a lot of time when I was a bit older watching the aircraft at Heathrow and checking of their numbers in a book. Like train spotting, but for planes.
I have very fond memories of living in Stanwell in those halcyon 1950-60's days. We lived in a real community where everybody knew each other and there was a lot of support because most of the people we lived near to were from all over the country and they did not have relatives and family. Selwood Gardens, where we lived, was a very friendly and optimistic place to live in those day.
We later moved away to Ashford, but I still think of myself as being from Stanwell - even though I now live more than 3500 miles away in another country.......

Hi I'm Geraldine Bates use to be Richardson. I kept the horses at the vicarage and the field in Oaks Road. I remember Rev Hoyle he use to come out to me with a sherry when I was mucking out the stables! I remember the blacksmith Charley I still have a photo of him putting shoes on Rosie one of my horses.Jane Hoyle was holding Rosie in the photo. Lovely memories.

Oh my !! Geraldine, I remember your horse Rosie, a 'huge' chestnut mare ( but I was 11, so she probably wasn't that big). I remember Teddy and her foal Vinny and that naughty black pony called Satan. You used to drive a blue minivan with flower stickers all over it! Marion Clarke was your girl who helped run the Pony Club. She moved to Sussex, never married and got into training dogs. I also remember the donkey derby in Town lane one summer and I got given the fastest donkey and won all the races and red rossettes !!