1950s In Hook Heath, Woking

A Memory of Hook Heath.

In 1949/50 my parents moved to Little Morton, Hook Heath Road when I was 2 years old. The house (now advertised as having 6 bedrooms) seemed enormous and the garden was very large. In about 1960 my parents sold part of it for 2 detached houses facing Hook Heath Avenue which are there today.
All the houses in the area had large gardens and so density was very low. I recall when I reached about 7 years old, I would walk to the Woking Tennis Club in Pine Road and during the summer holidays I would spend a lot of time there, not having any siblings to play with. As I got older there were organised dances and parties for young people.
Opposite the entrance to Pine Road was a 'cottage' called The Cotteridge owned by friends of my parents. They bought a pony for their daughter who I used to play cowboys and indians with! There was a stable behind the cottage which is still there today.
Further along the road was a private school called Allen House, which moved there in 1912 (redeveloped in 1986). Since I boarded at Seaford, Sussex I never got to know anybody at Allen House, but photos show a very imposing grey building.
Children's birthday parties were a highlight of the holidays especially as some parents had swimming pools (very rare then).
My parents knew a few people nearby and occasionally there were noisy drinks parties that would go on into the night. I recall, in my early teens, driving a drunken parent home in their new Mini! The distance was all of half a mile but it felt great!
A lot of our food was delivered in an old Morris van by 'Hook Heath Stores' in Wych Hill, now a hairdressers.
Opposite Little Morton in Hook Heath Avenue were terrace houses occupied by Italian families. My Mother would give them my old clothes and toys which they appreciated. A red telephone box used to be situated on our side of the road (now gone) and occasionally a policeman would stand there chewing the cud (as per Dixon of Dock Green!).

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