The Rose And Crown

A Memory of Chalfont St Peter.

Ivy Myers.
I wonder how many people from Chalfont remember the "Rose and Crown", a Benskins pub. My father owned it from 1946 until 1950. There was also the “Kings Head” which was on the corner of Joiners Lane. Of course if you look for them now you won't find them, the area is covered by the dual carriage-way and round-a-bout. At this time the village had hardly any cars going through it. My father said that because there were quite a few pubs in the village rivalry for customers was pretty fierce and he had to think of all different ways to get custom. The pub had an old stable block behind it which he turned into a club room. He hired this out for functions and started an “Ancient Order of Buffaloes Lodge”. He did catering for the Gymkhanas and the Bar for the dances held at the hospital. Dad also arranged outings to Goodwood races and local dart team matches.
I remember there was an elderly lady Tramp called “Lottie”. She used to pick a pub once a week for a handout so managed to get a free bite to eat every day. Another lady that lived opposite to the “Rose and Crown” in a small row off cottages was my music teacher, her name was Miss Rissbeanie. I had a friend whose father owned the Shoe Menders, Mr. Isles, she had a goat called “Snowy” to her it was a pet dog and she would walk about with it on a lead.
We had such a lot of freedom then. We would go up to Chalfont Heights and search the hedge rows to pick wild flowers (no hint of laws to protect wild flowers then). I don’t know if they still grow there but Green Hill Common was covered in harebells. In the autumn we would scrump for apples and pick blackberries and hazelnuts. When the fair came I made friends with one of the traveller children, she worked in the Circus and would give us little demonstrations of tumbling on the playing field which was behind the pub. In the evening I would sit with her in one of the old type of gypsy caravans and help her baby-sit children while their parents worked in the fair.
Some of the people I remember were Mr. Blatner the Baker, Mr. Drewett the barber. I think there was a Mr. Honeyball that had a sweet shop. I remember some of my school teachers as well, they were Miss Ruth, Miss Golding and Miss LaMay who was the head mistress. We had a tea monitor who would stand beneath a shelf which was high up on the cloak room wall this had a gas ring on it. On this would perch a kettle and they would call for a teacher when it was boiling to make their tea. So much for health and safety! Of course there was no TV, the only thing then was Radio for Schools. For these lessons we had to walk from the school to the Scout Hut at the top of Gold Hill to have our lesson. Come rain or shine.
One of our favourite tricks in summer was to wade along the Misbourne River under the main road and blow loud raspberries as people walked over the bridge. I must admit it made a lovely loud echo.
I have lots of fond memories of Chalfont St. Peter but as the years go by I think the rose tinted glasses get even more rosy.

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