Fond Memories Of 1950s Goffs Oak

A Memory of Goff's Oak.

I was born in 1945 at the end of the Second World War at was then 3 Park Villas, Goff's Lane, the home of my grandmother, Alice Emma James. House renumbering during the 1950s resulted in the house becoming 393 Goff's Lane. I was delivered by the district nurse, Nurse Gilbert from across the road.
My mother had been evacuated there with my sister, Doreen, in order to escape the bombings of East London and we all returned to London when I was 6 weeks old. My sister went to St. Mary's Church and the local school.
The house was also the home of my aunt, Lillian Hill and my uncle, David James. Lillian worked at Cuthbert's Seed Merchants further along the lane and David worked at Steven's Nursery in Burton Lane.
My memories of the place start from about 1950 when undertaking visits during school holidays.
Growing up in East London meant that Goff's Oak was my first introduction to the country. In those days the village was very quiet with little traffic. As a result I have always had a deep affection for country life and this has influenced me in the choice of location for a home over the years since.
I particularly remember the field which still runs behind the house and watching the harvest with old-style reapers and binders at work and much more manual labour than with today's combine harvesters. Families would glean the field afterwards to retrieve fallen grain in order to feed their chickens. We would walk right across that field, which eventually falls away to a small stream on the far side. It was so quiet that all that was to be heard was birdsong and the distant hum of a tractor.
I remember the Wheelwright's Arms, when it was on the opposite side of Goff's Lane to where it resides today. Dad would often 'pay his respects' there during family visits. This was close to Whitfield's General Store which I would visit to buy sweets and Dad's cigarettes. I can still picture Mrs Whitfield in her floral apron standing behind the counter.
I also recall a walk with my sister along a high country lane, far away from any form of housing and standing there watching a skylark ascending to the heavens, singing its plaintive song continually, until total silence prevailed as it descended to earth. A magical moment.
Sadly my family at number 393 all died between 1957 and 1963 which was the last time I visited the house.
I took my wife to the area on a flying visit in 2000 for a trip down memory lane. I found my way around after a time but I noticed how things have altered! The old house has been completely revamped and the quiet little lane I remember has become a very busy main road. We lunched at 'The Wheeler's' as it was known in my time, and was introduced by the landlord to Derek and Richard Fiske, whose sister, Dorothy, went to school with my sister in the 1940s! This resulted in them getting back in contact - after some 57 years!
Happy memories. I guess part of me will always reside in Goff's Oak.