Life In Prestwood

A Memory of Prestwood.

As a family we moved to Prestwood approx' 1958, because from here I went straight to the Misbourne school at Gt Missenden aged 11. We had great times and tough times here. Life was not that easy. My parents both worked hard to provide for us, we were 5 boys and 1 girl. My dad provided a stationery engine for the Chequers public house so that the then owner could cut logs for his open fires. Biggest employer was the Stevens butchers (I worked there as an apprentice). Billy Stevens built a big pork processing factory right across the road from the shop and employed a big workforce. Stevens also supplied meat for most of the schools in the local area. They also had a huge fleet of vans of all sizes making deliveries to local areas. Stevens were at this time leading producers of cured bacon (rivalling Brazils) and many other associated products. We used to live in the wooden bungalow on the corner of Moat Lane - now demolished and replaced by 2 houses that were shoe horned into the space? Despite being (then) completely surrounded by bungalows, the council planners in their infinite wisdom refused to allow my dad to build himself a new bungalow, despite the fact that the garden was easily big enough (2 houses there now). They claimed access was a problem? The same access now being used by the house owners? Parents then sold up and moved to Naphill for their remaining years having to give up their beloved bungalow and garden.
That brought closure on our life at Prestwood - sad way to end.

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