Wednesday 21 March 2018

THE CHANGING FACE OF ETON WICK

Housing and the Village Club 

by Councilor Mrs. F.I. Wilson

It is probably true to say that at no time in its past history, has Eton Wick changed so rapidly, as it has during the past four or five years. The need for houses made urgent, measures necessary as soon as the last war ended, and the Council embarked on a housing scheme which has gone forward steadily, and as quickly as Ministry of Health licensing permitted.

As a result, Eton Wick has lost much of its old character, as a straggling, rather untidy, rural village.

First came the twelve prefabricated bungalows which were originally intended to be temporary, with an estimated life of ten years, but may, in fact, remain for a very much longer period. Then came the building of the first post-war houses on the Bells Field Site, on land acquired by the Council prior to 1939. These ten houses, with their flanking walls, have done much to improve the appearance of Vaughan Gardens by giving privacy to their backs. While, figuratively speaking, we have no dirty linen for which we fear publicity, the family wash, its lines and its unsightly posts, are very much better kept to ourselves. One block of these houses received an experiment in the way of a (so-called) Tyrolean finish, owing to the shortage of facing bricks, but it was not sufficiently popular to repeat.

Then came the purchase of Tilston Field from Eton College for the main scheme, and a proposed layout for 162 houses and a small recreation ground, this age group often drift away too.

Our Village Club, which meets at the Village Hall on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings, is primarily for the youth of the village. The fact that about half of its 60 members face a long cycle ride to come to Eton Wick, speaks well for its popularity, but we are always ready to welcome more
local members.

We play all the usual games, have our own canteen, a darts, billiard and table tennis league; dancing classes during the winter; weekend camps; a two-week summer camp; cycling; two affiliated football teams, and many other activities and functions which vary on demand. Apart from the football section, all club activities, including the management of the canteen, are run by club members with the minimum of guidance. Our success depends on members' own efforts, and the day to day running of the club on members' own contributions.

With your good-will, your constructive, and not unjust, criticism, we know that we can play an ever-increasing part in the life of the village.
This article was originally published in the Eton Wick Newsletter in the early 1950's.

Florence Ivy Wilson was born in 1903, in 1939 she is recorded as living in Victoria Road and later moved to Tilston Close.

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