This photograph was taken c1960. Back row (heads only visible): Mrs Slaymaker, Mrs Gardner, Miss Majorie Morris, Mrs Lily Jacobs (probably) Third row: Mrs Sophie Chamberlain, Mrs Jacobs, Miss Mary Ayres, Mrs Brown, unidentified Second row: Mrs Harris, Mrs Woodley, Mrs Paice, unidentified. The child is believed to be A. Higgins, grandson of Mrs Woodley. Front row: Mrs G Kelly, Mrs Dobson.
This article was first published in A Pictorial History of Eton Wick & Eton.
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| Map of 1797 copied from The Story of a Village: Eton Wick 1217 - 1977 |
The first half of the 19th century brought further house building including the Parsonage, Bell Farm Cottages, Harding Cottages and Prospect Place. Most of these were rented to working class tenants. As the century progressed more houses were built some on the gardens of the cottages facing the Great Common. These included Hope Cottages, Palmers Place and others.
The largest development began in 1880’s on some of the land
of Bell Farm where Boveney Newtown grew with Alma, Inkerman and Northfield roads,
and Moores Lane. The development was beyond the western edge of the Parish of
Eton which at that time was Bell Lane. As recorded in the 1881 census when
there were there household it grew and grew. By 1911 there were 125 households,
two more than Eton Wick.
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| Ordnance Survey Map 1899 courtesy of National Library of Scotland |
By 1899 there were two distinct communities with the land south of Alma Road and west of the Eton Parish mostly undeveloped. A few houses were on the south side of the Eton Wick Road including the Shepherds Hut and Victoria Road was outlined. The 1925 map shows further development south of Alma Road.
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| Ordnance Survey Map 1925 courtesy of National Library of Scotland |
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| Ordnance Survey Map 1932 courtesy of National Library of Scotland |
The inter war years saw some development south of Alma Road including a few houses in Tilstone Avenue and Close.
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| Map showing rights under the Commons Registration Act of 1965 copied from The Story of a Village: Eton Wick 1217 - 1977 |
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| Ordnance Survey Map 1968 courtesy of National Library of Scotland |
The 1968 map reveal the limits of the village development
with Haywards Mead, Princes Close, Queens Road and Cornwall Close filling the
remaining available land on the south side of the Eton Wick Road. The final major development in the village was on the wheatbutts in the 1970's.
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| Ordnance Survey Map 2023 courtesy of National Library of Scotland |
The latest OS map of 2023 show how the village development has been restrained by the Lammas Land and Commons. The number of households was also limited by the single road that restricts potential for evacuation in the case of flooding. The experience of the Thames floods of 2014 showed that the Jubilee River did protect the village. There has been more house building allowed including particularly in Princes Close, Queens Road and Victoria Road.
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| Enclosure Map courtesy of the Berkshire Records Office. |
Both Slough to the north and Windsor to the south have both grown as enclosure acts were passed for the Manor of Upton cum Chalvey, 1819 and the Manor of Windsor Forest, 1817. If the 1826 Bill to enclose the Manor of Eton cum Stockdale and Colenorton had not been rejected Eton Wick would probably have become part of Slough.
Albert was born on Boxing Day 1912. He had a younger brother
Thomas, and two sisters named Annie and Joan. The family home was at 7, Bell
Cottages, Alma Road, Boveney Newtown. As with the majority of Eton Wick lads,
he attended the village infants school until he was seven years old, and on
April 13th 1920 he registered at Eton Porny School where he continued his
elementary education until he was 14. On leaving school he was apprenticed to
Goddards of Eton as a carpenter and cabinet maker. Upon completion of his
apprenticeship he was employed by Eton College as a qualified tradesman.18th Century Cottager in the Wick
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| 1797 Village map courtesy of Dr Judith Hunter's Story of a Village |
The early years of the Century were hard for families getting their subsidence from the land and for those few families living in the Wick the daily toil brought its woes and ill health. Prey to diseases as smallpox, diphtheria, influenza, and tuberculosis to say nothing of accidents. There was also a high risk to women dying in childbirth. Cottages built in Eton Wick were timbered framed with infilling of brick and cob. The floors of stone slab or compacted earth covered with rush mats with an open wood burning fireplace and lighting by candle or perhaps an oil lamp provided warmth and lighting in the small dim rooms.
Clothing was mainly home made by wives and daughters of the family and a variety of footwear such as leather boots, canvas shoes, wooden sandals and clog type shoes dependant on the family financial status was worn by those working on the land.
The more successful farmer or small holder no doubt could afford to buy foot-ware but often for the poorer it would be hand me downs or go barefoot.
With a water supply from well, pond or river health and cleanliness were two factors that suffered. Fleas and head lice were prevalent. The passing years brought slow improvement.
During the century to those living in Eton and Eton Wick, trade increased in Eton with new premises opening with tailors and dress makers, boot and shoemakers, together with other trades. These were family businesses where young people from Eton Wick found employment, and with the change in their financial fortune left the land to the more successful farmer.
By the year 1830 there were approximately seventy professional business services and shops in the Eton High Street supplying local needs and hand made goods to the London shops.
The increasing local trade and wealth gave rise to house building in Eton Wick as the century drew to its close continuing during the 19th and 20th centuries until all available land free of lammas rights or common land within the Wick had been taken for building.
This was part of the script for a talk given by John Denham at a meet of the Windsor & District University of the Third Age in 2003.
