War Memorial Committee Meetings Held in April and May 1920

Committee Meeting held on April 30th 1920

Proposed Mr Vaughan, seconded Mr Barrett that peter Knight's name be added to the Memorial, he having enlisted from Boveney. It was decided that Harry Quarterman was not eligible for inclusion as he lived in Hanwell before the war. 

Mr Sargeant's account was presented:-

Amount of account an estimated: £173/18/-             
Extras                                           £    8/11/-
Rise in labour costs                      £  15/ 2/6
Total                                              £197/11/6

The committee thought that the "Rise in Labour" excess was not due, as no mention was made at the time of contract. It was decided to pay the £173/18/- on account and to pay Mr Nutt, the architect, £10 on account of his amended £20 fee. AS this practically absorbed the funds, it was decided to call a Public Meeting on May 19th to consider further fund raising.

Public Meeting held May 19th 1920

The Rev. McAnally explained to the meeting the financial situation. The Committee thought Sargeant’s had no claim for the labour surcharge, but morally it should be paid, if not legally. Mrs Nottage suggested every household be invited to pay 6 pence. and this would probably raise £15. Mr Howell asked if money from whist drives would be alright. The following were collected in the meeting.

Mr Oliver, Mr Nottage, Mr Anderson, Mr Morris, Mr & Mrs Barrett, Mrs Ashman, Mrs Morris, Miss Stearn, Mr Burfoot, Mrs Miles donated 10/- (ten shillings) each, Rev. McAnally, 12/6, Mrs Wilcox, 2/6, Mr Percy, £1/10/- and College Masters, £4/10/-. A total of £11/15/-.

Committee Meeting with lady helpers held May 28th 1920

Agreed to hold a house to house collection for sale items to be held on June 23rd. Ladies to make all arrangements.

This is an extract from Their Names Shall Be Carved in Stone  

and published here with grateful thanks to the author Frank Bond.

Photographic History - Village Characters - George Mumford - Butcher

From the 1920s until 1961, George Mumford was the village Butcher, his shop being the left half of the house on the Eton Wick Road shown in the photograph. Until the 1960s the other half of the 'semi' was a domestic dwelling. The building has seen many uses and occupiers, including a launderette, originally set up by George Mumford, and run by his eldest daughter Betty (wife of Windsor Chief Fire Officer Fred Clatworthy). The building has also housed a car accessory shop, a florists, a bakery, and a bookmakers. 

The Shepherds Hut Darts Team 1948/49

George Mumford is on the left.

This article was first published in A Pictorial History of Eton Wick & Eton.

Old Days of Eton Parish - Two Walks from 1908

Field Map by H. Walker 1839

Walk No. 1 

Passing through Weston's Yard and the Playing Fields, once called King's -Ward or the King's Worth, we cross Sheep's Bridge, and, looking to the river bank on the right, we are reminded that, from 1557 until the year 1840, a timber and coal wharf occupied this bank, known as Leadbeater's Wharf. This was also used as a bathing place but was finally condemned as dangerous. Taking the path to the left, we pass on the right the Shooting Fields, now known as Upper Club. Crossing Slough road from the Lodge we find ourselves in Stone Bridge Mead. Formerly this was divided into three holdings. The land along Chalvey Brook belonged to the Parsonage of Eton.; It still is free of tithe and bears the name of Parson's Bush. Next came a narrow strip of arable land, one furlong in length and eleven yards wide at each end--in all, half an acre, known as Mid-furlong, which was the property of the Bridge Trust; nearer Colenorton Brook is Pocock's Field, once the holding of Henry Jordley. Crossing the footbridge to the left we pass through Timberhaws (the Timbralls), better known in these days as Sixpenny or the Field.

Coming out into Common Lane by the Fives Courts, we pass Colenorton Close on the right and find ourselves at the entrance of Long Common. Taking the path over Colenorton Brook by the side of the pumping station, we pass under the railway viaduct and are in Rossey's Piece. The long field north of Colenorton on our left is Inner Mead; on the other side towards Chalvey lie the Broad-masses or Broadmarshes or Broadmoors, famous for cowslips. Further on, on the same side, is North Field with three little strips in the corner, Little Bush Close, Bushy Close, and Long Close.

The path continues straight, until it is crossed by the road leading to Little Common. The farm on the left is Manor Farm; the farm to the right is known as Saddock's Farm, which is the property of the Crown. Behind the cottages on Little Common is what is called Great Park Close, now part of the Eton Sewage Farm, and nearer Bell Farm (occupied by the Manager) is the Hyde or Great Hide. At Bell Farm we reach the western boundary of the parish. Although Long Common is the pleasanter way, we will for the sake of the topography return by the Eton Wick road. Opposite the front of the village is Upper Tilston Shot, It is here a futile attempt was made in 1846 by T. Hughes to defy Lammas rights. Here in the present century E. L. Vaughan has succeeded in planting an Institute for Eton Wick and New Boveney.

Eton Wick Church and Schools stand on Sheepcote or Great Sheep Croft or Sheep-gate, the land on the other side being Crab Tree Close. A little further on we reach on the left Gudgeon's Pool, the land opposite being called Sandles or Sandalls. On the Eton side of the Sanatorium, to the left as we face the town, is Broken Furlong, and on the right crossed by a path, Path Sandles. Then we reach the Slads or the Water Slades, i.e. the channel by which the floods slide away,' and we come to the College Recreation Ground properly called Great Town Piece,' and Evans' Field, ' Little Town Piece,' where once there stood a pest-house for cases of plague.

Walk No. 2.

We may leave the College by Keate's Lane passing the houses built on Cock Close on the right and Christopher Close on the left, and we come to South Meadow. The narrow field behind the Bellevue Cottages is marked in the maps as the Butts, 'and a small plot of ground opposite on the left in South Meadow is known as the Hayward's Butts,' The Hayward, who has charge of the cattle on the Lammas and Common, still has certain privileges on this strip of ground. 

Instead of following the lane, we will take the path to the right through the town Recreation Ground, which occupies part of Ten Acres,' The path leads through 'Rush-pits' to Grass and Corn Gabbetts, and so to the bridge on the towing path over Boveney ditch. We have again reached the boundary, and turn back to Athens, which stands in Warwick Eyot with Warwick Close and plots called Bird and Buckshot Close and Burden Bushes behind it.

If we crossed Long Bray Bridge at Upper Hope we should pass from the Lower Ward Meadow into Great and Little Inner Ward, but we will skirt the Outer Ward and Cuckoo Weir, called in some maps Cuckoo Pum or Cuckoo Penn Ware. We pass on the left 'Mill Piece' and 'Mill Furlong,' reminding us of the mill which stood in Cuckoo Weir at the time of the Norman Conquest. On the right is a broken piece of ground called Gravel Close, which still shows signs of old gravel pits, and we can return either by the side of South Meadow, by the side of which flows a water culvert, or cross the Brocas field and re-enter the town by Hog Close and Brocas Lane. We shall then in two walks have touched on nearly all the places which are mentioned in the maps or other records of old Eton.

This is an extract from Old Days of Eton Parish by The Rev. John Shephard originally published by Spottiswoode and Co., Ltd. in 1908.

World War 2 Eighty Years On - April 1940

APRIL 9th. 1940 - German forces invade Norway and Denmark. 

Salvage Drive Poster
Courtesy of the Imperial War Museum

Royal Navy, RAF and an Army Expeditionary Force were sent to help the Norwegians only to be evacuated at the end of April with heavy losses. Increasing air activity by the German Luftwaffe over southern England. prompted the Bucks A.R.P. service to make arrangements for a better equipped wardens post in the village.  Application was made to use the uninhabited No.1 Bell Cottage, the ARP undertaking the re-enforcement of the building together with the removal of the protection and all equipment after the war. 

No 2 Bell Cottage had already been lent to the Waste Utilization Committee as a wastepaper and the scrap metal dump. Paper, cardboard, household aluminum and scrap iron, all had salvage value to the war effort.  With the help of the Scouts and Cubs, Guides and Brownies, the Schools, Women’s Institute and others the village collection of salvage, managed by Councilor Mr. A. Chew, became a profitable operation. To make the collection more efficient a local farmer lent a horse and cart. If it was not screwed down on to the cart it went such was the enthusiasm of the collectors. 

A government order of 1941 allowed for the requisition of iron gates and railings from public and private property. Palmers Place, Hardings Cottages along with other village properties lost their garden wall decorative rails.

A photograph Eton Wick Road from 1910 showing railings.

Blackout problems at the Village Hall

With no blackout arrangements available and used by the L.C.C. School during the day the village hall was not available for recreational purposes. Obtaining material from Bruce and Lumb of Slough the village hall working party made the requisite curtains, but these when finished were inadequate for the purpose due to the poor quality of the material, therefore no dances or other evening activities took place during the winter months. This curtailment on the use of the hall, also the decline in club registers as members volunteered or were conscripted to the forces or other war work reduced the hall finances. The flower show committee had every confidence and they continued making arrangements for the 58th Horticultural Show on August Bank holiday held at the Wheatbutts. The possibility of air activity over the area was to be no deterrent to Major Dabson, committee chairman with committee members Mr Kemp and Mr Laverty,    

Where censorship allowed the Windsor and Eton Express reported all aspects of local happenings, some serious others humorous. This incident between the village policeman and local farmer has both ingredients.

Following a report of straying horses and the non-burial of dead animals, P.C Raynor visited Manor Farm, Eton Wick, then tenanted by Farmer Urquart. Farmer and policeman did not meet on friendly terms and the outcome was not peaceful, Farmer Urquart when approached took an aggressive attitude with P.C. Raynor. With much argument the meeting ended abruptly with P.C. Raynor suffering the indignity of having a bucket of milk poured over him. For his outburst the farmer was prosecuted and fined £4-10s.

Similar view of Eton Wick Road July 2019 courtesy of Google Maps.
In the intervening 109 years the road has been realigned,
cars and street lighting have arrived and the commercial
heart of the village has moved further west.

This is an extract from Round and About Eton Wick: 1939 - 1945. The book was researched, written and published in 2001 by John Denham. 

Village Hall Closure - Coronavirus Covid-19

Please note that with effect from 

Friday 27th March 2020 Eton Wick Village Hall 

will be closed until further notice. 

We of course apologise for any inconvenience to our hirers, but this is in accordance with Government Guidelines. 

Easter Egg Hunt on Good Friday - We were hoping to make this an outside event only this year. Due to the Coronavirus this has now been cancelled.

Unfortunately many other events listed in this newsletter have been cancelled or postponed, with particular reference to the V.E. Day Anniversary Celebrations shown on page 14 of Our Village April 2020. 

Margaret Everitt 

Chairman 

The Eton Wick Newsletter - August 2016 - `Our Village' Magazine

Village shops before the superstores (Part 1) 

At a recent local History Group talk we discussed trading before the coming of superstores in the late 1970's. Our knowledge depends on memory, recording and what we are told. At best sometimes questionable. 

Recorded history of Eton Wick is limited, and frequently incorporated with that of Eton. The Anglo Saxon name of 'Wyk' is suggestive of a supply area to a habitation; in this instance Eton. 'Wyk' we are told, meant the provider of necessities to that place - again Eton. This is itself a suggestion of early trading; albeit perhaps wood for fuel, barricades, buildings, and willow-withies for the fish traps, hurdles and fencing. Perhaps also fish, livestock and rye. This is my conjecture and not necessarily factual. Dr Judith Hunter's book 'The Story of a Village 1217 -1977' is the only work I know of that covers our general history. (Copies are still available from the History Group). Judith would have used some of the history written by the Rev Vicar John Shepherd eighty years earlier, titled 'Old Days of Eton Parish', although it essentially covered the College; its Chapel; the town and village churches and schools, with some thoughts on Common and Lammas. 

There is the more recent 'Photographic History of Eton Wick and Eton' (2000) and the 100th Anniversary publications of the Eton Wick School (1988), and of the Methodist Chapel (1986), both by Judith Hunter; also the book recording Eton Wick war fatalities (2000) and John Denham's collection of 'Eton Wick 1939 - 1945'. These are single subject records however, but to my knowledge are the extent of our recorded history. There are a number of personal stories, never meant for publication but an invaluable source of knowledge. I have-several of these, including the memories of a local farmer; a London evacuee's time at Eton College, and her being bombed out from her Eton home in December 1940: an eye witness account of the Dorney Common anti-aircraft guns in action; the rescuing of post war squatter families from flooded huts on Dorney Common in 1947; the arrival of a gas depot in Alma Road 1929 and the story of Harry Chantler, our popular grocer and postmaster (1929 -1973). 

The group talk on pre Superstores Eton Wick, commenced by saying that the village's first known shop was during the 1840's in one of the Harding Cottages, and owned by John Kirby. The original Harding Cottage was along Common Road, and it was probably during the early 19th Century that a terrace row of four or five more were built at the end of the long plot, and along the main road now the site of Clifton Lodge. It would not have been a shop by later standards, but almost certainly a front room adaptation, and probably sold some groceries, candles, paraffin, matches, soaps, pot menders etc. Canned foods were not an item in 1840. 

Eton Wick's population at this time was barely 400, and most of the few cottages had very large plots providing room for chickens, perhaps a pig, goat, and even a cow. Residents along Common Road with its stream and ponds even kept ducks, and still they had substantial vegetable gardens and currant bushes. This self-sufficiency was no help to Mr Kirby's venture, and in due course he packed up. There were no allotments and would not be for another fifty years well after most of those large cottage plots had been sold and built on. That first known shop was very close to 'The Grapes' public house, and its demise gave the landlord, William Simmonds, the opportunity to sell groceries from his licensed premises. In fact I was once told that the pub sold milk well into the twentieth century. 'The Grapes' was renamed 'The Pickwick' in 1984 and became a restaurant in 2003. 

Around 1870* John Kirby reappeared and again set up a shop and home, now at Ada Cottage (now 46 Eton Wick Road). This was only 50 — 60 metres west of Harding Cottages and 'The Grapes' and next to another public house 'The Three Horseshoes'. Both pubs have recently closed. John Kirby's new outlet at Ada Cottage in the early 1870's was destined to trade for over 100 years, with many owners and many uses, from grocery, post office, ironmongery, bakery, fishing tackle, fish and chips, millinery, war time tailoring, cycle parts, shoe repairs, interior decorating materials, and a printers. It retained a shop front appearance until the end of the 20th century, long after becoming solely residential again. 

By 1876 John Kirby had died and Mr Thomas Lovell had taken over. With no opposition he expanded the business with the first Eton Wick bakery, first Post Office and an extensive range of galvanised buckets, baths and tubs added to the grocery. Tom's brother Fred meanwhile traded in drapery and footwear. Opportunely this coincided with extensive house building beyond Bell Lane in the new area of Boveney Newtown (in the Burnham Parish until 1934). Lovell's stores may well have been the only shop throughout the remaining 1800's. There were of course various vendors with their horse drawn carts. This included farmers with milk and eggs, bakery carts from Eton and coal merchants. Newtown development throughout the 1880 — 1890's produced two shops but I have no year of their opening. The first I believe was at Shakespeare Place and the other at Garrod Place and both were purely grocery stores. Some years later the Co-op opened a larger store replacing the Garrod Place beginning. 

In 1902 Pratts of Eton obtained the Eton Wick old school site at 'The Walk' junction, where

they had the village's first purpose built shop known as Clifton Stores, erected for the purpose of retailing groceries and household necessities. Perhaps not at first a great success, it was transferred to Mr Harman in 1908, who after five years sold the business to Mr Anderson. It was 1913 and a year of changes. The Post Office moved from Ada Cottage to Clifton Stores. The council attached a fire ladder and reel of hose to the outside wall of Clifton Stores; presumably for general use in case of fire, while somebody cycled or ran to Eton, mustered the voluntary brigade, who with horse drawn pumps galloped to Eton Wick. The ladder was a feature until 1987, but the hose went earlier. Also in 1913 a brick mortuary was built off Common Road: at this time river bathing and consequent drownings were not uncommon. In 1907 a third retail shop was opened and this time for Royal Enfield Cycles, repairs and hire. Villager Ted Woolhouse opened the shop in the front room of a terrace house close to Lovell's Stores (now 56 Eton Wick Road. He did not live in the house, but it was rented out separately — minus a sitting room. Ted was reputedly Eton Wick's first car owner, having a De Dion purchased in 1907. Around 1910 Bill Hearn moved into a 'semi' at Wellman Cottages, just three houses from the cycle shop (now 62 Eton Wick Road) and much later known as Thames View Stores. Bill used the sitting room to sell and repair or manufacture leather harnesses, saddlery, bags etc. Ambitiously he had printed Eton Wick view postcards. Sadly Mrs Hearn died around 1913 and with his young family he moved to Victoria Road to pursue small engineering and eventually a taxi business. 

The Wellman retail outlet became the third grocery shop along this stretch of road, being owned by Wiggins. Grahams and Barons: ending its days in the 1990's as an aquatic store. There was another shop along this road, at the end of St. Leonard's Place, by The Walk (now Taylors Court). This apparently came about at the end of the Great War, when farmer Harry Bunce helped set up the shop for a young Mrs Godwin, a recent widow of Charles Godwin, a Life Guard who was killed in France during a 1918 German air raid. Nellie Godwin married again, and as Mrs Slade left the shop and was at 'The Grapes' as publican for a while. The shop was extended, changed hands frequently, but the long serving Joan Taylor had a newsagent, tobacco and sweet shop throughout the 1930's — 1950's: There were now five shops along that road; two more in Alma Road; and, lastly another west of the Shepherds Hut, owned by George Mumford the village's first long serving butcher. It opened in the early 1920s. There were regular road vendors by the 1930s; including Mr Hendry from Windsor. who sold soaps, tubs, ironmongery etc., and my father who was Eton Wick's longest serving trades person. He started greengrocery in 1900 at age fifteen years and one way or another continued until he died in 1957. In the next issue we will see how all these businesses declined into oblivion with the post-war Council shop parade and finally the superstores. 

Submitted by Frank Bond 

The photo above shows Ada Cottage, Eton Wick Road - Lovell's shop late 1890s 

Note * The Census for 1871 John Kirby at Ada Cottages with his occupation recorded as Grocer, ages 80.

Click here to read Our Village August 2016.

This article was originally published in the Eton Wick Newsletter - Our Village and is republished with the kind permission of the Eton Wick Village Hall Committee. Click here to go to the Collection page.

Photographic History - Village Characters - Alf Spayne

During the Second World War, Alf ran camps from spring to autumn at Boveney Lock. The boys mostly came from the Slough area. Alf was a keen rowing instructor and a strict disciplinarian, and by the time he had finished with them, the boys were extremely fit. He taught many hundreds to swim. In the top photograph, Alf is at the back on the right. 

The picture lower was taken in 1999 on the footpath to the river. Behind Alf is the Scout Hut (left) and the houses along Eton Wick Road, including Clifton House (centre).