Eton Wick History Group The Autumn 2021 Programme

Having had to postpone so many of the talks we had scheduled for 2020, due to the Covid Pandemic Restrictions, we are now delighted to announce that we will recommence engaging speakers from September; commencing on Wednesday, 8th September, with the welcome return of Josh Lovell with his talk on the Castle's Waterloo Chamber with special reference to the portraits which hang on its walls. In October and December we will be entertained by speakers who were postponed from last year. 

Dates and details are below: 

8th September 'Thomas Lawrence and the Waterloo Chamber with Mr Josh Lovell 

27th October 'Willie and Ettie :The Souls of Taplow Court' with Mr Nigel Smales 

8th December 'A Window on Windsor's Medieval Past' with Dr David Lewis 

Meetings are held at 7.30 pm in Eton Wick & Boveney Village Hall. The Entrance Fee is £2 which will include light refreshments if Covid Regulations permit. All are welcome. 

Visit our website: www.etonwickhistory.co.uk which has more than 350 articles which tell the story of the village from the Neolithic period to today. 

Perhaps, at this re-awakening of the History Group (and as it approaches its 30th anniversary year), it is appropriate to offer a reminder of how the group came to be formed: the late Frank Bond, former greengrocer and long-time resident of Eton Wick, was always the first to admit that things did not turn out as planned: the group was formed almost thirty years ago after Frank's enthusiasm for the community's past was fired by three factors: first, was his own natural curiosity; equally important was Frank's friendship with a local engineer, the late John Denham, who shared Frank's passion for the past; crucial, too, was the encouragement of a professional historian, the late Dr. Judith Hunter MBE who had written a history of the village.

By the beginning of the 1990s, Frank was newly retired and keen to bring together a small group of enthusiasts who were interested in recording aspects of past village life. The first meeting was held in the Village Hall on a wet November night in 1991. Frank recalled: "We expected to attract six or eight people." In fact, some 46 people turned up and "They didn't want to do research: they wanted to listen to speakers. 

Consequently, since the following year, 1992, the group has held over 200 meetings. Average attendance used to be around 50 but the number tends to fluctuate depending on the evening's topic — some loyal attendees come in from outside the village. In accordance with the wishes of the original committee, there are no rules, no regulations and there is no formal list of members; a small attendance fee (and often a raffle) helps to cover costs. The talks are wide ranging and not just about what happened in and around the village. 

The group has compiled albums of photographs which are occasionally displayed during certain events in the Village Hall; and at the turn of the Millennium the group packed the Village Hall with a very popular three-day exhibition of photographs and memorabilia celebrating the life and times of the village in years gone by; it has undertaken projects like the refurbishment of the Folly Bridge cattle pound, the purchase and installation of the commemorative plaque at the Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee Oak tree, and the acquisition of an Oak, through the late Duke of Edinburgh, to celebrate Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee; and the group collaborated in the design and descriptive data contained in the 'Walk and Cycle around historical Eton Wick' map and leaflet. 

When asked why the group had proved so popular, Frank Bond had replied: 

"The group allows the village to get together with a common interest in the community." 

Teresa Stanton 

Hon. Secretary Eton Wick History Group 

This article was first published in the August 2021 edition of the Eton Wick Newsletter - Our Village. It is reproduced here with the kind permission of the Eton Wick Hall Management Committee.

Eton Wick: A Changing Village Before 1934

This part of the village has almost always been mainly residential, but elsewhere there 

Clifton House

were new shops and businesses being set up. One of the first additions in the twentieth century was probably the shop at Clifton House, now the post office. It has the distinction of being the first purpose-built shop in the village, and the cause of much open-eyed wonder to at least one small boy, who about 1902 watched they high sky-light going into place, and large marble slabs for counters being carried in. Before this he had only seen marble as tomb stones! The shop was 'built as a wedding present to young Mr Pratt from his father of Pratt & Sons, family grocers of Eton High Street. Unfortunately romance and business did not mix: tradition has it that the young couple were too kind-hearted so that within a few years the shop had to be sold. The next shopkeepers after this were the Harman's, after them Anderson, then Wiggington; until in 1931 the shop became Chantler's and remained so for the next forty years.

About 1907 Edward Woolhouse set up in business at 58 Eton Wick Road as a cyclemaker and repairer, though there was far more to his business than that. He hired out cycles, particularly to Eton College boys for this was the era of the bicycle. He also made and mended perambulators and many other household items. There is no doubt of his importance in Eton Wick nor his prestige when he became one of the first villagers to own a car, a De Dion. For many years the present Baron's Stores (no 62 Eton Wick Road) was occupied by William Hearn, boot and shoe repairer, saddler and even umbrella maker. Thomas Henry of Inkerman Road, on the other hand was a bespoke shoemaker. Like several other shoemakers in the village, though their names were not recorded in the trade directories, Mr Henry worked for Ganes of Eton and his customers were mainly from the College. About this period in the years before the First World War, Thomas Bond was first advertised as greengrocer of Alma Road; Albert Bond was following the same trade from his home at Ye Olde Cottage. Bert had begun his interest in business long before - while he was still at school - by selling fish to the workmen building the new lock at Boveney. When he left school he took to selling fruit and vegetables from a donkey and cart, promoting himself to a horse and cart as soon as he was able, and selling fish and rabbits as well. He was a familiar figure in the village for well over half a century, and his cart, piled high with clean and polished produce, annually took part in the Windsor Hospital Parade. North of New Town the land not built upon was a market garden known as Home Close and owned by Harry Prior. Albert Borret was a cowkeeper though he lived at Vine Cottage in the Eton Wick Road until he moved to Eton Cottage. Like the farmers he sold milk from a churn, measuring out the quantities into the customers' own jugs.

The Fly-paper Man

The long established shops continued through this forty year period, though the shopkeepers and the types of goods they sold changed. At one time there was a fish and chip shop, a fishmonger's, a confectioner's and Uneedus the draper's. All of these were advertised in the directories; but there were several small businesses that were not. Tinker' Palmer mended pots and pans, and boots and shoes at his home in Prospect Place. Mr Bolton attempted to establish a butcher's shop in Alma Road, but it was not a success. Meat could be bought from one of the grocer's shops when a carcass had been bought from Windsor market, or from one of the travelling horse-drawn shops that came into the village each week. Hendley's high-box type van was a familiar sight each Thursday until the Second World War. It carried all manner of household goods, pots, pans, baskets, tin baths, oil for lamps which were hung outside and inside of the van and piled high on top as it was so laden. Mappin's from Slough delivered cakes; the muffin man and the winkle man came in their seasons and in the summer the fly-paper man, complete with his top hat adorned with a sticky paper ribbon decorated with dead flies. How far he travelled is not known, but his song is remembered in Slough, Chalvey and Windsor: - 'Flies! Flies! Catch 'em alive! His appearance fascinated one small boy in Slough who captured his likeness on a page in his school history book.

After 1895 the launderies were rarely advertised either, though until the end of the 1920s they continued to play an important part in the working life of the village. Before the First World War there were at least five launderies operating. These were cottage launderies employing at the most about eight women as at Mrs Langridge's of Thatch Cottage. Even so not all the workers came from the village. At least a few lived in Dorney. Gradually much of the work done by these launderies was taken over by the College Laundry until there were only those of Mrs Cox and Mrs Miles left. All seem to have ceased by 1930. Many women, however, still took in washing, specialising in the items of clothing that were better hand washed such as jerseys and woollen socks.

In the village two other businesses still in existence, made their beginnings in the first decade of this century. From his home in Inkerman Road Albert Sibley, a shoemaker by trade, began his newspaper agency. It was a part time family affair, the sons collecting the local newspapers from the printer's in Windsor, and carrying them home in a home-made box on wheels. They would then distribute them if it were not too late at night. It became a full-time business when Bill Sibley set up at the corner of Alma Road in the 1940s. Rolley Bond was a smallholder, but he supplemented his income by running a cab service from his home at Palmer Place. He took College boys to the station, sick people to hospital, and regularly each holiday Miss Stearn, the village schoolmistress, to the station. Even before he left school Bob Bond, with his brothers, was helping his father with the horse and trap. Through the 1920s the business expanded to cover road haulage, becoming motorised at the end of the decade; the first advertisement is in the 1931 directory: - R. Bond & Sons, motor haulage and cartage, contractor, sand and ballast merchant. The firm was to flourish in the council building boom of the post war years, and Bob was to become one of the important members of the community. About 1935 he bought Dairy Farm and renovated the old farmhouse, and when Bell Farm no longer served as sewage farm he took over much of the land.

Other names are to be read in the directories of the 1930s - Jack Newall had taken over from Arthur Gregory as blacksmith, Miles & Sons were carpenters and undertakers in The Walk, and Scotty Hood was a coal merchant with premises in Sheepcote Road until the terrible night when his stables caught fire. There was now a chimney sweep, William Neal, and Mr Mumford had opened his butcher's shop at 31 Eton Wick Road (now Kelly's). The 1931 directory listed seven farmers and dairymen in Eton Wick; three of them were Tarrents - Alfred, George and Arthur, tenants of Little Common, Manor and Crown, and Saddocks Farms.

Perseverance House in Alma Road was the depot of the Uxbridge Gas Company. Gas had come to the village lust before the First World War; oil lamps were exchanged for gas mantles in the main rooms, and open fires and cottage ranges could be replaced by gas cookers - though this happened only very slowly. Two - or was it three - gas lamps lit the Eton Wick Road through the village. Electricity did not arrive in the village until the end of the 1930s; like gas, water and main drainage, it was brought into Eton Wick long after it was installed in Eton. Even so not all the houses were converted, several still had only gas in the 1950s, and at least one cottage in Albert Place was still without electricity when it was demolished in 1969. The only artificial light in the bedrooms was candlelight. Piped water did not come to the Boveney part of the village until the late 1920s, and only then after a campaign because the water had become contaminated.

About this time the first bus service reached Eton Wick. That was the Blue Bus which at first was no more than a converted Model H Ford van, seating six passengers and entered by steps at the back. A few years later there was competition from the yellow and brown Marguerite buses to take people to Windsor. This was the era of small bus companies and one man operations with much com-petition between rivals. The Blue Bus van was replaced by a proper bus and for several years in the late twenties and thirties Eton Wick had two bus services . Fares were only 1d and 1½d and the conductor-cum-driver would obligingly set down passengers anywhere along the Eton Wick Road. The Marguerite ceased operating before the end of the thirties, but the Blue Bus driven by Mr Cole continued well into the 1960s when his personal service was replaced by that offered by the national bus companies.

Edward Littleton Vaughan

These forty years while Eton Wick was a separate parish saw many innovations, but perhaps the most lasting has been the Village Hall. It was built by Burfoot and Son in 1906, but the land was the gift of Edward Littleton Vaughan. Known at first as the Eton Wick and Boveney Institute it was opened a year later on 22nd January 'under auspicious circumstances' according to the parish magazine. The opening ceremony was brief but impressive. The large room up-stairs was filled long before the appointed hour with parishioners and visitors'. The Institute, however, was more than just a building, it was a club replacing the old Working Men's Club which had been meeting at Wheatbutts. The new Institute, so it was explained in the speeches and reports of 1907, had been founded 'primarily for men and boys to promote fellowship and to provide whole-some recreation among these. The billiard room, a reading room and a large room suitable for concerts, the boys' room and a bar selling light refreshments and non-alcoholic drinks, all contributed to give the right atmosphere for a successful beginning to the Institute. Before the year was out, however, one note at least of dissension was being heard in the village - the women and girls were expressing their indignation and disappointment at being excluded. By December this had been altered, and the parish magazine was 'pleased to announce the formation of a Women's and Girls' Club, who thanks to the kindness of Mr Vaughan (were) now able to share in the recreation of the Institute'. Girls over thirteen years of age were eligible to become members at the cost of a 1d per week or a 1s per quarter. As well as the weekly social club there were a library, sewing class, fancy work class, gymnastics, dancing and table games.

Mr Vaughan became president of the institute and remained keenly interested in all its 

The Village Hall - 1907

activities; it was not in his character to be merely a figurehead. In 1934 he conveyed the Hall to Trustees for the use of the inhabitants of Eton Wick and Boveney. The first three trustees were all from the College and even today the Bursar by virtue of his office is always a trustee. The day to day running, however, has always been in the hands of a Village Hall Committee and various subcommittees. Over the years the range of activities and rules of the Institute have changed, and even its name as well, to the less formal 'Village Hall and Vaughan Club' , and the Boys' and Girls' Clubs have at times had no leader and had to be closed. Yet throughout the period the Hall seems to have been the social centre of the village. Dances, whist drives, concerts and debates were held there, many of them organised by the Institutes' own clubs and committees. Billiards, table tennis, darts and table games were available to its members; a billiard championship was organised in the 1930s ; Mr Vaughan presented a cup. Toddy' Vaughan, as he was affectionately known was associated with the Wick for over half a century - as president of the Village Hall, as chairman of the Parish Council and as father figure and benefactor. He took a personal interest in many of the sorrows and joys of the village, and many people still remember the help he gave them and the fun they had at his hay teas and cherry parties. It was he who bought Wheatbutts and restored it in the 1920s and who allowed Wheatbutts Field to be used each year for the Horticultural Show. He died in 1940 and the village did honour to his memory with a plaque in the Village Hall. After Mrs Vaughan's death in 1951 a stained glass window was placed in the church; it was her bequest in memory of her late husband

At last Eton Wick had become a real village and not merely a hamlet of Eton. Although it still had many connections with the town and College it had its own church and priest, a chapel, school, village hall, its own nurse and policeman, its own clubs and social life and most of the shops and services for everyday living. It seems a strange paradox then, that at this time when Eton Wick could offer its residents so much more than in any earlier period, that it should be reunited with Eton. In 1934, however, the life of the Eton Wick and Boveney Parish Councils came to an end, and all parts of the village were taken in to the Eton Urban District, while the remainder of Boveney was merged with Dorney Parish. Today Eton Wick is still part of Eton Town Council within the much larger Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.

This is an extract from The Story of a Village: Eton Wick 1217 to 1977 by Judith Hunter.

Eton Wick School in the post-war years

Eton Wick School in the post-war years

The school diary records that the air raid shelters were removed in 1946 and school life was back to normal by 1947. As the school is of Church of England denomination an inspection by the Oxford Diocesan brought forth the following comment—

“The service was carefully and reverently conducted, but some of the older boys were inclined to loll and I should have liked to see a more alert attitude on the part of the bigger ones who should be an example to the rest. The singing was tuneful, but the general effect would be better if the boys did not stand anyhow and sing into their boots!”

January 29th. 1947 was a very cold winter and with fuel rationing still in force the classrooms remained very cold recording a temperature of 38f (3c) at the start of morning class and rising only to 41f (5c) by 4pm close of school. The daily temperature continued to fall, reaching a classroom temperature of 28f (-2c) on January 30th. The combination of heavy frost and snow made for difficult conditions and the school attendance dropped to 28 pupils on January 29th.

The thaw in the weather set in during the third week of March leading to severe flooding in Windsor, Eton and Eton Wick and forcing the village school to close from March 17th – 24th. In the following month, whilst the school was on Easter holiday, one pupil died from tetanus: it was thought to have been an infection from the flooded land.

Photo of the school - probably taken in 1950s

Three new classrooms were added in 1953 followed in 1959 by another building extension. Further building and amenities followed between 1962 and 1974 with more new classrooms and provision for science and cooking.

Whilst the building work was taking place during mid 1960’s, some children were taught in the Village Hall where school meals were also partaken.

In 1965 class 7 pupils were taught in one of the ground floor rooms in the Village Hall, because of a shortage of accommodation in the school. The children are seen here on the climbing frame at the back of the Hall.

The use of the Village Hall for schooling ceased at the beginning of the summer term in 1966. Work continued on the completion of the Assembly Hall and Old building was converted to kitchen and dining hall.

In 1962 the school’s Parent Teacher Association donated a heated swimming pool for learners.

From 1882 onwards, the Head Teacher of the village school had always been a woman until the appointment of Mr V.C. Moss in 1955, which brought change to the school staffing. The longest serving teacher in the school’s history was Miss Florence Stearn, who was also the Headmistress, and who spent 32 years at the school (1903—1935). Ida M. Rooke, who was headmistress for 14 years (1941—1955), was followed by Mr V.C. Moss, the school’s first headmaster who held the post for 21 years. Headmaster Ian Hampshire was appointed on January 1st 1977, and was later followed by a new Headteacher, Mrs Robinson. The current Headteacher is Mrs M. Houston.

For at least 20 years after the Second World War, the children of Eton Wick school walked to the Village Hall every day at dinnertime. Well-balanced dinners were delivered every day by Buckinghamshire County Council.

The photo shows Mrs Michener, school meals supervisor, with the delivery driver.

Many incidents go to make up school life, a summary of which can be gleaned from the book published to mark the School Centenary Year 1888—1988. There was some success in sport: at football under the tuition of sports master, Mr R.C .Nash, being League Champions in 1967; and in swimming, where the school won the Dolphin Swimming Trophy in 1969.

Celebrating Swimming success: Mr Nash, Sports Master, with (left to right) Shirley Ann Morrell, Debbie Neil, Linda Devonshire and Amanda Denham.

In 1967 Mr Moss lead a 4th year class trip to The Netherlands. Mrs Smith, the Class teacher also went on the trip and Mrs Pam Kreamer was a helper. 

The photograph has been shared by Sally Dodd.

On several special occasions the Opening ceremonies were performed by personalities from the world of entertainment and sport. The new swimming pool was opened by Billy Wood, British Boys Diving Champion in 1962. Valerie Singleton from the BBC’s Blue Peter programme was a guest at the Middle School party in 1972, and there was a visit by the American Space Apollo Astronaut, Ed Mitchell, in 1977.

In 1993 the addition of a Foundation Unit allowed children to start school at three years old. The age for leaving the junior school for a more senior school was changed from eleven to nine years, with pupils generally going on to Windsor Middle School.

School Centenary Dinner, January 23rd 1988.

From left to right: Mr Vernon C. Moss, Headmaster,
Mr W. Cooley, Chairman of School Governors and Mrs Cooley

If you attended Eton Wick School, please use the comment box below to add your memories and any photographs of your school days.

The Village Hall in Eton Wick

The Eton Wick Village Hall

1905

"Now that the Commoners of Eton have given their consent, and the piece of land presented by Mr. Vaughan has been freed from Lammas rights, we are justified in hoping that the Eton Wick Institute will be built, opened, and be proving a welcome addition to the comforts of the parishioners of Eton Wick and Boveney before many more months have passed."

Eton Wick village hall, first known as 'The Institute', was opened on January 22nd 1907, the commemorative stone in the porch having been laid by Mr Vaughan on Friday November 16th 1906.

A brief ceremony attended by a gathering of parishioners and invited guests ended with the singing of '0 God our help in ages past' by the village school children.The evening entertainment on the day was given by Mr EMS Pilkington, the architect of the building, entitled 'The amusements of a London Boy' and illustrated with lantern slides.

The land was a gift from Edward Littleton Vaughan. a great benefactor to the village, known affectionately as 'Toddy' Vaughan. The purpose of the Institute was to provide recreation for men and boys and to encourage fellowship. Equipped with a billiard room, reading room and a bar selling non-alcoholic drinks with light refreshments, it quickly became a popular place replacing the old Working Men's club that had met at the Wheatbutts.

However, within the year the women and girls of the village let it be known that they were disappointed at being excluded. By December, due to the influence and kindness of Mr Vaughan, the situation was remedied and the formation of a Women's and girls club was formed. Girls over thirteen years of age could become members on payment of one penny per week and one shilling per quarter, allowing them to participate in gymnastics, dancing, sewing classes etc. Originally the upstairs room was for gymnastics with the billiard tables on the ground floor. This caused some inconvenience as the vaulting and jumping brought flakes of whitewash down from the ceiling onto the tables.

Over the years several village concert parties have performed in the hall, including a Minstrel Troop in the 1920's, and variety groups named the Shoestrings and the Unity Players post World War II.
The hall was enlarged in 1929 and further extensions were made in the post war years. During the early years of World War II the hall became the school for the evacuees billeted in Eton Wick.
Today the ground floor of the hall is used by the County library service and the Youth club, whilst the two rooms upstairs are used by village organisations for various activities.

How the hall began

1905 A meeting of intending members was held on December 22nd, in the school-room, with Mr. Vaughan in the chair. The meeting elected a Committee of twelve to hold office for the year 1906. It was agreed that five of these be ex-officio members, namely, one Eton College master, the Chairman of the Eton Wick Parish Council, the Chairman of the Boveney Parish Council, the Bailiff of the Common, and the Assistant Curate at Eton Wick.

Mr Edward Littleton Vaughan

The other seven were elected by ballot and were Messrs Burfoot senior, Long, Hammans senior, Ashman, A. Nottage, Elkins, and Blake.

 At a subsequent Committee meeting, Mr. Vaughan was elected as Chairman.

1906

The Eton Wick and Boveney Institute is on the high road towards completion and already the handsome red brick building has called forth expressions of admiration from those who have seen it.
On Friday afternoon, November 16th, the Founder laid in the porch a massive stone bearing the inscription, " The Eton Wick and Boveney Institute, Founded 1906." In a short speech Mr. Vaughan stated his desire that the Institute should prove a boon to the inhabitants of the two parishes, and after mentioning his conditions—that the management must be entirely unpolitical and undenominational—declared the stone duly and properly laid. This interesting ceremony was witnessed by most of the members of the Committee (one of whom had returned from London expressly for the purpose), by the workmen engaged upon the building, and by the Architect, Mr. Pilkington.

A vote of thanks to the generous donor was proposed by Mr. Moore and seconded by Mr. Smith, who said he felt sure that Mr. Vaughan would feel amply repaid if the institute were used and appreciated by those for whom it was intended.

oooOooo

MR. Vaughan, Chairman of the Eton Wick and Boveney Institute Committee, wishes to express opinion on two points, as to which there has been some misunderstanding.

The Institute is to be undenominational, and by undenominational the Committee mean that no account is to be taken, as to membership or in forming a Committee, or in any other Way, of anyone's denomination.

Secondly, it has been said in the Parish that the Committee opposes total abstinence. This is very far from being the case, but the Committee unanimously think that it would not be wise now to have a total abstinence society in connection with our Institute, which aims at uniting the Parish.

Our Village August 2011

The way things were — `Le jour du Fair' '

The day of the fair' was indeed the big day of most rural communities before the ownership of family cars. Eton Wick was no exception, although until about 130 years ago the village was probably not large enough to support regular events.

In 1878 some diverse social gatherings did take place and were considered worthy of recording. Firstly a political rally, and a steam circus, were held on the Common. I find this perhaps surprising, as at that time all villagers' were conscious of their Common's Rights and vehemently opposed any misuse. Again, a surprise that the small population was deemed adequate for a steam circus. Perhaps more importantly in 1878 Eton Wick held its first Horticultural Show, which predated the village recreation ground by several years; the allotments by 16 years and was 13 years before Eton Town's first Horticultural Show. Apart from war years the show became an annual event and with time, became ever more successful. By the 1930s it was the August Bank Holiday event held in Wheatbutts Orchard, often with a Guards' band; outdoor dancing, side shows; various pet classes on show: children's competitions of wildflowers, grass collection, mini gardens. needlework etc., and adult cookery entries of cakes, cooked vegetables, dinners etc. The allotment holders have revived the horticultural show in recent years but alas the days when every villager attended with enthusiasm have long since gone.

We will now look at the biggest of them all, the Wicko! carnivals. held between 1967 - 1981, at how they came about, why they stopped and ask "could they have survived?' The origin was certainly unusual and indirectly came about following the end of the Eton Wick cricket club in the 1960s.

The cricket club was long established; it played home matches at Saddocks Farm, had its own wood pavilion and regularly had very popular fixtures. Unfortunately, a possible move to the village recreation ground brought about the club's demise. They gave the mobile pavilion to the Eton Wick youth club, but unfortunately, village children burnt the building and the youth club duly claimed the insurance money of £600. At that time; and after ten years as the 'Club Leader' I was then its Chairman. The Adult Committee decided against a replacement pavilion but opted for a purpose-built Sports Hall to be built behind the Village Hall. The insurance money was inadequate so we decided to raise the money needed with a Recreation Ground based fete. The word 'fete' had been used by the scout movement and also the Village Hall in recent years so we settled on 'carnival'. That year of 1967 Canada had held an International Exhibition. logoed 'Expo! 67' so committee member Andy Skeels said we will call our carnival 'Wicko 67½'. Success came so we subsequently held 'Wicko 68'; 'Wicko 69' and so on. Publicity was pushed way beyond our locality and Mr. Jim Kinross of Manor Farm generously let us have the entire use of South Field as a free car park for the many hundreds of visitors at one event it was estimated a crowd in excess of 10,000 attended.

Of course events in the arena cost money and being held in the recreation ground no admission charge was possible, so as with the car park the event was virtually free to those not wanting to spend. There were, of course, side shows: fairground stalls and continuous arena entertainment. including music by a Scottish pipe band. a Caribbean steel band and a military band. There were go-cart rides: ladies wrestling: boxing: piano smashing competitions (inter pubs). a lively mock American civil war performed by the Civil War Re-enactment Group plus regular beauty queens and fancy dress shows. Also every year expert tug-of-war competitions. Wicko! attracted tug-of-war teams from far and wide - the midlands, west country and the London districts. With no experience of tug-of-war we were much indebted to the long-established Holyport organiser, Mr Charlie Aldridge, who guided us through the necessary 'know how' We were able to offer more attractive prizes to the teams through the good offices of Mr Stout, a villager who at that time had a substantial Reading based business trading suitably priced chinaware.

Within a few years we were able to build the youth club's sports hall and in a year or two, the carnivals were handed over to the Eton Wick Football Club who themselves needed funds to develop their newly built headquarters. The event probably needed much more work input than had been anticipated and it quickly fell into decline. Just one example was an Eton Council Officer giving his usual warning that he would inspect the recreation ground the day after a Wicko!. As usual, the same few cleared the site and with failing light, the crowds all gone: my brother Albert was driving our shop truck on the Rec and by its headlamps my two aging sisters were on hands and knees picking up the rubbish. Looking up we saw the Club customers with pints in hand looking from the clubhouse window and naturally, we mused they were saying "just look at those ..... fools'. Enough for Albert who said 'this is my last and of course his input had been overwhelming - making props, repairing stalls, painting etc., and always giving us new ideas

Like other village ladies my sisters had spent months knitting saleable items and later making cakes and jams. All these village happenings need keen workers and it is no use dreaming up ideas without the will to execute them.

Susan Lunn with Billy Walker

Could Wicko! have survived? I have always thought it may, but probably depended on a more positive initial approach. I always had the old village pre-war shows in my mind and when planning the first Wicko! I asked Mr Harry Cook, who organised the annual Horticultural Show, If they would combine with Wicko! for a Recreation Ground annual event and in return Wicko! would guarantee the marquee and prize expenses of the allotment event. Harry decided to keep his independence, for which I could appreciate. However, if it had joined with Wicko! there would have been permanence to the show that the 'quick fix' need for money may not have brought about the early demise. 

Incidentally, in 1969 the Sports Hall and Wicko! Carnival were opened by the British Heavyweight Boxing Champion 'Billy Walker'. He also judged the many young ladies' Beauty Queen Competition. He chose Susan Lund as the 'Queen' and Kathy Reader as runner-up. Both girls lived in Princes Close, and eleven youth organisations had girl entrants. Some years later both Susan and Kathy were married to the village twin brothers. Tony and Terry Skeels, who were, in fact, the sons of Andy Skeels who had given the first Wicko! its name. 

Frank Bond 

Footnote: To further the family connection, Susan is the Great Niece of Ernie Brown: the 22 year old remembered on the Village War Memorial.

Click here to read Our Village August 2011.

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

The Story of a Village - A Changing Community

In past centuries the village expanded several times, but never quite so overwhelmingly as in the post war period. In 1931 the population was just over a thousand, it had risen to 1,640 by 1951, to 2,505 ten years later and now must be nearly three thousand.

With the influx of so many people into the village its inhabitants could no longer feel that each family was related to most others in the Wick. Probably this had never been strictly true; but by marriage and by recognising second cousins and the like, most families had indeed been related. The character of the village was changing in other ways. No longer was the College the most important source of income and employment for the majority of families, and less and less did College people take an interest and control of village affairs. The old gulf between gentry, epitomised in the Wick by College masters, and villagers gradually disappeared. Today new residents may be unaware of the old ties between Eton and Eton Wick. When Mr Vaughan died in 1940 his place as unofficial squire was taken by Bob Bond. Their backgrounds were very different, but both men were intensely interested in the village. It was Bob Bond who was reappointed bailiff at the 1948 Manor Court; he was instrumental in restarting the Boy Scouts after the war, he helped organise gymkhanas, dances and the annual Scout Fete ( which took the place of the old Horticultural Show). He also became the first president of the PTA.

The horse had virtually disappeared from the agricultural scene; though not entirely for George Pagett set up as a smallholder soon after the war and continued to use horses until the 1970s. The car and the lorry replaced the horse and cart, and garages became a necessity. Mr Sibley opened his filling station in 1958 and Ellis Motors were established in Victoria Road. People travelled more and taking holidays became the normal and not the exceptional way of life. Whereas in pre-war days people walked, cycled or used the bus to go to school, work or shopping, the use of the car became more and more the accepted practice. This transport revolution has brought in its wake other changes, such as the loss of the old road which ran from Haywards Mead to Meadow Lane in Eton and which is now only a bridle path. The Windsor Bridge has been closed to vehicle traffic and bus services have been cut, accentuating the hardship of those without a car. The roads are all macadamized and edged with pavements, and there is a profusion of street furniture road signs, electric streetlamps, bus shelters, pillar boxes, telephone kiosks and seats. Most of these have been provided by the statutory authorities, but the seat by Albert Place was the gift of the Women's Institute and the one in the churchyard in memory of Bob Bond.

Soon after the war, in line with national educational changes, Eton Wick School became a primary school, catering for both boys and girls from the ages of five to eleven; while older children were expected to attend secondary schools outside the village. However, it was still a church school, though the diocese was now responsible only for the fabric of the building and not the salaries of the teaching staff or the education of the children. To cater for the needs of the growing population the school was enlarged in 1953 and again in the sixties, but on that occasion the cost was such that a change of management became inevitable and the school was taken over by the County Council. In 1973 national policy brought about another change and the school became the combined infants and middle school with children being required to stay an extra year. But, though its title, appearance and teaching methods have changed over the years, because now almost all 'the children from Eton Wick are taught there, it has become even more the village school than in the years before the war when the older boys attended Porny School.

In spite of the addition of twelve new shops since the war there are now proportionately fewer shops per head than before the war. Several of the older shops have indeed closed and there is only one, Sibley's, in the area of New Town. The village has lost its priest-in-charge and Rev Christopher Johnson is now the only Church of England clergyman serving the parish of Eton, a sharp contrast to the situation a hundred years ago, when the parish was desperately trying to afford to employ two curates to assist the Vicar. Instead the village now has three churches, the Roman Catholic St Gilbert's having been built at the same time as Haywards Mead. The Village Hall stands close by and is still used for a baby clinic and library, but the role of the Hall has substantially diminished.  No longer is there a Village Hall Club; the Management Committee is concerned only with the maintenance of the building and the hiring of Its rooms. It has been overshadowed by its offshoot, the Football and Social Club, whose club rooms stand just behind the Hall. Some organizations still meet in the Hall, but others now use the rival establishment, and the whole of the ground floor is let to the County Council. Even the Village Fete, first organized by the Management Committee in 1962 and then the Youth Club, has now been taken over by the Football and Social Club, and since the mid-sixties it has been known as the Wicko Carnival.  The loss to the village of Wheatbutts Field when it was sold by the College brought about the end of the Scout Fete.

The list of changes seems inexhaustible, but it must suffice to mention only a few more and perhaps it is fitting that these should concentrate on the part of the parish first known as 'le Wyk'. The streams are now much shallower, the ponds filled in and the westernmost part of the common has recently been landscaped. Trees have  always been part of the village landscape, but unfortunately several beautiful elms had to be cut down in the 1950s. Hedges and trees have been grubbed up and in the last few years more elms have been lost through disease so that the area around Little Common has a rather open, desolated look.  It has been one more step in the succession of changes that has taken place since the first cluster of buildings established a wick in a clearing in the woods of Eton. Thankfully Eton Wick is still a village which will continue to evolve and, it is hoped, will remain surrounded and protected by commons and lammas lands.

This is an extract from The Story of a Village: Eton Wick 1217 to 1977 by Judith Hunter.

This is the final part of the serialisation of The Story of a Village - Eton Wick - 1217 - 1977. The Eton Wick History Group is most grateful for the kind permission of Judith Hunter's husband to publish her book on its website.

The village and community has continued to change and evolve since Judith completed her history more than 40 years ago and some of this change is reflected in The Eton Wick Newsletter - Our Village and the Photographic History of Eton Wick and Eton.

Then and Now - the Red House and the Village Hall

The Red House and the Village Hall are monuments to the village builder, Henry Burfoot.

Henry Burfoot was a Bricklayer who lived in a cottage nearby Little Common within Eton Wick. He was born in 1858, and by the early 1890s he had built himself a show house with a substantial workshop and yard in Alma Road, Eton Wick. He also built many of the houses and terrace blocks in Alma Road, Inkerman Road, Northfield Road and Moores Lane, in the part of the village known as Boveney New Town.


Henry Burfoot was more than a jobbing builder, advertising himself as a Building Contractor undertaking specialised work in the building of bakers' ovens, large hot coal fired ranges, and heating boilers.

The imposing Red House fronting the Eton Wick Road was built by Henry for his son, also named Henry, in 1904 (see picture at the top of the page).

In 1906 Burfoot and Son received the contract to build the Village Institute, now know as the Village Hall, on land gifted by Edward Littleton Vaughan. Building commenced in 1906, and the Institute was opened in 1907.

Burfoot also built the Methodist Chapel in Alma Road on land given by Mr Ayres. The Chapel opened in 1886.

Mr and Mrs Henry Burfoot Jnr. were active members of the village community. Mr Burfoot was the secretary of the Village Hall Management Committee, a member of the Parochial Church Council, and a church sidesman. Mrs Burfoot was on the committee of the Eton Wick Nursing Association, and secretary of the Infant Welfare Organisation which had started in 1915. She was a founder member of Eton Wick and Boveney Womens' Institute, and a member of the Church Ladies Working Party.





On his retirement Henry Jnr. sold the business to Prowtings, who after seven years sold it to J. T. Ireland who operated the building business from the Red House.

James (Jimmy) Ireland had started his business on leaving the army after the Second World War. He employed around 60 men and apprentices, and built extensively in Eton Wick and Dorney. The Eton Wick developments include the houses in Tilston Avenue and Queens Road.

Jimmy Ireland was a great supporter and benefactor to the village Scouts, the Youth Club and other organisations within the village. In 1947 he became an Eton Urban District Councillor and served as Chairman of the Housing committee. Following on his involvement in public service he was elected to the Buckingham County Council, serving as chairman of several committees and Vice Chairman of the County Council. Appointed as a magistrate in 1957 and made Deputy Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire in 1975, Jimmy was honoured with the CBE (Commander of the British Empire) in 1982.




Upon Jimmy Ireland's retirement the building business J. T. Ireland ceased. A change of ownership brought changes to the Red House when in the late 1990s its size was doubled to incorporate two shops or offices (see picture at top of page).

Our Village April 2012 - Village Clubs and Groups

The Way Things Were

During a recent tidy-up of files and folders on Eton Wick I came upon a listing of organisations; groups and clubs dating back to the early 1800's. Part of this list was the work of the old Eton Urban Council — pre 1974, and part of it we produced in the 'Pictorial History of Eton Wick' book published in the year 2000. There are now quite sixty groups etc; on the list, and I do not pretend the list to be complete. Many may pose the question of how they originated and what caused their demise. Others may need to reinvent their title to be acceptable in today's world. This of course includes a 'Minstrel' and a 'Black and White' Minstrel group which were Eton Wick concert parties before and after the Great War of 1914 -18. Perhaps there was a social need for concert groups after the family disruptions of wars, because after the Second World War 1939 — 45, the village again had concert groups such as "The Unity Players" and "The Shoestrings". The need to raise funds also prompted some of these groups, as it did with the annual Scout fetes and gymkhanas; the Village Hall fetes, and 'The Wicko Carnivals'.

Looking at sports groups, the first mention I have of a local club is the Eton Excelsior Rowing Club dating back to at least 1826. Sports in the village did not really feature before the 1880s - around 1882 the first mention of a village football club and 1889 when the cricket club originated. Both clubs played their home fixtures on the common, there being no recreation ground until 1904. Undoubtedly there would have been some local opposition to the common being used on the grounds of Lammas misuse.

Both the Eton Wick and the Eton Recreation Grounds were purchased with accumulated funds accrued principally with the Great Western Railway compensation for the loss of Lammas rights when the viaduct was built around 1846. Eton Wick's ground, opening in 1904. Not until the village had a recreation area could it really be feasible to have regular organised sports, although it is doubtful if the small population could have fielded team sports much sooner.

The first organised group mentioned is dated 1811. Not sport and not recreation but a 'Friendly Society' at the Three Horse Shoes, which lasted for at least 12 years. This was believed to be the first of various support motivated groups, although with the low wages of that time, probably not affordable to all. It cost five shillings (25p) to enroll and a monthly payment of one shilling and nine pence (9p). In return there was a weekly payout of ten shillings and sixpence (52p) in times of sickness, for up to six months, reducing thereafter. The other pubs later introduced similar schemes which in one form or another existed until the mid-20' century; after which time the state ensured social security, and the said 'Slate Clubs' or 'Didtem Clubs' as they were known, went into decline. Other groups of a 'support' nature included 'The Temperance Guild' c. 1884; 'The Mother's Union' (1902) and the Infant Welfare 1915. Sped groups were Football c.1882; Cricket 1889; Rifle Club 1899; Harriers 1907; Tennis Club 1930; Badminton P.T.A. c.1960; Indoor Bowls 1991 and The Nomads 1949.

The Nomads were a cycle camper group of youths within the Youth Club, and the name was that used for registered membership within the Camping Club of Great Britain. They existed for about four years and cycle camped to the coast; the Isle of Wight; and twice toured the Cornish Coast — the West Coast, Land's End, Lizard, Plymouth and the coast home. In 1952 they toured an area in North France. Youth Club ages were appreciably different at that time, with all members being aged 15 — 21. Before we look at more village youth groups it is appropriate in this Olympic year to mention the Harriers Club of 1907. The following year of 1908 the Olympics came to Britain, and a villager competed in the marathon race. The 26 mile course was Windsor to London and the runner was Edwin Stacey, the second youngest son of the 'Shepherd's Hut' landlord. Incidentally our bird man, Bill Stacey, is a relative.

Of the Rifle Club it is claimed they had some very good competitors and in fact qualified tocompete at Wisley. Unfortunately they were not a good match for the other teams who were using Vernia sights on their rifles, which the 'Wicks' team had no experience of. Both the Harriers and Rifle Club had the support of the village benefactor, Edward Littleton Vaughan, who gave his time and generosity to Eton Wick and in particular to its youth. He promoted a young men's club in the redundant old school building and when in 1903 the site and building were purchased for a shop he made Wheatbutts Cottage and orchard available to the Harriers and Rifle clubs, meanwhile giving the site and building for the Village Hall (then The Institute) that we still take pride in today. It is believed Mr Vaughan was Eton Wick and Boveney's first Scout Master. He certainly had the village group at summer camp near Weymouth at the outbreak of the Great War of 1914 — 18. In 1935 at the age of 86 he started a boys club in the village. His club leaders were a local guards' sergeant and Mr Les Moreby. Unfortunately the club closed after two years when Les left the 'Wick' to take up an appointment as Boys' Leader in the newly opened and nationally prestigious Slough Community Centre.

In 1939 came the war. Our village hall was taken over for evacuees and classrooms; the recreation ground was ploughed and used for cereal growing; there were complete blackouts and many men went into the war. Others not enlisted for health or essential war work reasons all had to take on other duties such as Home Guard; Fire Service Wardens; Air Wardens; or Messengers.

Consequently, many clubs and organisations fell into decline; some never to recover. One such being the Tilston Tennis Club. Their courts were behind the village hall on the exact site of todays' large youth club games hall. After the war the youth club attempted to repair or replace the rusted and dilapidated court fencing; all to no avail. There had been allotments between the courts and the Boveney Ditch (south side of the Rec') and these were vacated in the 1950s. I presume the vacation was influenced by the building of Princes Close on the Brewers' Field c.1953-4.

Youth groupings very much included Boy Scouts; Cubs; Guides and Brownies - the uniformed groups. These were quick to establish after the war and of course much aided by having their own hutted quarters in the N.W. comer of Wheatbutts orchard (now Wheatbutts estate). Sadly arson destroyed most of the Scouting records/photos etc., in later years.

Socialist Britain in the post WW2 years established Advisory Committees to oversee youth services. Locally the committee found little to do in the Eton Wick scouting set up, so concentrated on the youth club, as a mixed sex organisation. In the first five years the club had full time paid leaders that could be barely justified in a time of post war austerity. By 1951 this had changed, and I was appointed the unprofessional club leader, receiving nine shillings (45p) an evening as recompense.

There have been other youth groups in the village run by the Church of St. John the Baptist and the Methodists. Later the Catholic Church formed a group of 'Charlie's Angels' but as is the modern trend, for a younger age range. In my youth the Sunday Schools were a big issue in the village, but I think perhaps the main reasons were twofold. Firstly, families were large and it was convenient to know where the children were on Sundays, and secondly the 'Sunday School annual outings'. There were no family cars, so without an outing we rarely left the immediate neighbourhood. Before charabancs and coaches the annual outing was to Burnham Beeches and transport was by coal cart. The horse drawn coal carts were used because they had low platforms, suitable for the coal merchants easy lifting on his back.

The Methodist Chapel were the first to use motor coaches to the seaside. This was around 1932-3. Oh! how we envied them, as most of us had never seen the sea. Within two years St. John's had matched the chapels' coast trips, so we were then able to argue the merits of which was best.

Many villagers of eighty plus years ago would never have gone far beyond where their legs would take them, and undoubtedly the initial attraction of young men volunteering for war in 1914 had more to do with the thought of seeing France and Belgium than the mortal conflict. Social groupings in Eton Wick included The Working Mens' Club, 1890's; The Sisterhood early 1900's; The Womens' Recreation Club c.1925; The Over 60s Club c.1950; Young Wives Group c.1940's; The Mens' Club c.1930's and The Ladies Club c.1960.

There are two entries under music. The Fife & Drum Band c.1890 and The Crusader Skiffle Group c. late 1950's. There are several others, some still exist today. Perhaps the latest is The knit and natter' group held at the library. Not all the groups have had a mention as I have to keep an eye on the magazine space I can reasonably use. Perhaps as a last thought I should say that football had just one mention but there have been at least five different football clubs and probably more. 

By Frank Bond

Click here to read Our Village April 2012.

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