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.

Sixties Childhood in Eton Wick

A Sixties Childhood in Eton Wick by Steven Denham My parents, Betty and John Denham, along with my two brothers, Michael and Andrew and sister, Amanda moved to Eton Wick from Tiverton in September 1960. I was seven and a half at the time. My first view of the village was from the Blue Bus that our Aunt and we boys used to get from Windsor station. I sure that at the time it seemed both quite an adventure as well as being anxious about coming to a new place and having to make new friends. We moved into a new house in Queens Road, I remember that the road was concrete and not completed. There were very few motorcars unlike today. I do remember that like Tiverton, Eton Wick has its fields and is near a river so it did not feel completely alien. Soon after moving in the fire brigade had to be called as the chimney had become blocked by building rubble and smoke was getting in to the house next door. In the week after moving in I started at Eton Wick School in Mrs Miles’ class, 1st year juniors. It seemed a very strange experience, the infant school I went to was new and Mrs Miles taught her class in the old part of the School as only the top three years had classrooms in the new part of the school. I tried my best, but found school very difficult and I have been told since that Mrs Miles did not find me easy to teach. In 1961, when I was eight I joined the Wolf Cubs. The pack was lead by Margaret and John Fennel who helped me achieve success in things and ways that I just could not do at school. A significant memory was the Gang Shows which Tommy Neighbour had a great deal to do with the direction of. I don’t recall who helped them. Cubs was a special experience that ended when I went up to the scout troop after gaining my Leaping Wolf. In April 1962 the Queen was driven through the village and all the school children were lined up along the Eton Wick Road outside of the Church and waved as she passed by. She did not stop as this was before she started her 'walk-abouts’. Another event that I recall that year was that winter arrived with a vengeance on Boxing Day. I remember measuring over 6 inches of lying snow in our back garden. For a nine year old it was a real treat and quite unlike any winter I had seen before or after. There were snowball fights to be had and snow dens to be made before school returned. The Thames froze at Windsor, but it must have been cold at home as there was only a limited amount of central heating in our house. The snow was piled up along the sides of the Eton Wick Road and some of these piles stayed around for many weeks, brrrr. 1963 gave me an opportunity to sit the 10 plus which with hindsight it is no surprise that I failed. Mr Moss must have seen some hope in me as he selected me for his top group of 11 plus hopefuls. Of Eton Wick School I have many memories. Sport must have been high on the agenda as there was the new swimming pool, football and the annual sports day. The school/PTA also ran the annual Village shinty and rounders competitions which were always hard fought contests. Being a Church of England school had an impact on the school year. Ascension Day was celebrated with the whole school community attending a service in the Church followed by having the rest of the day as a Holiday. The Christmas Nativity Play was performed in the church. The school Christmas parties were always held in the village hall. 1964 was a year of change, I had the disappointment of not following my brothers to Slough Grammar having failed the 11 plus. My mum and dad got me into The Orchard Secondary Modern, which was in Stoke Road, Slough. The Orchard was the only Secondary Modern that provided an opportunity to take ‘O’ levels. The day I started I missed the school bus I should have caught, but managed to get on to the bus taking children St Ethelbert’s and St Joseph’s. I was the only child from Eton Wick starting in that year so I made friends with children from Slough, Langley and Maidenhead. As it is nowadays secondary schools work in a completely different way to junior schools so there was a great deal to find out.     Scout Fete: Tent Pitching Competition left to right: Steven Denham, Graham Stallard, Mark Dobson, John Garnham, David Longmore. 1965. One of the major events in the village each year was the Scout Fete held on the Wheatbutts. There were lots of sideshows such as roll a penny, hoopla and darts. The main arena was the venue for many different events, which included an annual tent pitching competition held between the village scouts and scouts from other troops in the district. I seem to remember that the village Guides also competed some years. I do recall that one-year the team that I was leading managed a very quick time only to discover that we had mixed up the tent poles and the canvass of the walls was several inches off the ground! 1966 was the year that England won the World Cup. I went to see one match at Wembley with my brothers and a friend; I think it was Mexico v Uruguay. On the day of the final I travelled to South Wales with the Scout Troop for a weeks camp. I remember that it rained almost everyday. 1967. Soon after I was thirteen I started my first job as a newspaper delivery boy for Gowers. My round covered Colnorton Crescent, Moores Lane and Stockdales Road. I got paid 12s 6d (62p) for Monday to Saturday. How things stay the same, I still do paper rounds, but now for my own business when the boys don’t turn up. The papers have changed gone are the Daily Herald and Sketch, the Sun and Independent have arrived and they are all much heavier. 1968. There was a major outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease that hit the country and the dairy farms in the village took necessary precautions. I remember going with a friend on his round to deliver papers and going no further than the gate. On August Bank Holiday Monday the second ‘Wicko’ was held on the old recreation ground. This was very different from the Scout Fete it had a lot more side shows as well as some spectacular arena events and a tug of war competition that attracted team from a wide area. 1969 was the last year I went to school. In May and June I took 5 ‘O’ levels and attained a good enough mark in 4 of them to gain passes. After finishing school I started a temporary job with Frank Bond in his greengrocers shop along with David Fearn. In July, Frank invited us to watch the launch of Apollo 11 that lead to the first moon landing. I remember it quite vividly as it was the first time I have seen colour TV. I went with the Scouts to the Wye Valley for the summer camp that as in the previous 3 years was great fun with the addition of canoeing. But when the summer was over it was off to work at WH Smith and Son in Slough.

From the Parish Magazine - Eton Wick History Group Meeting - Local Entertainment Before the Age of the Telly.

The members of the Eton Wick History Group enjoyed illustrated talks from three speakers when they met on the 8th July, 1998. The topic was 'LOCAL FETES, FAIRS, CARNIVALS AND CONCERTS' and the group was entertained by John Denham, Joan Ballhatchet and Frank Bond. 

Frank was the first to take the floor; he described the various 'big' days in Eton Wick going back 200 years to when, for the 100 people who then lived along Common Road or in farm cottages, a 'big' day was simply having a day off from work. There would be traditional days of celebration; May Day for example, the day when cattle and horses were let out on to the Common; the 1st August (Lamas) which was at harvest time; there was Eton College's `Fourth of June' celebration when many of the inhabitants of Eton and Eton Wick would turn out to see the Procession of Boats. Another special day was the one reserved for `Beating the Bounds' - this was originally an ecclesiastical duty, with the civil authorities later becoming aware of the necessity to mark out the area's boundaries; the College used to provide a breakfast of ale and roast beef for those taking part. (Perhaps we could 'Beat the Bounds at the Millennium?) Less formal, but just as welcome, treats would be those such as Mr. Lovell's Concert Parties; Pelham's Funfair at Eton Wick; Sunday School and Boys' Club outings and pub outings; and the Horticultural Society's tradition of donating fruit and vegetable, taken by horse drawn cart, to King Edward VII Hospital. There was certainly no shortage of functions to prepare for, anticipate and enjoy. 

Mrs. Ballhatchet gave a vivid and fascinating description of the Horticultural Shows, which were among the highlights of the Summer. Trestle tables were laden with fruit, vegetables, flowers, needlework, and various types of craft work manufactured by men and boys; there was poultry and livestock; there was a beer tent; there were coconut shies, and races for children and adults, with prizes presented by a VIP.; and in the evening there would be dancing to a band which would have played all day. The earliest record of an Eton Wick Horticultural and Industrial Exhibition appears in the first Parish Magazine, and the event was to take place on the 21st August 1878 in the Wheatbutts orchard. Mrs. Ballhatchet read out various highlights from the Magazines' reports, which included subjects as diverse as the need for Eton Wick's Drum and Fife Band to have new uniforms (1887) to the fact that a 'Collection of English Snails' had received a special award, a swan in a lake scene was constructed entirely of fish scales; and on one occasion two live wasps' nests were displayed as exhibits. The last Horticultural Exhibition entry was in the Parish Magazine of September 1939; but after the Second World War, in the 1950s, the exhibitions recommenced under the title 'The Allotment Holders' Show and these continued until 1963 by which time there was a new entertainment in the form of the annual Wicko' Fair which, with its many star turns and celebrity attractions, eventually, grew to be so well known, popular and successful it became difficult to control, it had lost its 'Village flavour' and so was finally abandoned after 1982. 

A delight of the evening was the sight of so many photographs of Concert Parties and Pantomimes - originally these were held to raise money for the football team's kit - the team originally wore their own white shirts and black shorts made from the blackout material. The entertaining troupe was called The Unity Players' (after 'United'); and costumes for the shows were made from parachute material, crepe paper, 1/- worth of dirty muslin from Petticoat Lane and any other odd bits and pieces that came to hand; props and scenery were painted in the old mortuary; and a generator provided power from outside the building. 

John Denham was the expert on Scout Fetes, also their Gang Shows, raffles, jumble sales, whist drives, in fact anything which would bring in money. The first of the Village's Scout Fetes is recorded as being in 1952 and it was held in Wheatbutts, where the Scout Hut was then sited. This but was burnt down in 1961 - it had been hired out to a skiffle group who had suspect wiring. The fetes and gang shows (which were in true Ralph Reader tradition) were held over a period of about 45 years; there were exhibitions, and the displays were always of a very high standard. Mr. Moss of Eton Wick School introduced the boys to the game of 'Shinty' and this soon became Eton Wick's adopted sport; the Shinty finals were always played out at the Scout Fete, including men against women - it eventually became so rough that Mr. Moss pulled out! Other entertainments at the fetes ranged from Penny Rigden's dancing troupe to Guards' weapon displays and American Air Force drill exhibitions. These fetes continued until interest waned in 1973. 

Earlier in the evening Frank Bond had pointed out that this was the end of the 7th year of the Group; and he thanked Mary Gyngell who had provided cakes for every meeting over that period; and thanks, were also given to the Committee, particularly Joan Neighbour, Zena Redhunt, Rene Thompson, Mrs. Jean Tyler and Brenda Irvine. The programme for 1999 was issued in September, suggestions for subjects welcome. 

During the 1990's the Parish Magazine of Eton, Eton Wick and Boveney reported on the meetings of the Eton Wick History Group. A member of the audience took shorthand notes in the darkened hall. This article was published in the August edition of 1998.

Our Village December 2011 - The Way Things Were

At a time when we are expected to tighten our belts, it may help if we reflect on what things were like in living memory, albeit 70 to 80 years ago. 

It was in 1922 that Eton Wick got its first bus. Until then a shopping trip to Windsor involved a tiring and often a wet or cold walk both ways. A few may have had a pony and trap, but there were not many of them in Eton Wick. Some would have cycled, and one well-known man of the '30s told me he walked to and from his work in Uxbridge. Hard to imagine now. 'The blue bus", as it was known, went on to provide a truly wonderful service of three return runs to Windsor's Castle Hill every hour; one of which went to Dorsey and Maidenhead. 

During the 1930s to 1960s the bus was often packed with sitting and standing passengers. Particularly later in the day for the cinema runs. Windsor had four cinemas - 'The Playhouse'; 'The Regal'; 'The Empire' and for many years the theatre became 'The Royalty' cinema. Many may remember the cinema in Eton. 

Nothing lasts forever and by the 1960s the television had killed off the big cinemas. The bus service fell into decline with the public's ownership of cars, and in the fullness of time the Blue Bus proprietor, Bert Cole, who for over forty years had served the village so reliably in all weathers, retired. His popular drivers included Johnny North, John Bell, Des Sutton, Gerry Austin, Mr. Mitchell, Mr. Lovegrove and of course Bert himself and his son. They often stopped in irregular places for passengers to alight. 

Before the T.V. we had the 'wind up' gramophones with their tinny sound-boxes, but it was the 1930s before most homes possessed a wireless set - large, with battery and chargeable accumulator. The very first wireless in Eton Wick was a Cat Whisker's kit assembled by Norman Lane and Bill Brown in the early 1920s. Both men had recently returned from service in the 1914 - 1918 Great War. 

Most pubs and halls had a piano, and a customer who could play one probably got free beer and was generally popular. Years later, when the television took pride of place in the bars, the piano became unwanted. This, of course, enabled the Wicko! Carnivals to get pianos at no cost for their piano smashing contests.

In the late 1920s to 30s, there were few cars, and this was evident by the fact that as schoolboys we could and occasionally did, whip tops along the Eton Wick Road on the way to 'Pomy' school. In 1934 a neighbour berated my Mother because King George V's car had been obliged to stop by The Three Horseshoes pub on account of my young brother playing 'golf in the road. Mother's comment was "of course the car stopped, it could hardly drive over them". There was an exception; every Fourth of June we did see many more cars. In fact, not just cars, these were large limousines with their attendant livened chauffeurs. Nothing today is ever quite like that, and of course the 'Fourth' itself is often not on the fourth, and there are none of the sumptuous dinner parties for parents in the evenings.

A little under forty years after the King was 'held up' Windsor Bridge was closed to motor vehicles (1970) and Eton Wick was no longer a possible route into Windsor; sadly neither could buses take villagers into town for their shopping. Castle Hill may not be an obstacle to the fit, but I can confirm it is to the aged and the less than fit. 

A little over forty years before that 'Royal holdup' a much smaller Eton Wick got its first retail shop and Post Office. Ada Cottages (48 Eton Wick Road) had been used for retailing for a year or two before Thomas Lovell opened a shop there; with the Post Office; around 1887. He had his own bakery and sold household and garden wares. A photograph shows stacked galvanised baths, wash tubs, toilet buckets etc. These were all items too bulky for carrying from Windsor, Probably one or more of the village's public houses sold some grocery items, and I was told that in the period around the Great War (perhaps 1910 - 1912) 'The Grapes' public house, now a restaurant, sold milk from the churn. 

Following the Tom Lovell enterprise five shops were opened using converted dwellings. Additionally, in the early 1900s, Eton Wick got its first purpose-built shop on the original school site at the top of 'The Walk' road. Two of the five were in Alma Road (then in Boveney Newtown). These were both general grocers. Two in Eton Wick old village were not for groceries. One was Welman Cottage (now 62 Eton Wick Road) which had a front extension c. 1910 - 12 and was owned by Bill Hearn for the sale of harness, leather goods etc. In 1923¹, following the death of Mrs. Hearn, Bill became the motor taxi driver, operating from Victoria Road, and the shop became a grocery retailer's and known as Thames View Stores. The name was apt, as it looked out over a low hedge, allotments, and the Recreation Ground to the river. Three doors away; now 56 Eton Wick Road the sitting room was converted to a cycle shop, mainly dealing in 'Royal Enfield' and cycle accessories. This was a few years before the Great War 1914 - 18 and like other village traders the shopkeeper, Ted Woolhouse², tried without success to avoid conscription on account of his business. They did get three or six months deferment but usually denied further appeal. After the Second World War 1939 - 45 the cycle shop reverted to the sitting room. 'Thames View' was a grocer's for 54 years until 1977 when it became an Aquatic shop, until c. 1994 when it reverted back to a dwelling.

Primrose Villas

One other post-war shop was owned by John and Pat Prior in Moores Lane. This business development at the end of Alma Road's terraced row of Primrose Villas was originally built for, and occupied by, John Moore. He came to the village from Kent where he was a businessman, who followed his daughter, Annie Tough, to Eton Wick. Annie was the wife of the manager of Bell Farm and was the prime person responsible for the building of the Primitive Methodist Chapel. Moores Lane got its name from John Moore. The shop in question was at first petrol pumps and newsagent, opened by Bill Sibley, formerly of the 'Walk'. In 1979 It was sold to John and Pat who established a local grocery shop with newsagents. They closed the shop in 2005 and converted it to a private dwelling for their retirement. 

There was another house conversion, in the terraced row of St. Leonard's Place for grocery, newsagents' etc., before selling wool and items of clothing. This shop, I was once told, was the first retailer of ice cream in the village, probably early 1920s. Before the Eton Urban Council built the parade of seven shops in Brewers Field, 1951, the purpose built shop and Post Office on the old school site was almost certainly the main shop of Eton Wick. Inevitably the 'parade' gradually made the other shops increasingly difficult to survive. They changed their usage, launderette, florists, builders' store and workplace, betting shop, motor spares; but alas the days of scattered shops had gone. In 1973 the Council opened the second parade of shops in Bell Lane and one year later the last of the small shops, at 'Thames View' closed. 

Probably before any of these shops came to the village there were door to door traders. Certainly until the post-WW2 years such traders still served the community and in the 1930s there were at least five farmers selling their milk from churns on pony and trap. Also daily deliveries included bread, greengrocery, fish and rabbits, with weekly deliveries of coal and bottled minerals. There were less frequent callers such as gypsies selling clothes pegs and props for clothes lines, along with white heather (for luck) and paper artificial flowers — usually carnations. Most of these were made by the gypsy families in winter time. Less reliable vendors included sellers of winkles; muffins and even sticky fly catchers. About once a year a salesman came, encouraging householders to change their daily paper. If an agreement was reached it was necessary to cut out sixty consecutive serial numbers from the front pages and a book came as an award. I still have a gold hardback book of King George VI Coronation and once had a book 'Britain's Wonderland of Nature'. Many of these offers and callers did not resume after the war of 1939-45 and in time, with labour saving facilities, householders were all away from the home in full employment, and it became a waste of time calling. 

The last thirty years has seen the supermarkets taking the trade from the estate shops and now with the decline of so many the big stores are themselves opening smaller outlets on the estates. There is always a downside, and I cannot see these superstore outlets ever playing the local supportive role that had become a feature of many local traders.

Eton Wick was perhaps late with some advances but not having electricity until around 1949 — 50 was a setback. That was many years after Dorney. The population had stuck at around 1000 — 1200 for the first half of the 20th Century and rapidly increased with the post-WW2 housing. No longer can we say we know all the residents, and neither do they know us. All very different to the period up to sixty years ago when we had ponds; a blacksmiths' shop; the mayday stampede of the many horses let free to graze the common after having been stabled for much of the winter, and so many other happenings to differentiate village life from the town. We can look back but cannot go back. It would be difficult to think of any improvements that had no downside.

By Frank Bond

Clickhere to read Our Village December 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.

Notes
1 - In Oliver Stannett's memoirs he recalled that Bill Hearne sold his shop and started to run a taxi business soon after Oliver had been birched, aged 12. That would have been in 1915 or 1916 as Oliver was born in 1903.

This image is from the Newtrade archive
and is published here with their kind permission.

2 The impact of The Military Service Act of 1916 was a concern to small businesses across the country. This guidance published in The Newsagent, Booksellers Review and Stationers' Gazette from March 1917 gave guidance on how to build a case to present to the National Service Department. Just because people like Ted Woolhouse were running a business that depended on them was not an adequate reason to avoid conscription. 

Frank Bond in his own words

I was born in Common Road, Eton Wick in June 1922 and had three older sisters. By 1927 there were four younger brothers. Father was the village greengrocer, and also sold fish and rabbits. It was a horse and cart business serving Eton Wick, Dorney and Boveney. Infant schooling was in Eton Wick and between 7 and 14 years at Eton Porny necessitating long walks three times a day. A penny bus ride ensured we got home in time to be fed. At 14 I worked for my father on his local round and at 15 applied to join the R.A.F. but was rejected on two counts, firstly, I was 3 months too young and secondly, I lacked the qualifications needed. At 15 I went to work as a trainee shoe repairer in Windsor for nine shillings (45p) a week.

With the threat of war, gas masks were issued, and I joined the A.R.P. as a messenger boy.

In 1940 I went to work in a Slough aircraft factory and whilst I was there I joined the L.D.V. (Local Defence Volunteers) later renamed Home Guard. In 1941, although in a reserved occupation doing war work, I volunteered for the R.A.F. and six months later was 'square bashing' in Boston, Lincs. There was in fact no drill square in Boston, we drilled in the streets and lived in civilian billets. Then followed a Flight Mechanic/Airframe course at St Athans, South Wales and subsequently a posting to Abingdon, No.10 O.T.U. Operational Training Units were the last stations where new aircrew received instruction before being sent to squadrons for operations. Before leaving O.T. Units the crews were sent on a 'soft' first air raid —usually to France — to drop a few incendiary bombs and propaganda leaflets. In time I collected several such leaflets, and forty years later gave them to an Air Museum in New Zealand. They had several from Japanese raids but few from Europe. Following an advanced fitters course in 1944, and a short posting to a Lincolnshire Fighter squadron, I was sent to Egypt, Aden and Masirah, an island in the Indian Ocean.

In November 1946 I was demobilised and returned to Eton Wick loaded with sugar I had bought on the troopship. Sugar of course was strictly rationed in England. There followed three jobs in industry, at Hawker Aircraft, Langley, then Rotascythe, the manufacturer of the first rotary lawn mowers and lastly Intertype, makers of compositing machines. In 1954 I left the factories and joined my father and brother in the greengrocery business which since 1951 had been operating from the parade of Council shops in the village. Dad died four years later, but we did in time open other shops in Langley, Holyport and Eton. The business went into decline following the death of Albert in 1986 and two years later I sold the last of the shops in Eton Wick. I was then 66 years old. 

During my retirement, I investigated the men whose names appear on the village War Memorial. I made many visits to the trenches of the Western Front, the military cemeteries and memorials to the men with no known grave. The results of my research were published in Their Names Will Be Carved in Stone. I was also an active member of the Western Front Association. 

Socially in my green years I tried to serve youth, and in my grey years, the seniors. In the late 1940s I developed an interest in village youth football that led me to being the Youth Club Leader from 1951 to 1961 and then the Chairman. This resulted in 'Wicko' Carnivals 1967-81 initially to raise Youth Club funds for a building project. In 1972 I became the Chairman of the newly formed Churchyard Scheme, retiring in 2003. In 1992, John Denham and I formed the Eton Wick History Group. I never married -- never had time.

Frank's autobiography was first published in Recall 60 Years On. 

Frank was interviewed by BBC Radio Berkshire in 2016 about his memories of VE day in 1945. You can hear the interview on the BBC Berkshire website.

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.

Eton Wick Youth Club 75th Anniversary

The Former Youth Club Member who attended the 75th anniversary celebration. 

A report by Helen Branscombe-Davies

Thank you to all the past members of Eton Wick Youth Club who came along to the 75th Anniversary event yesterday evening at the Village Hall.

Dorothea Vaughan

Almost to the day, 75 years ago, our Youth Club was formed in the shadow of World War 2. It was revolutionary in at least two ways. Firstly, it was a mixed club with both sexes replacing the young men only club established pre-war by village benefactor Toddy Vaughan. Secondly, the age limit was set at 21 which meant conscripted men were eligible. The Youth Club was established with Dorothea Vaughan, Toddy's widow, as President so Eton Wick was an early supporter of gender equality.

Our Youth Club has since had an illustrious history with well over 1,000 young villagers being members over the 75 years and all based at our ancestral home, the Eton Wick Village Hall.

Today, in the shadow of the pandemic, youth clubs face different challenges in a different world. After 75 years the Eton Wick Youth Club is currently dormant with possibilities for a future relaunch being assessed. Last night we acknowledged the past and shared fond memories of the youth club throughout the decades. We look forward to embracing the future which could be as part of a Community Hub in our Village with activities supporting a great variety of age and interest groups.

We realised too late into the evening that we should have organised a register of attendees with names and dates of Youth Club attendance. If you are able to help us, put together this information then please leave a message in the comments box at the end of this article, thanks.

Several past Youth Club members brought photographs of activities that they remember and are shared with this article. The cups and trophies will be cleaned, and I will post a photo when they are all restored.

EWYC - Adelphi Slough -1956

May 1957
Barrie Watts as May Queen with
Alan Quartherman and Barry Hood as his
attendants.Tony Clark as the Mayoress.

May 1957

Youth Club Football Team - Undated

Youth Club Camps

EWYC Camp1956

EWYC Camp1957

EWYC Camp1959

EYWC Zennor Arms 1959

EWYC Camp year unknown

EWYC Camp year unknown

1961

Lands End 5th August 1966

Other article about the Eton Wick Youth Club can be found elsewhere on this website. 

Frank Bond, the founding Chairman of the Eton Wick History Group was leader of the Youth Club for many years. He wrote of himself for Recall 60 Years On: Eton Wick WWII Ex-Service Men and Women.

"Socially in my green years I tried to serve youth, and in my grey years, the seniors. In the late 1940s I developed an interest in village youth football that led me to being the Youth Club Leader from 1951 to 1961 and then the Chairman. This resulted in 'Wicko' Carnivals 1967-81 initially to raise Youth Club funds for a building project."