The Resident Number 180 - 2000
Croxley Green Residents Association
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In this Issue
HELP FOR THE REVELS - One of our few remaining problem areas at each year's Revels is in managing car parking. It is not an onerous task but takes people who are busy in other areas away- from their important tasks. It is fully realised that it can be a thankless task, made even more so by the lack of people to carry it out. Just a few volunteers would simplify the operation and make the car parking manageable. Clearly many of you are very bound up In the activities organised by your own societies or groups but if we could find a few people who could offer just a half hour during the course of the afternoon, we could meet this need. Though the theme of our Millennium Revels will be medieval, obviously cars cannot meet this theme (or at least we think not unless proved otherwise) so you would be provided with a snazzy fluorescent jacket to give you authority. We don't need budding Hitlers but people who can politely direct drivers so that they park sensibly. Unfortunately there are a few thoughtless people who effectively jam the car parking areas, surely not intentionally. A little suggestion to the unwitting offenders would solve this problem If you are able to offer this small amount of time and are willing to join our team on the day then please contact John Hedges on 01923 222715 as soon as possible We believe that this year's Revels will be a fit celebration of the Millennium and we have a hard act to follow after the New Year's Eve Celebration. We already have a team of about twenty on the day with most of us meeting regularly to plan the event a year in advance. Please help us to make this year the best ever. Twelve offers would be wonderful - why not be the first? | ||
The Resident Number 181 - 2000
Croxley Green Residents Association
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In this Issue
"IT'S GOOD TO TALK" - It may be the first year of a new Millennium, with E-mails, the Internet and faxes but for many older people it still is "good to talk". Age Concern Hertfordshire is setting up a new volunteer visiting scheme in the Watford and Three Rivers are where we are looking for volunteers who would have about an hour to spare each week to have a chat with an older person who is lonely or housebound. We are looking for both male and female volunteers, of any age from 16-1001 What is important is that you enjoy the company of an older person. If you are interested in finding out more about being a volunteer, please ring Helen on 01923 712214. All volunteers can expect friendly support from a paid project worker and all out-of-pocket expenses will be paid. Age Concern Hertfordshire also offers volunteering opportunities within the following projects :- telephone club support, advocacy, leaflet distribution, administrative/publicity assistance at our Rickmansworth office. NEW BLOOD - None of us are getting any younger. I wish we were. If you care about the Revels then we need you now. We were able to field a full team for the Millennium Revels but you have already learnt that Mike & Jean Dix have found it necessary to call it a day on the Revels . Apart from needing replacements for them, all of us are already fully committed and cannot take on more, we need some new blood. It is possible that more of us will find the need to slow down soon, so that the need for more volunteers becomes urgent. | ||
The Resident Number 182 - 2001
Croxley Green Residents Association
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In this Issue
FROM THE CHAIRMAN - I would like to start this column with my memories of Kay Raggett who passed away 21st December 2000. Kay Raggett in recent years was the Vice President of the Residents Association and gave much of her time to support it. My oid and also sadly missed neighbour Harry Packman, who passed away a few years ago, first introduced me to Kay Raggett. Like Harry, Kay Raggett was a long established resident of Croxley Green and both were good storytellers. At this point about 7 years ago I was invited with Harry to tea with her at her home on the Green - Horfield. Between them they recounted days, or in their case - years, gone by of life in this village. A village that has its own distinctive history quite unlike any other village in Hertfordshire. I just sat nodding, listening to the tales that had been passed on to them, as well as their own experiences. Kay Raggett's name has appeared in the Resident many times recounting life in Croxley Green. I'm sure she will be missed by very many people and I would like to pay my own tribute to her for her articles alone that recorded life in Croxley Green and made such fascinating reading. I would like to add a few words about the Association. We have a new Secretary Mary Mayor who is settling in and taking the minutes of our meetings. For those who may not be aware, quietly working away on your behalf, are a number of residents taking note of events, concerns that can happen in any community. We hope that many of them can be addressed in some way and - if nothing else brought to the attention of the appropriate body on your behalf. Apart from the committee also quietly working away are residents delivering this copy to you as well as subscription collectors helping to make a financial contribution to the Association on behalf of the Committee THANK YOU | ||
The Resident Number 183 -2001
Croxley Green Residents Association
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In this Issue
Random thoughts on Croxley Green - Round about 1930, the girls of All Saints Girls' School were hosts to children sponsored by the Islington Medical Mission. Some thirty children were greeted at the Met. Station and each one taken to the host's home for a snack. The afternoon was spent in walking round the village, into the woods, on to Mill Field, the Green or to Copthorne. At about three o'clock all gathered at the pavilion on the Dickinson Sports Field for a drink and a bun and then they were escorted back to the station, many of them clutching a bunch of drooping wild flowers. I know some lasting friendships were made on those days. Farmer "Nabby" Sears had his milking parlour at the top of Scott's Hill and as his farm was at the top of the Green, he had to bring his cows the length of the Green twice a day for them to be milked. They munched their way in both directions. One of the items at the concert given when the Church Hall was officially opened was the singing of "Hiawatha's Wedding Feast" by the Church Choir. The only time I can remember that the Choir performed secular music. The crowning of the May Queen was always a memorable day and was held on Empire Day. Somewhere there must be a record of the names of those girls and their attendants. It is possible that it is in the Log Book for All Saints Girls School. Harvey Road School was to be used for the reception of evacuees from London in September 1939. Quite.a lot of work had gone on to find accommodation in the village for the anticipated influx. All was made ready at the School as the reception and distribution centre.... | ||
The Resident Number 184 - 2002
Croxley Green Residents Association
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In this Issue
Pauline (Polly) Burdis 20 January 1932 - 31 December 2001 Polly was born in 1932, the eldest of 4 children born to George and Doris Evans in the Paddington District of London. Derek, Yvonne and Christopher followed. The family moved to the new L.C.C. Estate in South Oxhey in about 1950. Polly was evacuated during the Second World War, to Comwall with brother Derek. She contracted tuberculosis in her teens and overcame the removal of part of a lung. It was this determination and spirit which took her through life and the set backs she suffered through constant problems of ill health. I met Polly in 1955 when we both worked for the Eastern Gas Board in their Clarendon Road, Watford, offices. We married in 1956 at St. Joseph's R.C. church in South Oxhey and loved and cared for each other for 45 years. Against heavy odds, Polly produced our 2 lovely children, Ann in 1961 and Dominic in 1972; both bom in Watford. Thankfully, in spite of Polly having to stop work early in 1957, we had saved enough to put down a deposit on a terraced house in Westbury Road, near to the football ground. In that year, the cost of the house was £1,875; hard to believe by today's prices! After 8 happy years, including the birth of Ann, we moved to Basildon New Town where I extended my personnel career. Other job moves followed in Essex and Hartlepool, (1968-1971) and then we retumed to Watford. We moved to our present home in Croxley Green in January 1976, Polly cheerfully and willingly supported me in all our moves and consequent traumas, even though she had never previously been north of Watford in her life! .... | ||
The Resident Number 185 - 2002
Croxley Green Residents Association
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In this Issue
AN EVACUEE'S MEMORIES - My friend, who now lives in Whitby, and I have been talking over old times and I thought perhaps some of it might be of interest to Croxley Green residents, perhaps bring back some memories. On September 1st 1939 my friend, Thelma aged 8%, and her sister Flossie, a little older, found themselves on the platform of Croxley Met Station, together with other children who had been evacuated from London because of the coming war. They were taken, crocodile fashion, along Watford Road to All Saints' Church Hall. There they were looked after whilst various people came, chose a child and departed. As Thelma's mother had insisted that the two girls should not be separated, no one could take two children, so they were still in the Hall at the end of the day. One of the helpers then took.them back along Watford Road to a house in Oakleigh Drive, where a young couple lived. Once there they, mote or less, had to look after themselves, sleeping on the floor and just occasionally seeing the couple - the lady expecting a baby. They would get themselves off to the Church Hall every day for school. The Hall was divided by a curtain into two classrooms. After about a month, a lady called one Friday night and they were taken to live with Chas. and Rene Baldwin, and their respective mothers, where they received a warm welcome. Next morning, being Saturday, the Baldwins took them on the bus into Watford and bought them each a winter coat and hat, and a postcard each...... | ||
The Resident Number 186 - 2003
Croxley Green Residents Association
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In this Issue
ARCHAEOLOGY IN CROXLEY GREEN - Following the article in the last issue.of the Resident, a lady in Links Way (at the back of Rousebarn Lane - known to be a very ancient highway) reported finding a group of small, odd-shaped flints in the garden bed of a small plum tree. These have now been identified, by Dr Lee Prosser of Herts Archaeological Trust, as stone-age tools from the time following the last ice-age, used by people living thereabouts perhaps 6000 years ago in the Neolithic period. Further down Links Way another resident found an oval bronze "badge-like" object with the numbers 1531 inscribed very ornamentally on it, which has not been definitely identified/dated, but may well be mediaeval. Who knows what else may yet be turned up by a sharp-eyed resident? A meeting addressed by Martin Bridge at the library about tree-ring dating to 1397 of some of the ancient timbers of the Croxley Green Tithe Barn, has led to the formation of the "Friends of the Croxley Great Barn" whose objectives are to:- PROMOTE A SECURE FUTURE FOR THIS FINE 14TH CENTURY STRUCTURE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE COMMUNITY / SEEK FUNDING SUPPORT FROM STATUTORY / CHARITABLE BODIES / ENSURE CONTINUED ACCESS TO AND GIVE CONSIDERATION TO POSSIBLE PUBLIC USES OF THIS BUILDING. The Barn: five bay, timber-framed (100ft x 40ft) aisled with crown-post roof (35ft high) was built during the abbacy of John Moote at St. Albans (1396-1401) with some timbers felled in the winter of 1397/8, at a cost of 100 marks. Purchased from Gonville and Caius College and then restored by Herts County Council in 1975, after a long local campaign, it now languishes obscurely within the grounds of a local school. | ||
The Resident Number 187 - 2003
Croxley Green Residents Association
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In this IssueCroxley Green Flower Group - What's that? I hear you ask. What's the population of Croxley Green? I ask. I wonder how many of you have ever heard of us. Very few I suspect. The Group was formed in 1965 by Miss Kay Ragget (a few of the older residents of Croxley Green will remember her) to entertain and encourage ladies who love flowers and to enlighten them on flower arranging. She started off with 21 members and as grew, at one time, over 100 members. We are affiliated to NAFAS (National Association of Flower Arrangers' Society) our area covering the Home Counties. An annual competition and flower show was held at All Saints' Church Hall for a number of years. The cups were mislaid for about twenty years but I found them, eventually, in a black sack. They have been re-polished and given into the care of Three Rivers Museum in Rickmansworth. About this time, the Chairman wished to retire and, as nobody on the committee would step forward, the club was within a week of folding. Fortunately, some brave soul came forward and, for a few years, the club prospered again. In 2002 the club was once again in crisis when, after five years, the chairman wished to retire and I was asked to step in. I didn't know the committee but they worked well together and made me welcome. We are now, once again, a successful club with 49 members and approximately 10 visitors at each meeting. We meet every second Tuesday of each month (with the exception of August) when we have demonstrations and, on average, two National Demonstrators a year. You don't need to be an arranger, just come along to enjoy the flowers..
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The Resident Number 188 - 2004
Croxley Green Residents Association
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In this Issue
FROM THE RECORDS - Yorke Road School The school opened in 1875, 129 years ago, three years after All Saints' Church was dedicated. It was a church school. During the first week about 70-75 pupils were enrolled but the numbers varied a lot as it wasn't compulsory to attend. The first vicar was the Rev. Astley Roberts and, according to the notes, was very active in arranging things, especially Religious Education. At one time, some of the boys left to go to Rickmansworth School, as their parents preferred Masters and all the teachers were Mistresses at Croxley Green. Every Summer, there was an exodus of children to go gleaning, the results taken to the old mill - opposite the present day Rickmansworth School, also blackberrying and acorn gathering; I think they paid by the sackful. There always seemed to be a lot of illness in the Winter - measles, Whooping cough and ringworm, along with colds and 'flu. Sometimes the school would be shut for a month or more when the measles epidemic was bad. If the weather was wet or very cold, hardly anyone turned up - I don't know if it was that they hadn't much to wear or that they had a long way to come. Religious Education was the top of the list, it seems .that you had to know all about the Old & New Testaments, the Prayer Book and the Catechism. Ascension Day appeared to be the most important festival as everyone went to church and then had the rest of the day as a holiday. In 1889, the school was enlarged so that infants could be separated from the rest. Then, in 1894, the Boys' School was opened. This was just around the corner by the Duke of York PH (it was demolished just a few years ago). There were always two days off for the Sunday School Treats - both All Saints' and the Methodist Chapel in New Road. In 1893, there was a scarlet fever epidemic. The school closed and everything was burnt and lime washed. In 1894 it is reported that one boy died of a dog bite and one boy was sent home for kicking and swearing at a teacher. Each year the Circus came to Rickmansworth and, consequently, few came to lessons. | ||
The Resident Number 189 - 2004
Croxley Green Residents Association
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In this Issue
Long Valley Wood A major new 5-year study of "The ancient human occupation of Britain" (AHOB) has been commissioned, via a £1M Grant from the Leverhulme Trust, which will address many questions about the evidence of the earliest human occupation of the UK Palaeolithic (old stone age) sites by reinvestigating some of them and the flint tools, bones and artefacts found there: subjecting them to modern scientific techniques. Long Valley Wood may feature in this work led by specialists from the British Museum, Natural History Museum, University College London, Royal Holloway College, Durham University, Queen Mary and Bradford Universities. A preliminary visit to the site was recently made by some members of the team: Dr's Danielle Schreve, Mark White, Chris Green and Prof John Catt. In view of the renewed focus on Long Valley Wood (1/2 mile from the barn) in relation to the proposed Rail Repair Depot to be sited there, and the many ancient flint hand axes and other tools discovered in the quarry sites there in the early 20th century, some of which are now on display in the Three Rivers Museum, we would like to hear from anyone with knowledge of the people who worked in the quarries or old photo's of the quarry site workings. For further information, or for enquiries, please contact The Secretary "Friends of the Croxley Great Barn." Telephone 01923 779284 or Email [email protected] David Harding. | ||
The Resident Number 190 - 2005
Croxley Green Residents Association
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In this Issue
An update from the Keep Croxley 'Green' Group Just to remind you, the Keep Croxley 'Green' Group was formed a) in response to the need of the community for a focal point and b) so that a true and concise representation of the views of the community could be voiced in opposition to the recent application by London Underground to build a replacement rail track depot in Long Valley Wood, on the south side of Croxley Green. This application was unanimously rejected by the Council's Planning Committee last September, but unfortunately, LUL have appealed to the Planning Inspectorate. As the application has aroused such overwhelming local interest there will be a 4-5 day Public Inquiry - a preliminary start date for which has been set for the last Tuesday in October - at Three Rivers House. The Group will be a party to the Inquiry process and we will be able to cross examine LUL and challenge their evidence and arguments. We urge you attend the Inquiry. It offers a rare opportunity for villagers to flex democratic muscle. We really believe we can repel this industrial development so we urge you to mark your diaries and lend us your support. The Keep Croxley 'Green' Group held a public meeting just before Christmas, primarily to advise local residents about the procedure for a public inquiry, but also to appeal for support before and during the inquiry period. As a result we are now able to advise you that nearly 500 letters of objection were lodged with the Planning inspectorate within the .allotted 6 week period. | ||
The Resident Number 191 - 2005
Croxley Green Residents Association
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In this Issue
CROXLEY GREEN NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH AUGUST 2005 July was a quiet month in Croxley with no house burglaries, although there were other break ins. With car crime two vehicles were stolen and there were eight thefts from vehicles, plus some cases of vandalism. Any crime is too much but so far this year the figures for burglary and car crime are running at a lower level than 2004. A disturbing feature in Croxley early in the year was a large increase in antisocial behaviour, mainly by teenagers. This was mostly centred around the library and Barton Way park and car park and also Baldwins Lane. The Police did increase patrols and arrested some ringleaders which seems to have solved most of the problems. We are told that most of the troublemakers do not come from outside but actually live in Croxley! There is also a continuing problem with young motorcyclists in the Rousebarn Lane and woods area. Recently several churches suffered from vandalism through Croxley and down into Rickmansworth; the Police have arrested two persons that they link to most of these crimes. They have also arrested three persons who have been responsible for nasty assaults on teenagers in the Croxley area. The graffiti artist who has been active around the parish has now been caught. The Police do rely to a large extent on information passed to them by the public, to enable them to solve crime. They say that the identity of a witness would not be disclosed against their wishes and Crime Stoppers can be used where the caller need not disclose their name. | ||
The Resident Number 192 - 2005
Croxley Green Residents Association
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In this Issue
CROXLEY GREEN WAR MEMORIAL - Many people will not be aware that the War Memorial on the Green has a significant number of names, many long forgotten and many who do not have any details recorded as to their family details, active service etc. Malcolm Coles, who's father, Flight Lieutenant Aubrey Coles DFC flew over 37 operations for 158 Squadron in 1944, enquired via the Roll of Honour web site about details of his father's sister Olive Ruth Coles. The web site gives records on any war memorial in the U.K. As a result he was able to give information that she had died on active service at RAF Sturgate, Lincolnshire from TB through poor living conditions and lack of medical care. Malcolm's father is alive and well and living in Frinton on-Sea, Essex as is his brother Victor Coles DFM who was a 'special operator' on Liberators in India. If anyone is interested in giving details of a family member or friend who is on the War Memorial, please e-mail:- www.roll-of-honour.com SUN PRINTERS - Sun Printers came into being in 1945 when the printing operations of its predecessor, Sun Engraving was sold. The company went on to become, in its heyday, the largest and most progressive printing operation in the world. The accomplishments of Sun Engraving and Sun Printers- and the men and women who worked there - deserve to be remembered and given their place in history. The Sun Printers History Project was begun over a year ago and can be viewed on the website www.sunprintershistory.com Already giving a history, collection of reminiscences and personal anecdotes from past employees.... | ||
The Resident Number 193 - 2005
Croxley Green Residents Association
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In this Issue
Memories of the Duke of York - Bob and Barbara Hallett took over the pub in 1977 and as even the first customer found out there was rarely a dull moment. A lot of hard work went into it but eventually with several dart and football teams amongst others it became a real community pub. Charity events were regular, the annual fancy dress party saw six foot budgies sitting up trees, a Viking with a bucket for a helmet as doorman, because he was too tall to fit under the ceiling and a nun sat in the corner of the bar with a pint and a clay pipe stunning two passing customers who spotted him/her. One year Bob took the pub dog, Shandy, for a walk at 4am still dressed as Henry the VIII, the first customer in the pub the next lunchtime had great pleasure in telling him that he had seen him walking down Watford Road. Shandy went missing one New Years eve, Barbara phoned the police to report him lost and they asked if he had any distinguishing features, Barbara said:" yes, he is wearing a party hat". The 24 hour dart marathons coincided with putting up the Christmas decorations - Bob would dump the box on the pub floor tell people what needed to go where, and disappear to bed. At 7am he would reappear with a tray of bacon sandwiches and inspect how the dart players had done .. The annual walk to Roundwood Hostel in St. Albans was a 13 mile walk and when you got there the residents played football against us!. Barbara actually walked back too one year completing 26 miles. The regulars were characters too. One pair of printers had told their wives that they started work an hour earlier than they really did so they could call in for a couple on the way to their night shift..... | ||
