Ron Sharp - Memories of Croxley Green
Recorded December 2023
Recorded December 2023
Hi I’m Ron. I was born in 1949 and have stayed in Croxley on and off from 1949 – 2018. Staying or living in the family home, which was my paternal grandparents’ house in Yorke Road? They moved from Watford into the family house in 1922. My Grandfather worked at the Ford Motor Company in the sales and then later he was designing the first motor home interiors. My
Grandfather originally came from Balmedie in Scotland and my Grandmother was from Boxmoor, near Hemel Hempstead. I first lived in Essex but came over to Croxley every weekend, as a child, in the early to middle 1950’s. My Grandmother was one of the founding members of the Mothers’ Union for All Saints Church and region. During World War II, my father and his brother were
in the R.A.F. My father was sent to India and South Africa and his brother, my uncle, went to the U.S.A. My Grandfather was in the army in the Shetlands as Adjutant where he was monitoring Scapa Flow. Fortunately, they all survived and returned to the family. My Great Grandmother lived by the Old Mill in Croxley, in a Flint cottage called ‘Greystones’. I understand that it was hit by a bomb in the war, but fortunately they had already passed away some years earlier. I have a caricature of the bombed building with various people around it with captions, no idea where it came from.
My first memories of Croxley were family gatherings at the house in Yorke Road. I was the first born of my generation thus was always on show. There seemed to always be someone visiting, staying or just meeting in the family home. There were very often Australian visitors, as one of my Grandfather’s, brothers and their sister would visit having previously emigrated to Australia. When in Croxley I used to go to an old house in Watford Road, beside the old boys school, to visit my Grandmother’s friend. She had two sons the older being “Guy” was the same age as me, and we became good friends. The friendship lasted right through until his untimely death a few years back. Guy and I used to go on our bikes through Croxley Wood, down to the canal and on to Ricky many times, very often stopping to fish. Although I lived in Essex, my brothers and I were in Croxley for some weekends, as well as most school holidays. This continued until 1959 when our mother died. We then moved into Yorke Road with my Grandmother and Aunt.
I joined Harvey Road School, where Guy went too and very soon I made many friends with his friends. I enjoyed sport and used to especially like playing football. A big memory of this was a teacher who would always say, ‘You can’t kick a ball through a player!’ and the more he said it the more we did it!!
While at Harvey Road, I was lucky enough to go away on a field trip to the Peak District. The leader of this trip was the Headmaster, Mr Ford. It was a wonderful experience which whetted my appetite for the great outdoors. After Harvey Road I went on to Durrants School. That was great; I continued to love football and gymnastics. Again I made quite a few new friends.
Guy and I would often go along to watch Watford football matches; it was so easy to go. Catch a train from the Met Station to Watford then a 10 minute walk. These were the old brown trains with the doors you had to slam shut; it was an adventure of its own. The football was pretty good as well, we saw some great matches. A big one was when we beat Liverpool FC; I think it was
an FA cup game, but don’t remember the year. Watford used to train in the Dickinson’s playing field at the top of Yorke Road, behind New Road. Guy and I would often go and watch them; they were great with us, lots of banter. We used to collect the balls that went over the fence. At the end of one session a young goalkeeper asked if we wanted to kick a few balls for him, which we
loved. He was Pat Jennings who became a great goalkeeper and International.
Whilst living in Croxley Green, I joined All Saints Church choir, where I had a wonderful training and learnt music construction. I really enjoyed singing and we got paid for services with bonuses for weddings and funerals. That foundation in music has fortified both Guy and me, both becoming folk singers. Guy was far better than me, but we loved jamming together. In the summer, the choir master, Lou Horton, used to go round in his old ‘pilot’ car picking up the choristers in the village, and taking us to play cricket up Barton Way recreational ground. We also occasionally, if there was time between services, would play cricket on the Green as well.
Unfortunately, in 1961, I lost a lot of previous contacts as my brothers and I went off to boarding school, which was in London, but every school holiday we went back to Croxley to be with the family. I and one of my brothers became keen athletes and developed many running routes from Yorke Road and around the village. (In those days the wearing of tracksuits was just for sport and not for fashion!) One of our favourite routes was to run up the Green then across the back fields, down to the River Chess and along to Ricky, then back along the canal up to Croxley Woods and home back to Yorke Road.
When I left school in 1967, I came back to live in Croxley. I joined Watford Harriers to further my athletic hobby. One of the girls, who was also a member, many years later became my wife (although we never met socially at the time). The training in winter was based at Watford Swimming Baths site were we utilised the tiny changing rooms around the side and underneath.
My first job after leaving school was working in Killingdown Farm, at the top of the Green. That was good fun but hard work. I honed my driving skills on tractors, particularly with trailers when cutting kale from the field for cattle feed. Following on from the farm I went to Cassio College Watford (in fact we were the first cohort at Langley Road) to get the exams I needed to start my
professional training. For my second job in Croxley, before starting my professional training as a physiotherapist, I worked at All Saints Church as a handyman, cleaner, gardener, etc. That was great as it was only five minutes from home! The hardest job I had was cutting the perimeter hedge surrounding the church and church hall in a very hot summer. Another job included ringing the church bell for services on Sundays. It was no problem to do this task as I was in the church choir so I was already attending early. Sometimes after Evensong, a group of friends from the church and youth club used to play football in the church hall (but with rolled up socks as a ball!) that was great fun; our skills were ‘out of this world’!
The Coach and Horses pub up the Green was a favourite watering hole for me and my friends from Croxley. We had ‘yard of ale’ competitions and the highlight ‘dwile flonking’ (a drinking game for two teams) on the Green. New Years’ Eve was always very special. Our friendship group would gather at the Coach and compare our various professional training. We had 4 trainee Pilots,
Guy was studying to be an economist and I was training in physiotherapy.
At midnight mince pies were handed out by the Bar staff. One of the bar maids Mary, used to dance on the tables. On leaving the pub, we would all go to Alan’s house just off the Green to play Risk, the board game. That went on till dawn, brilliant fun. I remember my first Revels on the Green while at Harvey Road School when I had to do country dancing and actually enjoyed it. Several years later my wife and I were in the village procession on a bicycle with a side car, which was borrowed from my neighbour Geoff. He had a large collection of vintage bikes etc., and on this occasion he rode on a penny farthing. In our side car we had on old oil barrel and we were dressed as Arabs (this was because at the time there was a fuel shortage!)
After my physiotherapy training, my first job was at the Watford Peace Memorial Hospital and then later at Garston Manor Rehab Centre. For several years, I lived full time in Croxley until I moved to Leighton Buzzard in 1980. However, I still came back to Croxley at least once a month as my Aunt still lived in Yorke Road. My own children and grandchildren came with us and did the same walks as I had done those many years ago. They also enjoyed climbing the nut trees; there were five trees in a row, where you could swing from one tree to another. This continued until 2017 when my Aunt passed away and we unfortunately had to sell the family house. I now only come back to Croxley occasionally. This is primarily to visit the cemetery in Chorleywood Road, where three generations of my family were laid to rest.
I ticked off a lot of firsts in Croxley and those help to mould my happy memories.
My first film was down in the picture house in Ricky; “How The West Was Won”- a great wide screen film. It was great apart from the occasional rumbling of a train going over the bridge adjacent to the picture house.
My first Classical concert was at the Watford Town Hall. It was a very posh event and I had to dress up. I think it was the Watford Philharmonic playing the 1912 overture. I quite enjoyed it and went to about half a dozen more concerts, over a couple of years.
My first rock concert was at the Watford Odeon. I saw Mike Sarne, The Swinging Blue Jeans and P J Proby. It was a great session. Several years later I went back and I think it was a Top Rank night club then, rubbish place but I met my first real girlfriend there, Hey Ho.
My first Folk session was at Watford Tech when I was studying at Cassio College. I saw Ralph McTell and became hooked on Folk music. I have seen him many times since, last time about a year ago at the Stables near Milton Keynes. The first songs I sang were Ralph’s. Streets of London was our favourite.
I used to like swimming and trips to the Aquadrome in Ricky were my first lake swimming sessions. Our family used to all go for a day, great fun. Many years later I used to sail on Bury Lake adjacent to the Aquadrome. On the swimming theme, we used go down to the river Chess near the watercress beds another first: river swimming. We really wanted to go down to Ricky to the pool there that was fed by the river Colne and Chess but it was closed, owing to the polio epidemic. I don’t think it ever opened again.
My final first was a trip to The Palace Theatre to see the pantomime. This became an annual trip on Boxing Day for our whole family and close family friends for several years, which was great.
I remember that all the tradesmen came to the back door; there was a door bell there as well. Milkman, postman, dustman, rag & bone man, knife & tool sharpener, the coal man and Grillos ice creams as a Sunday treat. The coal man was the special one, coal went in a shed beside the wash house. There was a copper boiler that was coal fired for the washing and anthracite in the coal
bunker.
You could not beat the coal fire in the drawing room. Well, even better than that was the AGA in the kitchen, which was the main room in the house. The AGA heated water for the house and used for a lot of the cooking. Best of all you could open the doors and make toast on it. That was wonderful.
We had very good local shops. I remember going to the bakers opposite All Saints Church on a Saturday morning, I would run home to cut the first slice and cover it in butter; I can almost taste that now.
Everyone seemed to know my Grandmother and when going to the shops we were treated like royalty. A trip to the butchers in New Road was another and I’d have to ask for a nice joint for my Grandmother. Another was to Mace the grocers in New Road, opposite Dickinson’s Avenue; I took an empty bottle for them to fill with sherry. Occasionally I’d pop into Hunt’s grocers opposite
Rickmansworth Grammar School on Scots Hill as I was in the choir with John, then occasionally in to Luxtons sweet shop a couple of doors from Hunts.
For last minute things or when we’d suddenly run out of something was up to the end of Yorke Road to Mardlings on the corner. The boy there used to play basketball for the Watford Royals and I played for the Rockets.
It would be rude not to mention the local pubs we frequented. Obviously the Coach and Horses on the Green was a local, as mentioned earlier, The Boot in Sarratt or the Cock Inn, The Windmill in Chipperfield, the Carpenters Arms in Chandler’s Cross- we went there from Cassio College- and the Stag in The Swillett.
When I received my first pay cheque, I celebrated by taking my Grandmother to The Two Brewers’ Chipperfield for a meal - my first meal out, lovely.
Changes I have noticed.
Scots Hill used to be very steep and the old RHL Buses used to struggle going up. My Grandmother told us earlier that passengers had to get off the bus and walk up the hill then get back on at the top. In the winter a couple of us used to make a few bob helping cars get up the hill. It is now dual carriageway and the gradient is much less.
In the early days there were far fewer cars, I think there were only three or four in Yorke Road. My Grandfather had one; well he did work for Fords. Now you are lucky to get through Yorke Road owing to parked cars everywhere. I remember early trips through Croxley Woods. There used to be a dell on the right, just past the school fields; I think it was an old bomb site. There used to be loads of small silver birch saplings some three to four feet high. Over the years they have grown up with us; on my last visit some five years back these were large substantial trees.
All Saints Church was important for our family; both my Grandparents and my Aunt had their funeral services there. I had my choir investiture with one of my brothers. I was also married there.
I owe a great deal to Croxley! Lovely people of all generations, lovely natural facilities: the woods, the Green, the River Chess and the canal, all helped to mould my life. There have been five generations who have their own memories of visits and activities and many of whom lived in Croxley Green.
Grandfather originally came from Balmedie in Scotland and my Grandmother was from Boxmoor, near Hemel Hempstead. I first lived in Essex but came over to Croxley every weekend, as a child, in the early to middle 1950’s. My Grandmother was one of the founding members of the Mothers’ Union for All Saints Church and region. During World War II, my father and his brother were
in the R.A.F. My father was sent to India and South Africa and his brother, my uncle, went to the U.S.A. My Grandfather was in the army in the Shetlands as Adjutant where he was monitoring Scapa Flow. Fortunately, they all survived and returned to the family. My Great Grandmother lived by the Old Mill in Croxley, in a Flint cottage called ‘Greystones’. I understand that it was hit by a bomb in the war, but fortunately they had already passed away some years earlier. I have a caricature of the bombed building with various people around it with captions, no idea where it came from.
My first memories of Croxley were family gatherings at the house in Yorke Road. I was the first born of my generation thus was always on show. There seemed to always be someone visiting, staying or just meeting in the family home. There were very often Australian visitors, as one of my Grandfather’s, brothers and their sister would visit having previously emigrated to Australia. When in Croxley I used to go to an old house in Watford Road, beside the old boys school, to visit my Grandmother’s friend. She had two sons the older being “Guy” was the same age as me, and we became good friends. The friendship lasted right through until his untimely death a few years back. Guy and I used to go on our bikes through Croxley Wood, down to the canal and on to Ricky many times, very often stopping to fish. Although I lived in Essex, my brothers and I were in Croxley for some weekends, as well as most school holidays. This continued until 1959 when our mother died. We then moved into Yorke Road with my Grandmother and Aunt.
I joined Harvey Road School, where Guy went too and very soon I made many friends with his friends. I enjoyed sport and used to especially like playing football. A big memory of this was a teacher who would always say, ‘You can’t kick a ball through a player!’ and the more he said it the more we did it!!
While at Harvey Road, I was lucky enough to go away on a field trip to the Peak District. The leader of this trip was the Headmaster, Mr Ford. It was a wonderful experience which whetted my appetite for the great outdoors. After Harvey Road I went on to Durrants School. That was great; I continued to love football and gymnastics. Again I made quite a few new friends.
Guy and I would often go along to watch Watford football matches; it was so easy to go. Catch a train from the Met Station to Watford then a 10 minute walk. These were the old brown trains with the doors you had to slam shut; it was an adventure of its own. The football was pretty good as well, we saw some great matches. A big one was when we beat Liverpool FC; I think it was
an FA cup game, but don’t remember the year. Watford used to train in the Dickinson’s playing field at the top of Yorke Road, behind New Road. Guy and I would often go and watch them; they were great with us, lots of banter. We used to collect the balls that went over the fence. At the end of one session a young goalkeeper asked if we wanted to kick a few balls for him, which we
loved. He was Pat Jennings who became a great goalkeeper and International.
Whilst living in Croxley Green, I joined All Saints Church choir, where I had a wonderful training and learnt music construction. I really enjoyed singing and we got paid for services with bonuses for weddings and funerals. That foundation in music has fortified both Guy and me, both becoming folk singers. Guy was far better than me, but we loved jamming together. In the summer, the choir master, Lou Horton, used to go round in his old ‘pilot’ car picking up the choristers in the village, and taking us to play cricket up Barton Way recreational ground. We also occasionally, if there was time between services, would play cricket on the Green as well.
Unfortunately, in 1961, I lost a lot of previous contacts as my brothers and I went off to boarding school, which was in London, but every school holiday we went back to Croxley to be with the family. I and one of my brothers became keen athletes and developed many running routes from Yorke Road and around the village. (In those days the wearing of tracksuits was just for sport and not for fashion!) One of our favourite routes was to run up the Green then across the back fields, down to the River Chess and along to Ricky, then back along the canal up to Croxley Woods and home back to Yorke Road.
When I left school in 1967, I came back to live in Croxley. I joined Watford Harriers to further my athletic hobby. One of the girls, who was also a member, many years later became my wife (although we never met socially at the time). The training in winter was based at Watford Swimming Baths site were we utilised the tiny changing rooms around the side and underneath.
My first job after leaving school was working in Killingdown Farm, at the top of the Green. That was good fun but hard work. I honed my driving skills on tractors, particularly with trailers when cutting kale from the field for cattle feed. Following on from the farm I went to Cassio College Watford (in fact we were the first cohort at Langley Road) to get the exams I needed to start my
professional training. For my second job in Croxley, before starting my professional training as a physiotherapist, I worked at All Saints Church as a handyman, cleaner, gardener, etc. That was great as it was only five minutes from home! The hardest job I had was cutting the perimeter hedge surrounding the church and church hall in a very hot summer. Another job included ringing the church bell for services on Sundays. It was no problem to do this task as I was in the church choir so I was already attending early. Sometimes after Evensong, a group of friends from the church and youth club used to play football in the church hall (but with rolled up socks as a ball!) that was great fun; our skills were ‘out of this world’!
The Coach and Horses pub up the Green was a favourite watering hole for me and my friends from Croxley. We had ‘yard of ale’ competitions and the highlight ‘dwile flonking’ (a drinking game for two teams) on the Green. New Years’ Eve was always very special. Our friendship group would gather at the Coach and compare our various professional training. We had 4 trainee Pilots,
Guy was studying to be an economist and I was training in physiotherapy.
At midnight mince pies were handed out by the Bar staff. One of the bar maids Mary, used to dance on the tables. On leaving the pub, we would all go to Alan’s house just off the Green to play Risk, the board game. That went on till dawn, brilliant fun. I remember my first Revels on the Green while at Harvey Road School when I had to do country dancing and actually enjoyed it. Several years later my wife and I were in the village procession on a bicycle with a side car, which was borrowed from my neighbour Geoff. He had a large collection of vintage bikes etc., and on this occasion he rode on a penny farthing. In our side car we had on old oil barrel and we were dressed as Arabs (this was because at the time there was a fuel shortage!)
After my physiotherapy training, my first job was at the Watford Peace Memorial Hospital and then later at Garston Manor Rehab Centre. For several years, I lived full time in Croxley until I moved to Leighton Buzzard in 1980. However, I still came back to Croxley at least once a month as my Aunt still lived in Yorke Road. My own children and grandchildren came with us and did the same walks as I had done those many years ago. They also enjoyed climbing the nut trees; there were five trees in a row, where you could swing from one tree to another. This continued until 2017 when my Aunt passed away and we unfortunately had to sell the family house. I now only come back to Croxley occasionally. This is primarily to visit the cemetery in Chorleywood Road, where three generations of my family were laid to rest.
I ticked off a lot of firsts in Croxley and those help to mould my happy memories.
My first film was down in the picture house in Ricky; “How The West Was Won”- a great wide screen film. It was great apart from the occasional rumbling of a train going over the bridge adjacent to the picture house.
My first Classical concert was at the Watford Town Hall. It was a very posh event and I had to dress up. I think it was the Watford Philharmonic playing the 1912 overture. I quite enjoyed it and went to about half a dozen more concerts, over a couple of years.
My first rock concert was at the Watford Odeon. I saw Mike Sarne, The Swinging Blue Jeans and P J Proby. It was a great session. Several years later I went back and I think it was a Top Rank night club then, rubbish place but I met my first real girlfriend there, Hey Ho.
My first Folk session was at Watford Tech when I was studying at Cassio College. I saw Ralph McTell and became hooked on Folk music. I have seen him many times since, last time about a year ago at the Stables near Milton Keynes. The first songs I sang were Ralph’s. Streets of London was our favourite.
I used to like swimming and trips to the Aquadrome in Ricky were my first lake swimming sessions. Our family used to all go for a day, great fun. Many years later I used to sail on Bury Lake adjacent to the Aquadrome. On the swimming theme, we used go down to the river Chess near the watercress beds another first: river swimming. We really wanted to go down to Ricky to the pool there that was fed by the river Colne and Chess but it was closed, owing to the polio epidemic. I don’t think it ever opened again.
My final first was a trip to The Palace Theatre to see the pantomime. This became an annual trip on Boxing Day for our whole family and close family friends for several years, which was great.
I remember that all the tradesmen came to the back door; there was a door bell there as well. Milkman, postman, dustman, rag & bone man, knife & tool sharpener, the coal man and Grillos ice creams as a Sunday treat. The coal man was the special one, coal went in a shed beside the wash house. There was a copper boiler that was coal fired for the washing and anthracite in the coal
bunker.
You could not beat the coal fire in the drawing room. Well, even better than that was the AGA in the kitchen, which was the main room in the house. The AGA heated water for the house and used for a lot of the cooking. Best of all you could open the doors and make toast on it. That was wonderful.
We had very good local shops. I remember going to the bakers opposite All Saints Church on a Saturday morning, I would run home to cut the first slice and cover it in butter; I can almost taste that now.
Everyone seemed to know my Grandmother and when going to the shops we were treated like royalty. A trip to the butchers in New Road was another and I’d have to ask for a nice joint for my Grandmother. Another was to Mace the grocers in New Road, opposite Dickinson’s Avenue; I took an empty bottle for them to fill with sherry. Occasionally I’d pop into Hunt’s grocers opposite
Rickmansworth Grammar School on Scots Hill as I was in the choir with John, then occasionally in to Luxtons sweet shop a couple of doors from Hunts.
For last minute things or when we’d suddenly run out of something was up to the end of Yorke Road to Mardlings on the corner. The boy there used to play basketball for the Watford Royals and I played for the Rockets.
It would be rude not to mention the local pubs we frequented. Obviously the Coach and Horses on the Green was a local, as mentioned earlier, The Boot in Sarratt or the Cock Inn, The Windmill in Chipperfield, the Carpenters Arms in Chandler’s Cross- we went there from Cassio College- and the Stag in The Swillett.
When I received my first pay cheque, I celebrated by taking my Grandmother to The Two Brewers’ Chipperfield for a meal - my first meal out, lovely.
Changes I have noticed.
Scots Hill used to be very steep and the old RHL Buses used to struggle going up. My Grandmother told us earlier that passengers had to get off the bus and walk up the hill then get back on at the top. In the winter a couple of us used to make a few bob helping cars get up the hill. It is now dual carriageway and the gradient is much less.
In the early days there were far fewer cars, I think there were only three or four in Yorke Road. My Grandfather had one; well he did work for Fords. Now you are lucky to get through Yorke Road owing to parked cars everywhere. I remember early trips through Croxley Woods. There used to be a dell on the right, just past the school fields; I think it was an old bomb site. There used to be loads of small silver birch saplings some three to four feet high. Over the years they have grown up with us; on my last visit some five years back these were large substantial trees.
All Saints Church was important for our family; both my Grandparents and my Aunt had their funeral services there. I had my choir investiture with one of my brothers. I was also married there.
I owe a great deal to Croxley! Lovely people of all generations, lovely natural facilities: the woods, the Green, the River Chess and the canal, all helped to mould my life. There have been five generations who have their own memories of visits and activities and many of whom lived in Croxley Green.
