A Merry Christmas to all.

A Merry Christmas to all.

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Yes it is that time of the year when my wife Deborah and I take off for our annual visit to be with our Maori friends on the Island of Rarotonga. Which happens to be the Capital Island of the Cook Islands in the south pacific. So a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to one and all. We will be back with more history of Cookham towards the end of January. To get full screen click the bottom right of the video.

Annie Slacks High Street.

Annie Slack's High Street.

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We now take a look at the Cookham as it was during the lifetime of the well known lady shopkeeper Annie Slack. As a matter of fact she was a lady who worked her entire life, and as the saying goes, 'She died in harness.' So now we look at her village and compare it with the village today.

The Cookham Flower Show of 1937.

The Cookham Flower Show of 1937.

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For this photograph of the Stewards and Judges of this flower show I wish to thank my old school chum Brian Hatch. I was unable to name all those in this photograph, so if anyone can recognize anyone that I have not mentioned, please let the Webmaster of Cookham.Com know so that it can be forwarded on to me.

The Ballad of Cookham Town.

The Ballad of Cookham Town.

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I have had this poem or ballad sitting on my desk for quite some time. At last I have found a way to bring it out when it was a Market Town. Yes, this I believe to have been written by a Hugh Mytton around some 200 years ago. Back in those days Maidenhead did not exist, it was just part of the parish of Cookham. The pictures I have used, are to try and capture the landscape as it would have been seen all those years ago.

GC.Edward & Mrs. Violet Briggs.

GC. Edward & Mrs. Violet Briggs.

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This is the second half of the Briggs family history, which includes a daring raid he carried out as a world war one pilot in the Royal Naval Air Service. Also of his wife Violet whose wartime and after the war efforts in the village.

Pilot Officer Michael Featherstone Briggs.

Pilot Officer Michael Featherstone Briggs.

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As this blog is going to be published very close to Remembrance Day the 11th of November and that I have found a little history of this very young man and his short life. I will also be running a story on both his father and mother in another blog. As I am sure that little is known of them to this date.

The Old Cookham Police Station.

The Old Cookham Police Station.

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Once again I have used a modern day photo together with a historical voice over. Once again if you click on the bottom right hand corner of the photo you will get an enlarged photo.

 



The Village Chemist Shop.

The Village Chemist Shop.

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This story has been written before in this blog but, this time I have added a voice over so that you can get a feeling for what these chemists were like in dispensing their medicinal talents.

Click the bottom right corner of the photo for a full screen picture. 

Tidleywink the Barber.

Tidleywink the Barber.

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Mr. Loveridge, better known as "Tidleywink." Was the man who gave me my first hair cut and many more after for the grand sum of sixpence. It also follows on later as the village Post Office after Budgen's gave up. Hit the bottom right of the picture to get a full screen view.

Cookham High Street 1935.

Cookham High Street 1935.

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This still clip, to which has been added small white arrows that point to each building as it is being described. Again I have added a verbal accounting of who owned, lived or worked in each place. Once again I am able though modern technology I am able to improve on my accounting of historical village life.

From Vegetables to Pots.

From Vegetables to Pots.

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This little shop I remember back in the 1930’s and right through to the end of the war was a little Greengrocers run by a Mrs. Smythe. Tom, her husband use to work at White Place Farm as a general farm labourer. I remember at harvest time he was very skilled with the use of a scythe, as the workmen use to cut ten foot swath around the field to make room for the horse drawn binder to cut the crop without walking over the standing wheat ,oats or barley.

When Tom retired, Mrs. Smythe also gave up her shop and they moved away. It was then that Reg and Maggie Moon moved into the shop and Reg set up his small pottery business. I remember well that visitors to Cookham used to stand and watch Reg throwing his ware on the potter’s wheel as he sat by the window. He also took orders from people on making that special something for someone as a present. Since Reg and Maggie left for Henley on Arden, the shop has had several owners, mainly in the boutique area of merchandise.



Going back 78 years.

Going back 78 years.

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This is a first time upgrade trial of posting information to this blog. Instead of a written account it is a verbal story. To get a full screen picture, just click on the bottom right hand corner.

Gossip Joan.

Gossip Joan.

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My Thoughts of late have been reflecting once more on my school days at Holy Trinity and later at the Secondary Modern on High Road, better known back then as The Top School. One of the subjects that were on the curriculum was singing. Most of our teachers could play the piano. The songs that we were taught covered most of the well-known English Folk Songs. One of which I have used to give a title to this blog. The opening verse I still remember well:

Good morrow, Gossip Joan,
Where have you been a-walking?
I have for you at home;
I have for you at home
A budget full of talking,
Gossip Joan.

The style of the wording of the lyrics also brought home to us the English of the day when it was first written. Another folk song that I enjoyed because of the descant in it was: “A Keeper did a hunting go.”

Jackie Boy - Master
Sing you well - Very well
Heigh down-ho down, derry derry down
Among the leaves so green-o
To my hey down down- To my ho down down
Heigh down-ho down, derry derry down
Among the leaves so green-o

Also during those singing lessons that the vicar used to attend to recruit choristers for the church choir. Ah! Happy Memories!



Jimmy Edwards.

Jimmy Edwards.

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There has been a recent enquiry on Cookham.com as to a local celebrity Diana Dors who made her home near Boulters Lock. This triggered my thoughts to others of film, stage and radio that use to frequent Cookham and enjoy a drink in one of the village’s thirteen public houses. It was during the filming of Jerome K. Jerome’s “Three Men in a Boat.” That one would find the actor Jimmy Edwards propping up the bar in The Ferry after a day’s shooting along Cliveden Reach. If my memory serves me correct this was in 1956. There are many others of stage, film and radio who made frequent visits to Cookham during their professional careers.



The Odney Diving Tower.

The Odney Diving Tower.

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The tower in the photo above was erected by the villagers themselves in the early 1900’s. An area below the tower in the river bed was dredged to give an ample depth of water to dive into. It was found to be not practical due to the fact that silt from the weir and adjacent stream kept filling the excavated hole up. So the tower was removed and a single spring diving board was installed. This was also removed around the time that the two changing huts were removed.



The Wall's 3d Choc Ice.

The Wall's 3d Choc Ice.

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I am now going back to the 1930’s in the summer when people came out from London by train to spend a weekend in a camping punt, rented from Mr. Turk, or just for the day to have a picnic by the Odney Pool. It was here that “Old Joe.” We never knew his last name would pedal his Wall’s Ice cream tricycle. There were three ice cream favourites of the children: First the long triangle shaped Fruit Lolly for 1d. The 2d wafer brick went down well with every one, and to top it off if you were lucky you could have the 3d Choc Ice all wrapped up in silver paper. Then when he was on his way back to Maidenhead one could hear the clanging of his tricycle bell and we would run up to the road and buy a 9d block of ice cream to have with strawberries for our Sunday tea. He also made sure to pack it well with dry ice so it would keep cold till we were ready to have it with our strawberries

Years of Shear Neglect.

Years of Shear Neglect.

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The top photo shows the Widbrook Stream as I remember it in the 1930’s, clear and free flowing as it was maintained by the then Thames Conservancy. A team of twelve men lead by a Mr. Arthur Savoury used to maintain the streams leading into the Thames from the Berkshire side of the near Winter Hill right through to Bray. Someone is going to say, how do I remember Mr. Savoury in particular? Well, he was and “Old Time Dance,” partner to my Aunt Flo. Once about every five years the Thames Conservancy would bring in a Priestman excavator or dragline in, to remove the silt from the bottom of the stream.

 

This next photo is how the stream looks today all choked up with aqua-weeds. I know the pollard willow trees look the same. As a matter I would say that they are way over a hundred years old. There have been willow trees along the stream for centuries. That is how the name Widbrook is derived from the old local dialect word “Widdie,” for Willow. There was a time when I could take my canoe from home and follow the stream down through Islet Park to the river, then paddle up to meet my friends from White Place Farm. Or one could paddle in the other direction to the Fleet at Cookham. The last time that I remember it was given a good clean was in the autumn of 1943 by a large group of Italian prisoners of war.



Bulk Biscuits of bygone years.

Bulk Biscuits of Bygone Years.

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To continue with the grocers receiving goods in bulk reminded me of when biscuit manufactures like Huntley and Palmers of Reading supplied the shops with biscuits in tins like the one above. As a result it was a delight for little boys like myself, to go into Budgen’s or The International and be able to buy a bag full of broken biscuits for just a few pennies. It was a usual mixture of cream filled, chocolate digestive, or just plain digestive.



The Tea Chest Rabbit Hutch.

The Tea Chest Rabbit Hutch.

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As I mentioned in the previous blog that I would tell you how we my father and I converted the tea chests into rabbit hutches. I say we as he helped me build the first three, from then on I was able to follow on building from the original design. The material used in the conversion came from wooden boxes that once held Corned Beef tins from the Argentine that my father brought home from the shop. Other wood came from Messer’s timber yard in Queen Street, Maidenhead. Other hardware fittings came from Bill Church on Station Hill.

The top photo shows the front of the finished which I have drawn from memory. The door to the right opened up to the breeding chamber. The left was what I will call the day chamber where the food was placed with a small container of water. Both doors were held shut with a single button closer. The breeding chamber floor was covered with a layer of hay. While the day chamber had a layer of sawdust, of which plenty was available in the butchers shop.



The second photo is a drawing looking down from the top, showing the dividing wall between the two chambers.

The third photo drawing shows the entrance hole for the rabbit to go from one chamber to the other. These photos are of the hutches that I used for breeding; other hutches not required for breeding did not have the dividing wall and could hold four rabbits that were being raised for the table.

While the doe was having her young in the breeding chamber, one never open that door as she would more than likely kill her young? One had to wait until they ventured out into the day chamber to find how many young there were.



 



The Bulk Tea Chest Story.

The Bulk Tea Chest Story.

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I have noticed that over the past few years that a lot of people have come to realize that when they purchase their groceries in fancy packaging that they are paying for all the glit and glamour, and for what? If the contents of the packages had been sent to the store in bulk, the cost would greatly reduced. This takes me back to when the village had two grocery shops of Budgen’s and The International. Both of these shops received a lot of their goods in bulk, which the staff used to package and weigh before placing on the shelves. One of these commodities of course was tea, which came in large plywood chests. Plywood tea chests was something that I, as little boy was always looking for empty ones, to turn into rabbit hutches. How they were built will follow in the next blog.

As my breeding stock grew I was always looking for more hutches. So I would go to Budgen’s and ask the manager Stan Boon or his assistant Mont Lacey, if they had an empty tea chest that I could have. For task of sweeping the stock room floor I got an empty tea chest, which I would then carry home to Widbrook.



The well shod lady in 1934.

The well shod lady in 1934.

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Yes this is what the well dressed lady stepped out in 1934 and most likely would have lasted her for 20 years with careful polish and repair work carried by the local shoe repair shop in the village. They would have been most likely bought in Maidenhed from Dolcis shoe shop. Note the price was seven shillings and eight pence. That was the price you paid, as there was no hidden VAT or other taxes in those days. Of course in 1934 money was still tight for most, so the ladies went into a drapers shop like MacIllroy's in the high street for their dress material. Dress patterns were shared among the ladies as styles did not change that fast. Silk stockings were not used for daily wear, the Lyle stocking was the one most worn as they were hard wearing. Someone is going to ask how I remember all these facts? Well you have heard of the saying, "Little Boys should be seen and not heard." Well that does not stop a little boy from listening!

We are Five Years Old.

We are Five Years Old.

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It is five years ago on the 1^st of August that Historical Cookham was launched so that the more recent history of the past century could be preserved, covering the period from where Stephen Darby left off.

I also wish to say thank you, to those who have supplied me with information and photographs of past happenings in the village and some of its well-known characters who have added colour to the village. As our well known and most famous resident, Sir Stanley Spencer described it a little bit of heaven and worth preserving.

I am also still researching for stories and events from old residents who may like my-self find themselves living now in other parts of the world. The odd photo is always helpful, as a picture is worth a thousand words.

You may contact me either through the Cookham.com webmaster, or direct to toastmaster@islandnet.com



The home of the Cookham Fly.

The home of the Cookham Fly.

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The entrance to this building has quite a history. At the opening of the Great Western Railway between Maidenhead, High Wycombe and London in the mid 1850’s, gave the opportunity for the more affluent of the city businessmen to move out into Cookham and Cookham Dean and commute daily to the city. Rather than go to the expense of having coach and horses, there became a need for a transport hire service. In the building above was the start of the Cookham Fly Service. The Fly, was the country version of the city Hansom Cab. This service existed until the arrival of the motor car and the switch to the Taxi Cab. This service remained available until the middle 1950’s, when new small and economical cars started to become available to those living in Cookham. Now it is a small garage. During the war those businessmen that I mentioned, could be seen walking to and from the station every weekday morning and evening. So regular were they, that one could set your clock by them.



The old Greenhouse Tomato.

The old Greenhouse Tomato.

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We now travel back to when first started school at Holy Trinity and met up with one Gerald Effamy whose father was gardener at White Lodge in Maidenhead Court. Our parents became good friends and we use to see quite a lot of each other, both in and out of school. One thing that I remember quite well was the large greenhouses similar to the one in the photo above with cold frames in front and a small coal fired boiler house to keep the greenhouse frost free during the winter months. There were peach trees trained against the wall. And during the spring and summer months there were tomato and cucumber vines trained up inside the sloping glass. The fragrant smell one got as you entered the greenhouse is something that I always remember. After leaving school Gerald followed his father into the gardening world and a well-known member of the Royal Horticultural Society. The last I heard of Gerald, he is now retired and living in Cobham.

Click on photo to enlarge it.



Meet the Hedgehog.

Meet the Hedgehog.

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Taking note of a request from Dr. Phil Baker and Mr. Ben Williams of Reading University in Cookham.com. I thought it would be a good idea to follow up with to my previous blog on the White Place Farm Hedger Neddy James with the Hedgehog that use to frequent the local hedgerows and gardens. Being a nocturnal feeder one did not see a lot of them during the day. Their primary food source was slugs and worms, but they also could climb in the hedgerows for birds eggs or fledglings in the nesting season. With the introduction to the farming community, of large tractors and combine harvesters a great many hedgerows were torn out to suit economic farming practice. This over a few years has caused the reduction of a lot of country wild life including the hedgehog. So if you find a hedgehog dead or alive take a photo of it with your camera or cell phone and pin point the location so that it can be logged for research purposes by Reading University.

To get a larger look at old 'Hotchi.' The Romany word for Hedgehog, just click on the photo.

The Riphook used to trim hedgerows.

The Riphook, used to trim hedgerows.

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Birdman mentioned about hedging being performed at the wrong time of the year. Well this is true as farmers and estate owners use to do this over the winter months. I can remember at White Place Farm that this practice would start after the harvest was finished. It proved to be a winter long job for old Neddy James. His only tools were a Riphook as seen in the photo above and a cut hazelnut stick,  cut so that at one end was a hook. The last tool was a dung fork to clear up the cuttings ready to burn them. Sometimes he was required to  lay a  hedge at which he was a master craftsman. Then he would change his cutting tool to a Bilhook, which was also used for hurdle making. Neddy’s joy in life was his clay pipe and a ounce block of rubbing tobacco. Plus his walk to the Royal Exchange for a pint on a Friday evening. His spring, summer enjoyment when not helping with the hay making and harvest, was his kitchen garden, growing prize vegetables.



The word Towpath.

The Word Towpath.

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There has been quite a lot of talk about who may or may not use a towpath. First off, the towpaths were formed for the canal and river systems of Great Britain when due to the construction of bridges over the waterway prevented the use of sail barges. So to be able to move the barges up stream a series of horse power was used to tow the barges and a series of towpaths were formed for that purpose. These remained in active use until the faster use of the Tugboat, finally the coming of the steam train became the mode of transport.

Even on the canals today the horse drawn narrow boats are now powered by diesel engines.

A Traditional Midlands Knocker.

A Traditional Midlands Knocker.

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This particular job dates back to the early time of the Industrial revolution in the Midlands, long before the use of alarm clocks were cheap and affordable by the average factory worker. The saying by some folks today still ask a guest, "What time would you like to be knocked up?" Like much of the English meanings today, there are different meanings to the saying today, though I do believe there are a group of Morris Dancers that use the word Knocker's in their name.

 

Sad to say that today the name portrays an unlawful profession!

As the wheel turns.

As the wheel turns.

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It made me smile when I read that The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead want you to re-invent the wheel, I refer to the bicycle wheel. There was a time in Cookham when nearly everyone rode a bicycle. Husbands to work, wives to do their shopping, and the children rode a bicycle to school. Even the school teachers rode bicycles.

At an early age one knew how to repair a puncture in a tyre, it was common practice to carry a repair kit in a leather pouch attached to your saddle. For major repairs like aligning the rim of the wheel, one would go to Mr. Greenslade who had a little shop in The Pound.

As a backup you could always go to Owen Hildreth in Market Street, Maidenhead. He was the local bicycle dealer and repair shop. Here one could find a bicycle to fit ones pocket or purse. I doubt if the bicycle will come back to the wide use that the village once knew due to the density of today’s traffic. Plus the introduction of safe cycle-ways is nigh impossible due to the density of housing and narrow village roads.



The Victorian Apple Store.

The Victorian Apple Store.

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In the last blog I mentioned the Coppin Pruner. This lead me to remembering what I would describe as the last of the old Victorian Apple store sheds in Cookham, which was created by Lord and Lady Astor when they bought White Place Farm in the early 1900's and built the walled-in garden opposite Sutton Farm. The reason that this garden was built was to serve the kitchens of Cliveden House as the soil was more suitable for growing vegetables than at it was up on the hill. Also it was ideal for starting a large apple orchard. With that came the building of the apple storage shed as you can see from the old etched drawing above.



In the next picture you can see a re-vamped Google map of what the garden and orchard looked like, also there was an “L” shaped wall, which sheltered soft fruit such as peaches and nectarines from the cold north and east winds. In its hey-day it employed a gardener and four under gardeners



The next drawing is a colour sketch that I made up so you can see how the apples were stored on sliding trays, the bottom of which was fine wire netting covered with a layer of chopped oat straw. The apples were placed on the straw bed, making sure that they did not touch. This way the good eating apples such as Blenheim Orange and Coxes Orange Pippin would keep through until Christmas or mid-January. The favourite cooking apple the Bramley Seedling was a good keeper and would last to the end of February into early March. It also became a good eating apple in January, as aging seemed to sweeten it.



The Coppin Pruner.

The Coppin Pruner.

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If you refer back to the maps of the village of 1852, you will note how many orchards there were dotted throughout. Quite a few village members were also Fruiterers among other ways of making a living. In those days of course the apples when ripe were carefully stored in Apple Houses, the storage of which I will go into in a later blog.

The Coppin Pruner as illustrated in the above etching was invented by a George Coppin, a Horticulturist who lived in Surrey. It was quite a well-used tool around the country and in the village, even my father had one and we only had two Bramley Seedling apple trees. Of course this tool was well used in the Cherry orchards in Cookham Dean. It was also used by gardeners, who used it to trim their ornamental trees without having to use a ladder.

Widbrook Gate

Widbrook Gate.

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For those readers who have not lived in Cookham all that time the Commons under the names of Widbrook, Odney, The Moor and Cockmarsh were under parish control. It was only in 1937 that the National Trust took them under their wing.

One building that I have known the history of was Widbrook Gate. Before Widbrook Common was fenced off, there used to be a gate at either end of the road where it crossed the common. The one at the north end was looked after by the wife of the gate keeper. While the gate at the south end, was tended by the husband. These gates were manned from sunrise to sunset while cattle were grazing on the common. The rest of the year the husband was employed as a road mender by the council filling in pot holes. This information I learnt from my Grandmother. I do know that the last gatekeeper to live in the little bungalow according to records was a family called Plumridge that was in 1901.

I remember a family that lived there when it was re-named Widbrook Bungalow in the 1930’s and their name was Penndel or Pendle, at the beginning of the war they moved to a house in School Lane. The last people to live there that I knew was a family called Greer, he was a ferry pilot with Air Transport Auxiliary based at White Waltham. Then in the 1950’s it changed hands and it was called “Mizpah.”

Cookham Cottagers Horticultural and Industrial Society.

Cookham Cottagers Horticultural and

Industrial Society.

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My researching and memories have taken me back this time to way over a hundred years and the founding of The Cookham Cottagers Horticultural and Industrial Society. The Industrial part in the title goes back to when Boot and Shoe making was a thriving industry in the village.

Over the years it has gradually changed as the Industrial part faded away together with the Horticultural and Farming aspects which branched away on their own. This left just the professional and cottage gardeners who would compete in what became to be known as The Cookham Flower Show.

For many years this show was held under the benevolent auspices of Colonel Ricardo, on a field which is now part of The Odney Club, just off Mill Lane.

Here it remained until the beginning of the Second World War. After which it was moved to Dean Meadow.

In the 1930’s I remember there was very keen competition in the various classes. There was I remember a Professional Gardeners class. One for Cottage and Allotment Holders, who, not only entered their produce, but also entered their gardens and allotments to be judged. The ladies of course entered in the flower arranging and baking skill contests. The school children were not left out as there were classes for wild grasses, wild flowers, all of which had to be arranged and named as well.

To top it off there was the fairground with all the roundabouts and swings. Plus of course Horace Spencer who would entertain the crowd with his card tricks and magic.



Yes! You can have floods in the Summer in Cookham.

 

Yes! You can have floods in the Summer in Cookham.

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1903 Flood quotation from The London Illustrated News on the 27^th of June, 1903.
 

The Thames Valley presented an extraordinary appearance after the rain; bungalows were isolated, meadow-land, streets and roads, inundated. The river was so high that the steamers were unable to pass the bridges and the stream so powerful that boating became a danger. Eton oarsmen, unable to practise, will probably not be represented at Henley.

This photo is taken of Cookham Moor by the newspaper photographer and in the words of the reporter; “that this scene was between the station and the town.”



 

This photo shows two punts in Ferry Lane right by the Hedsor turning.

 

This is The Moor in Maidenhead showing Cox Brothers Builders Yard to the left.

So you can see that floods do not occur only during the Winter and Spring. With many thanks to the London Illustraded News for the photographs and write up.

You can enlarge the pictures by clicking on them.



A 106 year old Postcard.

A 106 year old Postcard.

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The postcard that is shown above has quite a story to tell, not only that it is a hundred and six years old and travelled to London for a one half penny stamp, and yet found its way back to Cookham. It did have a message and address on it which I have removed as it was of a personal nature from one sister to another.

You will see quite clearly that the stamp bears the head of King Edward VII and the date that the card was posted in Cookham at 7.45 p.m. on the 19^th of February, 1907.

More interesting is the card itself, which most likely had a photo of Cookham by William Bailey. That the card itself was published by, W. Shergold & Son of Cookham. Shergold kept the Post Office and little general store on Station Hill. The same store that use to be ironmongers twice and has now reverted to a Stationary Shop. From what I have been told Shergold was quite an ingenious person and it quite possible that had a small printing press where he could make postcards for himself, and for Annie Slack who had a small shop in the High Street. This also points out how resourceful people were then. Even to travel by train to London for most villagers was a major event.

Once again to enlarge the photograph, just click on it.



A quiet summer Sunday afternoon.

A quiet summer Sunday afternoon.

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Another photograph of Cookham high street, this time the photographer chose a quiet summer Sunday afternoon. I think the year was 1949. I also know that this photographer took up the hobby after he had been demobbed from the RAF. It is about this time that I also took up taking photos with a Brownie 127 camera and developing in a tank kit that Boots the Chemist use to sell. It is something to reflect back over those 64 years to now and 2013, the era of digital photography.

To enlarge this photo, just click on the picture.



The Old White Hart Public House.

The Old White Hart Public House.

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For way over a hundred year this building has been known as the White Hart and like so many public houses, the breweries or new free house owners decide without consultation that a name change is in order. The old White Hart has had two such name changes in the last few years. To a lot of old residents, though it has had a name change, still refer to it as the White Hart. The emblem of the White Hart was adopted as a royal emblem by Richard II for his livery, and an albino Hart Stag was a very rare find in Windsor Great Park, which at one time included Cookham.

I can only conclude that the present owner must be a great fan of Mazo de la Roche who wrote the book, “The White Oaks of Jalna.”



The Second Ferry at Cookham Lock.

The Second Ferry at Cookham Lock.

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I have mentioned the Three Ferries in this blog before. Here is another photograph attributed to William Bailey. Summer Sunday afternoons were most popular with the village residents to walk the  three ferries and stop off at the lock keepers garden for a cream tea provided by the lock keepers wife. If my memory is correct a tea for three was 1/6 (one shilling and six pence.) That was around 1936-37.

 

Click on the photo to get the enlarged photo.

Cookham from the Moor.

Cookham from the Moor.

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This is another photograph attributed to the work of William Bailey who lived at East Flint in the High Street and was a painter and decorator by trade. It is about 115 years since this photo was taken, and before Colonel Ricardo and his Rolls Royce came on the scene. It is good to note that most of the buildings in the picture are still standing today. One hopes that this scene will be preserved for a good many years to come.

 

 

To take a closer look at the photo, just click on it.

A Sunday afternoon at Odney.

A Sunday afternoon at Odney.

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Those lazy hazy days of summers gone by, when folks from London would arrive by train early in the morning with their picnic baskets, to spend a quiet day by the Thames backwater. Also to enjoy a tuppenny wafer or a threepenny choc-ice from old Joe, the Walls Ice Cream vendor. Who use to arrive on his "Stop me and buy one, tricycle", which was kept cool by using dry ice.

 

Click on the photo to get an elarged version.



Another Then and now photographs.

Churchgate in 1898.

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Here above is another early photograph attributed to the village painter/decorater William Bailey. Note that it is a gravel road and one can set up a tripod without fear of being run over!

 

 

Churchgate Today.

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Now here is a recent photograph of the changes that have taken place in the past 115 years. Gone is the ivy growth over the building, also the elm trees that suffered from the Dutch Elm discease.

 

Click on the photos to enlarge them.

 



High Street Cookham circa 1870.

High Street Cookham circa 1870.

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Another photograph that I have dug up from the old Cookham files. This one I believe is before the local photographer William Bailey, it was also very heavy in sepia tone and hard to clean up. At least there is enough in this photo that one can compare with the High Street as it is today. Gone of course is the barn at the extreme left of the photo, where my grandfather use to entertain his friends in what was known has 'Smoking Parties.' With a barrel of beer and a lot of singing I am told.

Part of The Pound in 1840.

Part of 'The Pound' in 1840.

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This old 1840 map, shows part of which is called ‘The Pound.’ I can see that 'The White Hart', now referred to as ‘The White Oak,’ is clearly defined on the map. Also Melmott Lodge can be seen as well. You can also make out the ‘The Fleet Water’ with a small crossing over it. Not so well defined is the road over Cookham Moor with a water splash between The Fleet Water and the pond to the north. There is an indication of a bridge crossing ‘The Fleet Water’ where the brick bridge built in 1928 now stands. This according to old records was a wooden foot bridge. Once again you will see large orchards that were in use in those days.
Just click on the map to enlarge the view to full screen.