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