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.



How Cookham looked in 1840.

How Cookham looked in 1840.

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This a restored map of Cookham Village in the year 1840. You can see clearly Back Lane, now of course known as School Lane, but with no school of course. Of particular note you will notice how many orchards there were in the village itself. Plainly marked on this map one can see the Venables’ Paper Mill down Mill Lane. Of course at this time the cottage Boot & Shoe industry was in full swing.



Scammell Local Delivery Vehicle

Scammell Local Delivery Lorry.

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A lot of talk about overweight vehicles has occurred lately and I remembered one particular lorry that was used extensively by the Great Western Railway. It was the five wheeled articulated Scammell lorry that was used to deliver goods from the railway yards to the waiting village or town customers. It was in daily use from the mid 1930’s and right up until Dr. Richard  Beeching,  as chairman of Labours  newly defined British Rail, decided to reduce the country rail network. And sell of all unused rights of way. The photo above shows the vehicle in its GWR livery. Having just a single steering front wheel, it was useful to use in tight highway situations.



The one horse milk float.

The one horse milk float.

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Up until the end of World War two the single horse drawn milk float was still widely used by local farmers to sell their milk to country folk. Of course in the big cities and towns large dairies had sprung up with their milk being supplied mainly from the west-country by either tanker lorry, or via what was known as the milk train full of churns of milk. With the advent of TT milk the use of glass milk bottles became the norm. I do remember my maternal grandmother in the 1930’s still having her milk delivered by milk float and the milkman measuring it out using either a half or full pint measure into jugs that my grandmother kept her milk in. It was then placed in her cool larder with a muslin cover with small beads sewn around the edge to keep the cover in place.



The Historic Gill Measure.

The Historic Gill Measure.

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When Lord and Lady Astor remodelled White Place Farm into a dairy farm, which began producing Tuberculin Tested milk by 1937. It became the very first dairy farm in the country to go TT attested.

Holy Trinity School was one of the first schools to receive this milk at the cost of one half penny per day. It came in the Gill size milk bottle, which in those days was the smallest liquid measure in commercial use on the farm.



My Lady Ferry.

My Lady Ferry.

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Once again I have found another Cookham photo of the ferryman and his boat at My Lady Ferry. Which at one time was one of the ferry crossings that the public could take on a Sunday afternoon walk known by all as “The Three Ferries.” With of course a stop off at the Cookham Lock for a nice cream tea served up by the lock keepers wife.