HAYDON HALL.
The following is
taken from W A G Kemps book "The History of Eastcote" published in 1963.
EASTCOTE
IN 1910 By Mrs. Coulson
There
were approximately 150 houses in Eastcote of all types. We had two shops,
one the PostOffice in the High Road, adjoining the old Barn House, where
one could also buy groceries and sweets, and the Eastcote Model Stores
in Wiltshire Lane, called Old Cheyne Cottage, now demolished, where one
could purchase anything from sweets to paraffin. There were two motor cars
in the whole of Eastcote at that time, one belonging to Mr. Edwards at
Haydon Hall, and the other to Miss Warrender at High Grove, and Mr. Wright
at Haydon Hall Cottage had carriages for hire. There were some very fine
ponds here, but many have been filled in during recent years. There was
a lovely pond at the bottom of Frog Lane (now called Fore Street), and
another at the corner of Bridle Road, and a very pretty one opposite Field
End Farm, and several others.
We
have also lost a pretty little brook with white railings alongside, which
ran along Joel Street, and two bridges, one at the bottom of Wiltshire
Lane and the other called Tub Bridge, which was by Haydon Hall garden entrance.
The villagers used to skate on the River Pinn when it was frozen in the
winter, and it was a gay scene when the candles were burning on the ice
at night.
Several
of our farms have disappeared, two in Fore Street, one in Wiltshire Lane,
one in Cheney Street and Field End Road, and various others. We had no
milk carts in Eastcote then; most people fetched their milk direct from
the farm, but farmers carried huge cans and delivered milk to the few big
houses. Most of the fields around here were known to us by name-Petteridge,
Little Pages, Holders, Parish Close, Bulwarks, Birchmead, The Weavers,
Stomps, etc. For example Stomps is now the playing field of St. Mary's
Grammar School, Petteridge was opposite what is now Coteford School in
Fore Street, and Holders is now Wentworth Drive.
On
the first of May the children went round the village maying, with garlands
decorated with flowers, and singing May songs. It was very pretty and folly,
and of course we had carol singers and the Mummers in the Winter.
We
had no Church here; we walked into Ruislip which was our parish Church,
and the Sun day School was held in the Men's Institute almost opposite
Eastcote Lodge along the High Road. This Institute was also used for the
social side of life in the vil lage, such as an occasional concert, and
an old barn behind the Post Office was used for dances. Then there was
a Joy Club for boys and girls held at Joy Cottage, now called Fairacre.
We
used to go to the Boiling Well in the third Moor to gather water-cress,
but this has now dried up, and kingcups grew all over the Moors, but now
it's impossible to find one there, and the fourth Moor was always known
as the cowslip field, as it used to be thick with cowslips. We had no pavements
in those days, but there was a narrow path along the High Road and up Chapel
Hill, but not a single street lamp in the whole place. But we had floods,
real floods when the brooks and the ponds overflowed, which often meant
a holiday, as we were unable to get to school .... happy days those, for
children anyway.
St.
Vincent's Hospital was then a private house, known as Ruislip Holt, and
there were four public houses here, The Woodman, The Black Horse, The Case
is Altered and The Ship, and of course we had our ghost-she was Old Mother
Aggot who lived in the ice well on "Maggots Hill," and I believe she is
there still, anyway I would not go over there alone at night.
Everybody
knew everybody in those days, and all about everybody. Altogether Eastcote
in 1910 was like a great many of our English villages, unspoilt and pretty,
but now alas a village no longer.
The
period 1900-1945 is covered in Ron Edwards book, From Village to Suburb
(ISBN 0-907869-09-2) published by Hillingdon Borough Libraries, without
the help of which this passage would not have been possible. It is
also possible to purchase this title On-Line @
http://www.bookshop.co.uk/ser/serdsp.asp?shop=596&isbn=0907869092&DB=220
We
hope to be able to offer a copy or two as prizes on our competition page
soon.
THE OLD BLACKSMITHS.
