Aylesbury, England

[memories]

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl

And one more.
Caption - St John's Church of England School celebrated its 100th anniversary in July 1956 by dressing in the style of clothes which would have been worn when the school first opened and having a procession around the town.

This picure is taken outside the telephone exhange (see the lawn outside) along New Street and the pub in view is the Nags Head. At the end of this street and to the left is the Oddfellows Arms, although the angle of the photo does not show it. What it does show, however, is the church.

Mum & Dad don't remember the church or the school (being Catholic and living on the other side of town at the time) but Mum worked as a cleaner in Tindal Hospital after I was born, and many of her fellow cleaners were Italian, because of the Italian POW camp set up nearby during the war (the men stayed, and sent for their female relatives). She remembers a cleaner called Louisa and both her children went to the school. She was older then Mum, and although staunchly Catholic, the convent I went to was still a private school, and the Catholic school my niece and nephew went to were too far away in a time when poor people couldn't afford cars.

I've reached the end og my Oddfellows observations. Hope you enjoyed them. Stay around for the other topics. This is the best forum on the internet in case you didn't know.

thanks for more oddfellows pics and its history sundae girl. i remember tindal hostpital very well. i had my tonsils out ages abour 3 and screamed the place down .... didnt want my mum to go , remember it like yestyerday. strange how some things stay so vivid in your mind from 40 years ago .

[memories]

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl

Can't help you there chick. They're all Geordies to us soft Southerners

Okat - a couple for Mem.
Photos of photos; sorry, don't have access to a scanner these days.
Thanks to my Mum who trawled through all of her Old Aylesbury books to find them.

Pic 1 - Caption: St John's Church, Cambridge Street, opened in 1883 as a daughter church of St Mary's and demolished in 1970. The site was bought by the Post Office for an extension of the telephone exchange and its car-park.
Pic 2 - Caption: Pictured in 1947 is the Cambridge Street junction with New Street. The pub on the corner is the Odllows Arms.

cant wait to show mum these great old phototos sundae girl , especially the church next to the oddfellows .
i always remember that church towering over the yard wall when i used to play in the yard.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl

Now here I am playing with my panoramic setting.
Bear with me, it's new to me, and exciting.

Pic 1
Looking up the hill to the top of the park. See what I mean about not much can be done with it? It used to have a pitch 'n' putt 9 hole golf course, on which my (late) Uncle Charlie would thrash my Dad twice a year when he came up down London. No more, no more. I have always craved one of the houses at the top of the park though.

Pic 2
The bottom of the park from the bench I was sitting on. It looks washed out because of the direction of the sun. It's the more useful end of the park, with football pitches, a cricket ground and to the left the community centre where I went to playschool (kindergarten).

Looks like a great place for a rugby pitch.

[Mike the Nobler]

This takes me back, I lived and worked in the Odfellows when I was 18 back in 1989, I don’t know how much longer it lasted after that time as it was pretty much on its last legs then. It was tenanted from ABC brewery by a former drag artist who lived and ran the Prince of Whales as well, which was out of town. We ran it as a ‘Gay Friendly’ pub and had some really crazy times. Apart from memories the only thing I have left from the pub is my Rock-ola juke box which was in the side bar along with a pool table and dart board. I remember the cellar was huge with an old area for storing barrels and wine. It was interesting that it had the old entrances to three tunnels down there, one you could still get along, that just went across the road to the Nags Head I think it was called, the others we inaccessible but I remember an old punter telling me that one went to another pub along the road and the other went into town. I think the pub even back then had a preservation order on it due to the windows? Up stars was a simple flat with two bedrooms one in the loft, a bathroom and a sitting room that held more than its share of after hour drinking parties. I could go on. I think someplace I have a photo of the bar if anybody is interested. Oh and yes the Ladies and Gents was outside, I remember both had a drain cover that we removed at the end of the day and just used a hose to clean the mess out. Sorry Ladies no loo rolls in those days.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Welcome to the Cellar, Mike.
I'd like to see that picture.

[DanaC]

Welcome to the Cellar Mike! Nice to see a fellow Brit

[memories]

Originally Posted by Mike the Nobler

This takes me back, I lived and worked in the Odfellows when I was 18 back in 1989, I don’t know how much longer it lasted after that time as it was pretty much on its last legs then. It was tenanted from ABC brewery by a former drag artist who lived and ran the Prince of Whales as well, which was out of town. We ran it as a ‘Gay Friendly’ pub and had some really crazy times. Apart from memories the only thing I have left from the pub is my Rock-ola juke box which was in the side bar along with a pool table and dart board. I remember the cellar was huge with an old area for storing barrels and wine. It was interesting that it had the old entrances to three tunnels down there, one you could still get along, that just went across the road to the Nags Head I think it was called, the others we inaccessible but I remember an old punter telling me that one went to another pub along the road and the other went into town. I think the pub even back then had a preservation order on it due to the windows? Up stars was a simple flat with two bedrooms one in the loft, a bathroom and a sitting room that held more than its share of after hour drinking parties. I could go on. I think someplace I have a photo of the bar if anybody is interested. Oh and yes the Ladies and Gents was outside, I remember both had a drain cover that we removed at the end of the day and just used a hose to clean the mess out. Sorry Ladies no loo rolls in those days.

did you experience anything paranormal - noises, sightings ,cold spots etc. in your stay there .were the spiral stairs there to the upper room. i hated them !!very eerie and our dog wouldnt go up them like the celler he hated too.
my mum told me stories of the history of the celler that had been handed down from landlord tol andlord that the celler was known to of have witchcraft practiced down there in the early years of the pub. they say dogs can sence the paranormal ande he wouldnt dare go down there.
i do vaigely remember the celler being very very big. why did they have these tunnels. what were they for .
t

[Mike the Nobler]

So memories I take it you spent some time there to, when was that if you don’t mind me asking?

I’m not sure but I was told that the tunnels all linked up under the town church. And that they were used for the population to get to ‘sanctuary’ if needed? I did have one regular who was a cab driver, (aren’t they always) who told me that when he was a boy the vicar had told him that under the church they had cells that were used by monks at one stage, and that they went of into tunnels. I hate to think what the church got up to in cells if this was true.
I remember the stairs as been very narrow, the ones that went to the loft room were a real pain. This was the domain of the manager’s son. As for the celler’s, yes they were creepy, hardly any light, and with the smell of very old pub celler.
As for anything paranormal, it would be difficult to say, as my whole time there was very strange. I learnt a lot about life there, and a lot about drinking, I lived there a while working as assistant manager, and the manager did not serve coffee with breakfast he served a double Vodka and coke, the day then went on like this, rack up the bar, open the pub, at least 4 doubles over lunch. Close. Sleep till five, another drink, opens at six….. Yes you got it more to drink. Close at 11, the curtains that is. And then carry on drinking until 2 in the morning with any punters that wanted to stay. He was a heavy drinker and expected those around him to do the same.
Oh I can remember one place that used to get me twitchy; there was a door that went of the bathroom into a hay loft that was over the big side gate. I left a lot of my stuff in there, Cine films, projector, records, all kinds of stuff. It was easier that rummaging around in the dark when I left the place.
I will try and find the photo of the bar, I'm sure I still have it somplace.

[Sundae]

Well now there's a coincidence... I've been doing a lot of walking over the last week, and one of the walks I did took me through Broughton Crossing, home of the old Prince of Wales pub. It's now The Dog House as you can see. Shame - it's an ungainly name for such a lovely looking place.

We (very occasionally) used to go for a drink there when I was a child. It was more of an excuse for a walk to tire us out (it's about a five mile round trip from my house). Because it had/ has a large garden, it was a lovely place on a summer's evening.

Sadly the walk was not as pleasant as I remember it. The road is so much busier than I remember, even from 10 years ago. The country lanes are rarely quiet any more, and as there are no pavements (sidewalks) for half the route and the speed limit is 60, I spend a lot of time jumping onto the muddy verge.

Still, there are some lovely cottages that way and I did my best to capture them for y'all.

First, for Mike - The Dog House from the side and front.

[Sundae]

Picture 1: Broughton Crossing is just a wide place in the road.
There are about 8 cottages and a pub, but they're cute little things.
Sadly, the 21th century need to drive - especially in the country - does make them a little less picturesque!

Picture 2: Further along the same road, now into the village of Bierton, a more substantial place. It's mostly along a main road, which stops people thinking of it as a village proper, and many drivers speed through in the belief they are still in Aylesbury and there is nothing to see. I prefer to stop and smell the gardens from time to time!

[Sundae]

Picture 1: Literally opposite the picture above is a park. My sister, my next door neighbour and I used to cycle up here sometimes. It was much better than the Alfreed Rose because it had a proper playground. Also, because it was out of the way it was always empty, and had the sort of exciting things that were banned elsewhere. Barrel rolls, a very high slide, polished to a terrifying gloss over the years, and a rocking horse.

Only the horse remains, the rest has been tamed and replaced. But the horse... if you get on the back when some big boys are on it, you will be clinging on for dear life. You WILL leave your seat at the peak of the swing. Well, you did when you were a skinny little girl, can't say for sure now.

Picture 2: The Eagle pub. No, not a casualty of the smoking ban - this has been a house for as long as I can remember. It's funny to think just how many pubs this part of the world used to need though...

[Sundae]

Picture 1: Another conversion, this one in my lifetime. The back of the Wesleyan chapel, including graveyard.

Picture 2: The front. It's now offices.

[Sundae]

Picture 1: This house is in the top right of Picture 1 above. I've just always liked the look of it. Perhaps because I knew when it came into view that we were at the turnoff for the playground and therefore nearly there! It's on the corner of Brick Kiln Lane, so named because... well, we can't always be quaint. It is olde worlde though.

Picture 2: Another chapel which hasn't stood the test of time. Baptist this time, but sgain, this one was desanctified in my memory. It's funny to think just how many churches this part of the world used to need though

[Sundae]

Picture 1: This pub is still a pub. The Red Lion - incidentally the most common pub name in Britain. It's a lovely pub inside, all real-fire-smell and heavy slanting sunlight and low uneven ceilings. It used to do really good food (it even had real napkins) but I haven't been in there for a good ten years so I can't make any promises. Send me £20 and I will review it properly for you

Picture 2: And almost directly opposite, a church which is still a church. I wonder if there is a connection? And I don't mean a tunnel under the road either! This is St James the Great. My Mum's friend goes here. I sued to live near a church in Leicester that was St James the Lesser. Poor chap.

[Sundae]

I thought you might like to see some thatch.
This is still a working farm, although it doesn't smell as much as when I was a child.

I used to dread going past it because the yard was awash with muck, and I connected it in my mind with a terrifying Child Safety film about a kid drowning in slurry. Honestly, it was a grim and frightening place to me, I actually remember the sun going in every time we went past.

The cows used to graze in the field across the road, and come across twice a day for milking or stabling, or whatever you do to them They'd have a job now - the road is so busy.

Photos show the farmhouse and yard, and looking back at the farmhouse to show some of the old outbuildings.