Newly Married

Firewood from Oxhey Wood

I came to South Oxhey in 1952 newly married. Not much furniture, not much money. There were no shops in Oxhey, but no matter as there wasn’t much to buy as food was still rationed. There was carts that came round with goods. We needed to get wood from Oxhey wood for the fire as the coal man didn’t come round on a Saturday and we both were working mid week.

Shops starting to open

There was a Caravan shop in Henbury Road which was run by the Co-op. As I worked in London any shopping was done in my lunch hour. I came back ladden with bags, in the ladies only compartment on the train.

There was a doctors surgery on the top of Fairfield Avenue in the old farmhouse. Shops started to open thick and fast and I remember the greengrocers in St Andrews Road and we got three butchers.

Golf course (playing fields), great for the children – no one then ever played golf on in.  I still walk over to the Five Oaks at the age of 78.

Station Memories

I loved the wooden Carpender’s Park station, but I can’t remember when the new concrete station was built. Do you remember the lovely paintings of horses painted on the waiting room walls? A young girl did it and I saw her painting the wall. I don’t like the new station.

As I went to and from London on the train to Broad Street. (There were trains going to Broad Street, Euston and Elephant and Castle then) I remember the lovely gardens in the stations. There was a competition for the best station garden and Bushey and Oxhey won several times.

Do you remember the fireworks over the golf course when it poured with rain?