Memories of Oxhey

Moving to Liphook Road, Oxhey in 1948

By Michael Burke

Hi

I remember moving to 14 Liphook Road Oxhey in 1948 as though it was only yesterday. We moved from bomb sites in the East End to the building sites of Oxhey. What great fun we kids had playing around the houses as they were being built. It was another world from the aftermath of wartime London.

I first went to school on a coach to Oxhey School near Bushey Arches. Warren Dell School opened shortly afterwards so I went there, and then from 1953-57 Hampden School, which had the metal horses on the front of the building. ( What were they were all about)

I now live in Lincoln and have not been back to Oxhey for some years, although I did watch The Choir on tv which was pretty nostalgic seeing some of the old places. If anyone remembers me please get in touch

This page was added on 20/03/2011.

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  • It is lovely reading about Hampden School.
    I was Jill Rogers then, Mr Westerway was headmaster, Mr Wray was science., Mr Mead was maths.
    We lived in Heysham Drive, played in the local woods and the old golf course.
    I remember Steven Flack, Nigel Ansell, Susan Frame and many others. They were happy times, i still keep in touch with Karen Shave. I remember dancing in the old cow shed and going to a youth club to play table tennis.
    We used to wall to Ruislip Lido through the woods and accross the fields. My grandchildren go there now!

    By Jill Cooke (16/07/2022)
  • I am now called Margaret. Was Vera and lived in 3 Liphook. Next door to the Jones Girls, great fun.
    Best friend of Christine and Julie Deighton. Always played at their house after school, remember their lovely Mum, Amy, always gave me tea.
    Remember our first day at school, St. Meryl’s. then, Oxhey Wood and Clarendon. As Christine said, street games all summer. We moved away when I was about 14/15. We disappeared to Hemel Hempstead. I now live in Poole . Dorset. I enjoyed “The Choir” Does anyone remember the
    dances in “The Cow Shed” Gene Tavener used to sing there. His sister was head girl at Clarendon. I remember Mr. Brooks, french teacher. Miss. Wright, Mr Shaw, Miss Toy, cookery. Mr. Brown science. I remember the Coronation street party, and Methodist church youth club.
    A council estate was a great place to grow up.

    By Margaret Jefferson (10/09/2019)
  • My name when single was Jean Atkins l went to Clarendon School when it was first opened l was 12 Mr Stewart was head laws in Mr Elliot’s class with Micky Hains and his load of mates Brenda Burgess lngrid Vonpopaloski Winnie Cook Geraldine O Brian we were the St Trinians lot of the school a right load of trouble makers l can remember being in Mrs Cook ‘s class too she used to teach cookery. l now live in Australia then in Heysham Drive.

    By Jean Fitzwalter (27/07/2019)
  • How lovely being reminded of the Dick Wittington pub – my parents sometimes went for a drink there and I would sit on the wall with a bag of crisps. I also remembered the name Julie Deighton as soon as I read it! Anyone recall Audrey Breeze? She used to childmind me until her son died in a swimming pool accident and so I had to suddenly stop going to her house, missed her so much… We moved from one of the ‘posh’ houses at the top of the estate to Oakdale Close because my dad left home and mum wasn’t allowed to be the tenant of the more expensive houses. I remember how distressed I felt leaving our lovely house and garden but then hung around with a group of kids – and had my first ride on a motor bike just after the M1 was built- really exciting going so fast! Mum never knew of course 🙂 We moved from the estate to the centre of London when I was 16. I have lovely memories of the woods, finding cobnuts to eat, climbing trees – the 1950s were an idyllic time to be a child on the estate.

    By Sue Lemasurier (27/08/2018)
  • Just spotted 2 names I remember clearly Tony Perivale and Alan Penfold . It’s Liz Dodd if you remember me. My friends were Heather Johnson Nog Carey and Jackie Hunt. I dated Tony Perival Hope you have had a good life. We are pensioners now ha ha toddle oo

    By Liz Dervish (25/03/2018)
  • I went to Woodhall and lived in Bramley Gardens with my Mum and Dad plus my twin brother Stuart and older brother Ian. I remember David Nagle and his sister Ann, who was one of the nicest girls you could meet. I still see lots of the Inches and many of the other people that I grew up with as I live now in Oxhey but still own my old family home. My mum passed away nearly a year ago and she would spend ages talking to me about the estate. I write a lot now on sport since I retired, this is a bit of joke in the family as I still work part-time testing electrical equipment for my son-in-law and coach athletics at international level.

    By malcolm wallace (08/02/2018)
  • My sisters Irene and Margaret and myself all went to Warren Dell and then Hampden. Have nothing but good memories of South Oxhey and our schooling. We are all well and live in different parts of the country but often talk about our neighbours, all fondly remembered, and the carefree childhood we had living in Fairfield Avenue.

    By Christine Foster (20/01/2018)
  • How nice to read these comments on South Oxhey, lots of names ring bells, good old days, had nothing and everybody helped each other, left Hampden School in 1955, still going strong and living in Oxhey Village, Ron Dillingham, xx

    By Ron dillingham (15/07/2017)
  • We moved to 14 Liphook Road in 56 or 57 when I was very small and I remember the Sharps and Dunderdales I think although we moved to 412 Prestwick Rd (last house) until 67 when we moved to Kent. My father Peter Wray who is still going at 93 was a science teacher at Hampden and he gets a few mentions on this site.
    My siblings are Glynis and Trevor both older than me. Glynis and I were at Oxhey Wood but don’t know for Trevor.

    By David Wray (22/04/2017)
  • Hi, we moved into 14 Gleneagles Close, South Oxhey when I was one , in 1949, with my three sisters and one brother , mum and dad,  

    By jacqueline (03/09/2016)
  • Hi Christine Lewis, I used to live at the top end of Liphook Rd, in Muirfield Rd 59, next door to the Booth family…I remember Lennie White and his sister Ann she was a nurse at the top of Liphook, opposite were the Symonds Family…twins Elizabeth and Linda, Freddie and 3 other boys, at the bottom of Liphook on the right side were the Jones family…Vera Doreen and Mary, myself   Joyce and my 2 sisters Christine and Lorraine used to hang out with the Jones girls, their mother was also a nurse.

    By Joy (05/08/2016)
  • I lived in the police houses in Gleneagles Close. Liphook Road gardens backed onto ours.  Number 10 with the Dunderdales was connected to mine.  My sister Christine played endlessly with David and his sister.  I went to South Oxhey infants & Junior until we moved to Dorset in 1962.  

    By Pat Smith nee Hodgkiss (12/07/2016)
  • I live and still live in Ashridge Drive I have been there since 1958 , I went to Greenfields Junior School , and the school is still there till this day great  memories of my time there and then on to Clarendon and Hampden and when it changed to Sir James Altham School.and when I was at Sir James Altham I met someone who is still my very special friend   this friendship has lasted for nearly 50 years.I wonder if there are any of my ex school colleagues still living on the estate.I left school in 1974

    By Alan Roberts (25/05/2016)
  • David if you  didn’t know, Chris died about 7 to 8 years ago, in Watford General Hospital I was talking to him just a few hours before he passed away. I was in his class at Hampden and Mike James,I remember several others David Flack, Dave Merritt,Dave Smithson, Mary Ward, Christine Sherpherd, Colin Ireland to name just a few. Some good and bad memories.

    ,

     

    By Colin Butt (11/11/2015)
  • I live in the USA and came across this page by chance.  We moved from London to South Oxhey when I was about 3 in 1952.  We lived at 378 Prestwick Road and I went to St. Joseph’s Catholic School the year it was built.  One of my fondest early lifetime memories is playing in the woods and coming across a clearing filled with bluebells.  It’s been over 60 years and a life filled with adventure, but bluebells still make me think of South Oxhey.   

    By Ann Collens (01/10/2015)
  • Have so many memories …Went to Warren Dell Miss Altham ! lived in Oxhey Drive opposite Oakdale Rd, Then on to Hampden  Mr Westerway way headmaster. mates were Chris Connerlly Mike James My cousin Ronnie Droy went to Clarendon.

    By David Greenland (03/08/2014)
  • I cannot remember my age but we lived at 12 Leven Close and also went to school in the morning or afternoon.

    By Mr HGR Walley (11/04/2014)
  • Hi this is bringing so many memories back, someone mentioned Braziers shop, silly things that oh, yes I remember mum going there to shop. We were very young but have such lovely memories, they just need a little nudge and they come flooding back.

    By Jean hendy (27/03/2014)
  • Hi, I too moved to South Oxhey in 1948 I was 7 then and went to Warren Dell school, but we only went one week mornings the other afternoons! Then on to Hampden and left in 1956! We lived in Ilkley Road

    By Valerie Jackson (23/03/2014)
  • I moved into number 20 Caldwell Road we were the the first family to move in. There was my mum,dad and my twin brothers Barry and Keith Simms . They were about 18months old . I was about five and a half, and remember going to school on a coach, then when Warren Dell opened I went there. My brothers went Oxhey Wood school.My friend in those day was Jean Gibbens and she lived in Muirfield Road. In front of our house was what then seemed to be an enormous green it went down into a dip with trees and bushes  around, we used to play all day long out there also the woods. Such lovely memories flooding back while reading other people memories. I left Warren Dell and went to Hampden School in 1953. We moved from Carpenders Park around 1957. My name then was Jean Simms.

    By Jean hendy (23/02/2014)
  • Hi, Shirley Hickey saw your comments I was in your class hanged around with Chris, Dave Dobby, Rob Austing, played football with  your brothers John, Terry, Bobby lived in Muirfield Road.Worked with your dad at the printers in Harrow.

    By david smith (28/09/2013)
  • We moved to 10 Nairn Green Oxhey in 1951, very similar to Michael Burke. Went to Oxhey School near Bushey Arches then Warren Dell and Clarendon in 1953. First class to complete G.C.E. Others in that time were Wendy Cook, Jean Freeman, Alan Root, Christine Evans, Michael Smith, Dave King, Jimmy Warner, Dave Stewart on trumpet, Brian Lawrie and my friend Clive Parry who I hope is still with us. Now live in West Australia. Anyone who remembers please contact me. Only teachers I remember were Mr Shaw, great Maths teacher. Mr Stewart Headmaster and Mr Elliot. excellent Music teacher.

    By Terry Bramley (20/08/2012)
  • Hi Richard dont know if you remember me I started Clarendon in 1963. I was in Mr Eddy’s class with the likes of Carol Blackman, Chris Finn, David Dobson, Tony Percival, Alan Penfold.

    By Shirley Hickey (01/08/2012)
  • Our family (Mum and Dad and brother Jim) moved to the estate on New years eve 1960, to 2 Oakdale Rd on the corner with Oxhey Drive, initially travelled up to Marylebone to a Catholic boys school, but after one term changed to Clarendon. Lewis Stuart was the headmaster an outwardly ferocious, but big hearted man, they were fun days 2 minutes walk to school, playground football before class and then 3 times more each day! I can remember being “slippered” most weeks, but loved Clarendon and got a great education and some lasting friendships…Particularly remember Mike Hobbs, Andy Templeton, Mr Methven, Frank Crates, John Swain all great people…Now live in Orlando, but get back to London every 3-4 months on business.

    By Richard Merrigan (11/07/2012)
  • Moved to Heysham Drive 1949 went to Beecham Grove Watford. Started Clarendon 1952’56. I remember Susan Weller by name, time has made it hard trying to put a face on a name. All your comments bring back the days of playing in the woods and kicking a football around all day.We were the workforce for Watford, slave labour. But I,m glad so many did break out and make a life for the better

    By John Nagle (18/04/2012)
  • The only names I can remember from Liphook Road are the Burtons (Scottish couple). They lived on the even numbered side, and the Kennedys with a son called Brian who lived across the road. The odd numbered houses were built sometime after the evens. I remember playing in the houses as they were built and breaking my wrist when I fell off a builders hut. ( painful but still good fun)

    By Michael Burke (24/04/2011)
  • It was Miss Maden, the Headmistress of Oxhey Wood Infant School who had the dog called Gilli.

    By Susan Waller (nee Davidson) (08/04/2011)
  • I cannot recall moving to 6 Liphook Road in 1950 as I was only 1 year of age. We moved (Mum, Dad and sister Christine) from London. Our house was the first in the street next to the Dick Whittington Pub. I recall my sister going off to her school in a coffee coloured coach that picked her up opposite the Pub, but the following year when I started school it was then to Oxhey Woods Infants and then onto the Junior. I recall a teacher in the Infants who had a white scottie dog named ‘Gilli’,and giant tyres in the playground and the ‘Liberty bodice’ we had to wear! My abiding memory of the Junior school was a bad winter when an igloo was built in the playground, the introduction of the ‘Tuck shop’ and Mr Brown taking us for ellocution lessons where we placed our knuckle in our mouth and pronouced ‘How Now Brown Cow!! We also in that last year with Mr Brown gained a Maltese penfriend each which I kept up with for over forty years. I also watched recently the TV Choir programme which I thought was fascinating but I never can recollect the estate as having such a bad reputation in it’s infancy where those on Carpenders Park area thought they needed to ‘keep well away’! Hope the choir is still bringing the estate together. My brother John and his family still live at No.6.

    By Julie Bird nee Deighton (04/04/2011)
  • My parents moved to No 6 Liphook Road (Dick Whittington pub end) in 1949; myself, sister Julie and later on my brother John. No 8 were Mr & Mrs Benton. At Nos 10 & 12 were Dunderdales and Sharps; Nos 14 & 16 ?? and Mallards; Nos 18 & 20 the Clears (children Pam and David twins) and Whites (son Lennie). Opposite Jones; Hogg; Lavasser; Sutcliffes; Carbury; ??; ??; and the Simpsons at the end. I went to Oxhey Wood Infants and Junior Schools followed by Clarendon Secondary Modern School. I remember childhood as days of exploring local woods and fields, making camps and pond dipping. Playing rounders, skipping, hopscotch, skates, run-outs, all in the street as there were hardly any cars. I return to Oxhey quite regularly as my brother and his family still live at No 6.

    By Christine Lewis (03/04/2011)