Oxhey Avenue in the 1930's

Oxhey Village Environment Group (OVEG) History Sheet 26

By David Manders

My father E.W. (Ted) Manders lived in Canada with his brothers, althought born in England. They all returned for the ‘Great War’ and Dad served in the ‘London Irish Rifles’ in France and Palestine. He married Grace (nee Harding) on his demobilisation and bought no 72 (later 136) Oxhey Avenue. Ted had many jobs but spent most time as a speculative builder of large houses especially in Cassiobury Park and Bushey, ‘Woodwaye’ and ‘Coldharbour Lane’ especially. Faced by the defection of his partner, he had to rent out no 72 and live at 19 Cross Road, Bushey – a rented house. Dad earned his living as a carpenter but eventually paid off his debts and became a representative for a concrete manufacturer. In 1937 the family returned to no. 72. Incidentally, at one time he owned a Brickworks in Oxhey Lane, but the seam of clay ran out and he lost the business. I owned the old gun they used to clean the chimneys with by firing scrap iron up it to loosen the soot. Read more about the ‘Manders’ family below.

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