Recollections of Oxhey Village

 

I came to Oxhey in December 1944, when the war was just finishing, and we moved into Paddock Cottage, at the end of Upper Paddock Road. There was a little shop in one of the rooms in the cottage, a general store.  This was an old house built in 1867. It had been a sort of smallholding, and the land from it was bought by a builder, a Mr. Maxwell. He built thirteen houses on it, which is now Maxwell Rise. They have gardens, with apple trees and so on which would have been from Paddock Cottage. Paddock Cottage is at the end of Upper Paddock Road, facing down towards Villiers Road. There was a little shop in one of the rooms in the cottage, a general store.

When we moved there was a little alleyway that ran from Upper Paddock Road round to Sherwoods Road – we used to call it the ‘Piggery’ because there was a pigsty in it and one or two pigs. During the war several of the neighbours clubbed together to buy a pig, then had it killed and shared it out. Further down this alleyway, there was a stable – a Rag and Bone man used to keep his pony and car there – a Mr Narroway, who lived in Lower Paddock Road. Now of course this alleyway is called Field End Close.

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