#shalford

I am sure that I was not a particularly stupid child but I did not seem to be able to understand the stricture "come straight home from school".  At infants school in Wapping the way home was through the park (now called recreation ground) and there was a playground in the park...How was I expected to bypass the playground and go straight home, even though I knew that my mum was watching from the window of our top floor flat and could see me? 

 Later when we were evacuated to Brighton, the way home went past a monumental mason working in his outside workshop. I got lost in amazement as I watched him chisel out the lettering on a gravestone then later fill it with little lead triangles and then paint over the top. How I wanted to go in and get a closer look and learn how to do it, and the time went by!

 When we moved to Guildford and I was billeted at Shalford which was about two and half miles from school then there were plenty of distractions along the way.   Lewis Carrol's house with illustrations from Alice on the garden entrance: the river Wey ran for quite a long way along the road and at times there were folk rowing there or the water birds to watch.   In the winter months a meadow alongside the river was flooded from a sluice gate in the river and froze. Custom designed for small boys to skate on. 

Living with my mum after running away from my evacuee billets we lived in a small cottage in Trinity churchyard.  At the foot of the stairs leading into the churchyard there was a second hand bookshop which had a box of damaged books available for free.  Always worth a look for a few minutes or more. 

And so it went on.  Going straight home was never an option. 

Car on Storage Containers

No - I don’t know how they got it up there either, but it’s 17 feet above ground and secured by straps around the wheels.  If you’d like to see it, it’s at the end of Station Approach, Shalford, which is about two miles south of Guildford.  Please be careful not to confuse the location with Station Road or Station Row.

An Almost Impassable Public Footpath

The first photograph above shows the start of the path.  On the left is the bridge about 100 yards behind the scout hut in Shalford, Surrey and the chainlink fence blocking off the railway.  On the right just outside the photograph are allotments.

The second photograph shows the end of the path.  If you can get through the nettles and brambles, the path continues to the right of the large tree.

When I’ve got my own garden sorted out for the autumn and winter, I must don the disguise of boots, thick jacket, hat and gardening gloves and become superhero Secateurs Man.

Shalford’s Annual Charity Christmas Fair

Shalford’s fair takes place this Saturday 17th November from 10.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. at Shalford Village Hall (about two miles south of Guildford town centre).

It’s one of the best and largest Christmas fairs in the area and regularly raises over £5,000 for local charities.  Please come along if you can.  There are always loads of good items ideal for presents.