Imported historical comment — Dave Hill — 2021-11-14 21:36:13
The middle one of Gardeners Cottage was occupied by granny Godding she was my
gt grandmother, my dad was born there (being the oldest) and when his parents moved out he stayed until he married and bought house in Ivy Cres, his parents rented a place nearby in Cippenham Lane and had a further 10 kids! Dad lived with aunts Ethel and Ruth and uncle Harry (he'd been a stretcher bearer in WWI, always led the Cippenham Remembrance parade, carried the flag, grandad (Bill Hill) walked beside him, Harry talked my dad into doing his St Johns)Dad hated the old house, low beams, death watch beetle, old well next to privy etc, loved new house in Ivy Cres, was always in the bathroom, washing, I used to meet mum at grans house from Cippenham school on a Tuesday. Dad could remember range going in, before it been a chimley corner (you could see stars up the chimney) prob the reason mum went there, we couldn't afford a fire in the afternoon at home and he could remember water pump going in front garden (I used to play with it but it wouldn't pump water any more, they had mains I spose) I used to stand by front wall and watch traffic, I remember 3rd coping along was glazed. Inside was one long room with a step and a curtain across the middle, I realise now it smelt of beer, the step was prob where they stood the barrels. Family business pulled it down, Albert Hill was my 2nd youngest uncle, my bro was his driver, I worked weekends & hols, we got £5 cwt for old beams, prob went into mock tudor houses somewhere
Original comment #880