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With the kind permission of Fred Brown late of Coopersale Essex.
These are Fred's memories of Epping High Street listing many names and business's and some descriptions of the people during the two world wars
EPPING THROUGH THE EYES OF FRED
By Fred Brown 25th April 1918 - 27th July 2005
First published 1996 Mother Rosetta Elizabeth Hudgill 1868 - 1952 Epping Essex)
Preface
When contemplating this book, I appreciated that it would be necessary to effect an introduction, but in what form?
There is other information either pictorial or factual in the Museum at Waltham Abbey, albeit over a greater period that I am covering, so it necessitated a different approach.
I was born in Epping in 1918 of locally born parents. My schooling was here and, except for the second world war period, my living and social life, and I have served as a local councillor with the old Urban District Council, so I am qualified to put over the period between the two great wars which I have chosen.
My approach then has been rather more than just a straightforward historical one with none the less the same information in perhaps a more newsy way. I hope you like it. Fred Brown
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Epping High Street CHAPTER 1
Epping is a market town situated in the far corner of West Essex with the Hertfordshire and Middlesex borders just a few miles away built originally in a clearing of the Forest of Waltham (later Epping Forest, some 6,000 acre in area) on the main route to London from the East Anglican area, it was notorious, at one time for highwaymen such as Dick Turpin, the Gregory Gang, Tom King, Sixteen String Jack and others.
In the forest on the London side of the town are earth-works known as Ambresbury Banks, reputed to be a defence used by Boudicca (Boadicea), Queen of the Iceni tribe, during the Roman occupation of Britain.
The town is also unique in that it sits on a hill some 350 feet above sea level and so has commanding views of the surrounding countryside which is quite hilly. In fact, to come into Epping from any point, necessitates coming up a hill. This means that the town is not subject to flooding in times of heavy rainfall, nor do we seem to be troubled unduly by thunderstorms, these invariably follow along the valley to the north of the town and the lowlands area toward the River Thames.
Because of its position astride a major trade route, Epping in times past provided hostelries and inns for coaching purposes, and the various traders who came to Waltham market and London. These folk provided the prey for the ‘gentlemen of the road’. Up to the First World War, Epping had some sixteen inns and hotels in use and it seems that they were used according to one’s status, cattle drovers, sheep, goats, and poultry. Each part of the farming fraternity had his ale house and place where business could be carried out.
The hostelries in question started with the Royal Oak on the east side coming from North Weald and almost adjacent to the hospital (St. Margaret’s) along that side of the town. Then came The Sun, The Thatched House, Cock Hotel, George and Dragon, The Swan, White Lion, White Hart, Duke of Wellington, Half Moon, and Forest Gate. Coming from London, The Bell Inn (now a motel) The Duke of York, Black Lion, The Pineapple, The Globe. of these, only The Thatched House (recently re-opened), George & Dragon, Duke of Wellington, Half Moon, and Forest Gate, the Bell Motel, Black Lion and the Globe are left, and in the immediate surrounding district, The Spotted Dog, Merry Fiddlers, Theydon Oak and Garnon Bushes.
Between the wars, the population was around 4,500 and the main sources of employment were the very large Copped Hall Estate and William Cottis Archimedean Works, the latter making all types of agricultural machinery so the main employers were attached very much to agriculture.
The large estate at Copped Hall was run by an estate office, a Mr Dashwood being the Principal Officer. A Mr Ormond was the Working Manager I suppose you would call him. He used to ride on a horse, a rather imposing gentleman with the disposition of a sergeant major. The estate was run like a business; it covered a large area running more or less north west it stretched from Upshire to Epping Green to Thornwood and skirted the town from Lindsey Street to Bury Lane. All the farms and fields were owned by Copped Hall and were rented by tenant farmers. They employed their own work force of carpenters and general builders who maintained the farm buildings, houses, etc. although work was let out to local building firms as well.
A large kitchen garden was worked at the rear of the large mansion which had been destroyed by fire in 1917 and the owner, Mr E J Wythes, the Lord of the Manor, moved into the Wood House at Griffins Wood on the Estate.
Large coal and coke wagons drawn by horses carried fuel from the railway station up to the estate.
Pheasant shooting was carried out during the season and the ‘bag’ being sold, I must assume, by the local butchers. Gamekeepers who lived on the estate policed the whole of the property and the estate was run fairly efficiently.
William Cottis and Sons employed quite a large work force. The works right in the town was rather like a large smithy with, instead of horseshoes, haysweeps, cutters, binders, elevators, all types of agricultural implements, and the repair of same necessitated a large number of skilled artisans, moulders, woof workers, and of course clerical staff.
They also had in the High Street, an ironmongery shop selling all the necessary home appliances, in addition a small garage which sold petrol and oil and carried out car repairs. This was not all, because in the area by the railway station, recently vacated by the firm of W. C. Pantin (British Matthew’s was a large brickfield and works. Here clay was dug out and made into bricks fired in kilns and sold.
There is many a house today in Epping and no doubt all around the area built with “Cottis’s Reds”, an excellent, good looking, hard wearing house brick. Unfortunately, the useful clay ran out and the works was closed down and sold off. But yet, with Copped Hall, it was the major employer of it’s time.
Besides this there were several building firms and the usual ancillaries, shops, post office, hospitals, various rounds such as milk, bread, grocery, etc. By local shops keepers and people commuted to London just thirteen or so miles by steam train to Liverpool Street.
Whilst it would seem that sufficient establishments catered for the local labour force, there was unemployment in the 1930’s as everywhere else in the county. At the eastern end of the town was the place where those on the ‘dole’ were required to sign on. A Mr. Sullivan was the man in charge and his troops were known as ‘Sullivan’s Army’.
Whenever employment came along, whether permanent or temporary, he (Mr Sullivan) would select people (and he had his favourites). They would be given a green card and directed to wherever the work was. In those days too we had a means test where inspectors would appear at the poor unfortunate’s home to see what could be sold off to cover the rent or any debts incurred. Not much different today when the old and poor have to fill in forms and declare their savings to get any sort of relief. Ironically, Mr Sullivan’s home had previously belonged to a Mr Edward Winter in the middle and late ‘eighties’. He was a pawnbroker, still helping the poor and needy.
Whilst much of a town’s activities are invariably centred around a hub, the High Street, the main shopping area, and places of officialdom, the outlying areas are not forgotten, I shall touch on them as we go along.
Now, Epping had received a charter designating it a town by virtue of its market which had been in existence for years used by the local farmers and stallholders.
A cattle market with animals tied up to especially constructed rails, a wooden pound and pens for pigs and sheep made Mondays a very busy time with stallholders selling almost every kind of ware. At the rear of The Cock Hotel was a poultry market for chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits, pigeons etc. presided over in my day by Charlie Parrish, a gaunt thin featured gentleman, but very knowledgeable.
An auctioneers led by Harry Knight, who sold cattle in the open air from a rostrum was situated where Aves the Optician is now, that is to say in the front by the kerbside.
The Market brought quite a lot of people from outlying areas into the town on one day of the week, and whilst the local shopkeepers may had had mixed feelings about the market, I feel sure that they had a reasonable return from its activities, particularly, the harness makers, the hostelries and the food shops who would have seen many more people during Monday than any other weekday.
During the coming chapters we shall deal with the schools, places of religious worship, the hospitals and doctors, fire service, local authorities, the police, Post Office, the shops and their keepers, sports facilities, local celebrities and some anecdotes pertaining to residents, mostly humours. CHAPTER 2 Here I would like to deal with the various major organizations which provided the town’s needs like the various services police, hospitals, doctors, schools, post office, and the local builders, all of whom provided employment as well as providing the needs of the town.
We start with the hospitals, of which there were three. St. Margaret’s was the major one, on the North Weald to Ongar Road, at the east end of the town, by the side of the plain.
It was originally an old workhouse with facilities for ‘The Gentlemen of the Road’ familiarly know as ‘The Spike’, much smaller than today. The man in charge was Mr A A W Simmons later a Mr H England. A Fair amount of ground surrounded the hospital which originally consisted of two large red brick buildings know as ‘A’ and ‘B’ blocks with a wooded building for those with T. B, and of course wooded buildings for vagrants. Here the milestone inspectors had to do a couple of hour’s work of some kind before moving on.
There was a laundry and boiler house just as today and just prior to the last war several new huts were built and these made up a large proportion of the wards, all named after trees a lot of which grow in the surrounding forest.
On Bell Common, at the southern end of the town, was a small cottage hospital built, I believe, from subscription, and used by the local medical practitioners for minor operations and short stay illnesses. It had a very good view from its rear aspect looking over the area roughly Brentwood, Romford, Abridge, Chigwell, etc.
The other hospital was an isolation one in Forest Glade along the North Weald road, used for infectious diseases, like Scarlet Fever, Diphtheria, etc. Modern medical techniques, however, made this small unit redundant and it was closed just after the second world war.
B J Cable, local Epping builders, bought the site, demolished the building and erected a private estate there.
So much then for the hospital service though it should be pointed out that if these places were used, payment had to be made as they were in effect private hospitals, so the general public had to belong to an organization like the HAS (Hospital Savings Association) in order to pay if one was unfortunate enough to have to use them.
We had in the town three doctors surgeries, the first near the church was run by Dr Watney and his partner, Dr Monkhouse, and at the bottom end on the same side where W E Cole, the tailor now is, was Mr Erskine with Dr Roy Evans. These later moved to Station Road, to a large house ‘Balgonnie’. The surgery is still in the grounds today. It is, I suppose, the larger of the two organizations existing. After Dr Denning died his practice became a dentist for a while and is now an organ shop. Dr Witney’s practice moved from its original position into a sort of annexe next door, and is now run by a Dr Hayden and Partners.
The religious side was well catered for. At one stage we had a Methodist Chapel, a Church of England Church, St. John’s, a Baptist Chapel, Congregational Church, Plymouth Brethren, Quakers, and a meeting run, over the top of the old Co-op in the High Street, by a Mr. Farley.
The most popular one was the Wesleyan Methodist. Most of my generation went to Chapel twice on Sunday, not that we were religious but the brothers Ball, Frank and Steve, ran a football team and a gymnastic club, and also a singing and elocution eisteddfod every year. The Sunday School teachers were local people and well known, so in consequence the boys and girls went there.
Mr Farley’s organization was mainly a revivalist type of religion, much fervent singing and a little tub thumping but it was good fun and it did us no harm.
Today no Mr Farley, long since died; no Baptist Chapel. We have a Roman Catholic Church which was established in the ‘30’s and also a Mission Hall in Fairfield Road. Strangely no Salvation Army, our nearest is Waltham Abbey and Harlow.
St. Johns Church had a Canon Olivier as its Head in the ‘20’s and early ‘30’s and he lived in a large house at the rear of Hemnall Street where the complex ‘Pineview Manor’ now is. He was succeeded in turn by the Very Rev Mr Mortlock and Rev Ovenden.
The Church of St. John was the Governor of the boys and girls’ senior school in St. John’s Road and once a week one of the vicars came and took religious studies for the top classes.
The police station next door to the post office was pretty much a local establishment with community policemen. Not for them motor cars, they trod the beat and at best rode a bicycle. These generally very stern but able officers, lived in the town somewhere and kept the local lads in order either by a wipe around ears with a cape or glove or a good talking to, and it was very effective.
A Superintendent Rolfe, whose son now lives in Bury Road, was in charge I remember, and was an excellent cricketer in his day for the town team.
There was a Detective Norman, PC’s Smith, Monk, Sims, Billet (later a Sgt) and Comerford (moved to Ongar). There were of course others but it is a problem to always remember now whether they were pre or post war.
The police station has undergone change over the years. It has a court at the rear and many more facilities than the original that I knew.
A small road, called Star Lane, separates it from our next establishment, the post office. Again very few motors, all walks, as they are termed, done on ones legs, rural areas being done by bicycle. I believe that at one time even these were walked.
A post master controlled the department including the counter staff and a small telephone service on the church side of the town which eventually moved to its present site in Crows Road pre-war, and was expanded.
In the sorting office, an inspector ruled over the postmen who had invariably graduated from messenger boys to the rank of postman. I dare say there are still readers who remember Johnny Kearns, Jimmy Doe, Charlie Littlechild, Mr Purkiss, Mr Perry, Mr Dowsett, George Dowsett, Mr Plumb, Mr Jenkins (Fatty), Mr Purnell (only had one arm) Mr Mansfield (Trunky), Bob Churchill, and others. Alas all but Bob Churchill gone, Tempus Fugit.
Of the builders I remember, just one family firm remains, B J Cable, which I mentioned earlier and who I worked for for several years, still operates from Bell Common now owned by Victor Cable, ‘B J’s son.
Of the others, an old established firm alas now gone, James Whiffen and Sons, B. J. Cowlin, F. Palmer, Baker Bros. were the major ones. Whiffen’s being the largest operated in gangs run by the sons Fred, Gaius and Maurice and another whose first name escapes me but he was known as ‘Bolt’ and rode a three wheeled cycle.
Apparently these brothers used to appear on one another’s jobs and countermand orders given and this caused some consternation and not a small amount of problems.
Cowlins were primarily plumbers and decorators and did good work. Ben Cowlin was a stickler for having a job done right. A little story here about him which is appropriate. I was a decorator myself for over 36 years and the man who taught me originally had worked for Cowlin. Ted Woolmore from St. John’s Road told me how when he first went to Cowlins as a boy, old Ben gave him a bucket of lime wash and a brush and asked Ted to do his fruit trees. They were of course dormant, no leaves on them. After a while Ben came back and saw that friend Woolmore had not only done the trunks of the trees but was treating all the boughs as well. Congratulating Ted he said that he had the right approach and would make a good decorator. He also took him into a WC and impressed upon him that he should make as good a job of that as he would a drawing room. He said that people had time to sit and look around in a loo and would quickly find any mistakes. How true, this advice always stuck with me.
Lastly I come to the Co-op easily the largest grocery concern in Epping between the wars. Originally the old Epping & District Cooperative Society, it was taken over by the London Cooperative Society and it had departments for most general needs.
Situated in the High Street at its southern end, it is now called ‘Epping Galleries’. It had a grocery dept, which had two sides, one for bacon, ham, butter, lard, eggs, etc., and what was called the sugar side which apart from sugar did cereals, tea, cocoa, coffee and bread etc.
Next door was a clothing and shoe department with a cobblers shop in the rear. Then, at the end, a ladies drapery. Upstairs was a large hall which could be hired out for various purposes i.e. religious ceremonies, dances etc., and an office area for administration.
At the rear it had access to Hemnall Street, a bakery which supplied all the bread and confectionery, stabling for the horses and places for carts, wagons and storage, in fact quite self contained.
Now to staff, who remembers the following? Mr Yaxley from Tower Road, the general manager, Mr Middleton in charge of the office and finance.
The grocery dept, Jack Cole, Dough Hammond, Claud David, George Sains, George Searle, Harry Jewitt. In the desk Dulcie Porter who took the penny bank and other items.
Bert Turrell and young George Duffell in the men’s dept, ‘Buffy Butch’ the cobbler.
In the ladies, Miss Leese, Miss Smith, Miss Crisp and Dorothy Sapsford, all efficient ladies.
In the bakery, we had Fred Kearns, Mr Clark, Len Flack. The Co-op had rounds men of all types either horse drawn or motorised. Of the former Clary Rowland took round bread, Bert Oddie, oils and paraffin, Jim Wheeler and George Brewer were coalmen. Motorised rounds had Jim Peppitt and Charlie Rann on general groceries and bread. Bert Law was a bread rounds man and Cyril Pomphrett pulled a hand barrow doing a local bread round.
A little along from the shop, a small butcher shop was opened and Mr Driver was in charge assisted by Bill Cakebread, and Jack Day who also did a round.
So you can see it was a fair size concern and catered for virtually all requirements. It also ran a Mutuality Club where one could acquire vouchers for so much which we paid back in weekly instalments and the interest was just a shilling (twelve old pence) for every pound borrowed. Many folk were clothed this way between the wars.
The Co-op had a Women’s Guild, it also ran an entertainment’s section and concerts were given and it also toured local halls.
At the bottom of Tower Road was a field where the horses were turned out at weekends or if sick. This same field was used once a year for the International Co-operators Day, when a procession from the bottom of Kendal Avenue proceeded to the field where the fete was opened usually by a Labour Co-op MP John Strachney and Leah Manning are two that I remember. A sports programme for the children, side-shows and a firework display rounded off proceedings.
Down at Epping railway station was a large area of sidings and buildings and the local organizations had their deports for coal etc. The Co-op’s representative was Mr Kerr, a very small near man who had a son, Edward, very fat right from a small boy to an adult hence his nickname ‘Fatty’.
Now in the early thirties, or it might have been earlier in the twenties, Harold Ashworth, a Lancastrian, came down to manage the Co-op. He took over the Loughton shop for a while, then realising that things were not going to work out in his interest, he left and bought a horse and a small cart. The cart was more of a trolley type, and with this he set up a fish delivery round.
After a while he acquired a shop in the High Street owned by Mr Savage, a joiner who had a small works opposite at the rear of his house. With this and a small works opposite at the rear of this house. With this and a good Lancastrian recipe, he started a fish and chip business, without a doubt the best for miles around. When he died the business was carried on by his wife, daughter and son in law, Peter Randall. This only finished trading in 1987. What a pity, it’s now a Kababery (whatever that is!).
The LNER ran steam trains from Liverpool Street to Ongar, the fore runner of the now Central Line, and a small marshalling yard was at the station way as I previously mentioned, with a turntable, a shed for repairs and several sideings. Some of the local rail men were Loco Drivers Charlie Edwards, "Fiery" Furlong, Sammy Petley, Joe and Bill Gosling, "Tinny" Green and Mr King. Tom Clark was Foreman Porter, "Boysie" Searing and my brother Harry were Firemen and, of course, there were others that I cannot now remember.
Trains ran from Epping to London for one shilling and nine pence return, the price didn't fluctuate only by a few pence for several years and they kept reasonable time.
Whilst on the subject of transport, several private bus services came into and through Epping. They were in fact known as "Pirate" buses. They all ran over the same routes and used to race one another to the stops so as to pick up passengers.
There was the Tiger Coach Co., Acme, Bouts Bros. Knowles and others including the People Bus Service which ran to Hertford via Epping Green, Roydon, Ware, Hertford. It was called locally the "Dripping Coach" because young ladies in domestic service used to go home on their days off with basins of dripping. Ah me! The days when toast had the right grease to complement it and no one worried about excess cholesterol.
In the early thirties motor transport was nationalised, London Transport was created, a semblance of order came about and we had routes to Aldgate and Windsor.
Now let’s talk about the schools which turned out the majority of the people who live in Epping and, through a scholarship system, sent boys and girls to higher education in other areas.
The major school was in St. Jon's Road originally a segregated one with boys on one side and girls on the other. A little further down the road was an infants school which was mixed. Another mixed school was down at Fiddlers Hamlet, the Headmaster being a Mr Lemon, whose son and grandson own the Epping Laundry on Bower Hill.
A private school was run by the Misses Wright, and another by a Miss Archer.
To keep the sequence right, let us start with the infants school under a Miss Carter, a stern lady, with Mrs Harknett, Miss Major, Miss Pestell and others who saw to the needs of the infants up to their eighth year, then segregation, the boys to the "big" school and the girls next door.
The girl’s school was under a formidable lady, Miss Hall, who always wore a brown nun's habit and had as her chief allies Mrs Pavitt, and two sisters, the Misses Dean (one only recently died in 1990 at over 90 years of age).
The boys side I know more about as I was under, like lots more boys, a gentleman, Mr. Piper, affectionately known as "Swanny" due to his habit when excited of extending his neck and arms and pretending flight to chastise any unfortunate youth who had raised his ire.
An excellent Headmaster who seemed to have taught fathers and sons since Noah had an ark, very strict both in and out of school, he believed that one's conduct reflected on him and brought disgrace to the school, so he wielded the springy cane with much effect and pupils were taught to respect their elders, property and themselves. Mr Piper lived to be over ninety years of age, so teaching with far less aids than today caused far less stress and I would suggest produced better citizens. Under him we had men teachers, Eddie Cox, Mr Crampin, Mr Joyse, all three of whom became Headmasters in different areas of Essex eventually.
In different areas of Essex eventually, Mr Hickman, Freddy Glover and two ladies Miss "Moggy" Freeman, very useful exponent of the edge of a ruler on one's knuckles, and after he a Miss Courtney.
In the late thirties, Mr Piper retired and Mr Barrington Sharp took over as Head assisted by a Miss Parsons, also, christened "Moggy". The lady's wrists both turned outward slightly due to them having been broken at some stage and not properly set. Jack Williams came along, a Welsh Rugby player and no mean footballer, also a good teacher. The school, which had been separate for boys and girls had two classrooms built upstairs and became co educational under Mr Sharp; Miss Hall having retired about the same time as Mr Piper.
Epping in the 20's and 30's had more than useful football and cricket clubs, the former always playing on the Bell field where the present motel stands with changing rooms in outbuildings of the public house, very sparse and spartan.
The leagues played in were the Epping League, the Walthamstow Premier and another of which I cannot remember the name. Quite successful they were, winning cups, shields and medals over the years.
Well known players included the Chiswell brothers, Harry Sharp, Harry Lunnon, Howard Nickerson, Parson Geoff Tredgett, Steve Ball, Dick Walker, Ernie Whitbread, Tich Evans and others.
The club was started in 1888 and ceased to function in 1988, a victim of lack of support by local people and a grasping local authority who wanted the earth for the hire of a pitch at Stonards Hill playing fields plus no subsidy toward their running, at the time in the London League quite high in amateur circles and it could be said an asset to the town, doomed by lack of vision of people who had no interest.
The cricket club, doomed some time in the last century by an amalgamation of a club who played on the plain and another who played on Bell Common, Epping Excelsior and Epping Victoria, first played on ground at Lynceley Grange in Lindsey Street and then at Lower Bury Lane where they still are going strong.
In the pavilion hangs a photograph of a score of 238 for 1, the highest score for the first wicket so far recorded and not yet surpassed. The batsmen concerned, well I only know of two of them, our Headmaster of St. John's School Mr AE Piper and Alf Cable from Bell Common, a small builder and local councillor.
As a boy, I acted as scorer for the 1st eleven who had some excellent members in Gerard Trotter, Gilbert AIlwood, Dr Siegerts, Frank Simmonds Johnny Dixon, Fred Whiting, Ken Krailing, E E Pring, E Edmunds, Dan Willis, Denzil Trenoh, Charlie Chambers, Steve Ball, Frank Baker, Mr Sale, and lots more in their turn, who could give the Essex club and ground side a very good game, and often did.
Bowls and tennis were also played on the Bury Lane ground, the participants being restricted to white collar workers and not as broadly as now.
In the district of course were other sports teams, both football and cricket, at Coopersale and Epping Green, Thornwood and North Weald and of course Theydon Bois. Their football team played in yellow and black stripes and were known as the "Tigers". Sports wise much of Epping was well catered for, and then we had another organization which much more seriously took up the time of a lot of young fellows.
In Hemnall Street, where now the local town council and an indoor sports complex holds sway, was the local headquarters of the 1st - 4th Battalion, The Essex Regiment and a Company of the Royal Engineers.
It is not generally known or perhaps appreciated that this same 4th Battalion who, as members of the fourth Indian Division at the Battle of EI Alamein, were the first infantry men through the German lines during the breakthrough. Epping can be proud that some of its sons were in this battle.
The original home of this battalion had been in St. John's Road in an old tin hut, but the drill hall in Hemnall Street was a far better place. It was also used by the general public for dances, flower shows, etc. when available.
We also had a fire station and a brigade which was originally council run but for most of the time between the two Great Wars was privately owned and run by a Mr Woore. I have a feeling that he worked at the iron foundry for Chris Cottis because a lot of the staff from there were firemen, all voluntary of course, their only payment being from insurance money paid by firms whose fires had been attended to and who were insured.
An old well polished Packard engine did excellent service in the area, and with Mr Woore, who was Chief Fire Officer, were Bill Fleming, Bernard and Laurie Walden, Fred Dodson, Les Stevens, Mr. Forecast, Bill Carpenter and others.
The playing areas, or greens, stretched on the London side of Epping from the top of Hemnall Street, Bell Common as far as the Bell, then Mill Plain beyond to the forest edge, best part of a mile in length, overgrown grass with an avenue of Elm trees as far as the Theydon Road, some still stand today, and on Mill plain we now, since the second world war, have a cricket pitch used by the Epping Foresters.
At the other end was the plain in the centre of the Epping Bishop Stortford Road known as the A11 and the North Weald - Chelmsford Road. This only extended about half a mile to a large pond know as the Lake and was quite open, nowadays it is afforested bisected by a path north to south approximately from the entrance to St. Margaret's hospital to the Hole in the Wall garage on the Thornwood Road, so called because there used to literally be a cafe in a hole in the wall.
A path from the water trough situated at the fork in the main road at the top of Palmers Hill led across the Plain via the Lake through the lower forest to Woodside. Through the forest we had a path to Coopersale and the stump through to Thornwood from the North Weald road.
The lake at one time had been cleared except for an island in the centre and it was used for skating and swimming, and bathing huts stood at the side (all now gone).
On Bell Common, near the Bell Public House, stands a pear tree which still bears fruit, I do not suppose it is worth much nowadays but it is a surviving relic of a time before the First World War when a certain Mo Street lived in a caravan and enclosed a small area.
On the Mill Plain side stood a wooden pound wherein stray animals were put until collected by their owners who would have had to pay for their release.
We had a cinema in the High Street almost opposite the church. The building had been, in turn, an ice rink, council chambers, and a silent film cinema, and the screen had been in turn at either end. I can only remember it being at the southern end. This survived the war but, with TV and other modern attractions, it died the death and became the first Tesco's.
Whilst on the theme of entertainment, several halls in the district as well as the town were used for dancing on Saturdays. The Women's Institute Hall in St. John's Road (now called the Epping Hall) was one such place. The acoustics were poor plus at one side it has several supporting pillars which were a bit of a nuisance.
The Armoury held a dance usually once a month from 8p.m.until Midnight, music by Jack Shearmur and his Broadway music.
The most popular venues, however, were the institute at Coopersale, not overlarge, invariably packed out dancing; to Bert Houchin's music, a three piece band from Chingford, and on alternate weeks, North Weald village hall to Billy Kneller's band.
With the kind permission of the late Frederick Brown late of Coopersale, Essex
listing many names and business's and some descriptions of the people during the two world wars
EPPING THROUGH THE EYES OF FRED
By Fred Brown 25th April 1918 - 27th July 2005
First published 1996 Mother Rosetta Elizabeth Hudgill 1868 - 1952 Epping Essex)
Preface:
When contemplating this book, I appreciated that it would be necessary to effect an introduction, but in what form?
There is other information either pictorial or factual in the Museum at Waltham Abbey, albeit over a greater period that I am covering, so it necessitated a different approach.
I was born in Epping in 1918 of locally born parents. My schooling was here and, except for the second world war period, my living and social life, and I have served as a local councillor with the old Urban District Council, so I am qualified to put over the period between the two great wars which I have chosen.
My approach then has been rather more than just a straightforward historical one with none the less the same information in perhaps a more newsy way. I hope you like it. Fred Brown
Epping High Street
CHAPTER 1
Epping is a market town situated in the far corner of West Essex with the Hertfordshire and Middlesex borders just a few miles away built originally in a clearing of the Forest of Waltham (later Epping Forest, some 6,000 acre in area) on the main route to London from the East Anglian area, it was notorious, at one time for highwaymen such as Dick Turpin, the Gregory Gang, Tom King, Sixteen String Jack and others.
In the forest on the London side of the town are earth-works known as Ambresbury Banks, reputed to be a defence used by Boudicca (Boadicea), Queen of the Iceni tribe, during the Roman occupation of Britain.
The town is also unique in that it sits on a hill some 350 feet above sea level and so has commanding views of the surrounding countryside which is quite hilly. In fact, to come into Epping from any point, necessitates coming up a hill. This means that the town is not subject to flooding in times of heavy rainfall, nor do we seem to be troubled unduly by thunderstorms, these invariably follow along the valley to the north of the town and the lowlands area toward the River Thames.
Because of its position astride a major trade route, Epping in times past provided hostelries and inns for coaching purposes, and the various traders who came to Waltham market and London. These folk provided the prey for the ‘gentlemen of the road’. Up to the First World War, Epping had some sixteen inns and hotels in use and it seems that they were used according to one’s status, cattle drovers, sheep, goats, and poultry. Each part of the farming fraternity had his ale house and place where business could be carried out.
The hostelries in question started with the Royal Oak on the east side coming from North Weald and almost adjacent to the hospital (St. Margaret’s) along that side of the town. Then came The Sun, The Thatched House, Cock Hotel, George and Dragon, The Swan, White Lion, White Hart, Duke of Wellington, Half Moon, and Forest Gate. Coming from London, The Bell Inn (now a motel) The Duke of York, Black Lion, The Pineapple, The Globe. of these, only The Thatched House (recently re-opened), George & Dragon, Duke of Wellington, Half Moon, and Forest Gate, the Bell Motel, Black Lion and the Globe are left, and in the immediate surrounding district, The Spotted Dog, Merry Fiddlers, Theydon Oak and Garnon Bushes.
Between the wars, the population was around 4,500 and the main sources of employment were the very large Copped Hall Estate and William Cottis Archimedean Works, the latter making all types of agricultural machinery so the main employers were attached very much to agriculture.
The large estate at Copped Hall was run by an estate office, a Mr Dashwood being the Principal Officer. A Mr Ormond was the Working Manager I suppose you would call him. He used to ride on a horse, a rather imposing gentleman with the disposition of a sergeant major. The estate was run like a business; it covered a large area running more or less north west it stretched from Upshire to Epping Green to Thornwood and skirted the town from Lindsey Street to Bury Lane. All the farms and fields were owned by Copped Hall and were rented by tenant farmers. They employed their own work force of carpenters and general builders who maintained the farm buildings, houses, etc. although work was let out to local building firms as well.
Alarge kitchen garden was worked at the rear of the large mansion which had been destroyed by fire in 1917 and the owner, Mr E J Wythes, the Lord of the Manor, moved into the Wood House at Griffins Wood on the Estate.
Large coal and coke wagons drawn by horses carried fuel from the railway station up to the estate.
Pheasant shooting was carried out during the season and the ‘bag’ being sold, I must assume, by the local butchers. Gamekeepers who lived on the estate policed the whole of the property and the estate was run fairly efficiently.
William Cottis and Sons employed quite a large work force. The works right in the town was rather like a large smithy with, instead of horseshoes, haysweeps, cutters, binders, elevators, all types of agricultural implements, and the repair of same necessitated a large number of skilled artisans, moulders, woof workers, and of course clerical staff.
They also had in the High Street, an ironmongery shop selling all the necessary home appliances, in addition a small garage which sold petrol and oil and carried out car repairs. This was not all, because in the area by the railway station, recently vacated by the firm of W. C. Pantin (British Matthew’s was a large brickfield and works. Here clay was dug out and made into bricks fired in kilns and sold.
There is many a house today in Epping and no doubt all around the area built with “Cottis’s Reds”, an excellent, good looking, hard wearing house brick. Unfortunately, the useful clay ran out and the works was closed down and sold off. But yet, with Copped Hall, it was the major employer of it’s time.
Besides this there were several building firms and the usual ancillaries, shops, post office, hospitals, various rounds such as milk, bread, grocery, etc. By local shops keepers and people commuted to London just thirteen or so miles by steam train to Liverpool Street.
Whilst it would seem that sufficient establishments catered for the local labour force, there was unemployment in the 1930’s as everywhere else in the county. At the eastern end of the town was the place where those on the ‘dole’ were required to sign on. A Mr. Sullivan was the man in charge and his troops were known as ‘Sullivan’s Army’.
Whenever employment came along, whether permanent or temporary, he (Mr Sullivan) would select people (and he had his favourites). They would be given a green card and directed to wherever the work was. In those days too we had a means test where inspectors would appear at the poor unfortunate’s home to see what could be sold off to cover the rent or any debts incurred. Not much different today when the old and poor have to fill in forms and declare their savings to get any sort of relief. Ironically, Mr Sullivan’s home had previously belonged to a Mr Edward Winter in the middle and late ‘eighties’. He was a pawnbroker, still helping the poor and needy.
Whilst much of a town’s activities are invariably centred around a hub, the High Street, the main shopping area, and places of officialdom, the outlying areas are not forgotten, I shall touch on them as we go along.
Now, Epping had received a charter designating it a town by virtue of its market which had been in existence for years used by the local farmers and stallholders.
A cattle market with animals tied up to especially constructed rails, a wooden pound and pens for pigs and sheep made Mondays a very busy time with stallholders selling almost every kind of ware. At the rear of The Cock Hotel was a poultry market for chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits, pigeons etc. presided over in my day by Charlie Parrish, a gaunt thin featured gentleman, but very knowledgeable.
An auctioneers led by Harry Knight, who sold cattle in the open air from a rostrum was situated where Aves the Optician is now, that is to say in the front by the kerbside.
The Market brought quite a lot of people from outlying areas into the town on one day of the week, and whilst the local shopkeepers may had had mixed feelings about the market, I feel sure that they had a reasonable return from its activities, particularly, the harness makers, the hostelries and the food shops who would have seen many more people during Monday than any other weekday.
During the coming chapters we shall deal with the schools, places of religious worship, the hospitals and doctors, fire service, local authorities, the police, Post Office, the shops and their keepers, sports facilities, local celebrities and some anecdotes pertaining to residents, mostly humours.
CHAPTER 2 Here I would like to deal with the various major organizations which provided the town’s needs like the various services police, hospitals, doctors, schools, post office, and the local builders, all of whom provided employment as well as providing the needs of the town.
We start with the hospitals, of which there were three. St. Margaret’s was the major one, on the North Weald to Ongar Road, at the east end of the town, by the side of the plain.
It was originally an old workhouse with facilities for ‘The Gentlemen of the Road’ familiarly know as ‘The Spike’, much smaller than today. The man in charge was Mr A A W Simmons later a Mr H England. A Fair amount of ground surrounded the hospital which originally consisted of two large red brick buildings know as ‘A’ and ‘B’ blocks with a wooded building for those with T. B, and of course wooded buildings for vagrants. Here the milestone inspectors had to do a couple of hour’s work of some kind before moving on.
There was a laundry and boiler house just as today and just prior to the last war several new huts were built and these made up a large proportion of the wards, all named after trees a lot of which grow in the surrounding forest.
On Bell Common, at the southern end of the town, was a small cottage hospital built, I believe, from subscription, and used by the local medical practitioners for minor operations and short stay illnesses. It had a very good view from its rear aspect looking over the area roughly Brentwood, Romford, Abridge, Chigwell, etc.
The other hospital was an isolation one in Forest Glade along the North Weald road, used for infectious diseases, like Scarlet Fever, Diphtheria, etc. Modern medical techniques, however, made this small unit redundant and it was closed just after the second world war.
B J Cable, local Epping builders, bought the site, demolished the building and erected a private estate there.
So much then for the hospital service though it should be pointed out that if these places were used, payment had to be made as they were in effect private hospitals, so the general public had to belong to an organization like the HAS (Hospital Savings Association) in order to pay if one was unfortunate enough to have to use them.
We had in the town three doctors surgeries, the first near the church was run by Dr Watney and his partner, Dr Monkhouse, and at the bottom end on the same side where W E Cole, the tailor now is, was Mr Erskine with Dr Roy Evans. These later moved to Station Road, to a large house ‘Balgonnie’. The surgery is still in the grounds today. It is, I suppose, the larger of the two organizations existing. After Dr Denning died his practice became a dentist for a while and is now an organ shop. Dr Witney’s practice moved from its original position into a sort of annexe next door, and is now run by a Dr Hayden and Partners.
The religious side was well catered for. At one stage we had a Methodist Chapel, a Church of England Church, St. John’s, a Baptist Chapel, Congregational Church, Plymouth Brethren, Quakers, and a meeting run, over the top of the old Co-op in the High Street, by a Mr. Farley.
The most popular one was the Wesleyan Methodist. Most of my generation went to Chapel twice on Sunday, not that we were religious but the brothers Ball, Frank and Steve, ran a football team and a gymnastic club, and also a singing and elocution eisteddfod every year. The Sunday School teachers were local people and well known, so in consequence the boys and girls went there.
Mr Farley’s organization was mainly a revivalist type of religion, much fervent singing and a little tub thumping but it was good fun and it did us no harm.
Today no Mr Farley, long since died; no Baptist Chapel. We have a Roman Catholic Church which was established in the ‘30’s and also a Mission Hall in Fairfield Road. Strangely no Salvation Army, our nearest is Waltham Abbey and Harlow.
St. Johns Church had a Canon Olivier as its Head in the ‘20’s and early ‘30’s and he lived in a large house at the rear of Hemnall Street where the complex ‘Pineview Manor’ now is. He was succeeded in turn by the Very Rev Mr Mortlock and Rev Ovenden.
The Church of St. John was the Governor of the boys and girls’ senior school in St. John’s Road and once a week one of the vicars came and took religious studies for the top classes.
The police station next door to the post office was pretty much a local establishment with community policemen. Not for them motor cars, they trod the beat and at best rode a bicycle. These generally very stern but able officers, lived in the town somewhere and kept the local lads in order either by a wipe around ears with a cape or glove or a good talking to, and it was very effective.
A Superintendent Rolfe, whose son now lives in Bury Road, was in charge I remember, and was an excellent cricketer in his day for the town team.
There was a Detective Norman, PC’s Smith, Monk, Sims, Billet (later a Sgt) and Comerford (moved to Ongar). There were of course others but it is a problem to always remember now whether they were pre or post war.
The police station has undergone change over the years. It has a court at the rear and many more facilities than the original that I knew.
A small road, called Star Lane, separates it from our next establishment, the post office. Again very few motors, all walks, as they are termed, done on ones legs, rural areas being done by bicycle. I believe that at one time even these were walked.
A post master controlled the department including the counter staff and a small telephone service on the church side of the town which eventually moved to its present site in Crows Road pre-war, and was expanded.
In the sorting office, an inspector ruled over the postmen who had invariably graduated from messenger boys to the rank of postman. I dare say there are still readers who remember Johnny Kearns, Jimmy Doe, Charlie Littlechild, Mr Purkiss, Mr Perry, Mr Dowsett, George Dowsett, Mr Plumb, Mr Jenkins (Fatty), Mr Purnell (only had one arm) Mr Mansfield (Trunky), Bob Churchill, and others. Alas all but Bob Churchill gone, Tempus Fugit.
Of the builders I remember, just one family firm remains, B J Cable, which I mentioned earlier and who I worked for for several years, still operates from Bell Common now owned by Victor Cable, ‘B J’s son.
Of the others, an old established firm alas now gone, James Whiffen and Sons, B. J. Cowlin, F. Palmer, Baker Bros. were the major ones. Whiffen’s being the largest operated in gangs run by the sons Fred, Gaius and Maurice and another whose first name escapes me but he was known as ‘Bolt’ and rode a three wheeled cycle.
Apparently these brothers used to appear on one another’s jobs and countermand orders given and this caused some consternation and not a small amount of problems.
Cowlins were primarily plumbers and decorators and did good work. Ben Cowlin was a stickler for having a job done right. A little story here about him which is appropriate. I was a decorator myself for over 36 years and the man who taught me originally had worked for Cowlin. Ted Woolmore from St. John’s Road told me how when he first went to Cowlins as a boy, old Ben gave him a bucket of lime wash and a brush and asked Ted to do his fruit trees. They were of course dormant, no leaves on them. After a while Ben came back and saw that friend Woolmore had not only done the trunks of the trees but was treating all the boughs as well. Congratulating Ted he said that he had the right approach and would make a good decorator. He also took him into a WC and impressed upon him that he should make as good a job of that as he would a drawing room. He said that people had time to sit and look around in a loo and would quickly find any mistakes. How true, this advice always stuck with me.
Lastly I come to the Co-op easily the largest grocery concern in Epping between the wars. Originally the old Epping & District Cooperative Society, it was taken over by the London Cooperative Society and it had departments for most general needs.
Situated in the High Street at its southern end, it is now called ‘Epping Galleries’. It had a grocery dept, which had two sides, one for bacon, ham, butter, lard, eggs, etc., and what was called the sugar side which apart from sugar did cereals, tea, cocoa, coffee and bread etc.
Next door was a clothing and shoe department with a cobblers shop in the rear. Then, at the end, a ladies drapery. Upstairs was a large hall which could be hired out for various purposes i.e. religious ceremonies, dances etc., and an office area for administration.
At the rear it had access to Hemnall Street, a bakery which supplied all the bread and confectionery, stabling for the horses and places for carts, wagons and storage, in fact quite self contained.
Now to staff, who remembers the following? Mr Yaxley from Tower Road, the general manager, Mr Middleton in charge of the office and finance.
The grocery dept, Jack Cole, Dough Hammond, Claud David, George Sains, George Searle, Harry Jewitt. In the desk Dulcie Porter who took the penny bank and other items.
Bert Turrell and young George Duffell in the men’s dept, ‘Buffy Butch’ the cobbler.
In the ladies, Miss Leese, Miss Smith, Miss Crisp and Dorothy Sapsford, all efficient ladies.
In the bakery, we had Fred Kearns, Mr Clark, Len Flack. The Co-op had rounds men of all types either horse drawn or motorised. Of the former Clary Rowland took round bread, Bert Oddie, oils and paraffin, Jim Wheeler and George Brewer were coalmen. Motorised rounds had Jim Peppitt and Charlie Rann on general groceries and bread. Bert Law was a bread rounds man and Cyril Pomphrett pulled a hand barrow doing a local bread round.
A little along from the shop, a small butcher shop was opened and Mr Driver was in charge assisted by Bill Cakebread, and Jack Day who also did a round.
So you can see it was a fair size concern and catered for virtually all requirements. It also ran a Mutuality Club where one could acquire vouchers for so much which we paid back in weekly instalments and the interest was just a shilling (twelve old pence) for every pound borrowed. Many folk were clothed this way between the wars.
The Co-op had a Women’s Guild, it also ran an entertainment’s section and concerts were given and it also toured local halls.
At the bottom of Tower Road was a field where the horses were turned out at weekends or if sick. This same field was used once a year for the International Co-operators Day, when a procession from the bottom of Kendal Avenue proceeded to the field where the fete was opened usually by a Labour Co-op MP John Strachney and Leah Manning are two that I remember. A sports programme for the children, side-shows and a firework display rounded off proceedings.
Down at Epping railway station was a large area of sidings and buildings and the local organizations had their deports for coal etc. The Co-op’s representative was Mr Kerr, a very small near man who had a son, Edward, very fat right from a small boy to an adult hence his nickname ‘Fatty’.
Now in the early thirties, or it might have been earlier in the twenties, Harold Ashworth, a Lancastrian, came down to manage the Co-op. He took over the Loughton shop for a while, then realising that things were not going to work out in his interest, he left and bought a horse and a small cart. The cart was more of a trolley type, and with this he set up a fish delivery round.
After a while he acquired a shop in the High Street owned by Mr Savage, a joiner who had a small works opposite at the rear of his house. With this and a small works opposite at the rear of this house. With this and a good Lancastrian recipe, he started a fish and chip business, without a doubt the best for miles around. When he died the business was carried on by his wife, daughter and son in law, Peter Randall. This only finished trading in 1987. What a pity, it’s now a Kababery (whatever that is!).
The LNER ran steam trains from Liverpool Street to Ongar, the fore runner of the now Central Line, and a small marshalling yard was at the station way as I previously mentioned, with a turntable, a shed for repairs and several sideings. Some of the local rail men were Loco Drivers Charlie Edwards, "Fiery" Furlong, Sammy Petley, Joe and Bill Gosling, "Tinny" Green and Mr King. Tom Clark was Foreman Porter, "Boysie" Searing and my brother Harry were Firemen and, of course, there were others that I cannot now remember.
Trains ran from Epping to London for one shilling and nine pence return, the price didn't fluctuate only by a few pence for several years and they kept reasonable time.
Whilst on the subject of transport, several private bus services came into and through Epping. They were in fact known as "Pirate" buses. They all ran over the same routes and used to race one another to the stops so as to pick up passengers.
There was the Tiger Coach Co., Acme, Bouts Bros. Knowles and others including the People Bus Service which ran to Hertford via Epping Green, Roydon, Ware, Hertford. It was called locally the "Dripping Coach" because young ladies in domestic service used to go home on their days off with basins of dripping. Ah me! The days when toast had the right grease to complement it and no one worried about excess cholesterol.
In the early thirties motor transport was nationalised, London Transport was created, a semblance of order came about and we had routes to Aldgate and Windsor.
Now let’s talk about the schools which turned out the majority of the people who live in Epping and, through a scholarship system, sent boys and girls to higher education in other areas.
The major school was in St. Jon's Road originally a segregated one with boys on one side and girls on the other. A little further down the road was an infants school which was mixed. Another mixed school was down at Fiddlers Hamlet, the Headmaster being a Mr Lemon, whose son and grandson own the Epping Laundry on Bower Hill.
Aprivate school was run by the Misses Wright, and another by a Miss Archer.
To keep the sequence right, let us start with the infants school under a Miss Carter, a stern lady, with Mrs Harknett, Miss Major, Miss Pestell and others who saw to the needs of the infants up to their eighth year, then segregation, the boys to the "big" school and the girls next door.
The girl’s school was under a formidable lady, Miss Hall, who always wore a brown nun's habit and had as her chief allies Mrs Pavitt, and two sisters, the Misses Dean (one only recently died in 1990 at over 90 years of age).
The boys side I know more about as I was under, like lots more boys, a gentleman, Mr. Piper, affectionately known as "Swanny" due to his habit when excited of extending his neck and arms and pretending flight to chastise any unfortunate youth who had raised his voice.
In excellent Headmaster who seemed to have taught fathers and sons since Noah had an ark, very strict both in and out of school, he believed that one's conduct reflected on him and brought disgrace to the school, so he wielded the springy cane with much effect and pupils were taught to respect their elders, property and themselves. Mr Piper lived to be over ninety years of age, so teaching with far less aids than today caused far less stress and I would suggest produced better citizens. Under him we had men teachers, Eddie Cox, Mr Crampin, Mr Joyse, all three of whom became Headmasters in different areas of Essex eventually.
In different areas of Essex eventually, Mr Hickman, Freddy Glover and two ladies Miss "Moggy" Freeman, very useful exponent of the edge of a ruler on one's knuckles, and after he a Miss Courtney.
In the late thirties, Mr Piper retired and Mr Barrington Sharp took over as Head assisted by a Miss Parsons, also, christened "Moggy". The lady's wrists both turned outward slightly due to them having been broken at some stage and not properly set. Jack Williams came along, a Welsh Rugby player and no mean footballer, also a good teacher. The school, which had been separate for boys and girls had two classrooms built upstairs and became co educational under Mr Sharp; Miss Hall having retired about the same time as Mr Piper.
Epping in the 20's and 30's had more than useful football and cricket clubs, the former always playing on the Bell field where the present motel stands with changing rooms in outbuildings of the public house, very sparse and spartan.
The leagues played in were the Epping League, the Walthamstow Premier and another of which I cannot remember the name. Quite successful they were, winning cups, shields and medals over the years.
Well known players included the Chiswell brothers, Harry Sharp, Harry Lunnon, Howard Nickerson, Parson Geoff Tredgett, Steve Ball, Dick Walker, Ernie Whitbread, Tich Evans and others.
The club was started in 1888 and ceased to function in 1988, a victim of lack of support by local people and a grasping local authority who wanted the earth for the hire of a pitch at Stonards Hill playing fields plus no subsidy toward their running, at the time in the London League quite high in amateur circles and it could be said an asset to the town, doomed by lack of vision of people who had no interest.
The cricket club, doomed some time in the last century by an amalgamation of a club who played on the plain and another who played on Bell Common, Epping Excelsior and Epping Victoria, first played on ground at Lynceley Grange in Lindsey Street and then at Lower Bury Lane where they still are going strong.
In the pavilion hangs a photograph of a score of 238 for 1, the highest score for the first wicket so far recorded and not yet surpassed. The batsmen concerned, well I only know of two of them, our Headmaster of St. John's School Mr AE Piper and Alf Cable from Bell Common, a small builder and local councillor.
As a boy, I acted as scorer for the 1st eleven who had some excellent members in Gerard Trotter, Gilbert AIlwood, Dr Siegerts, Frank Simmonds Johnny Dixon, Fred Whiting, Ken Krailing, E E Pring, E Edmunds, Dan Willis, Denzil Trenoh, Charlie Chambers, Steve Ball, Frank Baker, Mr Sale, and lots more in their turn, who could give the Essex club and ground side a very good game, and often did.
Bowls and tennis were also played on the Bury Lane ground, the participants being restricted to white collar workers and not as broadly as now.
In the district of course were other sports teams, both football and cricket, at Coopersale and Epping Green, Thornwood and North Weald and of course Theydon Bois. Their football team played in yellow and black stripes and were known as the "Tigers". Sports wise much of Epping was well catered for, and then we had another organization which much more seriously took up the time of a lot of young fellows.
In Hemnall Street, where now the local town council and an indoor sports complex holds sway, was the local headquarters of the 1st - 4th Battalion, The Essex Regiment and a Company of the Royal Engineers.
It is not generally known or perhaps appreciated that this same 4th Battalion who, as members of the fourth Indian Division at the Battle of EI Alamein, were the first infantry men through the German lines during the breakthrough. Epping can be proud that some of its sons were in this battle.
The original home of this battalion had been in St. John's Road in an old tin hut, but the drill hall in Hemnall Street was a far better place. It was also used by the general public for dances, flower shows, etc. when available.
We also had a fire station and a brigade which was originally council run but for most of the time between the two Great Wars was privately owned and run by a Mr Woore. I have a feeling that he worked at the iron foundry for Chris Cottis because a lot of the staff from there were firemen, all voluntary of course, their only payment being from insurance money paid by firms whose fires had been attended to and who were insured.
An old well polished Packard engine did excellent service in the area, and with Mr Woore, who was Chief Fire Officer, were Bill Fleming, Bernard and Laurie Walden, Fred Dodson, Les Stevens, Mr. Forecast, Bill Carpenter and others.
The playing areas, or greens, stretched on the London side of Epping from the top of Hemnall Street, Bell Common as far as the Bell, then Mill Plain beyond to the forest edge, best part of a mile in length, overgrown grass with an avenue of Elm trees as far as the Theydon Road, some still stand today, and on Mill plain we now, since the second world war, have a cricket pitch used by the Epping Foresters.
At the other end was the plain in the centre of the Epping Bishop Stortford Road known as the A11 and the North Weald - Chelmsford Road. This only extended about half a mile to a large pond know as the Lake and was quite open, nowadays it is afforested bisected by a path north to south approximately from the entrance to St. Margaret's hospital to the Hole in the Wall garage on the Thornwood Road, so called because there used to literally be a cafe in a hole in the wall.
A path from the water trough situated at the fork in the main road at the top of Palmers Hill led across the Plain via the Lake through the lower forest to Woodside. Through the forest we had a path to Coopersale and the stump through to Thornwood from the North Weald road.
The lake at one time had been cleared except for an island in the centre and it was used for skating and swimming, and bathing huts stood at the side (all now gone).
On Bell Common, near the Bell Public House, stands a pear tree which still bears fruit, I do not suppose it is worth much nowadays but it is a surviving relic of a time before the First World War when a certain Mo Street lived in a caravan and enclosed a small area.
On the Mill Plain side stood a wooden pound wherein stray animals were put until collected by their owners who would have had to pay for their release.
We had a cinema in the High Street almost opposite the church. The building had been, in turn, an ice rink, council chambers, and a silent film cinema, and the screen had been in turn at either end. I can only remember it being at the southern end. This survived the war but, with TV and other modern attractions, it died the death and became the first Tesco's.
Whilst on the theme of entertainment, several halls in the district as well as the town were used for dancing on Saturdays. The Women's Institute Hall in St. John's Road (now called the Epping Hall) was one such place. The acoustics were poor plus at one side it has several supporting pillars which were a bit of a nuisance.
The Armoury held a dance usually once a month from 8p.m.until Midnight, music by Jack Shearmur and his Broadway music.
The most popular venues, however, were the institute at Coopersale, not overlarge, invariably packed out dancing; to Bert Houchin's music, a three piece band from Chingford, and on alternate weeks, North Weald village hall to Billy Kneller's band.
Another and most interesting institution was formed in the middle 30's in Epping and I helped, in common with some more people, to get it off the ground.
I am referring to the Epping Town Silver Band, formed by the then Urban District council clerk, a Mr Ben Hiscott a Somerset man who played several instruments but, principally the cornet, he got several young local lads together with a few older men who had been bandsmen before (there had been bands in Epping since the late '80's but they had died out for various reasons).
However, we used to practice in an old wooden scout hut at the bottom of Kendal Avenue which had a very small fire place, and in the winter we had to practice with overcoats and mittens on. Only the solo euphonium player and the bandmaster felt the fire.
This did my musical tastes a power of good and I thoroughly enjoyed playing brass for some dozen years in total. Fortunately the band is still going, has its own band room in the Stonards Hill playing fields. My cousin Fred Stevens, at 80 years of age, is still playing the largest instrument in the band, the double bass; the longest serving and the only original member left. Happy Days!
CHAPTER 3
Nowadays there is a surfeit of local newspapers, mainly free ones, delivered haphazardly through the letter box. I say haphazardly because one week we get three or four, the next one and sometimes none at all.
''The West Essex Gazette is still around and is, I believe, the offspring of a paper simply called The Epping Gazette, printed and published by Mr A B Davis who had a printing works at the back of what is now the Co-op Supermarket in the High Street. As I shall show a little later, a row of small shops filled this space, one of which was newsagents, which apart from daily papers, sold books and all the paraphernalia of the writing fraternity.
As a small lad of thirteen years of age, in common with a lot of my contemporaries, I earned a few shillings on a Friday evening by helping to fold the Gazette ready for distribution on a Saturday.
At that time one Ben Hyde, who later started a shop and printing works of his own on the other side of the street, was in charge. Len Lawrence and his brother Dennis, officially known as "Dusmo" after a sand dust like substance used to clean the shop floor at the time, Arthur Youngs and George Cole were members of the printing staff, and fortunately some of these gentlemen are still alive although obviously retired.
As a competitor to the Gazette, another paper was printed and distributed in Epping called the Express and Independent but I do not think that it enjoyed the popularity of the former.
Today we have just two major purveyors of milk in Epping, the Co-op and Unigate. The latter's rounds men are self employed working on a franchise system, and are virtually mobile shops, for if the major item brought round is milk all sorts of grocery items are sold as well.
Between the two great wars, Epping residents had a much better choice. Eight or so firms, albeit small entrepreneurs, toured the town and all made a living selling milk, cream, eggs and tea.
On leaving school in 1932, I first worked as a milk rounds man carrying an eight gallon can inside of which, hung on a small brass stay, was a pint and a half pint measure with which the bulk of the milk sold was doled out in to a jug. Few bottles were used although towards the second world war churns and cans began to be phased out and bottles were the thing, quart, pint and half pint ones made by UGB were much more easily carried in a hand crate. Milk then did not fluctuate much in price, a penny a quart dearer in winter over the summer price, seven old pence, three and a half pence a pint and one and a half pence for a half a pint.
I worked for Herbert Nunn from Ladderstyle Farm, delivering by horse and cart. His milk came from two sources, his two brothers, Walter and Arthur, in New Farm Lane all on the Copped Hall estate, and from Johnson's Great Gregory Farm in the Theydon Road. We did two rounds every day and one on Sundays, my colleagues Henry Kearns, Ernie West, Tom Stubbins and of course the Guv'nor himself.
Then there were Walter Cox from Forest side, with Charlie Webb, Bill (Decca) Dunn, Pegrum's from Shaftsbury Farm, Lindsey Street, with Fred Cakebread, Percy Pavitt, Tom Mears, and Walter Donaldson from Horns Farm near Fiddlers Hamlet; the round. done by Bill Pearce and his wife. She could drive a horse and cart as well as any man.
The Co-op delivered with a motor lorry. Then a Mr Jones from Harlow came along, a Mr Stacey from Theydon Bois drove a three wheeled van. There was also Rob Nicholls from Parvills Farm, Epping Green. You see quite a selection.
Another well known organisation operated very successfully in Epping between the wars. I refer to the AA whose patrolmen, wearing Khaki uniforms and wearing a peaked cap (military style), rode motorcycles with a pannier on the side carrying essential tools to carry out repairs to members vehicles stranded by the roadside. In those days they were requested to salute vehicles that carried the AA badge and I would think that often by the end of the day their right arms would ache. At the top of Palmers Hill where the main road forks to North Weald and beyond, a permanent post was maintained and an officer spent hours on shift directing the traffic.
One such gentleman, Mr Henry Calman, still lives here though retired from that practice years since. At this time there was also Mr Felstead and the tallest man in the service I would have thought, (obviously called "Lofty"), Mr Davis who, as is not unusual, married a lovely lady not much over five feet in height. Standing at the bottom of the town looking up Palmer's Hill, his head and arms could be clearly seen as he directed traffic.
The RAC was also in the area but not so prominent.
Another interesting phenomenon were the ice cream vendors of T Walls & Son, who, in the summer time, rode three wheeled bicycles carrying a message to 'Stop me and buy one'. A particular favourite being a triangular shaped lolly known as a "Snofrute".
T. Allworthy from Buckhurst Hill also came into the district and Mr Forecast from St John’s Road was their representative for a long time.
These were the forerunners of the motorised vendors we get today but without the loud music, only their bell.
Another interesting sideline was carried out at Miller's Garage next to the water trough on the corner of Tower Road. Apart from selling petrol and doing car repairs, they also had a small plant for charging accumulators used to run radio sets in conjunction with a 120 volt dry battery. So one had a dry battery which lasted several months and a battery which needed charging every week. I suppose then that most households had two of these accumulators, one on the set and one on charge, usually hired for a few coppers including the charge. Quite a nice little addition to the firm's funds. Cyril Crabb from Epping Green, I remember, used to do this.
At either end of the town's High Street lived two of the local gentry. At the southern end adjacent to Bell Common at Theydon Place, Mr J G Pelly, who was a businessman in London had his residence. The grounds covered quite a large area just off Hemnall Street, which it fronted, with several fields at the rear which went to Sunnyside Road at one point.
There were also grounds and properties along the High Road with a laundry attached, the houses in the main road were used by estate workers. Two orchards and a tennis court made up the rest.
The actual estate, which was fenced in its entirety along the roadside and Bell Common side, had a main entrance with a lodge by the gate and at the other end, some three hundred yards or so, another gate with a small lodge attached and inside, a bungalow in which lived a Mr Bevan and his family.
Quite a few people worked at Theydon Place, an indoor staff of ladies, cook, house parlour maid, etc. The house boasted a butler and footman.
Bill Kearns, Alf Wood, Charlie Wood worked in the gardens. The chauffeur was a Mr Smith from Thornwood, and there was a laundry staff to do all the washing for the big house. The estate manager was Mr. Hasler, whose daughter Netta was the mother of the actpr Don "Bulman" Henderson.
Miss Kathleen Pelly was a well known keeper and exhibitor of goats, Nubian or Toggenburg, I am not too sure. Anyway, she won innumerable trophies and ribbons over several years and had a well equipped goat house and dairy. My sister-in-law, Nancy Day, was a goat girl for many years. My own father worked on the estate with a Mr. Kellaway and Mr. Taylor doing maintenance work. John Easton looked after the goats. Mr Bevan also looked after the goats and chickens and was Miss Kathleen's right hand man.
Mr Willett was the cowman and Mr. Arthur Trundle drove a horse and cart and worked where required.
At Gardeners Farm Mr Pelly ran cows and did general farming. Mr Westwood supervising with Mr French as head cowman.
Mr Hasler had the overall running of the estate which, like so many more places died the death on the demise of the principals and was sold off for building and today has an estate covering it which has eliminated all traces of the large house.
In commemoration, an old folk’s complex is on one end with a meeting hall which is used for old folk’s means on certain days of the week.
At the eastern end of Theydon Grove lived Mr Silley of the shipping firm Green, Silley and Weir.
In similar fashion to Theydon Place, the Grove was fenced in, its front, which had a small lake in the front (still there today) ran along that end of Hemnall Street with the town greens on its front. At Stonards Hill it ran down to the railway bridge and the rest of the boundary was the railway to Epping Bridge; Kendal Avenue back up to Hemnall Street enclosed the property.
There was a large kitchen garden, with Wally Alderton, Mr Hall, Fred Foster and others. The chauffeur Mr Clifford and the houseman Mr Lawrence lived on the estate. A sister in law of mine, Edith Day, worked in the big house as a girl.
Another large estate, which was part of Epping at Coopersale, was Gaynes Park, the home of Mr Swain Chisen-hale-Marsh of the Charrington Brewery organisation. He was as much the lord of the manor as Mr Wythes was at Copped Hall in that he owned a large part of Coopersale, very much a small hamlet then but a much larger part of the district now. It is a part of the urban district split off by the lower forest, and in a sense not a continuing part of Epping, but none the less a loyal part of the town. On Stonards Hill is a large house, the home of Mr H E Camps. The grounds contain a large lake and a smaller one, a fairly large area of ground which contains a farm and now several buildings.
At the foot of Stonards Hill, is a public house, the Theydon Oak, whose proprietor is Mr. Charlie De-Blauwe, and around the corner on the cross roads is The Merry Fiddlers run by Mr. Kelsey.
Coopersale itself rambles about a bit always on the outskirts but never the less still important, and part of Epping.
CHAPTER 4
To acquaint you with the town's shops and their owners, I thought it a good idea to list them in order down one side of the street and back up the other. The church and water tower side and the cinema side or, as we used to say as boys the posh side and the half-crown side.
So circa 1930 starting from the corner of Tower Road:
Millers Garage petrol, car sales, repairs, radio accumulator The Water Tower owned by the Water Authority?
E. Hammond - sweets, cigarettes, ice creams
W. Prentice - bakers and sundries
W. Hicks - newsagents and hardware
H. Skeet - general grocer
The Wesleyan Chapel
St. John's Church
Dr Denning - medical practitioner
W Guest - butcher later Willingale
C Pretlove - greengrocer
The Duke of York - public house
Daplins - cold meats, etc.
Walter Teece - butcher
C J Cottis - garage
Old Telephone Exchange - later Cooper’s men's outfitters Twyns (H Saunders) sweetshop and tobacconist
C J Cottis - residence later hardware shop
C J Cottis - Archimedian works (at rear of the above)
E E Challoner Courtney - photographer
Bell's - Restaurant
Blyth - optician
Thomas Bird - ladies dress shop and drapery
Hawthorne - the Epping Store later Harrisons
Dearloves - outfitters
Dunn - corn merchant
Aberdeen House J Church - butcher
A B Davis - printer and newsagent (works at rear) Yates dyers and cleaners
Gould - corn and seed merchants
Auctioneers
International Stores
E A Odell - newsagent
R Barron chemist (now LCS)
Pynes - drapery, furnishings, ladies shop, etc. (now gone)
Drs Watney and Monkhouse - General Practitioners
A E Batchelor - harness, sports gear, shoes, etc.
Thomas Hill - grocer, later E Hine (Blue plaque re Henry Doubleday)
E H Slater - Chemist
Priestman - Tea shop
Kingstons - wool shop
Elliott - ball library, homemade sweets
The White Shop - ladies fashions
Dewhurst - Butcher (later in the 30's)
The Westminster Bank
The Black Lion - Public house
Pynes - menswear, shoes
J Field - butcher (later Mr Furze)
Miss Brewer - sweet and toyshop
Miss Wright - private school
Dr Erskine - Medical practitioner (later Station Road surgery)
The Epping and Ongar Rural District Council Offices
T'other side from what is now:
The Gulf Garage (then private houses)
The Half Moon - Public house
The Duke of Wellington - Public house
Epping and District Cooperative Society (later the L C S) Co-op Butchery Dept
W Nunn - Farrier
Roof Gardens Tea Rooms
Hawleys Cafe
Billy Hills Cafe, Restaurant, etc.
The Fire Station
G J Pegrums - Dairy
Savage Joiners (later Harold Ashworth wet and dry fish shop) fish and chips until 1988
G Kent - ironmongery later Mollers ladies shop
Originally the Post Office later Westminster Bank
Station Road
Robinsons later W Chew - Radio shop
Edmunds - Builders Merchants also yard on other side of road
Murella - ladies hairdresser
Robbins - clocks, watches and jeweller
Dace - sweetshop
F Flack - Job master, taxis, coaches
Stingemore - wet fish
Oakley - shoe repair and taxidermist
The Miss Davidsons ?
Comer Shop - Miss Mynotts - sweets, etc.
High Street (cont.
H. Roe - harness maker
Town Hall, Epping cinema, The Empire
Mallinsons?
R. Barnard - sweets, tobacco
S. J. Church - butcher
C. Savage - barber
The White Hart - public house (Joe Luck prop)
Ozzies - Osbourne - fish and chips (now Chew & Osbourne)
Larlams - The Golden Iris - tobacconists and sweets
F. Barlow - barber
I. I. Beer - soft drinks, mineral waters, etc.
H. Moore - barber
D. C. Poulton - undertaker
D. Carey - newsagent, tobacconist, sweets
Jack Kirby - butcher
Hummerston - greengrocers
Hummerston - tea rooms, etc.
W. Cottee - shoe repairs
C. Hammond - wet fish
Herbert Cottee - small garage - petrol
R. G. Clark - furriers
The White Lion - public house
E. Hadley - dentist (later Mr. Moser)
Jones - wine merchants
C. Heyward - greengrocer
Shop originally a wheelwright’s later public transport office
Acme Coach Co.
White Swan - public house
George and Dragon - public house
W. Symes - bakers (now Pearces)
Gas Office and Show rooms (Bishop Stortford and Epping Gas Co.)
Cottis - ironmongery (later A. B. Chase - radios etc.)
W. Lawrence - baker
Cottee & Stock - greengrocer
Cyril Church - pork shop
Epping Post Office
Epping Police Station
Achille Serre - cleaners
The Cock Hotel
Thatched House Hotel
Sun Cafe - Mr Offley (originally The Sun public house) J. Sankins - car hire
Janet Every - homemade cakes and teas
A. B. Chase - radios, pianos, prams, records, etc. Originally a pawnbrokers then the local Labour Exchange (Mr. Sullivan's headquarters)
J. Whiffen - office and builders’ yard and works
You will notice that there were plenty of eating establishments and watering holes and lots of small entrepreneurs who would strive might and main to satisfy your requirements and usually did. Not for them (as now) the head shaking from side to side, it was "give us a couple of days and we will get it for you".
CHAPTER 5
In the previous chapter I outlined the shops and their business facilities. Now I would like to elaborate on them with perhaps some anecdotes as appropriate.
From the water tower then Ted Hammond, tobacconist and confectionery with a large hut at the rear where teas could be had. It was also used by the Epping orchestra led by Mrs Grant Wilson on violin.
In the shop, apart from Mr Hammond was Elsie Gorringe, the two daughters, Ruth and Barbara (Babs), son Ted all contemporaries of mine, and of course Mrs Hammond, who was unfortunately crippled and in a wheelchair, but still managed to get into the shop and help sometimes. A very nice lady, always cheerful.
Next door the midnight baker Billy Prentice, who baked by day and delivered at night on a bike, hence his nickname. His two sisters, complete with a parrot in a cage, ran the shop.
Bill and Mrs Hicks, (a formidable lady was Blanche very astute and business like,) kept hardware items, pot scourers, brooms, mendits (for kettles), newspapers. There was in fact not much that she did not sell.
Bill, her husband worked for one of the shop keepers in the town. There were two children Marvin and Pat (she is married to Jack Watling the actor) and, I believe, lives still in Loughton. H. Skeet the grocer completed this small enclave of shops.
The next major place is the Wesleyan Methodist Church. still very much in use today as is St. John's Church of England church with its large tower and imposing clock built around 1908. My father worked on this.
After Dr Denning's surgery back to the shops again. A butchers, W. Guest, and later Bert Willingale took it over. Nowadays the next site houses Barclays Bank with a firm of solicitors above but before we had Charlie Pretlove, greengrocer, The Duke of York public house, Daplins cold meat shop and Walter Teece's butcher's shop (again this changed to a greengrocers for a time).
Lying back a little off the footpath next came a garage with petrol pumps belonging to Chris Cottis, Mr. Percy Cole, Bert Wood and Jammy Jeffreys worked here. Next door was a very small telephone exchange which moved later into Crows Road, its present home, and the small shop became a green grocers and then a gents outfitters run by Mr E. Cooper.
A small confectioners and tobacconist run by Mr Saunders and known as "Twyns", then Chris Cottis' house and behind that the Archimedian works with a road way leading into it.
We are now of course in the High Street with all the small shops E. Challoner Courtney - photographer assisted by his brother, Albert known as "Tax", deaf as a post and much the butt of local jokers who would pull his leg unmercifully.
Bells restaurant, E. Blyth - optician, Thomas Bird - ladies drapery and frock shop, The Epping Stores later Harrisons, Dearloves - a clothing shop and then a little corn chandlers down some wooden steps so it seemed submerged, owned by Mr Dunn, smelled musty and of stored corn and its products. Aberdeen House, Jim Church's butchers shop with its abattoir at the rear, are still there and run by Jim's son Derek no slaughter house though. This has been gone years. An old neighbour of mine, Jack Beacher, was the' slaughter man there at one time.
Then where today is the Co-op supermarket, a parade starting with A. B. Davis; printer, stationer, newspapers. The original Gazette, I believe known originally as The Epping Gazette, and in their time Ben Hyde, Len Lawrence and brother Dennis (Dusmo), George Cole? Arthur Youngs worked in its production.
Yates the dyers and c1eaners! With their motto "We live to dye" in the window, was run, by queer looking lady, Miss Yates, whose nostrils were filled with cotton wool. Don't ask me why! Cramphorns, seed merchant etc, came next and then' Knights the Auctioneer. Over the top was a working man’s sports hall known as The Victoria Buildings,' with access on the side in the lane by' the Auctioneers; used for snooker, billiards, etc. In the small lane, a cul-de-sac, were few small cottages lived in by Tich Perry, Mr & Mrs Hewitt, Dan Doe and his brother, Sally and Tippeny Marsh (quite a character.)
'T other side of the lane, The International Stores, with such folk as Miss Hampton in the desk, Counter, staff, included Ernie Mansfield and Jack J Webb, Stan Tredgett drove the van doing the rounds and of course several other women worked there.
A newsagent came next; Miss E. Odell was the proprietor, who, with her niece sold daily papers both morning and evening and all kinds of stationery.
Next were Barrons the Chemist with eye-specialist Grant-Wilson, a very dour Scots gentleman who played' cricket for the local Wednesday team on the Bury Lane ground. His lady wife was a violinist the local orchestra.
Pynes Stores was next door, exactly as today, owned by a Mr. Jakeman. They had an interesting system of sending monies paid by customers for goods on an overhead arrangement which sent screw-topped containers whizzing through the air to a central office and change, when necessary, was sent back to the appropriate counter. Novel and effective.
Dr Watney's home and surgery with annexe was next and then A. E. Batchelor, like Pynes as now, harness maker, shoes, sportswear and repairs.
Over Buttercross Lane was Joe Hills. The shop today carries a blue plaque on the wall in the lane commemorating the birth place of one Henry Doubleday, a believer in the use of organics in the garden and who has a movement named after him founded by Lawrence Hills (I wonder if he was connected with Joe?) Later Ernest Hine took the shop over and ran it for many years.
E H. Slater came next, chemist, photography, etc. When he moved his living quarters to Beaulah Road these became tea rooms run by a Mrs Priestman. A wool shop next very small, owned by an Irish lady whose name escapes me.
The next shop owned by Mr & Mrs Elliott-Ball was below ground level. One entered by negotiating some wooden steps. Inside a library and a selection of home-made sweets and fudges were attractively displayed.
ladies shop known as the White Shop came next then Dewhurst the Butchers, and the Westminster Bank was next door to them.
Then we come to the Black Lion public house, now the only hostelry on the church side of the high street, and by its side still, Pynes men's shop. Over the small access road to Jimmy Fields, Butcher, later John Furze also a butcher. An old neighbour of mine, Fred Wright was not only a butcher but also a rounds man, with a high spirited horse in a small two wheeled cart.
Miss Brewer, sweets, toys, etc. was next after which came the Misses Wright's private school, and somewhere here was one of the local medical practitioners, Dr Erskine. Later the present occupant of the sweetshop, W. E. Cole, Tailor, took over.
Lastly we had the offices of the Epping and Ongar Rural District Council, now of course a much costlier and grandiose structure looking like a mausoleum or museum.
This then concludes the, for want of a better description, "church side" running roughly north west.
The other side from opposite the council offices and proceeding from the east to, say, a south line, we had James Whiffen, builders with a yard going back into Hemnall Street. They also had a depot up in Tidys Lane at the top of Palmers Hill.
The Labour Exchange with the aforementioned Mr Sullivan, A. B. Chase who specialised in pianos, baby carriages and later radios and records with A. B. himself, Fred and Maud running affairs. Mr Albert Starmar did repairs to pianos, bicycles, etc in a shed at the rear, arrived at up an alley way between the shops. This went into Hemnall Street. Then Janet Every, home-made cakes and teas, a small Saddlers next door and Mrs Sawkins taxis.
A conversion of The Sun public house into a cafe with a large room above was run by Mr Offley. The Epping Labour Party began its life in the room over the cafe where it met regularly for some long time with such stalwarts as Fred. North, Ernie Edridge, Dolly Quinn, Jimmy Doe, Eric Escott and others.
Bert Collinson ran The Thatched House Hotel which, with the Cock Hotel adjacent, was the main high class hostelries in the town. Behind the "Cock" of course, the smaller animal and bird market was held on Mondays.
Achille Serre the dyers and cleaners were next and then, as now, Epping Police Station, not as large as the present one but enough to carry out its essential duties.
Star Lane lay between that and the post office, which is still there and valiantly distributing the Queen's mail.
Church's, pork butchers were next door to the post office. Fred Flack and Mr Staines were the principals here with George Hewitt, slaughter man, at the rear.
Bert Cottee had the greengrocers shop next door and then Walter Lawrence, a small bakery. William Cottis had an ironmonger’s shop which later moved to the other side of the road where Mr Cottis lived. This was pulled down and a large hardware shop replaced it with accommodation over the shop, and A B Chase moved into the old premises.
The gas showrooms came next with a workshop behind the property of the Bishops Stortford and Epping Gas Company. Mr Smith, who had a game leg, worked here in the office, and George Barnes, Mr Wood, Jim Chopping and others made up the working side with Mr "Macca" Mose, the street lamplighter.
Next was Symes the baker with rounds man Arthur Wakelins prior to Pearces taking it over.
The George and Dragon pub and the White Swan were side by side and we are now halfway along this side of the town. Hummerstone and Hyde wheelwrights came next. This shop later became the Acme Coaching Station with a stop outside.
Then came Charlie Hayward, the greengrocer, whose two sisters plus his wife and Miss Gould served for years. Jones, wine merchant, Hadley, the dentist, and then the White Lion public house, and Clarks the Blacksmiths, jointly run by brothers Phil and Guy. When shoeing a horse, a wonderful smell of burning hoof used to permeate into the street.
Herbert Cottee then had a small garage with petrol pumps on the pathway, where cars were sold and repairs carried out.
Charlie Hammond, wet fishmonger, (still the same one under another name), Charlie himself with "Yubbie" Wade served and daughter Winnie took the money.
Another Cottee, shoe repairers, came next and then Elsie Hummerston did bread, cakes, minerals, etc., Len Hummerston (her brother ran the greengrocer's shop and Jot Bowles the butcher shop. These last five shops, I believe, were owned by the Hummerstons and a relative of theirs.
The late Sidney Hills with his mother did much to keel and promote a history of Epping during their respective lifetimes much more comprehensive than my efforts here.
Twankhams Alley, a small right of way into Hemnall Street, divided these from the next block of shops, i.e., Careys news agents and miscellaneous. D. C. Poulton, undertakers, Harry More, Ladies and Gents hairdresser, assisted by Mr. Wood from Bridge Hill and Harry's wife, quite a team. Mr I Beer, soft drinks, cigarettes, sweets, came next then Fred Barlow, hairdressers, one of the few old shops still existing.
''Larlams" or the Golden Iris, now unfortunately closed was next. It was another soft drinks, sweets and cigarettes place, and coaches for tours and the seaside could be booked here. Later Ted Roskams and his son Eddie took the shop on doing the same things for years.
''Ozzies" fish and chip shop was next; Mr Osbourne a great gambling man, whose hands deformed by arthritis did not stop him from frying some good fish and chips and having a laugh with everyone. The same shop today is owned jointly by his son and Bill Chew as a radio and television centre.
Another yard and straight through entrance and we had the White Hart public house run by Joe Luck for a good many years.
Then we had a barbers shop run by quite a character, one Charlie Savage, a dapper little man with a waxed moustache who had forthright views on a lot of subjects, not the least being that he was staunch Labour. He didn't care who knew it, and often after an argument with a customer ordered the poor fellow out of the shop and Fred Barlow, quite often, had to finish off a shave or a haircut, much to his amusement and profit because Charlie never got paid. He (Charlie) was also a member of the Mechanics Social Club and fancied himself a snooker player. He had many a side bet with his opponents and more often than not had to pay up.
Jim Church had a small butchers shop next with Mr Ward in charge, the meat coming from Aberdeen House. Bob Barnard had a confectioners and tobacconists shop, its proximity to the cinema making it something of a small goldmine. It also ran a slate club and a Xmas club, Mr. Turner did this for years.
I am not too sure of the next shop. It was Mallinsons at one time but changed hands several times so I don't seem to recall it’s owners.
ext door, however, the Empire Cinema originally, I remember, showed silent films with a small orchestra in the pit below the screen doing all the effects for the pictures. Then when talkies came in out went the orchestra and in came sound. Al Johnson's "Singing Fool" was one of the first shows there. Seat prices ranged from three pence down the front to, I think, one shilling and nine pence top price. Matinees and Saturdays.
Lastly in the main street two small shops, one a saddlers, Harry Roe, and a teashop come sweets, etc. run by the Miss Mynatts, two very staid maiden ladies.
n the top of Station Road was a parade of shops as far as Hemnall Street, I suppose about a hundred yards in length. As you looked down it on the left the two Miss Davidsons had the first shop. Sonny Oakley, a taxidermist, came next; Bert Stingemore had a wet fish shop aided by Mr Sorrell. Bob Holt took out orders on a cycle and also helped in the shop.
lacks then had a garage and coach station, with taxi cabs driven by, principally, Mr Page, Frank Hyde, Mr Sid Robinson, and an ambulance driven by Ted and Harold (Sam) Flack. A more than useful service was provided here which carried on for a good many years after the Second World War.
Daces came next, a tiny confectioners and tobacconists and lastly A. Robbins, clocks, watches and jewellery.
The end and corner place was a small showroom for Edmund's the builders’ merchant on the opposite side showing mainly gravestones, baths, and ironmongery.
The main shop of course carried all types of building materials with a large timber yard at the rear of the cinema and a yard down at the station.
Of the working staff, I remember "Dinks" Windley, Jack Peacock, stonemasons; in the yard Jim Seymour, Mr King (Archie), in the shop Bill (Brownie) Thake, Harry Wood Dick Whittington. The two Edmund's brothers Bert and Frank also worked. There were of course others whom I care not now remember.
Bill Chew had the only other shops on that side opening it as a radio and accumulators.
On the corner were the Westminster Bank, Mollers ladies shop and Harold Ashworth, fish and chips, to a lot of people the best in town.
Pegrums, a few doors up, had a dairy selling the usual products.
No more then until just by Clark's Lane. Billy Hills had tea rooms and a shop. A mysterious character was Billy, who kept monkeys and was subject to a lot of innuendoes as to his sexual habits.
Two cafes came next. "Hawleys" and "The Roof Garden", both these catered for motor cyclists and ordinary cycling clubs.
The last shops on this side of the road belonged to the Co-op as previously mentioned, a small butchers shop and then the main shop. After this the public houses The Duke of Wellington and The Half Moon finished off the shopping area.
CHAPTER 6
In the previous chapters we see Epping town outlined as a small market town in a desirable area of Essex whose proximity to London gave it an importance it would not otherwise have had.
Its shops and commercial life were, in the main, owned and run by individuals who, by and large, provided a varied selection suitable for the needs of the general public, and usually satisfied everyone's requirements. Just two or three larger establishments employed quite a few people but most others perhaps one or two, or none, just the principal.
Life it seemed was unhurried, "there being no need to have things done yesterday as is the current trend, and service was invariably with a smile and an enquiry as to one's well being.
We did of course have characters and eccentrics in the town and here I would like to recount some of the activities of these people.
E.Challoner Courtney, photographer, had a brother Bert affectionately known as "Tax", who was as deaf as a post. This worthy person was also a photographer. He was given much to walking around like Felix with his hands behind him singing to himself in a loud voice. The butt of much ribald comment from the local youth, he once figured in a pupils statement made in class at school by a pupil, Oscar Wood, who when given the words 'Income Tax' and told to make them into a sentence, was said to have stood up and volunteered the following: 'Sir, I went to Mr. Courtney's studio to have my photograph taken. I was shown into a room and after a while "Income Tax"!'
He no doubt received the cane amidst much laughter from the pupils.
A Mr Day from Thornwood walked into Epping every day. He apparently had been shell shocked during World War One and was subject to brainstorms. Carrying a large hammer, he shattered several shop windows at different times.
Fred "Jumbo" Stevens kept goal for the "Epping Remnants" football team. Equipped with a large flat cap, long scarf almost touching the ground, a big pair of gloves and lots of newspapers stuck down his stockings, he leapt about like a cat on hot bricks, fiercely declaiming all the time "out of the light", particularly when danger threatened his goal mouth and always apologised when he let one in saying "not enough light, mate".
William Foster, known as "Torpe", well spoken and obviously knew animals, was to be found on market day in the High Street where he earned many a pint for his knowledge.
Arthur 'Titty" Styles, poacher, whose name appeared regularly in the local gazette found trespassing in search of conies, fined 2/6d', once was known, when he was in his cups, to have entered a neighbours home in Ivy Chimneys, with a shot gun which he fired up the chimney, boom! boom! boom!, scaring the poor lady occupant to death, and saying that Sgt Widdocks was on his track. The sergeant incidentally was a local policeman at the time.
Cedric Sworder, son of a local auctioneer, a little simple or backward, went into Flack's garage in Station Road one bright morning, saying 'What a lovely day for the race.' As he was not a gambling man, it took some time for the garage staff to appreciate that Cedric was referring to the human race. Not so simple, eh!
Another story, quite authentic, concerned a neighbours father, "Muddler" Collop, who one evening, just at dusk, said to his youngest son 'Bring that gun boy; I know where a pheasant roosts.' So father and son went down Battles Lane from Hemnall Street to the fir trees in what is now called The Crescent in Centre Drive and sure enough up a tree sat a pheasant. Carefully "Muddler" loaded the gun and filled the barrel with wet paper to, it was hoped, deaden the sound. When he fired there was lots of smoke and sparks, but no pheasant.
Alfie Fairchild from Epping Green helped the local undertakers, carrying coffins and digging graves. On one particular occasion, having had a session in the "Travellers Friend, he was found by the local constable in a grave in Epping Upland churchyard merrily digging with a candle in a jam jar at eleven o'clock at night!
There were undoubtedly a lot more incidents like those I have recounted, but I have only mentioned the ones I can vouch for and it rather reminds one of the funny things supposedly done by the people of Coggeshall Essex.
CHAPTER 7
I set out to describe Epping Town from the 1920's to the 1940's and this I have done, but of course Epping itself covered a fair area.
Its boundaries were roughly The Wake Arms to the west, the golf club down the Theydon-Epping Road would be south. Cobbins Brook to the north and Merry Fiddlers Hamlet to the east and in this came Coopersale and I suppose Thornwood, Woodside and Duck Lane.
All of course farming areas with the inevitable small public houses, the Carpenters Arms and the Blacksmiths Arms at Thornwood, the Garnon Bushes, Theydon Oak run by Charlie-de-Blauwe and the Merry Fiddlers on the Hamlet cross road run by Mr Kelsey came under Coopersale, and the Spotted Dog in Ivy Chimneys served that part of Epping.
Of the farmers in these areas, Mr Johnson had Great Gregories in the Theydon Road; Mr J. G. Pelly farmed Gardeners Farm Bert Scadding, Little Thorn Hall, and Mr Nicholls Home Farm at the Fiddlers. Gaynes Park farmed most of their own land, although Mr Lawrence had Ansons Farm opposite St. Albans Church at Coopersale.
The other side of the town on the Thornwood Road was Wintry" Park Farm run by Mr Baynes and later the present incumbent, Johnny Foulds.
Down at the Bury was Mr Stacey and later Len Hunt, and at Shaftesbury Farm George Pegrum. This is still in the Pegrum family.
Places of interest in the area include Bolt Cellar Lane, which runs from Shaftesbury Farm entrance to the Thatched Cottage in Bury Lane, presumably an old walk way, could be ancient British or just an over wide cart track. It is, I suppose, upward of three quarters of a mile in length.
From the Bury Farm along the Epping Upland Road small bridge known as Cobbins Brook, a tributary of the River Lea into which, at one stage, used to go the effluent from the Northern sewage outfall carefully monitored for purity. Following the alterations in the 1950's, all the sewage went to the Southern outfall at the Merry Fiddlers, and all the effluent was, and still is, discharged into another brook which feeds the Roding just south of Hobbs Cross Farm, Cobbins Brook now just takes the water from the surrounding high fields.
At the bottom of Lindsey Street a pond known as "Knockers", was quite a good pond for fishing, and like all field ponds during the period under review, a source of drinking water for cattle.
North Weald Aerodrome is only a couple or so miles from Epping. Whether or not it had any influence on the business life of the town, I would not know, but several squadrons of aircraft were based there during the twenties and thirties and was of course an active defence position of London during the Battle of Britain.
Finally, an organization which over the last few years has been revived was the Epping Floral Society. Looked after by some worthy people, Albert Tarry, Herbert Toseland, Col. A. Wall, Bertie Collison and others, this organization held some excellent flower shows up at Wintry Park Farm in conjunction with the police, and also at the local armoury. It, unfortunately, died the death just after the Second World War but has happily been restarted in the last few years to become a successful organisation.
My researching has now brought me to where lots of local young men and women were asked to go to foreign fields in defence of the country, and being thousands of miles from home does concentrate the mind on the place of one's birth. But from the time of that great catastrophe until today, 1991, is another era and another book for someone to write in the future.
I have tried to give you an idea of Epping between the two World Wars which I hope you will enjoy reading. It has all been done from memory.
Thanks also go to friends who have jogged my memory from time to time; at three score years and ten plus one or two, one needs it, but it's been a pleasure to write so, as I say, enjoy it. |
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Fred Eyes Epping again |
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Fred Eyes Coopersale |
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Epping Images |
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Coopersale House Circa 17th Century |
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Coopersale Uncovered by Susan Homewood (West Essex Life December 2004) |
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Epping Life & Times by Susan Homewood (West Essex Life Dec 2005) |
Pamela Bishop ©2002 to present All rights reserved
Newest update 05/12/2021 19:48
