Our most recent blog – one in a series about the families commemorated in recent road names – concerned the Pither Family and one branch in particular, a family of women farmers during the nineteenth century. Although this branch of the family died out I concluded the post by stating that other branches of the family continued to live locally and included an image of an old advert for Pithers the Butchers in Wokingham. The advert included the information that they had other shops in Spencers Wood and Swallowfield. This set one of our members on a trail linked to members of her own family…
The photo to the right is of Pither’s butchers shop on Basingstoke Road in Spencers Wood. Older residents of the village may remember this as Sheerman’s Butchers – now Healthy Buildings International. Dating from 1908, the photo shows our member’s great grandfather standing outside the shop. Not a member of the Pither family himself, he was however employed by them. Our member obtained it from her uncle who inherited it from her great aunt.
If your family has connections with Spencers Wood, Three Mile Cross or Ryeish Green or you have old photos of any of the three villages we’d love to hear from you. Contact details are on the Home Page.
Lorna Merry was a founder member of Spencers Wood Women‘s Institute who gave the group these memories to go in our first village book. Initially there were only twenty members but the numbers increased to around sixty or so.
They had lots of speakers from all walks of life and many different topics such as the police, lace making, cake decorating, painting on china, lawyers, dolls of all ages and countries, the Royal National Institute for the Blind, antiques, flower arranging etc. They had some very happy times. A choir was formed which many of them joined under the leadership of Mrs Wellstead. Practices were held at the United Reform Church in the village.
In later years, Mr Jones, who was the organist at St Michael’s church, became the conductor. Other members were Olive Franklin, Nancy Benham, Peggy Gillings, W Runyard, Lorna and many more. They also had a concert party which was great fun. On one occasion they gave a performance as ‘The Black and White Minstrels’ (a popular TV programme , which would be non politically correct today). Supper parties were held and they had many coach trips on which everyone was eager to go. The men folk often came on the trips and they enjoyed them too. On another occasion of the 21st birthday party, the branch held a dinner and social evening. A cartoonist called AREFF printed the cartoon of the committee in the local paper. These are the names in the cartoon; Joan Parkes, Edith Burningham, Peggy Gillings, Miranda Mayne, Eileen Summersgill, Barbara Panting, Mag Dore, Phil Drake, Edna Carter, Eileen Simmons, Janet Rickson, Marjorie Lyon and Lorna Merry.
It was unfortunate that it had to close down in the mid 1980’s because the members were getting older and did not like walking to and from meetings on the dark nights. Lorna and her friend Vera Bowyer were the only surviving original members when they closed. Marjorie Lyon could remember the happy meetings that were held by the WI which were usually educational or instructive. Sometimes members would bring along their personal collections to show and talk about them.
When the group disbanded, each member held a memento from the group and Marjorie had a cup and saucer with WI on them. The idea was that if they group ever reformed the equipment would be in safe keeping until that day. The group has been given the banner of the WI.
Spencers Wood – Farms, Pubs and Stores – An Analysis of the 1881 Census
The 1881 census does not really differentiate between the villages – be it Grazeley, Three Mile Cross, Shinfield Village or Spencers Wood. Our group have spent some time as this data becomes freely available this information, and we have highlighted what we know to have been Spencers Wood.
According to the census, there were 184 individuals living in the area. The majority of those individuals held positions in service to two of the largest houses in Spencers Wood – Stanbury House and Highlands. Both had a butler, 2 housemaids and a kitchen maid. Highlands had their own cook, whereas Stanbury had its own footman! Over 20% of the population of Spencers Wood was “in-service” in one way or another.
In total our village had 56 children and 30 wives. This was the fourth highest number in the census. 19% of the children were classified as “scholars” and an additional 11% were under school age (below five years old). Since there was no compulsory state education until the 1880 Education Act, when school boards were first formed, only four of the wives were in employment and the rest remained at home to look after their children.
The 29 farmers and individuals associated with agriculture (e.g. cowmen) are nearing 16% of the total population. The total farmland (excluding market gardens) was 654 acres or 366 football pitches, with Charles Portsmouth holding 290 acres, with 10 men and 4 boys. Much of that farmland has slowly been built on as Spencers Wood population has grown, and the demand for housing and schools has increased.
Star Inn (opp. Spencers Wood Post Office)
The census lists the Cricketers Inn, (now the Hop Inn), the Star Inn and The Red Lion (opposite the Post Office).Often the pubs were combined with other activities – e.g. Farriers Arms was a blacksmiths originally; Yew Tree Inn was a farm of 20 acres. Over the years, many of these pubs have changed considerably, either being converted to houses or not generating enough business to stay open. Both the Star Inn and the Red Lion have been converted to residential properties. Some, like Yew Tree Inn, owned by a farmer George Arnott of 20 acres, was nicknamed “The Stump” and is now a nursery.
Mr & Mrs Beesley – of Beesley’s Stores
Slowly the village was growing and the small businesses were growing up. There were six in total- One dressmaker, a laundress, a Wheelwright, a Woodman, a Wood Dealer and a General Shopkeeper. Beesley’s Stores stood next door but two to The Farriers Arms in the house now named Tintern and was set up in 1881 by Henry Beesley who came from Littlewick Green, Maidenhead. Beesley’s could well have been the first store in Spencers Wood (picturesand memories of Beesley’s Stores kindly donated by Lorna Merry). Do you know any different?
We are collating information regarding farms, pubs, small trades on our web site – www.swlhg.co.uk. Please email us if you have more information.
William Clements, aged 28, was recorded as being a baker at Anita’s, in 1891 employing his brother Arthur John Clements. William died in 1902 and Arthur, born in 1873, took over as William left a widow (Emily Cordery) and five children. Arthur also brought his wife, his daughter called Susan, his mother and a sister Rose, from Henley, where Arthur was a journeyman baker.
Arthur and family moved into Glanfield, a house (Upwey) alongside Spring Gardens in Basingstoke Road. From here Arthur also ran a horse drawn bus service between Reading and Swallowfield.
Arthur purchased land originally belonging to Hunter of Beech Hill, near to Back Lane and built two semi-detached houses called Amersham and Bicester after places where he was brought up. One house became the Police House the other Arthur lived in. At the back, he had a grocery shop and built a bakehouse. Eventually he moved to The Limes, (Warings today) where he opened a grocer’s shop. He built a bakehouse at the rear installing the first ovens there. Arthur had seven daughters and the business was called Clements et Filles. He eventually had a son.
The bungalow at the rear of Anita’s was built by Arthur at an unknown date (after 1918) to house his sister Rose, who never married.
The other shop in Anita’s building was occupied by Albert E Webb, who was a saddler and from 1891, ran the business for 50 years. When Edwin Webb retired he built a bungalow called Saddlers on Spencers Wood Hill which has been recently demolished and a new house built.
Behind William’s bakery, at the Summer House was Wilson’s 2d library and sweet shop, which could be Roses Bungalow but more likely to be an extension of the bakery. Herbert Wilson was there from 1935-1960 at least.
Mrs Powell Clements was at the bakery from 1903–1920 and Emily Clements (William’s wife) was there from 1925-1931; Mrs Powell Clements is thought to be the same person as Emily. Edna Carter worked here in the 1960s and in 1966, Rosemary Hairdressers, was here. In the 1970s sometime, it was Michael Charles Hairdressers. For a short while in the 1990’s, it was a Water Bed shop, followed in 1992 by Anita’s. The above is the result of an enquiry about Roses Bungalow made at the Carnival and we wish to thank Ron Holyday again, for his presentation at the Carnival.
The date information has been taken from Directories and is uncertain.
The reverse of the brochure from Anita’s
Margaret BamptonOctober 2014
One of the original brochures from Anita’s
Some of the treatments that you could have received at Anitas
