by William White (born at Henham 24th August 1903
1919 – ‘Lamberts’ the meadow where the village children played
There were two cottages next to the Whites at Star Green – Mr. Bunting then Mr. Sage (’Old Flint’)
There was a general store tucked away in a corner of Star Green on the Rotten Row and owned by the two Miss Benfields
Miss Judd’s shop was at Wood End Green opposite Wary Pond
A fish shop was opened on the same side of Wood End Green as Miss Judd’s about halfway down the green. It didn’t last long.
Miss Hornsby owned a shop opposite the Bury. It sold confectionery, odds & ends, and children’s clothing. It was during the early 1900s ran by the Farrington family.
Miss Willitt who lived across the Green from the school sold home-made sweets.
Crow Street with Macky Willet’s shop to the right, standing next to, and in front of, Cedar Cottage.
The telephone box opposite in those days was painted yellow.
The shop front was removed from the front and was for some years at the rear of the property.
Frank Wright owned a cycle hire business and sold & repaired shoes. There was a shoe repair shop at Crows Corner. The Turner family were carpenters. Mr. White recalled Mr. Heard the wheelwright putting on an iron tyre to a wooden wheel of a wagon or cart on the piece of green fronting the Cock Inn
Ernie Wright and Brothers were builders and had a yard near the Wary Pond
There were three small local farms. Yarrows and Newmans were opposite each other near the Bell Inn. There was also Robert Wright at Bacons Farm opposite the vicarage in Crow Street
The Forge
Originally, it was further along Church Street and moved next to The Cock around 1921.
The most popular man in the village was Jack Hayden the blacksmith. The smithy was opposite the Gardeners on Church Street. He would willingly mend the children’s iron hoops that they played with and turned along the roads. On the morning of Sunday 5th August 1914, Jack Hayden came excitedly along Church Street claiming that war had been declared.
The Village Post Office, this moved, a number of times and is now housed in the last remaining shop in the village.
The milk round until the mid 2000s was operated by the Camp family.
Horse power was the main means of transport, which kept the blacksmith’s busy.
