2005 Memories of Con Baker
From Lacey Green History
also click Fred & Connie Baker for Connie's life story
Lacey Green School Reunion 2000 in which Connie tells of her schooldays
Now 97 years old, Con Baker tells of her memories up to the 1920's, when she was Constance Gomme.
I have spent my life here - travelled a bit - a very happy life. I have had good health, which is so important.
My Childhood
I lived with my Mum and Dad at Loosley House. What a happy time.
Post Office on the bank; my good friend ? Hickman lived opposite the post office and sometimes we were asked up there for tea and played in the garden. Mr and Mrs Allen , Allen who ran the Post Office, had no children. Then opposite, the Baptist Chapel. Then next along the village to the shop, Mr Floyd's, where we bought sherbet dabs. Did they taste good!! All these are closed now - how sad. Down the hill to the Sprat, where Mr Sprott, a businessman came down from London and had a tennis court built, with tennis parties at weekends. Then the Salmon, where Dr Hamilton lived - a keen gardener. She was doctor at Elizabeth Carrot Anderson Hospital in London. She too came at weekends. Then the Foundry. We (my Mum and Dad) came to live here - can't remember the year. It was nice to come here when they had wells at the cottage.
My Grandma lived at Foundry Cottage. A man and wife lived opposite to my Grandma. I used to hide behind Gran's privet hedge and watch them. They used to quarrel and shout and the door was open, so I could hear and see. Over went the table and crocks smashed. I thought that was real fun until my Grandma called me in. What fun!!
My Gran kept chickens and they came into her kitchen for food. She also had a brick oven for baking bread, etc. She also made wine. Also in Gran's front garden was a lovely cherry tree. But we had to have it cut down - how sad.
In this nice village, everyone knew everybody and no new houses. Bit different now, but people are nice still.
I seem to remember lots of old people - well they seemed old in those days.
Back to my Sunday School days. I did not like it much, but if you went twice on Sunday you had a little ticket which you saved and when you had enough you had a morning hymn book. Red it was, and we used to write our name and sometimes wrote it backwards. What a laugh. You had a reading book for attendance.
Sunday School anniversaries were great. The highlight of the year, we had a treat. Whit Sunday and Monday. Monday was the day sitting on the grass having our tea. Grown ups were inside. We had bread and butter, plain and fruit cake, which all tasted so good. Bread and butter never tasted so good. Then into Mr Tyler's field for games, twos & threes and kissing the ring. Oh what fun. Teachers came round with a clothes basket with food left over from tea. One of the preachers from Wycombe came and threw sweets for us to pick up. Don't think they were wrapped - how they did not fall in a cow pat. Everything is different now. May be better, I don't know. Have more money and washing machine and freezer, etc. But still no time to do all one wants to do.
We had two bakers called Mr Janes of Lacey Green and Mr Tom(?) from Risborough, both with horse and cart. Mr Janes came Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Mr Tom came Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, so we always had fresh bread. Two butchers, Mr Jackson from Risborough and someone from Chinnor (can't remember his name), came in horse and cart. Two grocers, Mr Whitney from Bledlow and Mr Picken from Wycombe. Also a fish man with horse and cart, with fish and cakes (not fish and chips) - wonder how we lived! Can't imagine that now - fish and cakes?? Now nothing delivered except milk. Thank goodness our milkman is so good, brings my bread one day a week.
Colonel & Mrs Tighe, of Loosley House, used to arrange Memorial Service, walking along to the memorial at Baptist Cemetary Gates, then walk up to Lacey Green to a memorial service at Lacey Green Village Hall
This Hall was put up around 1920 and my Dad helped Mr John Saunders erect it. This old Village Hall used to have dances twice or three times a year. Cecil Saunders, uncle of Maurice (Mosh used to play the piano, then after several years it was Harold Williams - such fun. click Cecil & Maggie Saunders, Mosh & Trudy Saunders or Harold Williams for more about Cecil, Mosh & Harold.
I had a very happy married life with Fred, who sadly passed away some years ago with Parkinson's Disease. Fred and I had three children. All work in the foundry. Had a lovely life - we didn't need so much money as people do now to pay mortgages, etc.
I am a great grandma, with four grandchildren and five great grandchildren. I still with Loosley Row was a bit nearer the sea - as I am "cancer the crab" birth sign, not surprising. I have lots of friends and everyone is so nice to me. Hope when you read this, you will be interested. I hope to live to be 100, as my grandma was. If all goes well, that is, 3 years to go.