Little Lane
From Lacey Green History
Little Lane was originally called Wycombe Road. It stretched down throuth Loosley Row to The Turnpike (A4010) opposite the Rose and Crown at Saunderton Lea.
Research by Rita Probert. Little Lane Circa 1950
Little Lane hasn't changed that much over the years since the 1950's, perhaps the main difference is the current volume and speed of traffic.
Difficult to believe now, but at that time there were very few vehicles using the lane and those were usually recognised. If an old black car was seen coming up the hill from the A4010 it was invariably the vehicle belonging to two elderly brothers named Walsingham, who lived in 'Omega Cottage', Foundry Lane: their garage still situated on Little Lane near 'Bergamot'. A motorbike & sidecar heralded the arrival of a neighbour's daughter & son-in-law from Brighton.
Syd Janes, the baker from the old Bakehouse, Lacey Green was still supplying bread using his pony & trap, leaving the same unattended whilst he carried out deliveries to households in Loosley Row .......and having time for a chat to his customers.
Many more wild flowers grew in the hedgerows and grass verges along Little Lane - Harebells, Cowslips and yellow Toadflax, which have long disappeared from same. It was also not unusual to see Glow-worms in the grass banks bordering the lane.
Until a few years ago, Little Lane extended up to the crossroads at the foot of Loosley Hill. Now from that point until nearing Gommes Stile. that section has been renamed as part of Lower Road (a road sign marks the spot).
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The following features have photographs and/or descriptions of the houses & bungalows and some of the residents of Little Lane in the 1950's.
Land Use in Loosley Row
Little Lane
Pictured below. a section of an 1820's map shows an area once known as Parish's Close alongside the former old Wycombe Road - now Little Lane. The hedges separating the fields were removed prior to the mid-1950's. Parishes Close (and adjoining land) is mentioned in a will made by a Loosley Row yeoman in 1738. - "John Wade .. has surrendered to the Lord of the Manor those copyhold lands Jeffreys Field, Rag Furlong, Lacey's Close, Little Jeffreys Field, Parish's Close ....."
Parish's Close had always been used for agricultural purposes, until the first significant change was made in the during the 1950's. A few acres of land were sold in plots and planning permission was granted
Before that time, the first building along that section of Little Lane had been a cottage known as Penryn, with its red tin roof and grey wood-boarded facing. The property was not very old and was possibly built between 1900- 1920. In 1955 the owners of 'Penryn' sold one third of an acre of their garden for £250 (the going rate at that time), where the current owner's father built the small bungalow 'Homeleigh'. When 'Penryn' was sold in the 1970s it was demolished and replaced by the present house.
In the 1950s a large house called 'Ten Acres' stood on part of the old field Great Jeffreys: the land and buildings were used as a poultry farm and later by a meat processing company. In the middle of the 1990s, the factory and land adjoining was sold and now houses the Woodbank development of 24 properties - more on this below.
A new access road (cul-de-sac) was constructed at that time and a 1950's bungalow 'Long View' demolished to accommodate part of the new road. A section of the land once belonging 'Ten Acres' has a Covenant attached preventing property being built within the site. It is unknown when, or by whom this Covenant was made but it was certainly in existence in the 1950s.
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Sometimes called 'The Other House' was, in the 1950's the home of Kathleen and Lavender Challinor. Later occupants were Mr and Mrs Hastings - the former well-known for walking his beautiful Red Setter dog around the village every day.
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Occupied in the late 1950's by Wyndham and Diane Bradley, a headmaster, wife and family. Previously, the cottage had been called 'Sunnyside', the home of Tom and Annie Weller and son Fred.
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In the 1950's the home of Harold Williams, the organist at St John's Church, Lacey Green
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The house is said to have been named by someone with a military background and, mysteriously, over the years numerous army uniform buttons have been found in the garden/grounds. It is thought to have been built c. 1914 and, in fact, the rates assessment Register for that year records:
House named 'Red Caps'
Occupier: Pateroster
Owner: Thomas Tyler.
Description: House, gardens, premises & land
(Please see booklet on 'Red Caps' which includes more information about some of the occupants).
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Hillside (also known locally as 'The Tin House'.
It is known when built, but during demolition a piece of wood was found between the walls with a date in the 1890's: a property on the site also appears on an O.S. map of 1898. Another discovery was a very old rubbish tip in the back garden where many Victorian glass bottles and other artifacts were found. The house also contained a very deep cellar, accessed from a trapdoor in the kitchen. There is believed to have once been a much earlier property, dating back to the 18th century, towards the top of the garden.
'Hillside' was once occupied by a Daniel Blomfield and his wife Lavinia. In the 1950's two elderly sisters lived there - Elsie and Ettie Lloyd.
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Generations of the Randell family were prominent in the 18th and 19th century as Blacksmiths, One, Thomas Randell, lived at Coombs (click to read about it), the hamlet which once stood near the top left of the Grubbin. He is recorded in the 1831 census and died in 1837 aged 64.
The narrow path along the front of Randells Cottage is said to be the shortest footpath in the Parish. The cottage was the family home and nearby Forge Cottage their working place.
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Formerly called 'Coombs View' and occupied in the 1930's by Charles and Minnie Barth and Walter Lambourne. It is said that at one time the property was yet another Loosley Row Beerhouse.
By the 1950's (then named 'September Cottage') the home of Millicent Lacey and her son Fred
This property was built mid-1950's: by a Mr Jack Devers for his daughter June Zajac and her Polish husband. Mr and Mrs Devers from Ireland resided at that time in Forge Cottage, Foundry Lane.
In the mid-1950's the owners were a young couple from West London - Pat and Brian Cullum. Brian was an architectural student. They bought the plot of land and designed their home. It was very unusual at that time, having the bedrooms downstairs and living rooms on the upper floor in order to make the most of the beautiful view across to Lodge Hill and the Vale of Aylesbury
Pat and Brian bought an old stone for £1, and set it in on the terrace by the front door - 'The Millstone'
In 1958, a women's magazine 'Everywoman' included an article and photographs in the July edition under 'Homes Worth Looking Into' and entitled 'They live up to the View'. The property was known locally as 'the upside down house'. The house has been altered/partially rebuilt over the years and is now called Ridgewood
Probably the first new property (just past 'September Cottage') built in that area of Little Lane in the 1950's. The owner was Eric Milner who had an electrical business in High Wycombe. He was residing there in 1954 with wife Winifred and son Derek. Later in 1956 their daughter Janet was born. Eric Milner also owned land further down Little Lane, which was being sold off in approximately 1 acre plots. ('Halfway' is now called 'Aston House').
Hallmark December 1988. Planning Application for detached double garage at front of Halfway, Litte Lane and single storey exension at side and rear with first floor balcony above at Halfway, Little Lane.
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A bungalow built in c. 1955 by the sons of an elderly couple, Alfred and Elsie Smith. It is recalled that their much loved large tabby cat, 'Rolly' had its own bedroom there. They said the land had once been owned by a Mr Holland and also contained a large sheep dip. The property was eventually demolished and the land now contains two large houses, one retaining the name 'Hollands Field' and the other 'Copperfield'.
Alongside the former bungalow, 'Hollands Field', was a right of way down to the house and chicken farm owned by Jack and Kath Fawcett. It was late sold, enlarged and became the controversial Christmas Meat Company!
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Originally a small bungalow built for Sydney Oxlade, a retired carpenter from High Wycombe. He moved into same about 1956 with wife Lilian. However, she found the area too quiet so they sold up and moved back into Wycombe. The property was purchased by Mr and Mrs Knapp - a retired headmaster and his wife. It was later bought by Mrs Knapp's great-niece and husband
A house, clad with grey overlapping wood tiles and a red corrugated iron roof. The first known occupants in the 1920's were a Mr George Sperring and wife Mary Ann. It's possible the property was built/named by Mr Sperring as they had previously lived in Penryn Street, St Pancras area of London. By the 1950's it was occupied by Clifford Ferris (known as Fred) and his wife Nancy. They were there during the 2nd World War and took in evacuee children from London. In 1954. they put a third of their acre garden up for sale. 'Penryn' was eventually sold and demolished. A new house 'Katreena' now stands on the site.
Rita Probert is the current owner - her parents bought the plot (formerly an orchard) for £250 in 1954, self-built the split-level property and moved in during Easter 1956.
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So ends the tour of Little Lane as it was in the 1950's.
The following decades saw the remaining plots of land between the former 'Halfway' and 'Hollands Field' sold for building 'Bleu Rigge', 'Romoth' and 'Apple Trees'.