John Winter
Memories of Ock Street – 1930’s – 1980’s, written in 2012.
I was born in Abingdon in 1933 and, although we did not actually live in Ock Street, all the rest of my relations did live in Ock Street or nearby. I can trace my ancestor, James Winter, who lived in Ock Street in 1648. My family have lived in or near Ock Street for several hundred years. I can also trace several ancestors from both Steventon and Drayton.
My grandparents, Harry and Annie Winter, lived in 137 Ock Street and that is where my father Hubert (Bert) Winter was born. Two of my relations (great uncles) are mentioned on the Abingdon War Memorial. Both were killed in action in 1917.
All my early life I had connections with the street. I went to primary school in the Council School Infants in Conduit Road and from there to the Junior School in Mayott’s Road. From there I won a Blacknall scholarship to Abingdon School, where I completed my education.
I also joined the 2nd North berks Scout Troop, firstly as a cub scout and finally as a scout and senior scout. The HQ of the troop met in the Old Brewery Rooms in Ock Street, opposite the ‘Happy Dick’ public house. The scout HQ was quite large and rambling with several rooms. It was very cold in the winter months as only a single coke stove heated the whole place. It also filled the HQ with terrible fumes and smoke. We scouts loved the place and met there at least twice a week. The first Group Scout Leader (GSM) was Miss Mercy Challenor who founded the group in about 1918. My GSM was Mr Jack Gray, a senior master at the council school. He was aided by Harold Treadgold, Jack Venn and an American airman, ‘Doc Lewis’. The combined strength of the Cub & Scout Section totaled around 70 boys.
My early schooldays were spent in blissful ignorance of the War that was raging at the time. We did wear our gas masks to school and we did do air-raid drill but really our most immediate worries were the meagre sweet ration. Promptly at noon most of the children would rush at top speed to Exon’s Bread Shop. Here Mrs Exon tried to keep order and sell the wonderful ‘fatty cakes’ and ‘jam puffs’ to all the children. We spent our dinner money there instead of using it for the dreadful school dinners. For the sum of fourpence one could buy two ‘fatty cakes’ and two ‘jam puffs’. But there was an alternative; two ‘fatty cakes’ and a quick run to Wright’s Shop for a tuppuny blackcurrant fizzy drink! Hoping it was Mr Wright who would serve us, as he was more generous with the cordial.
When I was about twelve years of age I joined the Scout Section of the Abingdon British Legion Rifle Club. The rifle range was in Ock Street, also in a disused part of the old Morland’s Brewery. There were two 25-yard ranges and a small club room. We scouts were trained by Mr Tom Holloway and Mr George Barnes in the skills needed for competition shooting. In 1949 our scout section won the Duke of Connaults Shield for Scouts of the British Empire. This was a truly wonderful achievement for Abingdon.
My interest in rifle shooting continues to this very day.
I can recall clearly the shops along Ock Street, most of which I had to be sent to on errands. One shop, on the corner of Mayott’s Road, was Miss Blizzards little sweet shop; she would give us children large red gooseberries to eat. There was Mr Shayler’s shoe repair shed in the ‘Air Balloon’ yard- he kept all of Ock Street shod.
My grandfather always insisted that when we had fish and chips we had to buy the fish from Ruddocks and the chips from Reeves, that way provided the best value for money.
The two Hemmings brothers, who had a lovely little shop near to Wright’s shop, repaired our cycles. A charge for mending a puncture was about sixpence and was always done very quickly.
During the war years when sweets became very scarce the schoolchildren would go to Mr Drew’s shop and buy a halfpenny carrot. He always selected the very large ones for us children.
Our playground was Albert Park where we could enjoy space to play impromptu games of football and cricket. We often played until sent home by the Park Keeper, when it was almost dark.
My Aunt, who had married into the Hemmings family, always went to the ‘Happy Dick’ pub on Sundays for a large jug of ale to be used with Sunday dinner. (Note – the term for the midday meal was always ‘dinner’) Sometimes I was allowed a small glass of this wonderful drink. Actually, I thought it was too bitter, but I drank it because it made me feel grown up.
The Queens Coronation: I remember the day quite clearly. It was a cold and very drizzly day. My girlfriend (who I subsequently married) was in the Wingfield Morris Hospital at the time. I got up early and cycled from Abingdon to the hospital. I spent the day watching the actual Coronation on TV. It was very moving and at the same time exciting. Late afternoon I cycled home and helped the Abingdon Senior Scouts let off the Town’s display of fireworks in the Abbey Meadow. We all got covered in sparks and smoke and let off the next days supply as well! But we did not seem to get into too much trouble.
The next day I played in a comic football match – Abingdon Rugby Club versus Abingdon Football Club, again on Abbey Meadow. The score was about 36 goals each. Every time there was a goal there was a drink of beer each.
Everyone ended up at a gala dance in the old Corn Exchange.
The Harwell Rifle Club has long associations with the North Star Public House in Steventon. We go back about forty year in having a drink there after our matches. Nowadays we meet there for our committee meetings and our AGM. The super staff at the North Star have always made us so very welcome.
My connections with Ock Street ended in the 1980s when my aunt, uncle and grandmother were rehoused in Boxhill Walk and the scout troop had long moved to Sellwood Road. I no longer have any relations left in Abingdon as all the associated family children moved away. But I still continue my visits to the North Star!
