More Sandy memories of a lost London Road

Graham Hull wrote to say that Fanny was his mother’s aunt, both being of the Darlow family who, like Jack, originated from Potton. Graham can remember visiting Aunt Fanny with his mother and she would always give him sweets or a banana.

“I beg to differ about their children in that there were only two – Les and Vera. The other one referred to was a nephew, also from Potton” adds Graham.

“Les went on to run his own business as a wholesale fruiterer from The Avenue in Sandy and then The Limes at Beeston. He also kept several greyhounds and was eventually quite well known as a bookmaker. Vera went away to college or university and I believe into teaching. I don’t think she ever returned to Sandy after her parent’s deaths.”

Graham also recalls that Jack and Fanny had a couple of ponies and trolleys (carts). Two employees travelled the area selling the family’s fruit, vegetables and fish.

“I remember them running the ponies into my grandfather’s yard in Cambridge Road” he says. “Any of the leftover produce from the Saturday round would be brought to the kitchen table in baskets where a price would be bartered to clear the trolleys for the weekend.”

Graham can also recall an amusing incident involving a tooth. “As a boy of about nine, eating an apple at home one evening I had a violent toothache. My father took me to the High Street in Sandy where ‘Daddy’ Williams kept a sweet and toy shop.

When Graham arrived, he was led from the shop to Mr William’s adjoining house, then upstairs to a room where there was a dentist chair and other “paraphernalia”.

“He took off the brown smock he wore in the shop and put on a white one” says Graham. “He then proceeded to remove my tooth for the cost of about half a crown. Whether you needed any qualifications in those days I don’t know! Anyway, job done!”

Don Flint, 90, rang to say that it was not John Jordan who owned John’s Garage, the petrol station and early transport café at Sandy in the ‘30s but William Percy John, a Welshman. Don worked for him in 1935 when he left school as a petrol boy “for 10 bob a week”. Don’s father also worked there from 1932.

“W P John had a fleet of lorries which took vegetables to London” says Don. “Petrol was threepence a gallon for commercial grade.”

Don also knew John Jordan well. “He had a motorcar repair place at the end of the war in Laburnham Road. He would cut up the chassis of ex-army vehicles and extend them for George Baxter at Moggerhanger to use as coaches.”

Ken Page has pointed out that the landlord of The Kings’ Arms in Sandy from 1934-50 was Sam Harling, and not Arling as recalled. “He had a board outside saying Sam Harling from Elland, Yorks” says Ken.

And it was Mr Beeson, rather than Besom, who ran the knackers yard. “The Beeson Brothers were horse slaughterers based at South Mills in Blunham in a converted flour mill. They used to render the animals there and had a bone crushing plant“ explains Ken.

Ken also had further information on Leslie George Ball, the AA patrol man who Rex Skinner recalled would give you a salute on greeting. “He was also licensee of The Old Beerhouse in Caldecote for four years until moving to The Rose & Crown, Sandy from 1965 to 1974. Members of his family still live in Sandy. And the proprietor of The White Horse in Sandy for whom Rex Skinner ran errands was Jane Wilson, rather than Wilkinson as he remembered.”

Our photograph this week is of All Saints Mission Church, Sandy which was built in 1884 and stood until 1981 at 45/47 London Road. It was founded by John Richardson, a Sandy Rector for 55 years.