Pete Smith INterview May 2021
Great Canfield has undergone significant change within living memory. This discussion with Mr Peter Smith illustrates two aspects. The first is the local dialect. This was widespread fifty years ago but now in 2021 has almost disappeared. The second aspect is the village way of life, as experienced by one who has lived here all his 83 years.
The discussion refers to buildings, footpaths and other features. The map in the centre of the Village Design Statement helps to locate these. The village website also gives information on topics such as listed buildings, footpaths, and local flora and fauna.
The discussion refers to two earlier maps: the first is from 1897 with a scale of 1:2500, and the other is from 1879 with a scale of 1:10560.
The following notes may help to give context to remarks made during the discussion. Times give the location of the topic in the recording in the format hh.mm.ss.
00.01.10 Footpath 15 runs north along the east side of Cutbush (141) and then Tenacres (160). Footpath 13 runs along the southern side of Tenacres and its neighbour 161.
00.01.50 The ditch the young Peter fell into runs between Tenacres and footpath 13.
00.02.14 Lower Road runs from the Water Hall junction to the triangle by Bacons. Recently in Google maps it has been called Water Lane. The high road referred to is the B184 through High Roding.
03.00.00 The Griffin Inn was in the annex to the right of the Grange as you approach it along the drive.
00.04.15 The village shop at Hellmans Cross had moved from its original location in Haydens End to Clovelly in Peter’s time. The post office had moved across the road to the Old Post House.
00.06.25 Refers to footpath 7, which goes east and then northeast through the paddocks at Ashfields. In the 1897 map it is a sizeable track.
00.07.10 Refers to footpath 8 from Bury Farm to Bacon End. In the 1897 map it is a sizeable track. Peter refers to it as Bury Lane.
00.09.00 At the junction of Bury Lane and the road through Bacon End (location OS map reference TL 60151 19278), the 1879 map shows a group of buildings called Middle Barn. This seems to have been demolished before Peter’s time and replaced by the Apple Store. The site is now (2021) being developed for a dwelling.
00.11.25 Discussion refers to what was Bury Lane and is now footpath 8.
00.11.45 Refers to Canfield Thrift and footpath 18 that goes through it.
00.13.05 “Hodings” in the 1879 map is now Oddyns. “Poddy” Turner’s farm.
00.14.50 to 00.15.15 Confusion arose because the 1879 map shows no road connection between Canfield Thrift and High Cross Lane.
00.17.00 refers to footpath 5 where it enters the wood before crossing the River Roding.
00.19.20 Refers to Wood Mead, the location of the huts built by the “Hermit” Jimmy Mason and his brother Tommy. Wood Mead is a section of woodland between footpaths 5 and 25.
00.32.10 Easton Lodge was a station on the Bishops Stortford to Braintree line. It closed in 1952. The rails were taken up in the 1970s and the Flitch Way now follows the route. One remaining station building can be seen where High Cross Lane crosses the Flitch Way at OS map reference TL 60346 21324.
00.32.35 “Geest Bananas”: an industrial site just south of the location of Easton Lodge station.
00.39.05 The Old Lamb, now a private dwelling, served Dunmow beer – see https://labology.org.uk/?page_id=5604 .
00.39.10 The Canfield Poem: written by William Smith at Ashfields a year or two before the First World War.
00.40.30 “steady Wally”: Wally Owers, who can be seen in a photo of the 1911 – 12 football team in the archives.
00.48.10 The Martin B-26 Marauder was an American twin-engined medium bomber. According to Wikipedia it was notoriously difficult to land.
00.48.40 Easton Lodge airfield: area south of the Easton Lodge estate. In use by the RAF and USAAF from 1943 to 1946.
00.55.50 “Pommie” Claydon, one of the personalities of the Great Canfield of yesteryear. 00.56.30 Aythorpe Roding village hall. One of the locations for the annual cricket club dinner.
01.03.50 Refers to the global Covid pandemic of 2020/21.
01.09.50 Bing’s Pond: pond by Triggers (for a period also known as Fairhaven), a house occupied in the 1930s and 40s by Mr and Mrs Bing.
01.11.50 According to Google maps, these days a cycle journey from Great Canfield to the site of the barracks in Southend would take a little over 3 hours.
01.12.40 Ernest “Chairman” Stock, one of the personalities of the Great Canfield of yesteryear.
The discussion refers to buildings, footpaths and other features. The map in the centre of the Village Design Statement helps to locate these. The village website also gives information on topics such as listed buildings, footpaths, and local flora and fauna.
The discussion refers to two earlier maps: the first is from 1897 with a scale of 1:2500, and the other is from 1879 with a scale of 1:10560.
The following notes may help to give context to remarks made during the discussion. Times give the location of the topic in the recording in the format hh.mm.ss.
00.01.10 Footpath 15 runs north along the east side of Cutbush (141) and then Tenacres (160). Footpath 13 runs along the southern side of Tenacres and its neighbour 161.
00.01.50 The ditch the young Peter fell into runs between Tenacres and footpath 13.
00.02.14 Lower Road runs from the Water Hall junction to the triangle by Bacons. Recently in Google maps it has been called Water Lane. The high road referred to is the B184 through High Roding.
03.00.00 The Griffin Inn was in the annex to the right of the Grange as you approach it along the drive.
00.04.15 The village shop at Hellmans Cross had moved from its original location in Haydens End to Clovelly in Peter’s time. The post office had moved across the road to the Old Post House.
00.06.25 Refers to footpath 7, which goes east and then northeast through the paddocks at Ashfields. In the 1897 map it is a sizeable track.
00.07.10 Refers to footpath 8 from Bury Farm to Bacon End. In the 1897 map it is a sizeable track. Peter refers to it as Bury Lane.
00.09.00 At the junction of Bury Lane and the road through Bacon End (location OS map reference TL 60151 19278), the 1879 map shows a group of buildings called Middle Barn. This seems to have been demolished before Peter’s time and replaced by the Apple Store. The site is now (2021) being developed for a dwelling.
00.11.25 Discussion refers to what was Bury Lane and is now footpath 8.
00.11.45 Refers to Canfield Thrift and footpath 18 that goes through it.
00.13.05 “Hodings” in the 1879 map is now Oddyns. “Poddy” Turner’s farm.
00.14.50 to 00.15.15 Confusion arose because the 1879 map shows no road connection between Canfield Thrift and High Cross Lane.
00.17.00 refers to footpath 5 where it enters the wood before crossing the River Roding.
00.19.20 Refers to Wood Mead, the location of the huts built by the “Hermit” Jimmy Mason and his brother Tommy. Wood Mead is a section of woodland between footpaths 5 and 25.
00.32.10 Easton Lodge was a station on the Bishops Stortford to Braintree line. It closed in 1952. The rails were taken up in the 1970s and the Flitch Way now follows the route. One remaining station building can be seen where High Cross Lane crosses the Flitch Way at OS map reference TL 60346 21324.
00.32.35 “Geest Bananas”: an industrial site just south of the location of Easton Lodge station.
00.39.05 The Old Lamb, now a private dwelling, served Dunmow beer – see https://labology.org.uk/?page_id=5604 .
00.39.10 The Canfield Poem: written by William Smith at Ashfields a year or two before the First World War.
00.40.30 “steady Wally”: Wally Owers, who can be seen in a photo of the 1911 – 12 football team in the archives.
00.48.10 The Martin B-26 Marauder was an American twin-engined medium bomber. According to Wikipedia it was notoriously difficult to land.
00.48.40 Easton Lodge airfield: area south of the Easton Lodge estate. In use by the RAF and USAAF from 1943 to 1946.
00.55.50 “Pommie” Claydon, one of the personalities of the Great Canfield of yesteryear. 00.56.30 Aythorpe Roding village hall. One of the locations for the annual cricket club dinner.
01.03.50 Refers to the global Covid pandemic of 2020/21.
01.09.50 Bing’s Pond: pond by Triggers (for a period also known as Fairhaven), a house occupied in the 1930s and 40s by Mr and Mrs Bing.
01.11.50 According to Google maps, these days a cycle journey from Great Canfield to the site of the barracks in Southend would take a little over 3 hours.
01.12.40 Ernest “Chairman” Stock, one of the personalities of the Great Canfield of yesteryear.