When my Grandparents left Grove Farm at Box, where they had been farming, they moved in to 141, Lordship Road, Stoke Newington with my Great Grandfather, Joseph Lines. This was around 1925, and may have been prompted by the death of my Great Grandmother, Jane Lines (nee Fitzhenry) on 7th June 1925. They lived with Joseph and helped run G&J Lines, until he died in 1931. They rented The Cottage, 55, Anne Boleyn’s Walk, Cheam, Surrey for about 3 years, while they had a house built on Warren Drive, Kingswood, so moved in probably about 1934.
The house was named Pickwick, after the village near Box.
The family were still living there when I was young, though I do not have clear memories of the house. My parents lived in Edinburgh and we used to spend Christmas with my Grandparents, traveling by various means. One of my early memories is of a taxi ride through central London, and the lights of Piccadilly Circus – there was nothing similar in Edinburgh.
I have some 2″ Slides from my Aunt Fanny’s collection, which show Pickwick, which I have photographed to reproduce here.
Roger, Michael,Jenifer,Jeremy
Mouse, Chief, Tim
My Grandpa (George E Lines), known in the family as Chief, and my Granny (Doris Joan Lines – nee Stevens), known in the family as Mouse.
When my grandparents moved to Rest Harrow the croquet set moved with them, and we all played croquet as children.
I do not wear a tweed jacket and a tie for gardening, I feel I am letting the family down !
yes I have many happy memories of visits and staying at Pickwick when we were between houses and had to evict the tenant who was living at The Old Oak,Chipstead. My father called him “a yellow livered rat” which I thought was great! It must have been the late 40’s. My brother and I amused ourselves by sliding down the sloping staircase roof to the air-raid shelter and wearing out our trousers much to mum’s anger as rationing was still on going !
Auntie Mouse had chickens in a big run but the cockerel pecked me so I kept a long way off and would not collect the eggs. I could go on,the attic had a train set that disappeared under the eaves, the playroom became a workshop,full of Jeremy’s boat models! Fascinating to a 6/7 year old !
I remember seeing pictures of my Granny (Aunty Mouse) feeding chickens, probably at Pickwick. She was scattering seed onto a plank of wood, which had metal strips round each end, and that same plank used to be in the garden at Rest Harrow