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Nora Simpson, daughter of the Nurseryman.
Her home is what is now the Ashcombe School tennis courts.
My father came in 1912 and had the nursery on a 99 year lease which he said “would last MY lifetime” – and it did!
In 1912 there were only three houses in Croft Avenue and the people came to the nursery on a path straight through to the grounds when they got their flowers and vegetables. Later on there were eight houses. We all played tennis together (at the tennis court since built over by Mowbray Gardens) -everybody did.
During the war there was an ARP building at the end of Croft Avenue and father fire watched from there.
Father had a stroke and died within two days. Uncle had to make a decision whether to keep the nursery. The land belonged to Cubitt and was offered for sale which was unusual as they never sold anything. Had uncle bought it , it would have taken all his money. He decided to buy, a search was made but the solicitor said not touch it. A compulsory purchase was to be made to build a school.
Uncle dies in 1953 and I was told to clear out by the Cubitts. The nursery fruit trees were in flower. The greenhouses were left to fall down and people came from far and wide to dig out plants and trees. The Star and Garter helped themselves rather than buy from our shop.
Barbara Evans (no 18)
Mr Ken East, the Ambassador for Iceland (at the time of the Cod Wars) lived at No 16. He designed his house and was putting the finishing touches – concreting paths – when we moved in in 1956. His house was let to many people over the years all of whom were of different nationalities, the most memorable being Mrs Nairn. Her husband worked for the Crown Colonies, and she herself was Mauritian. She bred Samoyd dogs – the type that pulled sledges. At one time there were 14 of them and needless to say they got into the garden and killed the children’s rabbit.
Mr & Mrs Fisher lived at No 12 and he had a butcher’s shop at 212-214 High Street, near the Surrey Yeoman.
Mr & Mrs Morgan lived at no 14 and they owned a delicatessen shop in South Street near the Bull’s Head public house.
Croft Avenue chaos
Following an update of traffic signs on the London Road, the signage showed a left turn to access the A25 a little prematurely. All traffic from the London Road intending to go up Ashcombe Road turned too early and came up Croft Avenue instead, came to a dead end and had to turn round to retrace their journey.
Chaos indeed!
A Croft Avenue Character
Mrs Tyman, The Lindens 1950’s to 1973
Mrs Tyman was an eccentric lady who could be seen taking her dog for a walk down the road, with one end of a washing line attached to the dog and the other end toed round her waist, while wearing a smog mask.
Mrs Tyman’s garden was home to goats and geese up until the 1970’s. She also had a collection of orchids worthy of coach trippers from the Royal Horticultural Society!
Recollection from Russell Jenner (late of no 3)
My first record of Croft Avenue goes back to 1921, when Catherine Mansell Jones and Herbert Mansell Jones of Stockbridge Southampton together with Marion and Norton Stephenson of flat 4 Millbourne Grove South Kensington together with the trustees sold the land to William Sherbourne of South Street Dorking. There’s loads more legal stuff with information contained about the road within it but for now its enough to say that the rest of the road was occupied by only three houses – probably those now numbered 6, 8 & 9. At this time the land now occupied by the main road was owned by Cubitt & West.