Kings Langley Common

A Memory of Kings Langley.

In 1946 we left Kings Langley, my parents having lived there since 1936. I arrived in 1937, so can claim to be partially raised there. I must have passed the village pound many times without realising what it was. My home was further up on the left in Common Lane, a house called Merrow Down. I liked it there and liked playing on the common. In winter it was a super toboggan run and everybody turned out to take part. I do know that in one of the cottages to the right of the picture lived a family called Cox.
We knew lots of people and 3 doctors were friends of my parents, these being Doris Brown who lived at Langley Common House, Richard Mawson, and Dr Fisher. We also knew the Dean family, who owned Toovey's Mill, Peter Stanley, a dentist,and the Buchanan-Smith family. Mr B-S was a tester for Scammel Lorries. I believe Mill House is still intact. I can remember it being occupied by a family from Ramsgate during the war. Life was good in those days as you knew no other. I have revisited the village, the High Street looks much the same but elsewhere are many new developments. For 2 terms I was at the Priory School, where I learnt nothing except anti-social behaviour, which worried my parents.