Pennies Round The Green

A Memory of Chalfont St Giles.

We lived in Back Lane probably from 1954 to 1958. I went to the local village school where Mrs Larter taught me italic writing (still commented on to this day) and Mr George was the headmaster. My elder sister was in Mr Stacey's class. When we walked home from school we walked past Milton's cottage up to Three Households. I remember dancing round the maypole on the green - on May Day, I presume. People put pennies all round the green on the kerb - not sure why - for charity I should think! Another memory is of my Dad bowling for a pig at a village fete in the field below the Pheasant pub on the main road. He won the prize and as we had an unused brieze block pig sty at the end of our garden, we persuaded him to take the piglet, not the money. Took the piglet home in a cardboard box. It grew and grew...and escaped one day into the field behind the house in Back Lane, there was a gate and a drive way into that field. I remember Mum chasing the pig but can't remember how we got it back. It got so big Mum was frightened to go in to clean it out. Eventually the pig disappeared and I'm pretty sure we got some chops from the butcher! I remember living there as a very happy time with lots of freedom to play in the woods, damming streams and buying Tizer from Miss Pusey's shop on Back Lane. My best friend was Jackie Allum who was the greengrocer's daughter up at Three Households.

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