TRH Team

Many villagers, including me, will remember going into The Boot, which closed around 15 years ago.

My name is Alan Reason. I was born in Wilstone in 1947 and lived there for sixteen years until 1963. Most of the buildings I knew as a child still exist even if now put to different uses. However, one Wilstone village building that has disappeared – and one I remember very well – was the village school.

The question I most often get asked living in Long Marston’s Rose and Crown, is when did it stop being a pub?

Mary Grieve (1906-1998) or Miss Grieve as she was known in the village, won’t be a familiar name to newer residents, but she was one of the most celebrated people ever to live in Long Marston.

This chapter covers the enjoyment that the Horti people have experienced, while developing the innovations that have confirmed the Horti’s role as a major provider of social activities in the Village.

Earlier in the year we covered, in separate articles, the careers of three clergymen who had made major contributions to the history of our villages.

In previous editions of Village News we have shared the first seven chapters of our book on the History of the Horti, with each chapter covering a decade since its formation, from the 1930s to the 1990s.

Robert and Anne Puttenham were popular owners of Puttenham Manor, well trusted by everyone who had dealings with them.

Thank you everyone who came on the Village History/ Nostalgia walk. Thank you to the characters from The Vale who bought the stories to life. The tea wasn’t half bad either! Great to see the Village Hall Committee, the WI, Tring Village History Group and the Horti pulling together in support of our fantastic Village […]

There is a tendency to believe that the only drama in our villages during World War II was the tragic bombing of Long Marston School.

There must come a time when history ends and merges with the present day. When that happens there is no need to rely on archives of the past because we have the real time memories of those who have experienced the events of recent times.

In the previous chapter the question was asked, would the new momentum following the appointment of new Chairman Tom Chapman in 1976 be continued into the new decade?

Harry Glasser moved to Wilstone in 1938. Harry was brought up in London but was a ‘country boy at heart’.

The seventies was not an easy time for the country as everyone felt the impact of high inflation, industrial unrest and economic downturn. It also seems to have been a difficult time for the Horti at the beginning of the decade.

Our previous articles have covered the lives of two distinguished and memorable vicars of Long Marston; William Caldwell Masters (1871 – 1885) and Eric John Anthony (1931-1962).

The 1950s had been a period of innovation and development for the Horti and it would have been remarkable if this level of change had been repeated.

The Early Fifties – Times of Change. It is not always possible to know the exact times of changes in personnel, particularly during these early times when meeting minutes have not all been preserved.

This is the second of our articles on Churchmen who have made outstanding contributions to the life of our villages.

1943 – They were coming back from the Cattle Market in Aylesbury in foggy conditions. Three senior members of long term farming families in Long Marston and Puttenham.

This article is about the clergyman who might win the contest for biggest impact on life in Tring Rural villages

In 1853 the post of Pastor of the New Mill Baptist Chapel became available. New Mill was seen by the local villagers as the Parent Chapel and other chapels were guided by their policies.

The ‘History of the Horti’ continues with Chapter 2, covering the period directly after its foundation in 1936, including World War II.

These are a few extracts from the entry for Tring in Kelly’s directory:

October 1873: William Masters became Vicar of Long Marston and the surrounding parishes in January 1871. He made an immediate impression and attracted such large numbers to his services that there was soon standing room only in Long Marston Church. His first initiative was to raise the funds to build a more suitable vicarage, securing […]