Chesham Heritage

18/10/2025

Amy Mill photos c/o this rather attractively priced book. £10 OFF at just £4.95.

Presented in a photograph album format, with over 300 captioned images. Subjects covered include the fire brigade, cinema, school days, the railway, genealogy, architecture and the River Chess. The focus is firmly on people – from childhood, through finding work, making a home, starting a family, ...

18/10/2025

More pictures of Amy Mill, including the millpond of about 1880.
(Amy Lane/Meades Water Gardens now).

18/10/2025

Any thoughts on where the Commercial Mathematical School was in Chesham, 1867, as drawn and painted by J.G.Stone?

18/10/2025

David Porthouse writes on OurChesham:

This small watercolour painting caught my eye on eBay a few days ago especially as it had the information written on the back saying it was Amy Mill House. I had heard of the mill but knew little about it, having lived just up the road from Lord’s Mill for nearly 50 years that was more familiar to me. Internet research tells me that the Amy Mill was very likely one of the 4 Chesham mills noted in the Doomsday Book but the first named recording came in the 17th century, being a water driven corn mill that continued through the 18th & 19th centuries. Water power ceased by 1883 and eventually the mill was demolished but Amy Mill House remained until 1930 when a lorry crashed into the house causing damage that led to the house itself being demolished leaving just a sluice gate which still exists in what is now the Meades Water Garden. The water garden area was once the mill pond for Amy Mill, later to be water cress beds and once the buildings had been demolished the site became the roundabout at the bottom of Amersham Hill just above the two garages.

The painting seems to be credited to Cicely and the note also mentioned Great Aunt Evelyn living there. These names meant nothing to me but I could only think of one person I could try for more information, the very knowledgeable Cheshamite Eleanor Phillips who has helped me in the past with research. Eleanor took time out from her recent book launch about the ghost stories of Chesham to look into the names on the painting and she came up trumps. Gt. Aunt Evelyn was Mary Evelyn Susie Williams who lived in Amy Mill House in 1911 when she was 60 years old. She had two daughters, Mary Evelyn (born 1880) and Cicely Margaret (born 1887). After that the trail goes cold as they were not living there when the 1921 census was done.

Possibly not relevant but the eBay seller is an antique dealer in Gosport, Hampshire. There seem to be very few pictures of Amy Mill if the internet is anything to go by, especially from the mill pond side like this pretty watercolour.

17/10/2025

Three new local publications available from The Good Earth Gallery, Chesham High Street.

03/10/2025

01/10/2025

Available at The Good Earth Gallery price £7.95. Located at Laceys Yard, by 23 High Street, Chesham; Weds-Sat 10-3.

15/09/2025

Some more notes on Pednor House, seen here from the rear with its small fortified tower. It sits in five acres of grounds near the site of a medieval farmstead and moat. In the 12th century the lands at Pednor belonged to Missenden Abbey.

After the dissolution the lands were granted to John Lord Russell, the 1st Earl of Bedford from 1550. Pednor was in the tenure of Thomas Weedon whose son Richard bought the freehold of Pednor Grange in 1563. Another son, Thomas, left £500 to build the Weedon Almhouses in Waterside, Chesham in 1624.

Moving on to 1851 and Edwin Birch ran Little Pednor Farm until his death in 1885. The main developments to the house and garden took place after 1910 when Claud Lawrence owned the house.

Thanks to Bucks Garden Trust/Keith Fletcher.

14/09/2025

Pednor House with its courtyard at Little Pednor with the road running through it. A Grade II listed house believed to date from the 17th century. The architects Forbes & Tate converted the farmhouse between 1910 and 1912 in Arts & Crafts style, creating a 65 foot banqueting hall and ornate circular dovecote.

In 1919 Henry Harrington commissioned a planting plan by Gertrude Jekyll. Between 1927 and 1947 it was the home of Robert Scott Sleigh, who added a fortified tower.

During WWII the house was requisitioned as the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital for Pregnant Mothers. In 1947 the estate was purchased by Lord & Lady Ranfurly who lived there until 1964.

Hermione Ranfurly began the Ranfurly Library Service, now called Book Aid International, which has supplied 35 million books to 68 countries.

In 1963 the family sold up and moved up the road to Great Pednor Manor.

Great Pednor Manor is where the original Star Wars producer, Gary Kurtz, once lived. It was also home to Sir Bruce Ingram, editor of the Illustrated London News.

Little Pednor is where Iron Maiden's frontman, Bruce Dickinson, briefly resided and was known to be a tenant.

14/09/2025

George Thomas (1903-1962), sitting outside Ellicott’s in Moor Road (the workshop by Lord’s Mill - newly converted), 4th August 1954.

He was the great grandfather of Rocky Clark MBE, the well known rugby union player, and he was father to George Thomas who currently lives in Bois Moor Road.

George Daniel Dominic Thomas was also a solderer at Van Houten's chocolate factory in Asheridge Road, sealing the lids on to the tins of chocolate. He lived in Woodley Hill.

12/09/2025

Does anyone recognise the location of this mill? The painting was bought from a Chesham gallery over 30 years ago and I'm wondering if it is local.

14/06/2025

Mr Trevor Pearce, farmer of The Lee, brought in this painting yesterday. It's of the Market Square in the days of the old Town Hall prior to 1965. A few of the buildings on the right have been demolished, but some are home to today's Skipton Building Society, Mad Squirrel beershop etc. The artist is TE Oakley (possibly Professor Oakley). Does anyone know anything about him?