In 1905 (I believe) George and Mabel Simmonds moved with their son, my grandfather, to Heston Middlesex, which is in the Hounslow district. I have written about George and Mabel’s life prior to this in other blogs. Over the next 9 years three more sons … Continue reading George Simmonds World War 1 service
The past in the present
Sam and I watched The Dark Knight Rises last night, the third in the Batman trilogy. Great film, as good as, maybe better than, numbers one and two. I was keen to see the interiors from Osterley House which we saw when we were there in October. What … Continue reading The past in the present
Osterley Estate
We found ourselves at Osterley on the last day of the season, Wednesday 30 October 2013. It was a chilly autumn day, but the sun was shining in a blue sky. We had driven up from Gatwick via the M25 and through the outer suburbs … Continue reading Osterley Estate
Redhill to Hounslow in 1905
Last Monday I returned the car we had rented for the week to an office in Crawley and was being driven back to the B and B where we had stayed overnight in Horley. It was 6.45am and the traffic around Gatwick was already heavy. … Continue reading Redhill to Hounslow in 1905
Garden party at Osterley 1908
I found this picture on the web. It is a print which was for sale on ebay. It depicts a garden party at Osterley in 1908, a few years before Uncle Jack (John Simmonds, my mother’s uncle) was born. Some seventy five years later I … Continue reading Garden party at Osterley 1908
Forgotten tales 