| The Parish Church of St James |  |
| St. James's Road, Hampton Hill, TW12 1DQ (Parish Office 020 8941 6003) | |
| THE HISTORY OF St. JAMES'S CHURCH | |
| Section
Contents: The History of St. James's
Church | 'Birth and Growth of Hampton
Hill' | Church Records | Churchyard
Records | Past Events at St. James's |
People of St. James's | Spire
Magazine Archives | Through
the Years |
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Past Events in the 1990s: Wayside - 1993 June
 |
"This ‘commodious
villa’ was built in 1883 (probably by Singletons, local builders
and ‘pillars of the church’), one of several in St. James’s
Road which came into being as part of the Rev. J. Fitzwygram’s
efforts to attract ‘gentry’ into the early village to act
as patrons and providers in a poverty-stricken area. In the early 1920’s,
it was owned by a family named Breddenberg (formerly Brandenburg) who
shared it with Col. Joseph Whiteside Boyle D.S.O., ex-patriate Canadian.
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| He was buried and rested peacefully in St. James’s
churchyard until his remains were disinterred at the request of a
group of citizens of Woodstock, Ontario, after much, sometimes acrimonious,
discussion which ended in a Consistory Court hearing in our church.
The remains were flown to Canada by the Royal Canadian Air Force and
reinterred in Woodstock with great pomp and ceremony on a day which
was declared a Canadian National Holiday. An ancient cross and urn,
the gift of Queen Marie of Romania in affectionate remembrance of
the dashing colonel, were also removed to Woodstock. A commemorative
stone, paid for by the Canadians, now marks the site of his original
grave.
Early in the 1950’s, it became apparent that Wayside could prove a great investment over and above its obvious advantages as a church house. Eventually, in 1955, Wayside was purchased by the church for £4175 and did in fact become a very useful adjunct to St. James’s. For many years it was the meeting place of the PCC, the Sunday Schools, the Young People’s Fellowship and many church-related groups such as the Mothers’ Union, the Young Wives and the Tuesday Club, the Young Families Group, and the Wayside Monday Centre (a counselling service), not to mention several other local Associations and groups. When Parish Breakfasts were introduced, we used to go over to Wayside on Sunday mornings and there enjoy rolls and butter and marmalade (!) organised by Margaret Leatherdale. Wayside has meant a great deal of work for the Properties Committee under Bill Robinson and then Jack Gostling, and throughout the period of nearly forty years of church ownership, Bob Salisbury, who died recently, was Wayside Treasurer. Initially Doris and Russel Warwick were responsible for looking after it, and a number of people, including Ruth Gostling, Roma Bridges and Stella Walker have served as Wayside Supervisor, and Bill Robinson was still helping out in a practical way until quite recently. For various reasons, the church decided
a year or two ago to sell Wayside, and it was finally sold earlier this
year. It is good to know that, under its original country-sounding name,
Wayside has once more become a family home, and we welcome the new owners,
Ann and Steve Croft, and their children Joseph and Poppy, and wish them
every happiness among us." |
| Further Information |
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Associated pages on this website: Introduction to the Church Buildings and Grounds |