Butts Crescent

Life at 3 Butts Crescent, Glebe Farm

by Patricia Palmer - Jun 2020

This information is based on my Mum’s life story, which I wrote up from her own notes for her 80th birthday.

My mum, May Thorndyke nee Hill, was born in Teddington in Lodge Road and lived in Church Street where she married my dad, James Thorndyke, on the 16 June 1940. The story of her growing up in Teddington will be available elsewhere.

Their son, my brother Anthony was born in 1944 and following an accident was very poorly and passed away in 1959. After their marriage they lived in Somerset Road Teddington until 1955 when they moved into the newly built houses at Butts Crescent on the Glebe Estate at Hanworth.

I was born in 1952 so my first real memories are living at 3 Butts Crescent. Our family lived at the house until around 2005 when mum chose to go into a nursing home in Richmond and then moved nearer to me in Plymouth where she died in 2007.

The next part was written by my mum when she was in hospital at West Mid in 1991. She went in for a replacement knee and everything went wrong, she never walked again unaided. I decided to get her to write her life story to give her the will to live. My gift for her 80th birthday was a book made up from her story.

Mum's surprise birthday party (80th) which is when I gave her the book.

This has my late brother Keith in.

It is easier to write about our arrival and life in Butts Crescent in her words:

“I was glad when we finally got our house at 3 Butts Crescent (1955). We had to make new friends, Maud and Rose (her sisters) came up from Broadstairs and helped us move. The Friday night before we moved in we scrubbed the floors from top to bottom so it was clean when the furniture arrived, oh I’ll never forget it. It was Easter time and it snowed hard and everything was white, so you could tell what it was like to move on a day like that; but Dad working at Bentalls removal office got them to do it and they packed all breakable not cost anything and he gave the men something who had done the job.

Wallpaper from the cupboard

We were all together. He’d do the ceilings and we’d do the painting together and he’d cut the wallpaper and paste it and I’d put it up as he never could manage papering, and you’ll know that is why I never repaper my bedroom cupboard, as Dad did it and I was very proud of him as it was his only attempt.

Mum with Tim and Keith at 3 Butts Cres

We always did things together and the garden was always kept lovely, he would keep the lawns cut and do the vegetable part at the back of the garden and I’d do all the border plants. I’ve been ashamed of our garden over the last few years as John (friend who lived there) tries but he admits he’s no gardener and does not know weeds from plants.”

My dad, Jim, passed away suddenly after a massive stroke on the 22nd November 1972, he had just come home from Firestones after a late shift on the 20th. Losing Dad was horrendous as we were a great family unit and always did things together, every Sunday Dad would take us out in the car to see my grandad and then go and watch the trains at Esher. Most weekends we would then go to Bushy Park for a picnic. My Mum was always a sociable person and I think that is what kept her going. She worked at Greshams, which was just the other side of the wall at the end of our garden and then EMI SE Labs. The neighbours were a fantastic crowd and very supportive to us.

My dad with our cat scamp who got killed on the main road shortly after dad died.

I (Patricia) married in the September after Dad died and moved to Bedfont. This is now my memories of Butts Crescent, I think most of the Estate was still under construction when we moved in. At the end of our garden was a long brick wall, which I think was probably part of the original wall from the Whiteley grounds.

People I remember living in out part of Butts Crescent houses were 1 – Bateman then Toone, 3 Thorndyke (us), 5 Later Benwell but I can’t remember who the first residents were, 7 Crispin then Willets, 9 Sheehan, 11 Rogers although I don’t think they were there to start with. The houses on our side went up by around another 10 houses. Opposite us were - 2 Potterill, 4 Foster, 6 Lewis, 8 Martin (although don’t think they were the first people there), 10 Clarkson then Westbury. There is a block of flats which joins our part of Butts Crescent with the second part. I had friends there but can’t remember names at the moment.

I remember a lady on the lst floor who had a poodle and there was a big black lab which used to come chasing out when you walked past. I was petrified of him and would go the main road way to visit my friend, Pat Friend, who lived round the corner in the second half of Butts Crescent.

Tim, Keith and myself with our cousin Geoff in the paddling pool in our garden.

When growing up there weren’t many people with cars and we used to play lots of games in the street. I am sure the old ladies (ark at me now age 68….) at the top of the road in the original houses from Whiteley days were driven mad with us playing two balls on their wall and always congregating on the grass to the side of their house. There was very little trouble in our area, usual squabbles I am sure but nothing that sticks in my mind.

I remember playing cricket in the road with lots of neighbours children. The ball hit me in the stomach…. I have hated cricket balls ever since, although I did do cricket scoring for a good few years.

Back from my driving lesson !! With my ex- husband Les Johnston outside 3 Butts Cres showing the flats behind.

My brothers, Tim and Keith, both lived at number 3 until they moved on with marriage and their own families. Sadly we lost Keith in September 2006. Mum with Tim and Keith at 3, Butts Crescent

Mum’s house was adapted by the council for her disabilities and I know when she moved out we were told that it would be used for another family with disabilities. I hope it is a happy house for them as it was for us.

When we finally moved Mum’s things out I went around every room and spent time remembering. I sat on the floor in the corner of Mum and Dad’s bedroom where Dad had his stroke and said final goodbyes.