Clewer in the Fifties

Introduction
The growth of Windsor and, consequentially, of Clewer has taken place in fits and starts corresponding to periods of prosperity and social change. 

The Norman Conquest, the end of the mediaeval period at the end of the 15th Century, the Georgians and the Victorians all made their mark on the area.

As it was in the period after the Second World War; from 1947 until 1960 saw major changes in the Windsor and Clewer area which defined the shape of the place that we know today.

Clewer Park
The social centre of the village was the manor house - originally built in the 15th century and maintained and modified over the years.

With the demands of the War the house had been used for some years by the Armed Forces and, by 1945, was in a poor state of repair. 

The house and park were bought by developers in 1956 and the estate that is know as Clewer Park was built.

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The Park was bought by the Council in 1975 when it was under threat from more development and designated a Public Open Space; the Park retains many of the landscape features of the original layout - notably with the two artifical ponds and a number of very fine cedar trees.

Racecourse Stables
The land to the east of Mill Lane bordering Clewer Court Road had been used for many years as stables - for the Racecourse and Race Meetings and for Army horses on State occasions.

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In 1978 this land was sold for development and designated Stephenson Drive.

Mill Lane
By the end of the war, Mill lane consisted of the Swan Inn and the Victorian Cottages to the north, the Duke of Edinburgh Inn on the opposite corner backed by Swan Terrace, Edgeworth House and the Limes.

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The Fifties saw two semi detached houses built next to Edgeworth House and a row of self  Build Houses on the west side. These extended across the junction with Clewer Park.

Southall Self Build Group

In the 1950’s only 5 or 6 years after W.W.2. the housing shortage was not getting better.

In many towns up and down the country groups of people were forming SELF BUILD GROUPS to supply their family with a home of their OWN.Self Build 1.jpg (298236 bytes)

The so called Southall group was formed at this time. The next thing was to find land to build on at a price they could afford. Things do not change do they ?.

To find the land took about 18 Months. It was in Windsor down Mill Lane and 24 houses could be built.

At this point a group in Uxbridge contacted the Southall group with the suggestion that we join forces and build in Mill Lane and on land adjacent known as Clewer Park.

The council said YOU build the road in Clewer Park. That plan was dropped. And the Southall group settled for 24 houses in Mill Lane.

The money to build was to be raised with a council loan in four stages on each property

                                                  

1  Completion to damp course

2 up to first floor                                                                                               

3 up to roof

4 completion to occupation.

On completion of each house the loan from the council was to be transferred to the occupant

The membership was of 24. each with an ability within the building trade. Each man was expected to work 24 hours each week and was allowed off one weeks Holiday Xmas & Boxing Day only.

A builder was subcontracted to build the shells and the Group were to do all Plastering/Plumbing/Ceilings/Carpentry/Electrical/ Painting/Paths and Boundary walls.

After all the financial arrangements for the land and loan for building were settled, work started in 1953

Decisions of who was housed first and last was on a points allocation of the family size and accommodation(ie) husband & wife + two children in two rooms top of the list, husband & wife in rented half house, bottom of the list.

The project had been going for two years and we had arrived at the opening which is now Clewer Park Road up to then we had been working on Three Months Credit. When this was reduced to ONE month because of a credit squeeze, all those who could, were ask to put ALL the moneys they could find into the group to save it and complete the last houses. We only just saved the project.

It took approximately another fourteen months to finish.

At the time of writing due to people moving and dying there are still 12 of the original 24 living in MILL LANE in March 1996.

 

Parsonage Lane
Although a number of individual houses were built in the Lane in the 1950s, the principal change to the Lane was the demolition of the Georgian Rectory and mediaeval Tithe barn - both incredible acts of vandalism which would, we hope, never be allowed today.

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The result was the building of Rectory and Chantry Close with pleasant but uninspired terraced houses

The Relief Road
After the War the principal north south route was along Eton and Windsor High Streets; with the widening of a number of main roads and the steady increase in traffic, it was clear that these streets and the associated river bridge could not sustain the load for long.

The solution - after much local navel gazing - was the Windsor and Eton Relief Road and Elizabeth Bridge linking the M4 with the Winkfield Road and its route across the Great Park. It opened in 1966.

The effect on the High Streets was immediate and Windsor bridge was closed to all except pedestrian traffic due to structural weakness.

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The Relief Road had the effect of separating central Windsor from West Windsor, took up a large slice of the Stovell Road Recreation Ground  but has been successful in removing large volumes of traffic was the town's roads.