Category Archives: Articles
The history of Sawbridgeworth’s Town-Twinning with Bry-sur-Marne by David Royle
Have you ever wondered how and why we are involved in town-twinning? David Royle has written an article about our French twin-town with its history and a guide.
High Wych allotments
This article is about the history of the allotments at High Wych. The Local History Society is looking to produce a booklet on the allotments in Sawbridgeworth and the article begins with a request for experiences now and in the past from local allotment holders.
Pishiobury School – the school for “naughty boys”
Later to become offices and flats.
The Museum of the Great War, Meaux, France
This article is about the visit of the Sawbridgeworth Town Twinning Association in September 2018.
Sweet rationing in World War Two
This is an article compiled by David Royle in connection with the VE Day celebrations.
Camp High Wych – a home for the homeless on the old airfield
People were living in the old airfield buildings until the late 1950s. This is their story.
Sawbridgeworth cinema – now the Roman Catholic church
Many people will remember this building before it closed in 1953.
Francis Buxton – former owner of Pishiobury House and President of Sawbridgeworth Cricket Club
Former owner of Pishiobury House and President of Sawbridgeworth Cricket Club.
William Truswell – the man who “captured” Sawbridgeworth
This is an article about a photographer who had a business in Sawbridgeworth. He took many photographs of the local area, many of which were turned into postcards.
More articles to read
The motto of our society is to research collect record and preserve. In the course of doing this we publish articles. These articles can be read on the articles as PDF page on this website.
Sawbridgeworth and its Church
An article by this name was written by Herbert C Andrews in 1929. It was found a few years ago in a cabinet at Sawbridgeworth library. It gives some extremely interesting information about the early history of Great St. Mary’s Church Sawbridgeworth. Apparently unpublished until now ( so we are told ) we are happy… Read More »
The Leventhorpes
Hello again, Sheila Passfield, a churchwarden at Great St. Mary’s and an ex-pupil at Leventhorpe’s school recently wrote a nice little article about the Leventhorpe family and its relations with Sawbridgeworth. You can find it on our articles as PDF page but also by clicking directly at the below link: The Leventhorpe family of Sawbridgeworth… Read More »
Charles ‘Charley’ Dedman – WW1 soldier
Charley Dedman was born in Sawbridgeworth in 1887 and was working in Leicestershire where he signed up for the Leicestershire regiment. He was one of the first 50 civilian volunteers to go to France. Sadly he was killed by a German bullet in the head in 1916 and was buried near Guillemont in the Somme.… Read More »
The Cosy Cafe and other places for eating and drinking
The above picture shows London Road in 1951 with on the right a sign advertising the Cosy Cafe, also known as the Cosy Rosy. To read the full article go to our articles as PDF page and find your way to the Pubs and restaurants subsection or click on the following link COSY ROSY … Read More »
Two more articles
We have been quite busy recently writing and posting new articles. The two newest additions are: An article about the celebration of Queen Victoria’s golden jubilee in Sawbrigeorth. You can access that one by clicking on the following link 1887 victoria 50 – SBW The second article is an edited version of a piece from… Read More »
Walter Lawrence – a history – 1
The name of Walter Lawrence brings back many memories to people in East Hertfordshire. Indeed from 1907 to 1982 a factory with that name stood at the Stort riverside and on the borders of Sawbridgeworth and Sheering. However, the company was started much earlier. It’s founder, let’s call him Walter 1st, was born 22 February… Read More »
Celebrating Rivers’ Wassail.
The latest article on our website is Celebrating Rivers’ Wassail by Elizabeth Waugh. It contains two illustrations and the Rivers’ Wassail song. The Wassail has become an annual event celebrating the fruit trees.
Private W. A. Whybrew – A Great War Survivor
There is a new article on the website about a local man, Private William Alfred Whybrew, who survived the Great War to return home and start a family. Read the full article here
The Great War
In October the SLHS will publish High Wych, Sawbridgeworth and the Great War.
As the title indicates the book discusses the ways in which that tragic conflict affected our communities.
Brian Rochester
Just now we posted our 21st article on this site, a little piece honouring the memory of Brian Rochester, a Sawbridgeworth man through and through and devoted to the countryside. Read the full article here.
His Majesty”s Motor Launch 146 and The History of the Congregational Church
Recently two new articles were posted on this site. One of these concerns His Majesty’s Motor Launch 146 which was financed through contributions from the Sawbridgeworth population in the first years of the Second World War. Download the article from our articles as pdf page. Or click here Likewise there is an article about the… Read More »
Annie Clements and her children
There is a new article concerning the Clements family and how two young boys travelled from the Bishop’s Stortford Poorhouse all the way to Canada where they built up a new life. It is reprinted there by kind permission of the Hertfordshire Family History Society and the editor of “Hertfordshire People” their quarterly journal. Those… Read More »
Rivers Nursery
In October last year our still relatively new Sawbridgeworth Local History Society organised its first Evening Meeting. Our speaker was Elizabeth Waugh whose book, Rivers Nursery of Sawbridgeworth: the Art of Practical Pomology, was published in 2009. Elizabeth very kindly wrote an article for this website which can be found by clicking on the following… Read More »
Publish and be ????????????
Publish and be damned the saying goes. We hope that is not your conclusion after having read some of the articles on this website. There are eight of them now on that page with subjects ranging from the Lordship of the local Manor to Trade Fairs in the olden days. You can access the page… Read More »