By Nick Pollard
Christmas this year is going to seem very different to the usual festivities, with restrictions on church going, meeting up with friends and family, shopping or even getting away from it all on winter breaks.
Spare a thought though, for the inhabitants of Sunbury village in 1879, when the day’s events got off to an alarming start. The Uxbridge and West Drayton Gazette reported that ‘the inhabitants of this usually quiet village were alarmed at about 3 o’clock by an alarm of “fire”, when it was discovered that the shop of Mr Knight, Grocer, in Church Terrace, was in flames. Information was conveyed to the police and to Mr Willmer, foreman of the parish fire engine, who immediately proceeded to the scene of the fire with the engine, and with the assistance of Mr S. Fisk and other tradesmen, at once commenced on playing (the hose) on the adjoining property, by which means in all probability that well-known hostelry the Flower Pot was saved from the flames… Soon after 4 o’clock am, Mr Francis of Hampton arrived with his manual engine, and his assistance was most valuable in preventing the flames spreading to Mr Stroud’s shop, and also to the mansion in the occupation of Captain Lendy. The Volunteer Fire Brigade from Kingston arrived about 7 o’clock, but their services were not required… though by this time the shop of Mr Knight and Mr Scott, draper, were almost entirely destroyed by the flames. J.G Holway Esq, with his usual liberality, provided all who had been at work at the fire with a substantial breakfast at his own residence.’
The destroyed shops of Frederick Knight, grocer, and John Scott, draper, were clearly immediately to the right of the Flower Pot in Thames Street, although the name ‘Church Terrace’ is new to me. The refer-ence to Mr Stroud’s shop must surely be to the Ferry House on the other side of the road (later Wilson’s) where Alfred and Thomas Stroud carried on their business as fishermen and boat builders. The most puz-zling reference however is to Captain Lendy’s mansion. This was Sunbury House, where he ran a private Military Academy, and was located where Loudwater Close is now, off Fordbridge Road and nowhere near the fire. I can only think the reporter had the story second hand, and was not familiar with Sunbury. The reaction of Mr Holway’s cook (at Montford House, where the Police College used to be), to having to cook a great number of breakfasts unexpectedly on Christmas morning, is not recorded!