Peregrinations of a Kiddy, by Thomas Strutt

'Peregrinations of a Kiddy' was written by Uxbridge man Thomas Strutt in 1873.

In this 60 page essay he remembers walking up and down Uxbridge High Street as a boy, around 1850.

He describes in detail every shop, pub, house and alleyway - the Chequers Inn, where the Uxbridge Yeomanry Cavalry band played nightly; the cottages in Bonsey's Yard where he and his friends went ghost hunting.

He remembers buying fish and chips, oysters and toys, at the Market House; and attending church upstairs among the straw bales, the hymns accompanied by a viol and clarinet.

In his words the people of Uxbridge come to life - from the grocer who failed to woo his neighbour's daughter by throwing almond cake over the garden wall, to an unfortunate accident with a bucket of whitewash.

Thomas's Uxbridge is familiar and strange - take the May Day parade, when the town's chimney sweeps dressed as girls and danced around a green pyramid known as 'Jack in the Green' - a common tradition lost to us today.

'Peregrinations of a Kiddy' is available without appointment in our searchroom, and includes a typed transcript of the original text.

It is well worth a read.