Photos
From A Childhood Spent At Broome Hall
(continued
from previous Page)
(Source: Anne-Thérese
Scott-Abbott)
A view of Broome Hall. The entrance?
Susanne
writes: "The pictures of Broome
Hall sent by Anne-Thérese make me feel very nostalgic,
especially the one of the "other" side. It is, of course,
the main entrance, but is actually the back of the house.
As a child, I found that quite ridiculously illogical! Any
visitors arriving by road would see an impressive view of
the front of the house, placed perfectly on the lower slopes
of Leith Hill. You can't see the house from the main drive
though, and the entrance is not impressive until you swing
into the last part of the drive, as in the photo." |
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(Source: Anne-Thérese
Scott-Abbott)
Another view of Broome Hall but can you have too many of this elegant
building?
(Stand up, the person who decided to sell it).
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(Source: Anne-Thérese
Scott-Abbott)
Another view of Broome Hall but can you have too many of this elegant
building?
(Stand up, the person who decided to sell it).
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Susanne
writes: "The sort of half view
in the other picture(above) is a familiar one to me,
because our quarters were further to the right of the viewpoint,
which was halfway between our home and Granny's caravan (below),
which was on the other side of the main drive. She had a most
beautiful garden, basically a very large rock garden - it
was hacked out of the scrub-like woodland for her when the
caravan was placed there. She and Grandad had an aviary of
homing budgies. They (the birds!) spent all day flying free
in the trees - loads of them. The sunken garden was tidied
by novices while we were there. I think it was probably beautifully
planted at one time, but would have taken a lot of time and
effort to maintain it."
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(Source: Anne-Thérese
Scott-Abbott)
The caravan in which Granny lived (Mrs Madge Stirling).
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(Source: Anne-Thérese
Scott-Abbott)
The caravan in which Granny lived (Mrs Madge Stirling).
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(Source:
Anne-Thérese
Scott-Abbott)
On the back of this photo it says "Anne and two of her family."
Mrs Anne Scott, who was the resident Cook?
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Susanne
writes: "There was an oval
concrete swimming pool there - quite large. It must have been
one of the first built, I should think. Anne-Thérese
learned to swim in it! I should think the biggest danger was
not that of drowning! It was really murky, with plenty of
newts and frogs in it! Fr. Marchant used to swim in it regularly.
There was also a fountain / waterfall through a rock garden,
with a statue of Our Lady. It was all very beautiful."
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(Source:
Anne-Thérese
Scott-Abbott)
A view of the lake at Broome Hall.
I can remember a parish outing (from the WF church at Heston)
to
what we called "Dorking" (BH) and my sister Monica
and others swam in this lake. Wasn't there a diving
board somewhere?
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Anne-Thérese
writes:
"My memories of Broome Hall are
quite different from Susanne's in that I was still very much
a child whilst there, and spent my time out and about in the
glorious countryside there; - allowed to roam freely, and
go out alone on my pony up Leith Hill, and surrounding area,
- something that would be unheard of now for safety reasons
(sadly a bad reflection of the times we live in now.)
I remember the wonderful Christmas parties that the White
Father's would put on for the children at Hampton Cottage,
- and of course one of the Father's would dress up as Father
Christmas and give us all a present. (I never for one moment
thought that he wasn't the real thing!!!! ) - I am sure the
parties with the children helped make Christmas a little more
'homely' for some of the young, overseas brothers, who looking
back now, I realise must have got terribly homesick.
I also remember before we moved in, visiting Granny in the
Winter of '63, - before we lived at Broome Hall, and getting
snowed in for what seemed like weeks there!"
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(Source:
Anne-Thérese
Scott-Abbott)
This led down to the sunken gardens at Broome Hall.
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(Source:
Anne-Thérese
Scott-Abbott)
The chapel at Broome Hall, taken by Bro Trevor Robinson.
Michael Goodstadt remembers helping Bro Joe Mullen to makethe
wooden structure
behind and above the altar — as part of his assigned 'manual
work' (in 1959).
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