Long Hyde House South Littleton near Evesham

[Pua]

My husband lived as a very small boy in 1944 at Long Hyde House in South Littleton. He and his mother left London because of the V-2 rocket attacks. I am wondering if they were officially evacuated and assigned to that house or they left London on their own to stay with a relative or friend who lived there. We have a photograph of a Miss Richardson, whose house it was at the time--or that is what I am presuming. She was quite elderly.

Does anyone know anything about Long Hyde House during the war, or Miss Richardson, who lived there, in particular?

[StintonLomas]

Hi
In case you didn't know, it is still there on the OS map and apart from a building, next door towards the village, there appears to be very little other developement in the immediate vicinity when compared with the latest early OS map (1924) from  http://www.old-maps.co.uk/indexmappage2.aspx

Have you tried writing to the current owners, they may know some of the house history or alternatively know of others in the village who might remember those times and the evacuees.

[Pua]

Thank you for reply. I don't live in England and have no easy access to OS maps, but I have looked on Google Earth and located what I think is the house. It is now used as a children's nursery called Munchkin's Kindergarten. I don't know if writing to them would be of much use, but I suppose I could try.

[tinav40]

Hi
Please don't hold your hopes up too much but I may be able to help.
Last night I showed your post to my brother-in-law who is from Littleton. He has taken it to show his parents who are also from Littleton and would have been there during the war. I think his father would have been in his 20s at the time.
I probably wont hear from him for a couple of days but hopefully he will come back with something.
Fingers crossed.
Tina

[tinav40]

Hello Pua
My brother-in-law phoned me after he had spoken to his mum.
She remembers Miss Richardson and also a Captain Richardson. Captain Richardson owned the house. Whether he was Miss Richardsons father, brother or even her husband (maybe she was a Mrs)she was not sure. It was just a quick phone call to see if his parents remembered anything.
His mum was 10 in 1944 and remembers the evacuees very well. She said she used to play with them and maybe she would remember your husband.
Long Hyde House is indeed still there. It is an old stone house and it is a nursery school. My brother-in-law seems to think that it has been converted and part of it is still a house.
I know that is not answering all your questions but...
he is visiting his parents on Sunday. His dad is quite a lot older than his mum and may remember a bit more. He is going to quiz him to see what he can find out.
I will PM you some names to see if your husband can remember anyone.
Hope this is a start.
Tina

[Pua]

Hi Tina,

I just replied to your personal message, but wanted to say thank you again. It will be really exciting if anyone remembers my husband or his mother. I haven't scanned the album with the Long Hyde photos in it yet, but I will try to do so today after I finish other things that need to be done!

Pua

[StintonLomas]

Hi
If you want to look at modern OS maps go to http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/getamap/ click on the Big Pink Button and when the new window opens you can search where you want, various methods of zooming/centering, just experiment.
You can get right down to the  1/25,000 scale which in printed form is approx 2 and a half inches to the mile once you get to that detailed view there is also an additional zoom feature at the bottom righthand corner.
Longhyde is the house just above the red arrow on this map

[Pua]

Than you for the help with the maps. That is a good site. I had the area approximately, but it is good to see the exact place on the OS map and then the aerial image on Google Earth. Here is my 1944 photo.

[Pua]

Here is the house with Miss or Mrs Richardson, my husband and puppy. I also have photos after these in the album that look like they were from the same roll taken at a farm. Might there have been a  farm on the property as well?