The funeral service for Ron Watkins, who died suddenly in May, took place at St Giles’ on 7th June. Ron was born in 1922 and had two older sisters and one brother. He was educated at Alleyn’s School in London and left to join the Army as part of the war effort. His war service was spent mainly in West Africa where he rose to the rank of Captain. At the end of the war, he met Molly, and they married in 1949. They soon established their first house in Hoylake Crescent, beginning a period of continual residency in Ickenham. Most of Ron’s working life was spent with Glaxo. In recent years he was involved with the Swakeleys and Uxbridge Probus, the U3A, and was an active member of the Royal Society of Chemists.
For many people, it was Ron’s devotion to Molly and his family that was so memorable, especially in the last five years of Molly’s life when she needed constant care and support. Confined to a wheelchair as a result of her MS, Ron was often seen around the village, pushing Molly in her chair. Since moving to Ickenham in 1950, both were closely associated with St Giles’; their boys were members of the choir, and Ron was committed to the covenant with the United Reformed Church.
Ron and Molly’s interests and involvement in the community are impressive. He was the founder member of the Ickenham Abbeyfield Association and was instrumental in the purchase of its first property, Little Buntings, next to St Giles’. His service to this organisation was honoured when he received the Royal Patron’s award, presented to him by Prince Charles. He was also a key player in Christian Aid activities, particularly the collection of paper for recycling. Huge quantities of newspapers were collected in Ickenham and stored in the Watkins’ garage in Warren Road until there was sufficient to fill a lorry. Molly’s charitable interests included Guide-dogs for the blind, which involved training puppies for 6 months.
Ron was a typical old school gentleman, yet open to new ways of doing things. His sharp mind, ability to retain information, his thirst for understanding and knowledge remained finely honed all his life, as did his sense of humour. He was a great conversationalist, being able to comment on a wide range of subjects and deliver a funny line with exquisite timing. The closing weeks of his life were blessed by a remarkable set of circumstances that enabled a large number of his family to see him just prior to his death. Ron’s family would like to pass on their thanks to all in the Ickenham congregations for their condolences and sympathy. They are also very grateful for the help and support given by the community to their mother and father, especially in their later years.
This is a fine, timber-framed house with additions probably made in 1705. The quality of its construction suggests it may have been originally built as a manor house rather than the farmhouse it served as for most of its years. One of its striking features is the “jettied” construction, whereby the upper floor projects forward of the floor below. The original wattle-and-daub walls have since been infilled with brickwork and the upper front is tile-hung. The “new” East wing was brick built to a lower specification than the original. Nearby, in the new Church Place and now used as a meeting place by its residents, stands a beautiful, timber-framed barn built for the farm around 1700.
The East wing carries an inscription WC and the date 1705. It is possible that WC was William Crosier whose family owned the house for some two hundred years. John Crosier was once the owner of another of Ickenham’s treasures, Ickenham Hall, which still stands by the Compass Theatre. The farm was inherited by the Hilliard family in 1801 and, although it stayed in their possession for 126 years, Matthew Saich leased it in the 1870s (when it acquired the name of Home Farm). Matthew was also the publican of the Coach and Horses public house and grandfather of Cyril Saich who bought out the freehold of the farm in 1927.
Barn used by Churchplace residents
Many readers will remember Cyril who ran the farm mainly for its dairy produce, and sold milk to the people of Ickenham. During World War II, a 19 year old Land Army girl named Pat Byrne was allocated to the farm. She and Cyril got on so well that, after the war, she stayed on as a milkmaid and then became his housekeeper and secretary. After Cyril’s death in 1989, Pat married and is now Pat Sparke, still living in Ickenham.
The present owners, the Bullock family, have lived in Home Farm for twelve years. They report that the house was in a somewhat dilapidated state when they took it over and they are slowly doing their best to bring it back to the standard it deserves.
Alan Noad
