Recollections of Chenies School in 1923.
by Mrs. de Jeune
There were 3 classrooms, one empty, the infants and juniors were nearest the church, the seniors in the room adjoining the headmistress’s house.
The Headmistress was Mrs Beale, a very good disciplinarian.
The total number on the register was under 40 and these included those aged 14.
There were only about 15 or 15 in the lower class and to keep these numbers up we had to take 4 year olds – 3 of them. These had to have a great deal of attention, so the older children had to get on with their lessons mainly by themselves. This situation meant that
everything had to be prepared the day before and it was frequently nearly 6 pm when I left to eycle home to Chesham.
On wet days I travelled by train from Chesham to Chalfont Station and walked from there via the old road before it was straightened and there were no houses there at that time. At that time there could not have been any buses, but a little later there was fierce rivalry between the National and Lewis buses, one waiting until the other appeared, then rushing off to pick up the passengers at the next stop.
The rector then was the Rev. Clarke, who frequently walked from the old rectory down to the school to take the cripture lesson with the seniors.
About two years later I moved to Ashridge and at this time the seniors were transferred to Chesham leaving Chenies with just one teacher for the infants and juniors.
These are some of the names I remember:- Margaret Cant, Phyllis Biggs and her brother, several children named Bastin, – Munn who lived halfway up tbe hill and a family who lived somewhere down the little road at the bottom of the hill.