Historian John Pryke talks about village history in the Carter Street area of Fordham.

In the late 1800s and early 20th Century, a large area of land in Carter Street produced many facilities for the village.

Most of the land was owned by the Dunn Gardner family who resided at Fordham Abbey for more than a century.

The family donated land for a new village hall which opened in 1898.

The Victoria Hall and Hayward Institute were named to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, and also to mark the memory of the family of the Reverend Tansley Hall. Tansley Hall was the main benefactor of the building.

Then, 23 years later, an 11-acre area was given as a sports and recreation ground. This included an area for the Fordham War Memorial, which was opened in August 1921, thanks mainly to voluntary subscriptions.

This photograph was taken at the dedication of the war memorial in Fordham in 1921.This photograph was taken at the dedication of the war memorial in Fordham in 1921. (Image: John Pryke)

The architect of the memorial was Sir Edwin Lutyens, who also designed the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London.

There is an almost identical memorial to Fordham’s in Hove, Sussex, which was also designed by Lutyens.

Sir Edwin stayed with local councillor and shop owner, George Whitworth whilst working on the project. The shop was located opposite the Victoria Hall.

The architect also designed a fish pond for the councillor during his stay.

Just over a decade earlier, George Whitworth donated a bungalow for a nurse to come to the village. The gift was in memory of his son Leslie, who became a doctor but passed away in a flu epidemic.

An inscription over an archway leading to the bungalow was placed to commemorate this and it is still clearly visible today.

The Kings Head Pub, which overlapped into Church Street was also owned by the Fordham Abbey family. The pub was demolished in 1926 and made way for the Fordham British Legion Club to be built.

The land was almost certainly another gift from the Dunn Gardners.

Just after the first World War, former servicemen formed a club and were granted special rates to use the Ivatt Room in the Victoria Hall. But the building of the British Legion Club was a great turning point for all former soldiers from the village.

The Ivatt room was named after the Reverend Arthur Ivatt, who was another driving force behind the Victoria Hall being built.