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Chesham Stories

Yolanda 'Lola' Richards (née Matto) - Early Days

Our house was called L'Enchantresse' and was in Bois Lane, right across from the end of the path leading up to St Leonard's Church. It was one of two houses built with a loggia, or verandah, right across the back, overlooking the valley, and Ley Hill and Bovingdon on the hills beyond. We could almost see the little 'push-me/pull-you' train which ran along its single line from Little Chalfont to Chesham, going under the bridge just down the hill from our house!

My Mum's family were from France, and my Grandmother ran a high-class milliner's establishment with branches in both London and Paris. My Mum used to model for her, and travelled back and forth to France quite often.

My Dad's family came from Ivrea in northern Italy, quite close to Milan. My Grandmother sang opera at La Scala, Milan at one time, and her brother Mario played concert violin.

My Dad went 'up to Town' to work, on the 9.15 am train. That's the train that all the City dudes travelled on! My Dad was very artistic, and worked as a commercial artist for the Daily Express, in their book-production department. They brought out the 'Rupert' books each year.

From a very early age I appreciated all the lovely flowers around me. I used to go exploring into the field by the church, and wander along the hedgerow looking for wild violets, daisies and celandines.

We used to celebrate Mothering Sunday, which is the 3rd Sunday before Easter. On this day, I would get up really early and creep out into the garden to pick a bouquet of flowers for my Mum! Usually I could find primroses, purple and white violets, and heather on a clump beside our pond. Then we would attend the church service, and in the afternoon my Mum would make a Simnel Cake - the traditional cake for Mothering Sunday, with a layer of marzipan baked into it. It was iced with a thin layer of almond paste also, and decorated with tiny coloured Easter eggs. In the centre we would carefully set two or three empty egg shells on end (keeping as much intact as possible) and these held water and little Spring flowers - probably from my bouquet! A little later on in the Springtime, I used to love to walk through the 'Bluebell Woods', just down at the end of Bois Lane. This path started by going under the railway bridge (by where the Chesham Moor bus used to turn around) and led on through the beech woods, coming out at North Road by the Common. That walk was like magic to me - the delicate young green of the beech leaves overhead and the ground just carpeted with bluebells.

Yolanda 'Lola' Richards (née Matto), born 1937
Read more on Lola's web site, or click on the Next link below to read about Lola's Wartime memories.

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