Basics

People

Properties

Can You Help?

Roads Off

Janet's Research

Sources & More

Christmas Selection

Short pieces

Some festive items which you may not have come across in your browsing, oldest first.

News from the archives, Xmas, has festive items from 1851 to 1955 including accounts of celebrations at the workhouse in 1851, West Middlesex Hospital in 1922, a treat for canal boat children in 1926 and the children's party at Sperry Gyroscope in 1951 - plus more!

St Paul's Parish Magazine for 1882 includes in its December 'Special Notices for the Month': Monday, 25th is Christmas Day. The early celebration will, as usual, be fully Choral. In the afternoon (3.30) there will be a shortened Service with Sermon, after which Carols will be sung by the School Children. There will be no late Evensong.'

It also includes a note that 'the Second Winter Entertainment in aid of the New Organ Fund will be held on Tuesday, the 5th. It is also proposed to give the Entertainment on Monday, the 4th, for the Working Class.'

A postcard could be published specially for Christmas, such as this one showing Strand on the Green, early 1900s

A patriotic postcard sent by Reverend T. Selby Henrey in 1917

'In the corner of the scullery was a copper lined brick wash boiler with a fireplace underneath. The only time I knew this to be used was for my grandmother to boil the Christmas puddings.' (Joyce writing about her grandparents' home at 158 High Street)

'At Christmas time we went carol singing in The Butts. Three or four of us carrying a couple of jam jars containing a bit of candle.'(Harry Langley)

'Christmas c1936 attended a Christmas party for children (at the Green School) given, I believe, by The Oddfellows. I was presented with an American small die cast car - which I still have' (Len Cox)

Gillette put on a children's Christmas party complete with Christmas tree, Father Christmas and gifts for (good) children; this must have been expecially popular during wartime; Diane Elphick (Gardner) sent a photo from around 1940 showing around 40 children and adults

There was generally a full programme of league football on both Christmas and Boxing days, often local derbies, with the same teams playing each other, home and away on the two days. Christmas day matches usually kicked off at 11 or 11.15. Boxing Day matches were afternoon affairs (read more from Terry Burke)

In the same vein, the Bees played against Leicester City on Christmas Day, 1947, Dave Stoneleigh has the programme

'Every Friday (payday) we would go to a pub past Brentford Canal on the left and pay so much into a Christmas Club, then it would be drawn out at the end of November for our Christmas Shopping' (Brenda Bostock, nee Mortlock)

Sandra Graves has provided two photos taken around 1955 from the St Paul's School nativity (in which she played Mary)

memories of 'Moores the electrical shop where mum and dad bought me an electric train set for Christmas probably about 1959' (John Welsh)

Stones menswear shop 'we went there every Christmas to buy my grandad a new cap' (Sarah Champion)

In the 1960s and 1970s it was a treat for the children for us to drive along the Great West Road to see the Christmas lights. All the factories put on displays and I think Firestone was always most spectacular. We were all sad (outraged) when it was pulled down and as I remember it happened on a Bank Holiday when nobody was looking - Diane Elphick (Gardner); see Firestone in the 1970s thanks to Peter Young

Top

Longer pieces

If you have 10 minutes spare, these pieces span 1900 to the 1960s:

Christmas shopping in Brentford, 1900

Victorian Christmas, a guide to Christmas parties, food tips and 'Christmas Conundrums' Middlesex & Surrey Express, December 1901

Edwardian Christmas, an account from Housewife, December 1953, of preparations of a well-to-do family (think The Butts, Brentford)

Terry Burke's memories of Christmas celebrations in Brentford, 1930s/40s

Christmas gift for Grandma, from Woman's Own, 1947, home made Christmas presents

Shopping, early 1950s

Stan Goddard's memories of Christmas

Harry Langley's memories of Christmas

Three photos of Ealing Road School, including the Nativity Play, 1949/51 from Carole Ann Bartholomew, nee Sharp

Varley FMC Christmas do, 1957 from Brenda Bostock, nee Mortlock

1960ish children's Christmas party at the Gas Works from Trevor Mitchell

The Christmas family who lived in New Brentford for over 50 years during the 19th century

Top

Published December 2009; last updated December 2022