Lady Smiley’s two albums, page by page, with the larger photographs and fuller notes.
Froyle House, 1937
Between 1937 and the early 1950s, Sir Hugh & Lady Smiley and their son John lived at Froyle House.
John, (now Sir John), Smiley very kindly lent us the two books of the family photographs that cover that period. Luckily for us, Lady Smiley was not only a keen photographer (she was, after all, the sister of Cecil Beaton), but added meticulous captions to the pictures in the albums. We have created separate pages for those photographs that illustrate the effect of World War 2 in Froyle and you can find those in Froyle at War. We begin in July 1937.
Froyle House July 1937
Moving into Froyle December 6th to 10th 1937
Froyle House December 1937 before alterations. These were mainly to the left side of the house at the rear
Life in Froyle before the war, 1938
This page shows life in Froyle just before the start of war
The Hampshire Hunt at the “Hen & Chicken” in February 1938, under the watchful eye of PC May (far right)
School children at the Prince of Wales with the hounds.
In the distance you can just see “Chapel Cottages”
Meet at the “Golden Pot” in 1938
Filling the water cart at Rye Bridge Stream. The chimneys behind the trees belong to Blundens Farm Cottage
Rye Bridge Stream, Upper Froyle
Upper Froyle
The turn to Yarnhams, opposite St Mary’s (sadly we can’t even read the sign in the original)
Christmas 1938
John Smiley with his Christmas present from his father
The Hen & Chicken hill
Jumble Sale at Froyle House, June 10th 1939
Mr Etherington (the Sexton)
The Book Stall – Ethel Crawford (Housemaid) Mrs Bennett (far right)
Mrs Wilfred Andrew, Mrs Schilling (bending over)
Mrs Schilling (hat and collar), Diana Festing (right)
September 1939: the Royal Lancers at Froyle House
On September 3rd 1939 Lady Smiley recorded the arrival of A Squadron of the 12th Royal Lancers in the stable yard. They requisitioned the garages and stables for their armoured cars and the soldiers. The Squadron officers were given the guest rooms on the top floor of the house. They stayed at Froyle House for about three weeks until they went over to France with the British Expeditionary Force.
The photographs above show the men queuing for lunch (top) and preparing for an inspection (lower two)
Pat Summers, Christopher Noel-Buxton, Peter Arkwright & Maurice Barker
Maurice Barker, Andrew Horsburgh-Porter, Pat Summers & Peter Arkwright
1940 and 1941
The Rose Garden at Froyle House in 1940
John Smiley & Sir Hubert Miller on July 1st 1940.
Sir Hubert died suddenly at Shrubbery House soon after his 82nd birthday on September 12th that year.
The caption reads “Pollens, Husseys & Milo Talbot”. They are looking at one of the Smiley family albums. Christopher Hussey wrote the Country Life article about Froyle in 1941
September 19th 1941 – John Smiley placed second, the horse held by Mrs Brown (the wife of the gardener at Froyle House) and a report from the Hampshire Herald with many well known Froyle names
June 1941
WI Party at Froyle House, June 24th 1941 Mrs Castle,?, Mrs Morgan, Mrs Langridge
Every opportunity was taken to ‘harvest’ from any location. John Smiley watches the front lawn being ‘mowed’
Canadian troops at Froyle House, 1942-43
Over the years we have received several enquiries about Canadian troops based here during the war, and had to confess to virtually no knowledge whatsoever. These two photographs in Lady Smiley’s album do provide some small proof that they were based at Froyle House.
Froyle House August 1942 photographed by Captain Kenneth Winter 1st Canadian BDD
They were still here a year later as shown in the photograph, by Lady Smiley, of the same Captain Winter on the steps of Froyle House with John Smiley
There were a large number of Canadian troops in the area, accommodated in several large camps to the South and East of Froyle. For more information click here to visit the story of Tweedsmuir Camp at Thursley.
August 1944
Looking from the roof of Froyle House over the stables, with Froyle Cottage on the right
From the roof of Froyle House with Whiteground Cottages in the mid distance.
In the foreground you can just see the end of “The Barracks“.
Christmas 1944
Christmas Day 1944 (photograph by Cecil Beaton) Nancy Smiley, John Smiley, Zandra & Rosamund Hambro, Barbara Hambro, Etty Beaton in sitting room Froyle House
Cecil Beaton, Etty Beaton, John, Baba Hambro, Rosamund & Zandra
January 1951
Looking West from Froyle House towards “The Barracks”
WI Party at Froyle House June 1952 Mrs L Knight Mrs Gosling Gwen Knight These ladies would have been involved with the award winning Froyle WI Scrapbook, a copy of which is in our archives
Mrs Thomas Miss Mills
June 1952
WI Party at Froyle House June 1952 Mrs Lythgoe Mrs Andrew Mrs Richards Miss Pelton Hugh (Smiley) Mrs White
Mrs Thomas Miss Mills
Mrs Conroy Lal More Mrs Lowey