CAVERSHAM residents received the happy news in 1968 that permission to build housing on the fields in Hemdean Bottom, known locally as ‘Bugs Bottom’, had been refused.

During a public inquiry in the previous year the land had been described as:” the only beautiful part of the borough left, having outstanding natural beauty.”

One of the spokespersons for local residents, Miss P. Walder, of Tokers Green, told the Chronicle:” I am naturally very delighted, it would have been wicked to build here, it is so beautiful.”

The motoring section of the Chronicle took a step back in time to review one of the world’s oldest vehicles 50 years ago, the extraordinary Benz Dogcart.

The 1897 vehicle, whose top speed was a ‘bone-crunching’ 15 mile an hour, had undergone a two-year restoration to be accepted into the UK Veteran Car Club.

Any journey in the car would be complicated by the need to stop every twenty minutes to top up the (lead free) petrol, grease the moving parts and add water to the radiator.

The driver of an eight-ton articulated lorry which overturned on the A4 Bath Road in Sonning, had a lucky escape from his mangled cab and suffered only light cuts and bruises on his hands.

The vehicle was loaded with 22 tons of empty bottles, bound for a cider brewery in Shepton Mallet, and (the M4 did not open fully in Berkshire until 1971) the resulting traffic jam caused major delays across the area.

It was ‘Pets Day’ at the Willink School in Burghfield and many different animals posed for the Chronicle photographer with their young owners in 1968.

Amongst the menagerie were three rabbits, two cats, a tortoise and (unusually) a cockerel, although it not recorded in the Chronicle report whether they all behaved themselves.

An aerial view of Great Oaks, Goring Heath, was published to announce it would become the new home for the Oratory Preparatory School in the New Year of ’69.

Great Oaks, which had been the home of the Sisters of St. Mary’s, Wantage stood in 43 acres of grounds, and was within two miles of the main Oratory School at Woodcote.

Bygones is always happy to print recipes for cakes, but this week we shall turn our hand to making a ‘Manhattan Layer Loaf’, which was described fifty years ago as four horizontally layered sandwiches with three ‘luscious fillings’.

Using a round loaf or cob each layer contained ‘ham triangles’ with (folded in) olives and spring onion, eventually becoming a ‘skyscraper tower’ of goodness.

Described as a hearty salad snack for lunch or supper, Chronicle readers were encouraged to try out different fillings such as curried chicken, olives and mango chutney.

Here at Bygones HQ we are willing to have a go at making this strange creation, but will not follow the advice at the time of ‘sharing it with your office colleagues’.