Newcomers lead the Queen’s Silver Jubilee celebrations

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June 1977
The village celebrated the Queen’s Silver Jubilee with much cheering and flag-waving. Recent village arrivals Val Corbett and Joyce Lear, who both moved to Piccotts End earlier in the decade, got the party under way, arranging a road closure and festooning it with flags and bunting. Afterwards a very tired but elated Val said: ‘I can’t remember much about it except that it was all very jolly. It was very well attended and I do remember all of us singing a very off-key God Save the Queen after many glasses of wine followed by gales of laughter.’ 

Marchmont House

Historic village house to become a pub

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1973
Marchmont House (pictured), the former home of the 3rd Earl Marchmont, has been sold to the brewers Bass Charrington. They plan to convert the building, which dates back to the 18th century when Lord Marchmont made it his English country house, into a pub to be called the Marchmont Arms.

Piccotts End petrol station

Village petrol station opens

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1960 
The village has a new petrol station (pictured). It was opened by local businessman Arthur Lindley, the man who discovered the medieval wall paintings in the cottages behind the pumps. The petrol on sale is imported from Russia under the Power brand with its distinctive green pumps and white lozenge-shaped logo.

medieval wall paintings at piccotts end

Medieval wall paintings discovered in village cottage

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1953
Medieval wall paintings dating back to the 15th century have been discovered in a village cottage. It was quite by chance that Arthur Lindley, who owns the petrol station next to 132, uncovered them while he was doing some decorating. Stripping back several  layers of paper in an upstairs room, he was astonished to find that behind them there was a full-size mural depicting a religious scene.

Piccotts End School

Village primary school opens

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1877
There are barely 50 residents in the village but still enough to warrant the opening of a new primary school. The county council school, which has been built in Piccotts End Lane, will take pupils from the village and those families living at the top of the lane at Highfield.

Marchmont House, Piccotts End

Scottish Earl moves to Piccotts End

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1760
Shorty after taking his seat in the House of Lords, the 3rd Earl Marchmont has taken up residence in Piccotts End. Already the owner of the splendid Palladian mansion Marchmont House in Scotland, the Earl has moved to the village to be within travelling distance of London. He has made considerable renovations to an existing property at the south end of the village, now renamed Marchmont House (pictured here from the river Gade).