In 1952 Ken and I were living in Coventry - our sport was cycling and after seven years as an amateur rider, I had accomplished several national championships and records, when Hercules of Birmingham and Dunlop offered me a professional contract to attempt all 21 British ladies long distance place to place records such as Edinburgh to London, Holyhead to London, London to Bath & back culminating in the attack on the Lands’ End to John O’Groats and the 1000 mile records.


My manager, the famous Frank Southall, lived in London and we were asked if we would move South to fulfil this three year contract. Ken was keen to do this because his mother lived in Richmond. While I was staying and training from her house cycling many hundreds of miles a week to keep fit I was returning back to Richmond from the Great West Road and by mistake rode down Park Road and turned the corner to see to my great delight the Thames at high tide with a red sailed barge gliding by, the blue sky reflecting in the water, the Isleworth Ait, no traffic, two cars outside the London Apprentice and the old church tower standing overlooking this charming old village. 


When I arrived in Richmond I told them about my find. Ken’s mother said, “You know Eileen, it was probably miles away from here, I don’t know a village like that near here!”


In the local newspaper, a river cottage was advertised at Old Isleworth, we came to see it and to my delight I found it was my village! And we’ve lived happily here ever since.