The Bensington Society

Photographs of the Opening of Bob's Corner in 2005

​
The corner by the Chemist in Benson High Street was named Bob’s Corner in memory of Bob Brighting, who was born in 1907 in London. When he was very young his family moved to Ewelme, where his mother was a district nurse and from there they moved to Oakdene in Benson. Bob married Enid Price in 1958 and the couple launched a ‘do it yourself’ and gardening shop, which proved very popular with the villagers. Bob was a great local character; his favourite dress was pith helmet and shorts, worn at most village functions where he particularly enjoyed directing traffic. After the second war, during which Bob served in India, the source of the famous helmet, petrol was in short supply. Ever the entrepreneur, Bob sold tea and coffee from a trailer, towed behind his bicycle. His dog Susan, a bull terrier, used to sit on a platform behind the handlebars.

Bob was a strong community man and he served as a district and parish councillor and was chairman of the Parish Council. Such was the high regard felt for Bob by the village that scarcely a day passed without his advice being sought on village matters. When he died in 1974 the church was packed with many of his friends from Benson and the district. He is still very much missed.

Bob’s Corner was probably never formally dedicated to Bob Brighting. However, it was where he liked to sit and chat to friends and the village community just adopted this description of a pleasant corner of the High Street.

​

Click on Photo to Enlarge