Amersham: Val Biro

Old Amersham is a pretty Buckinghamshire town, full of charm and history. Its old market hall, built in 1682, which once contained the town's gaol, coaching inns and 13th century church give it lots of character and visitors can often be found admiring the buildings on either side of its broad High Street, including Number 129, previously known as ‘Wee Oaks’, which is the smallest house in the town (third picture below).

Roald Dahl lived at Number 49, Wisteria Cottage (pictured on the end above), from 1948 to the beginning of 1951 when he went to America and Ruth Ellis, the last woman hanged in England, is buried in St Mary's Cemetery. However, it was the previous owner of Number 95 who drew me to the town on my last visit.

This was home to Val Biro- and his Austin Clifton Heavy Twelve-Four, vintage 1926 aka Gumdrop. Born in Budapest in 1921, Balint Stephen Biro moved from Chesham to Amersham in 1971 and lived there until 1985. Although he was famous for illustrating the covers of many famous works, it was the stories he wrote about the adventures of his car which we enjoyed as children. We also had the joy of meeting Val Biro and Gumdrop at school and other events. Somewhere in my parents’ extensive photo collection, there are pictures to prove it!

The first book, ‘The Adventures of a Vintage Car, appeared in 1966, in which Mr Oldcastle had to sell his beloved car, and new stories appeared regularly until ‘Gumdrop’s School Adventure’ in 2001- 37 in all! Fortunately, Mr Oldcastle and Gumdrop (and Araminta, his 1934 baby Austen Seven) are reunited in ‘Gumdrop on the Move’

‘Gumdrop in Double Trouble’ is set in and around Amersham with pictures including the Market Hall- we still have a signed copy of this one!

Val Biro died in 2014 at the age of 92, but it seems Gumdrop is still around, still in the care of Val’s family.

You can find out more about Gumdrop here.