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Ablington
Ablington maps
Historic maps of Ablington and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Ablington maps
Ablington area books
Displaying 1 of 12 books about Ablington and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Ablington
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Wiltshire memories
Staying at ALEX FARM
The Luce family lived at Alex Farm, Audrey and I were best friends at Cirencester Grammar School, I used to love staying at the farm with Aunty Gwen, Uncle Gil, Colin, Tony, Peggy and Audrey and doing farm chores. We were sent to Cricklade on bikes to shop and had to go beside the gravel pits (now the water park I guess) and we were always looking out for the swans there as they would attack if there were cygnets.
Paddling in The Thames
We used to love looking in the stream for cray fish, minnows and small creatures. We were fascinated by the clear water as we had no streams in London,where we lived. I remember telling my mum about the small creatures that looked like sticks and had bits of gravel and sticks on them, like a coat. She didn't believe me, but I later (many years later) found out they were larvae - I think of the Caddis fly. Our friends in London never believed us, that we had paddled in the clear, clean Thames either. The river they knew was a dirty, dangerous thing.
Historical Connections
I am a New Zealander, as my more recent ancestors have been for more than one and a half centuries. My ancestors had emigrated from Highworth twice during the 1800's - firstly to Australia for 9 years with the new Australian Agricultural Company in the early 1820's ...and, then back to Highworth. In 1841 they again emmigrated, but this time permanently to NZ. Descendant families have been in NZ ever since.
Ancestral research discovered that my pre-1820s ancestors had had at least a century's association with St. Michael's Church. Church records exist of ancestral marriages and christenings from 1714 (commencing with the marriage of Henry Stokes to Deborah Watkins) through to 1815.
It is exciting for me now to see the images of the historical buildings of Highworth, which are literally half a world and now a different culture away ...and, to discover and 'feel' some tangible connection with my roots. (This Frith Collection is a great resource!)
I Miss Home
I live in America now. I have a family here, but I would like to return to Highworth one day. I was born there and Christened in St Michael's Church in 1954.
Highworth
I was only two when I moved here from south London but I remember going to school there just through an alley way off the market square, and headmaster's office was a hut in the playground. Lived in Queens Avenue which were the new council houses built as my dad worked for Vickers Armstrong at the time. Wonderful happy memories, never been back since we moved when I was around 10 years old back to London. Rember crying as I didnt want to go, I am sure my parents didn't either but then it was all work-related to our parents and we had no choice. My garden was huge (as I remember it then) with just chicken wire fences and fields beyond with cows and bluebell woods. I remember my brother being born there at home in 1955. Very happy time, hope it hasn't changed too much the pictures on here have the old world charm I remember as a kid. Thank you for bringing back these memories.
The Mansells
1952 is apporoximate. I know I wasn't very old as I went to the village school (now converted to private dwellings) next to the little church. My mother was housekeeper to the ex Bishop of Malmesbury for about nine months and we lived in at the Mansells. The Bishop was confined to a wheelchair after what must have been a severe stroke. He had no speech or movement and was looked after by the gardener, a Mr Pearce I think. It was in their cottage next door that I saw my first television. It had a small screen which made everything look green. It was my job to feed the chickens, corn in the summer and sometimes hot mash in the winter. Being what we now call free range, they would lay their eggs all ever the place. The Bishop had a small alter in a tiny room upstairs and mother had to wash and starch the lace trimmed alter cloth every week. There is a room downstairs with... Read more
Holidays
my grandparents used to live in church walk in purton , my father and his brothers and sisters grew up there and every summer we used to go to stay there for our holidays.
they had feather beds and gas lighting and we used to go to bed with a candle.
the milkman used to come and fill up the pewter milk jug each morning.
we all got up early in the morning and went looking for mushrooms over the fields then go home and cook up a good breakfast. There was a well in the garden and we used to get water to wash our hair and it came out really shiny and healthy.Our grandfather used to take us on long walks over the fields.
we laughed and loved and were very happy there.
Purton is still a beautiful gentle little village, i visited there last year and saw my grand parents house , i havent got a house now, i am renting , and am thinking of... Read more
