Ampthill, Bedfordshire

ampthill siren

My abiding memory of Ampthill is when I used to go to the Saturday pictures with my cousins and the fire engine would be called out. The only problem was the siren that called them out was the old wartime air-raid siren. What a noise !!! I lived in Maulden but often visited Ampthill. thanks for the memories. !!!

Butchers shop

Browsing Ampthill, for the first time, I came across the above photo.  On the left just above the logo is a shop blind that used to protect the meat in the window display from sunshine (when it appeared).  That blind was the bain of my life in 1952/3/4 when I was a so called "butchers boy".  It never ran correctly on it's tracks, and I caused many a car to swerve my long pole manipulations putting it up and down.  Funny when I think about it.  The bicycle outside (possibly me pictured) was used for deliveries.  The carrier full of orders for Maulden and surrounds was a steering hazard particulary in the snow.  One Saturday morning I came to grief down Maulden hill and spent an hour scraping dirt and stones from meat with my pen knife before going on my way.  The complaints arrived back at Ampthill well before yours truly.  Oh the humiliation and all for 2/6p a week.  Humiliation was for being caught out, not for stony meat.  On the positive side the grumpy woman that lived down I think it was called "Duck Lane" never ordered meat again.
As a retiree I live in a nice environment/climate in Tasmania. 15 years ago I passed through Ampthill on a visit and I believe the butchers shop was a launderette.  That's progress for you!!!!
It has been great to reminice with the aid of the Ampthill web site.  Keep it up.
I can see my old Ampthill address, 14 Flitwick Rd on Google Earth.  How Ampthill has altered.
Anyway, Greetings from Tasmania,               Paul Guyton.

Shop names.

The shop next door to The Ampthill News was and still is Cheesman's the chemist and the shop next door to that was Underwood's an electrical appliance shop.

Grandma

The lady with the white coat and shopping basket on the right hand side of the photo is my grandmother - Clara Billington - and lovely to see her in print!

Bedfordshire Photographic Memories

Dating back to the 18th century, the deed to each of these cottages restricts the householder to replacing the thatched roof only with thatch, and further prescribes the method and colour of redecoration that may be carried out. It is doubtful that the legality of the covenant has ever been challenged. The bus on the right is an Eastern National vehicle operating the route between Ampthill and Bedford.

Bedfordshire Photographic Memories

It is entirely possible that Queen Katherine of Aragon worshipped in the 10th-century church during her stay at Ampthill Castle in 1533. Katherine’s Cross in Ampthill Park gained a subsequent measure of recognition when it proved to be the burial site of the ‘Golden Hare’ - the subject of a national treasure hunt based on Kit Williams’ book ‘Masquerade’.

Bedfordshire Photographic Memories

The Zonita Cinema has followed ‘Adventures of Quentin Durward’ into obscurity, but the pub across the road still provides a service for thirsty residents and travellers. The owner, Charles Wells Brewery of Bedford, is the only independent brewery left in the county.