Avebury, the Cove 1899

Childhood memories

In the early 1950s I used to go and stay with my great uncle, Arthur Furnice and his wife, Flossie, at the stables owned by a Mr Blagrave, where my uncle was head lad. We used to get off the bus from Newbury and climb a fence and walk across a field to the stables. The main house was next door and my best memories are of a driveway lined with a wonderful display of daffodils. It was also magical to wake early in the morning and hear the sound of the horses' hooves on the coblestones as they went out to exercise on the downs.  When they returned my aunt would cook the most incredible breakfasts for everyone. She came from Calne. Happy days.

The Kennels,152 The Common

My maternal grandmother (Alice Brown) took over the cottage 'up the lane' from the village and ran boarding and breeding kennels there from 1948 until 1966. The cottage was condemned when she took it over, it belonged to the Lord of the Manor Douglas White. I spent many happy times there and used to frequent Home Farm and play with Audrey Rickards and her sisters. I used to help on Wally's farm bringing the cows in to milk etc. My father was in the Army so we used to stay at the Kennels between postings and I attended the village school at Monkton. When Gran moved to live with us in Southampton in 1966 the cottage just fell down! I often visit the old place (there is a pheasantry there now) and when my mother died three years ago we put some of her ashes under some cherry trees she grew from pips!

Lockeridge School

Whilst researching my family history I have found several photographs of classes at Lockeridge School 1915. It could be my mother Dorothy Mortimore with standard 11.