The Kennels 152 The Common

A Memory of Berwick Bassett.

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!

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