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Blakeney
Blakeney maps
Historic maps of Blakeney and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Blakeney maps
Blakeney area books
Displaying 1 of 13 books about Blakeney and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Blakeney
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Blakeney.
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Family Evenings Out.
I cannot remember the exact years, about 1950, when my Mother and Father used to take me and my cousin for a walk from our house at Lensbrook Cottage through six fields (which is a public footpath), and arrive at Severn Bridge Hotel. We used to go into the clubroom and Mrs Gertie Harris, the Landlady would play the piano. This was a monthly event on a Sunday when the Coach parties used to come up from Wales because there weren't any Public houses open in Wales on a Sunday. We used to sit there listening to the music, with a glass of lemonade and a bag of crisps. Then when it closed walk the six fields back home. If I was lucky my Dad would give me a ride on his shoulders. I think this is what inspired my love of music. They were the good old days.
Growing up
In the 1950s Lensbrook Tea Gardens became the site of Billy Thomas's scrap yard. I was born and brought up at Lensbrook and my mother used to work at the tea gardens. I was born in 1942 and I can never remember it being tea gardens. I used to play in the scrap yard with Billy Thomas's daughter Diane.
GROWING UP.
Lensbrook house and Lensbrook Tea Gardens are the same house. I lived in Lensbrook Cottage which was farther down the lane, from the time I was born until my marriage at 20 years old.
Holidays
It's just great to look at the old pictures of Blakeney's High Street, it seems almost like yesterday when I used to walk from my gran's house in the row of cottages where the railway bridge used to be. We used to go on holiday every year from our house in Haverhill, Suffolk. I remember it used to take nearly all day to travel by train to Gloucester, catching the early morning milk train. My cousins still live in the Forest of Dean and Lydney. I still remember sitting on the edge of the brook trying to catch fish and always being scared of the dark tunnel that led to the mill, I did not catch any fish but I suppose it kept me quite. My mum and dad were married in the church that is in the photo. I remember when we needed water we used to have a pump outside the back door which had to be primed before it would pump. The toilet was at the top... Read more
Gloucestershire memories
Memory of Soudley
Steam to Stratford, in the early 20's James Joiner (a contractor from Soudley) assembled his convoy of Traction Engines en Route to Stratford Upon Avon to start the new Sewer Contract which was awarded to Joiners for £57,000.
He used Forest Coal miners who were unemployed, to tunnel under the Town Streets to engineer this prestigious contract. My late father, Roy James Bevan was a 15 year old traction engine Driver's mate, starting his own career as a transport pioneer buliding up a Transport business in Soudley with his brother. The photo shows the road to Sutton Vale towards Littledean. When I worked for my father we road tested vehicles on this stretch of road. On a more romantic note, it was along this road I courted my late wife Ursula - we used to walk on Sunday evenings to the Top Ponds.
My Sister Mandy
Myself and my husband Roger had visited Soudley Ponds several times when travelling around during weekends away and my younger sister Mandy loved to listen to tales about where we had been and what we had seeing and doing. Roger and myself loved Mandy and her husband John and had spent many many happy times together over the years. We decided one day to take them to see for themselves and along with their daughter Sophie aged 10 we had a lovely day. The weather was quite damp and it had been raining. We arrived early and decideo to walk around the pond while we waited for the Heritage Centre to open. As we neared the end the sunlight broke through the clouds. It hit a willow tree standing on the other side of the pond. The tree was heavy from the moisture in the air and heavy droplets were falling into the water from the drooping branches, one of the most magical sights. As the sun broke though... Read more
Training
I must have been one of the first on the training ship because I thought it was 1954 I was there, but if it is recorded as c1955 who am I to argue! I was there training for the merchant navy for about 12 weeks. I was the camp bugler until I was relieved of my post because I was caught sitting down at the back of the church when I should have been standing. My first ship was MV Middlesex with The New Zealand Shipping Company. I joined her in Liverpool and was on her for about two months before we sailed to New Zealand via the Panama canal carrying trains on deck. When we got to NZ, the dockers went on strike and we were allowed to load our own ship with lamb carcases as we had refridgerated holds. My ships wages were 11.50 per month but we got 1 an hour for loading our own ship. We felt like millionaires. Barbies on the beach... Read more
