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Bottisham
Bottisham maps
Historic maps of Bottisham and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Bottisham maps
Bottisham area books
Displaying 1 of 10 books about Bottisham and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Bottisham
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Bottisham.
Add your memory of Bottisham
or of a photo of Bottisham.
Bott5isham Village College
I attended the college from 1959 to 1963, it really was a wonderful time and set me up well for life.
Cambridgeshire memories
Playing in The Corn Fields
I lived in the cottage next to the Chapel, and played with Wendy, we used to cycle to Upware and Wicken fen. At one point we would sit on the haystacks after the farmers had finished them. I would go horse riding in the corn cut fields, wonderful thing to do.
One good memory was when it snowed, Mrs Dowdswell used to pour water on the playground so we could all slide on it. Not allowed to do that sort of thing for the children today, Health & safety and all that! The village used to have a few shops, which sold more or less anything you wanted, and two pubs. We had lots of places to play, cadnam, down the fen, up heath road. It was a happy time. Children now adays do not know how to play with each other.
Elephants in Waterbeach
I am assured that my memory is not playing tricks on me when I recall elephants living in the large garden close to Dr Pritchard's old surgery. The nuns at the convent off the A 10 road used to terrify my sister and I. They were all partially visible behind a decorative gridded screen to the side of their chapel, black-clad and mumbling.
The parcel people would pass through Waterbeach regularly. A woman who turned naked cartwheels through The Fen was a popular sight.
Pub Crown And Thistle Just Out of View
I moved into the Crownd and Thistle about 1941 aged 4 and I left village in 1960. Arthur Benstead was landlord for many years. He and Muriel his wife retired just across the road to a house left by Mr Knowles the postman. The Pattens lived in the thatched cottage on the right. Not much has changed, just a few infillings but just past the conifer was a stackyard and threshing engine yard.
The Shop
The white building on the right hand side of the photo was the local shop run by a Mr and Mrs Rodwell. My mother (Rose) worked there in the 1950's and my father (Eric) used land at the rear of the premises as a small market garden.
I still have a book which my mother bought in the shop for my 6th birthday, 58 years ago now.
War Memorial
The triangle of grass towards the right side is the site of the war memorial. My father was the ground keeper for the council and part of his job was to keep this area tidy and he took a great pride in doing it.
Opposite (out of sight on the left) is the area known as the conker trees. This was a favourite place for local kids to go searching for beautiful shiny conkers.
Ludlow Lane
The farmhouse on the left of the picture was the home of the Stalley family and later became a hairdressers as well.
On the bend in the road there used to be a blacksmith, I loved to go there and watch Mr Webb at work.
