Bramfield, Bramfield Street c1960

Wenhaston Grange

My father always said that the Whites should have stayed at Wenhaston Grange rather than moving to Boulge Hall - it was a far more manageable and charming house. I don't know when the Whites had Wenhaston, or for how long. Nor do I know if there is a house called Wenhaston Grange. Maybe there was only ever Wenhaston Hall which has been demolished, I understand. Are there any photos of these places? The Francis Frith Collection has none. I would love to see them, if there are.
I am Christopher White, my great grandfather was a certain Robert Holmes White and he was the one who bought the Boulge Estate - was he ever a resident at Wenhaston Grange, or Hall?

Living in a train

My mother lived for a time in an old railway carriage close to the post office store - it later became used by a tailor for his business.
MY grandad Charles Webster in the 60's helped to forge and erect the old swings and seesaw which stood on the rise just beside the edge of Orchard Valley prefab housing towards the post office end. Close by was the old Rifle Hall where my grandparents ran the weekly Bingo. Nan worked as a cook for years at Unigate Dairies close by.
My cousin Grace and I used to wander over to the airfield in 60's then derelict and hide in the bunkers which were covered with wild strawberries.
Nan and Grandad are both laid to rest in the graveyard of Holton St Peter.
My best memory when visiting there as a child was the church and local hospital fetes. My dad was an amateur artist and he used to sit with me in a blanket of primulas in the church grounds and do pastel pictures of the tower.
The prefab houses of Orchard Valley which are now demolished were quite large with approx 120ft gardens, a wash house and outside toilet. They were draughty and cold in winter and the pipes used to freeze a lot. Nan lived at no 8 next door to a man with one leg and his dog called Jenny.
Dad took many photos of the village including the Blacksmith's forge and the red and white painted cottage where mum once lived as a child close to the Nelson pub.
In those days we were snuck in the back door to the back room of the pub where we were allowed to be with our parents.

Bank House, Yoxford

When I was a child, my great-aunt, Mrs Judith Pheby, lived in Bank House, Yoxford, and was its caretaker. The bank only visited the village once a week, I think, and the rest of the time the bank was closed. The house is on the corner, immediately opposite the Jubilee Seat, and I remember visiting there as a child. In those days, there was just one cold tap in the back kitchen, and the stairs were in a kind of cupboard. The beds had feather mattresses, and there were basins and ewers in each of the bedrooms, and a tin bath in the outside loo. The tiny garden was full of hollyhocks and other flowers, and the sun always seemed to be shining. Mrs Pheby's sister, Violet, also lived in Yoxford with her husband, John Bradbrook, and daughter, Connie. They initially lived in a tied house on one of the estates (I think it was Rookery Park, but am not yet certain) where John Bradbrook was chauffeur (one of the few people in those days who was qualified to break the seal on a Rolls Royce engine). On his death in 1932 when he was only 42 (due to having been gassed during the First World War), Violet and Connie had to leave the tied cottage, and went to live in The Old School House. Connie's first job was in Horner's shop in the village, and she played tennis at the vicarage, went to Dunwich and to Aldeburgh to swim, cycling everywhere, and she also sang in the church choir.Connie was the only village girl to join up in the Second World War, and she joined the WRAC (Royal Signals) and so travelled to Yorkshire, where she met her future husband, a Manchester lad. When he returned from his 3 year overseas posting in Burma, he and Connie married at St Peter's Church in Yoxford in 1948, and they had their wedding reception in the Village Club. The vicar's wife took a great interest in Connie, and helped with all the wedding preparations, so that (despite it being early post-war when rationing still prevailed) it was quite a 'do'. The couple then made their home up in Cheshire, but visited Suffolk whenever they could, taking my sister and I (when we came along) with them. We both have very fond memories of Yoxford. I have just started to research my family history, and will be re-visiting Yoxford in April 2010. when I am hoping to add detail to my memories and researches.