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Burton Bradstock
Burton Bradstock photos
Displaying the first of 28 old photos of Burton Bradstock. View all Burton Bradstock photos
Burton Bradstock maps
Historic maps of Burton Bradstock and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Burton Bradstock maps
Burton Bradstock area books
Displaying 1 of 16 books about Burton Bradstock and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Burton Bradstock
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Golden Summers?
I have so many memories of Burton Bradstock. My brother and I sometimes stayed with an aunt and uncle there for the annual escape from the Midlands, where we lived. Often, these visits engendered large family outings to the beach. Oh, the misery of those early bathing costumes!
The beach was more pebble than sand, and there was a potentially dangerous 'shelf' under the water. We had a wonderful time with all of our cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents.
The uncle with whom we stayed would take my brother out mackrel fishing some nights. My brother and I always spent a lot of time together at home. Now I was excluded, and I was definitely not happy. Eventually, tired of my pleading, they took me along. Big mistake! I began to feel very queasy as the waves rocked the boat. When they began to cut up fish for bait, I was really in trouble. My uncle was far from pleased when he had to turn the boat about and... Read more
Dorset memories
Oh Arrr
eve udil ann robert barnes were married he was the first toy boy they were really happy driveing their 25d david broun i lived there untill 1968. george widden used to catch badgers and eat them. there were many strange people in bothenhampton the likes of colin webb mr gordon holt and grinter the buglers etc i moved to canada where there are people but none as nice as the people from bothenhampton
In Memory of F.A. Brake, Born 1895
This is where we played as kids - all eight of us! Our grandad was born in one of the houses on the bottom left-hand side. He lived there all his life and my father plus my eldest brother, sister and my nephew was born in the same house. Five generations lived there for over 100 years. It was sold out of the family in 2002. My grandparent and parents where also married in the St Swithins Church.
A lot has changed sadly, a lot more houses built.
Convent of The Visitation
I was born in 1950 and attended the convent as a boarder, leaving in 1958. I travelled by train with my mother from New Street station Birmingham to Paddington station London where the convent nuns met up with us and the other schoolchildren for the journey to Bridport station. We used to have long country walks during the summer and I can remember going to a place covered in long fern vegetation in which we played. The regime at the convent was very strict and the education standard extremely high. French and Latin were taught well before the 11 plus age. I still have a couple of the bills for my upkeep that were sent to my mother. I also have a couple of photo's of myself taken during my time at the Convent. One of them shows my class mates and I in the classroom being taught by Sister Edith I believe. Our clothes had our name and number attached, mine were Cash's name tapes with the number 4.... Read more
Visitation Convent Boarding School, Bridport
During the 1940s, I lived in Weymouth, but from May 1942, when I was 5, until July 1947, I was a boarder at the school. I was happy there, and still remember the names of my teachers - Sister Anne, Sister Edith and Sister Magdalene, and also the names of many of the other nuns there then. We had a walk every Tuesday and Saturday afternoon. We walked in twos - with one nun leading the column and another bringing up the rear. Sometimes we just went to West Bay, at other times we would go to Loders (which seemed very far) or Allington, Symondsbury Copse or Eype. Meals were taken in silence(well, maybe not always total silence). We had to attend Mass every morning at 7.45 and before breakfast. On Tuesday and Saturday evenings we attended Benediction. I was an altar server and choirboy. On VE Day 1945 Union Jacks and Belgian flags were hanging from the top windows of the convent and we had a game of cricket... Read more
The Convent
My father died the year after I was born and his employer Burton's, provided for myself and my three brothers to attend private schools, which is how I came from London to the Convent at the age of 4. I followed my brother Colin who had been boarded there for a number of years. Even today I still have nightmares about the place and the horrible way the nuns treated the children. We were required to remain in our seats even if we needed to go to the toilet. Subsequently many kids soiled themselves or urinated where they sat and were brutally punnished for doing so. At bedtime the nuns checked underwear to look for mistakes that might have been otherwise overlooked. In my 3 years of residence I remember slaps across the head and face; rulers across my knuckles; and yes, I remember the cow on the railings who groaned in pain, his eyes wide open as he waited for death to come to him. I remember arrogant priest... Read more
Visitation Convent
I was a boarder at the convent, with my older brother , from September 1927 until Decomber 1929. Contrary to the report given by Alan Noon, (not of my generation) the nuns treated us well and, with reflection over the years, with understanding and kindness. Some names of nuns _Sisters Agnes, Edith and Gertrude. Reverend Mother was a kindly person - not that we had much to with her directly - my abiding memory of her is that she had a mole on her face.
Walks, long for children of our age, were a great feature - Bothenhampton Downs , West Bay, Eype and other names which I cannot remember now. We also bought sweets ('gob stoppers,' sticks of liquorice etc) in town on our walks.
We also played cricket !
I won 2 prizes, books, which I treasure to this day
Food - I don't remember much about except that on St Cecilia's day (Nov 22nd) those learning music got a little extra .... Read more
