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Child Okeford
Child Okeford photos
Displaying the first of 19 old photos of Child Okeford. View all Child Okeford photos
Child Okeford maps
Historic maps of Child Okeford and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Child Okeford maps
Child Okeford area books
Displaying 1 of 16 books about Child Okeford and the local area. View all books for this area
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Memories of Child Okeford
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memories of Child Okeford.
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Below Hambledon
I spent my early years playing and later working in the fields in the valley between Hambledon and Shillingstone hills. At one time I worked for Mr Harry Watts and later his daughter Jo. I can remember once Harry Watts and Mr Reg Tucker were building a hay rick when the local vicar and doctor walked by, they called up to the men on the rick "could you do with a hand up there", they replied "Yes we could, but you stay down there". I can remember Mr Fred Bradly fetching his cows from the Bottom of Melway Lane, the cows knew where to go and passed several other farm gates but only went into their own yard for milking. Most people in the village collected their milk from the nearest farm to their home. The butcher Mr Turner used to kill animals in a slaughter house next to his shop in the middle of the village, and used to kill pigs at the homes of those who fattened their own pigs, we... Read more
Moons Shop
I was born in 1940 at the shop at the top of Shillingstone Rd, the Corner Stores owned by my father Guy Moon. One of my first memories is a tank pushing out the corner of the shop wall, and of the G.I's giving us chewing gum, also oranges which at that time we had never seen. We had lots of evacuees in the village, some of which never went back to their homes and married and live in the village now, a favourite joke played on these city children was, someone would send them to the Co-op for a pint of pigeons milk, they would say they were out of stock, try Mr Diffy at the other village shop, he would say the same thing and say try Mr Moon, Dad would say "It's not in yet, go and ask Farmer Bradly or Watts what time they are milking the pigeons", they would be going round the village for hours on this useless quest, not very PC today but it was... Read more
Child Okeford in The 1940s
I remember the village in the 1940s to 1970s.
I went to school at the centre of the village till 1951 then went to Sturminster S.M school. On the walk home from school we used to go into the forge run by Alfred Wolfery (known as Bogey as he was as dirty and sooty as the bogey man!)
Across the road from the forge and Post office was Mr Fox's bakery. He would give us wonderful hot bread and iced buns. Just on down the road was Mr Hutchins the local wheelwright and undertaker, he also had a cow which he used to take out on a halter to eat from the hedges. A few more yards down on the right was Mr Fred Bradley's farm, most of the work was done by Harriet (White) who spent most of her time moving cows from farm to fields a long way from the milking sheds.
When I started school the teachers were Mrs Laurence in the infants class and Mrs Jackson... Read more
Once an Idyllic Dorset Village.
Since about the 1960s, Child Okeford became a totally different community from the one I first got to know in the early 1930's. The Watts (Harry and Dorothy) had farmed out of Laurel Farm for many decades and Jo(sephine), the daughter, was my cousin by marriage.
Laurel Farm, as it is today in the late 1900s, is shown to the left of this memory. Sadly, the main characteristics - with the exception of the thatched roof - have gone. Also gone, are the numerous attached and detached buildings and facilities, which made the place a farmhouse.
I stayed at the farm on many occasions, during the 1930s and 1940s. As I grew so did my various responsibilities on the farm - but I must say the 'unskilled' labours were my forte - I had few real farming skills. Nevertheless, my broad back and great willingness to work were a welcome addition to the everyday workforce. In particular, these physical attributes were much in use during harvesting. I could... Read more
Gymkhanas at The Manor
I can remember in the late 1940s Gymkhanas being held in the field behind the Manor, then owned by Mister Glazebrook. I remember after one very large lady had done her jumping round one of the locals shouting "Now thee get off and give the hoss (horse) a ride". As children I also remember standing round the same fields at harvest time armed with sticks in the hope we could kill a rabbit as they ran out of the corn.
The Cross
Just to the right was a farm run by Mr Chaffey, he had working for him Mr Bert R*** who was a very large gentleman, probably over 20 stones, anyway in the bad winter of 1947 Bert slipped down on the ice outside the butchers shop opposite the cross, several locals tried with no result to get Bert back on his feet till one said "Yer, let's roll he over to the monument". This was done, result Bert back on his feet and back to work!!!
Haywards Bridge
I remember many happy days in the 1940-50s spent by the river near the bridge. It was here that I saw my first otter, we also used to fish from off the bridge. When the 8 a.m train used to go to Blandford, if the driver saw any late travellers coming over the bridge he would sound the whistle and wait at the station till they arrived. The fields round the bridge were farmed by Alec Cross of Bere Marsh Farm.
Happy Days
It was from here that the children of the village waited for the school buses to Blandford Grammer School and Sturminster Secondary Modern School. We never mixed, the Blandford children waited by the cross, we waited by Curtis's shop. At that time Mr Dyer had this butchers shop and Mr Pride had the pub. Before that Mr Davis had the pub, Mr Turner the butchers and Mr Cottle had a harness shop next door. Some of the children had to walk over a mile to catch the buses.
