Cirencester memories
Here are memories of Cirencester and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Cirencester or a Cirencester photo.
Hoare Family, Woolstaplers House
While exploring my British Roots in 2003 with my then 80+years-old mother we were blessed with the opportunity offered by the owner of the Woolstapler House, pictured in the lower right foreground of this photograph of Coxwell Street, to tour the house and landscape. I have a photo of this exact perspective, except mine is from ground level, and I am delighted to see Coxwell Street from this end of the street. Interestingly, a cousin of mine in England tells me of her experience visiting the street a number of years earlier. A very small and quite elderly lady stopped and spoke with her as she stood in front trying to take in her family's experience. The little lady told her that the street, at one time, dead-ended at this corner, which I have not been able to verify. The remainder of this photo is absolutely identical to my own, with the exception of a number of colorful automobiles parked on the street today. This photo could be of... Read more
Family Home.
The Round House has fond memories for the Perry family because my late father (Ronald) was born there in 1924. He was the youngest of five (Win, Leslie, John & Patience). His father John worked on the land with the oxen for Lord Bathurst.
The Square House 1973
I was born in Swindon, and brought home to the Square House as my mum and dad and Nanna lived here. My dad (Tony Wright) was a woodman for Lord Bathurst. We lived here until about 1977, when we moved to Swindon. My dad has lots of stories about working in the woods, and there are lots of family photos of us in the garden at the Square House. The house was divided in two, and we lived next door to Colonel and Mrs Jackson, who had a Siamese cat called Tiggy.
The house looked different to this photo, we had a lovely garden with roses in it and a chicken run.
One particular night I remember was January 2nd 1976, when my sister was born. It was the time of the 1976 storms, and our power was cut off. My Nanna and I were sat at the kitchen table with candles and we were playing games to pass the time whilst my dad made his way to Swindon... Read more
Cirencester Abbey Woodchopping Competitions
My Father, Ken Mclennan, was in a Forestry Regiment of the Royal Australian Engineers posted to Scotland at the outbreak of WWII, prior to being deployed to New Guinea to fight the Japanese. Whilst in training he took part in a large woodchopping competition against a New Zealand Forestry Regiment held in the grounds of Cirencester Abbey. I have an old photo from the Illustrated News which covered the event. Does anyone remember attending an event such as this? From the photo it seemed very well attended by the public.
Scott McLennan
Memories of Gloucestershire
Evacuee
I was evacuated to Daglingworth in 1941 from London and was billeted at Warrens Gorse Cottages just outside the village with my younger brother and sister. We attended the village school which was run by Miss Bacon (a bit of a tartar) and we made many friends. I particularly remember a Freddie Boulton and a Mollie Carpenter and a couple of other girls which their names have been lost in my memory but their existence still remains. Mrs Scrutton was the Lady of the Manor and lived in the Manor with her daughter Joan who was in charge of the evacuees. I was at one time billeted in the Manor House with Mrs Scrutton when a Mrs Kent who I was billeted with at Warrens Gorse Cottages moved to Gloucester and I was awaiting a new billet. It was a very strange time for us youngsters from London as we were too young to know what exactly was going on, missing our mum and dad terribly, getting the blame for... Read more
The Woodhouse Cirencester Park Estate
My great-grandfather was called George Darlow, he was the Head Gamekeeper to Lord Bathurst and often walked about the estate looking for traps that poachers might have set for the deer. My mother visited him and his wife who was called Nancy but her actual real name was Annie Darlow, they had 11 children, all the boys went to war and three of the girls went into service. My mother's recollections of going to The Woodhouse are full of wondrous views along the avenues and of going to the Barn where the owls were to spend a penny!
The Eliot Arms
The Eliot Arms is the tall building in the background of this photo. My Dad, George Gaunt, took over the licence of the pub in October 1953. During their first winter in the village, Mum and Dad quickly discovered that when the pubs had shut at about 10pm there was virtually no activity in the village, and an eerie silence would descend. Thus any sound carried quite easily, and the noise of the river surging over the weir in the photo could clearly be heard in the Eliot, and both Mum and Dad said the sound could keep them awake at night until they became used to it.
Good Old Days
I was stationed at RAF South Cerney from approx. early 1956 until late 1958. I was just a lowly SAC working in the pay accounting department, but everyone on base thought that a special job! When we could afford to go out on our 5 shillings a day, we usually went into Cirencester by bus, where we were welcome in the pubs and that is about all, they were not ready for rowdy 18 year olds from all over the country. But most of the time when going out we would just walk across our grass runway to the pretty little village of South Cerney and go in the local pub, whose name I have forgotten, for a couple of pints of Scrumpy and a game or two of dominos with the locals.
I have lived in San Diego California for the last 45 years, but when I next return on holiday in September 2008, I plan on revisiting South Cerney some 50 years later. I'm sure it will... Read more
South Cerney Village And RAF
I have been trying to find a photo of the Mill, School Lane, and have now found one. But interesting to read about South Cerney. We moved to the camp in 1953 when my father was posted to Hulavingdon. We moved into the top flat of the Mill till he was posted to Aden; we left around 1958/59. Happy days. I left school and worked in Lloyds Bank in Cirencester, till moving to London. My father worked in the accounts building at RAF S Cerney. He was 28 years in the RAF and we moved around abit. But South Cerney was our favourite.
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