Claydon, Main Road c1955

ARTHUR WALTER HURRELL

MY FATHER ARTHUR WALTER HURRELL WAS BORN IN CLAYDON IN 1898. HIS PARENTS WERE JOSEPH AND MARY ELIZABETH HURRELL. I AM TRYING TO FIND OUT WHETHER HE HAD ANY BROTHERS OR SISTERS. AND WERE HIS PARENTS ORIGINATED FROM. ANY INFORMATION WOULD BE APPRECIATED. MY EMAIL ADDRESS IS retfordrascal@hotmail.co.uk. Tony Hurrell

Shrubland Park

My wife and I moved to Shrubland Park in 1950 after I had secured a job working in the glasshouses and market garden of this large estate. It was a wonderful place to live and enjoy the peace of the countryside. After a couple of years the head gardener left to become self employed. I was then given the chance to take charge of the market garden whilst the pleasure gardens were looked after by someone else. I had been involved with three generations of the Saumarez family by the time I retired in 1999, just a few months short of 50 years since we arrived there. The last 41 years of that time we rented the walled garden and surrounding area and established what became a flourishing chrysanthemum nursery. It was quite a wrench when we had to retire but I did write my memoirs of that very happy 50 years. Sidney G Forsdike

William Gildersleeve & Thomas Robert Gildersleeve

In the year 1492 William Gildersleeve and in 1544 Thomas Robert Gildersleeve were born in Witnesham, Suffolk, England.
Gildersleeves first found in Norfolk area where they were anciently seated as Lords of the Manor.
If anyone knows any Gildersleeves (Spelling variations of the family name includes Gildersleeve, Gildersleve, Gilderslieve, Gildensleeve, Gildensleve, Sildsleeve, Gildsleve, Guildersly).

My younger years

I was aged six when my family moved to Sproughton 1932 when some new houses and bungalows had been built in a cul-de-sac called Broomfield Common off Church Lane. All of my young years were spent in the village until I joined the army in 1944. I well remember Ned Ginger's very old blacksmith shop where he used to shoe all the farm horses - and there were many in those days - and he would also repair farming equipment. The old building was eventually demolished as it stood right on the crossroads at the top of Lower Street opposite the Wild Man public house. A new blacksmith's shop was built further back from the cross roads. The landlord of the Wild Man was a Mr Rippon. Further down the street Charlie Mee kept the post office and general stores. Across the road, opposite the post office, Ted Mee had a stonemasons business, he was also the gravedigger. Shortly before I was demobbed from the army I had met my future wife who lived in the Millhouse opposite the church, with her parents. When we married in 1948 the reception was held in the Millhouse where there was a very large room between the lounge and the kitchen area of the house. In my very young days the parson lived in a large rectory opposite the church in Church Lane, I seem to remember his name was Miiler. The Manor House at the top of a long driveway up the park belonged to a Mr Mason who I think was something to do with Masons cement factory at Great Blakenham. Time seemed to stand still in those days, happy days when I preferred to be called by my second name (George).