Memories Of Covenham As A Child

A Memory of Covenham St Mary.

I was born in Covenham in Zeplin Row in 1950. I remember going to bed with candles as that was the only form of lighting we had. If it was cold in the winter I can remember my mum wraping up the warm oven shelfs and putting them in our bed to warm it up for us. There was no water in the house only a pump in the back which if i remember rightly was shared by the whole row. We had to walk to school which at the time seemed a long way, it was not good in winter when we had to walk I think it was over a mile away. We some time had some money to spend on a few sweets so off we would all go to Grundy's petol station which was also a shop. There was another shop in the village but it was futher down the village heading towards Fulstow. In the summer we played on 'Dead Mans Hill' as we called it, it was a big mound of earth (don't know how it got the name dead mans hill) it was in a field near Zeplin Row. Zeplin Row was at the botton of a small hill, I remember my brother putting my sister and I in a old pram, taking us up to the top of the hill and running down with us. But one time as he was running down with us he tripped and let go of the pram - I was ok as my sister fell out first and I fell out on top of her. My brother was in trouble that day. We went to Sunday school every Sunday in the little chapel dressed in our Sunday best. I think my grandad Brown also lived in Zeplin Row. Wish I could remember the names of the other people that lived there, so if anyone knows ...

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