Great Oakley memories
Here are memories of Great Oakley and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Great Oakley or a Great Oakley photo.
Houghbridge Hall-Gt.Oakley
In January 1949, my parents moved into Houghbridge Hall - on the winding country lane mid way between Stones Green and the church at Gt. Oakley.
I remained there until called up for National Service in November 1952, and last saw it on my Christmas leave that year during which we attended Christmas Day service in the church.
Houghbridge Hall was a huge dwelling on about an acre of land, part of which was apple orchard and many outbuildings where we had about a thousand chickens, geese, turkeys and pigs on open range. We had to turn nearly all of our production of eggs over to the Egg Marketing Board. We bred all our own poultry which included Rhode Island Reds, Sussex and White Leghorns. The geese were Emdens.
We were a family of six, so the accomodation was adequate for our needs. All except mother had full time jobs in Colchester too!
My two younger brothers were also called up for National Service in 1953, and the remaining family... Read more
Fondest Memories Of Gt. Oakley 1938 to 1961
That was when I was born along with a bunch of other kids who grew up with me and with whom I played during the WW2 years and eventually went to C of E school together. Mr Porter was a teacher there, he was still watching for enemy aircraft after it was all over and the boys would tell him "not one of ours sir" and off we would go to the air raid shelter yet again and wait and wait but of course nothing happened. Miss Freshwater was another teacher then off we went to High School
after that. Oh yes there was a Miss Brown also who later became Mrs Van Ryswyk.
During the war my Dad served in the Army, I didn't really get to know him until I was 7. My Uncle never came back, he is buried in Italy somewhere. My Grandad Clarke was in the ARP and used to check on Mum and I every night when there were air raids. So we... Read more
Memories of Essex
My Childhood at Thorpe
I was about 7 and we lived at Greenhedges, Colchester Road, just before First Green. My twin sister Paula and I decided to climb up to the apex of the house. We sat there without a care in the world. Mum had popped to the shops. We must have been up there for some time because locals had seen Mum and had told her where we were, what a scare for her. We decided to come down. We climbed over a glass conservatory and fell through. We made up a great story. Mum ran all the way home. It must have been a nightmare for her. Thorpe was the best place to grow up when everybody looked after each other. I got married to Gaenor at Thorpe church at age 21. I now live in Australia with my family of four, Nicola, Christopher, William and Ryan. I have paid a visit to Thorpe, September 2009, my sister has moved back to Thorpe in the little mouse cottage near the memorial.... Read more
MY LIFE
I was born in Abbey Street, Thorpe le Soken in 1924, the son of Charles and Winifred Day. I had two brothers, Basil {who was two years older} and Eric, my twin brother. I was educated at Rolph School, High Street, Thorpe, I had two headmasters, Mr Bird and Mr Corkett. Two of the highlights of my schooldays were seeing an airship go over and seeing the Prince of Wales (later to become King Edward VIII) go by on his way to Frinton. During the school holidays I spent many days at Landermere, crabbing, and rabbiting, which was running behind the binder when they were cutting the corn and trying to kill a rabbit with a stick. Whilst at school some of the ways I earned money were selling deadrats' tails {1 penny each}, selling a wart {halfpenny}, peapicking {sixpence for a paper sack full}, blackberring {threepence a basket}, mushrooming {sixpence a basket} and carol singing at Christmas with Alec Cross. I spent four years as a ground gunner in the... Read more
One Child's Memory of Living in The Covent in Doverourt
I have just been reading on the times of the floods in Dovercourt. My sister Rita and myself, known as (Rita and Mary Kelly), were brought up by the Salesian Sisters at the convent from babies until the time of the floods. The convent had to close, and we were then moved to another convent in Hastings called Sandrock Hall.I believe sixteen children made this move. It was really a lovely place to be, all the children there were so happy. We had our own 'Sea Garden' - when you looked over the wall, you were looking down into the sea. We had a pathway down to the sea where we could go swimming and fill our swim caps up with water, so the nuns could wash their face and hands. Also in the garden, the nuns taught us how to do a bit of gardening, we had little plots, sowed seeds and watched them grow, it was great when our flowers came up. I also remember when walking to... Read more
Palm Court
I remember walking along the promenade to the Pavilion. To continue our walk we had to go through the Pavilion. If my memory is correct it had a glass roof and front window and there were some palms and what seemed to a six-year-old huge greenhouse plants. I thought it was a most glamorous place. I remember the words Palm Court. Was it ever called Palm Court?
Ruth Wright (nee Ashman)
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