Grundisburgh, Suffolk

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 ancestors

All my ancestors originate in Otley, and I have traced them back to 1718. The only recollection I have of Otley is that when I was six to seven years old the family used to visit my father's aunt, my great-aunt Emma who was in her 90s and bedridden, she lived in a small cottage on the road to Helmingham. Further... [more]

Boulge was my home

My family owned the Boulge Hall estate at the time of your photograph. I was christened in Boulge Church in 1940.
I am the 3rd Baronet of Boulge Hall and the last of the line.
The summer house on the right of the picture was built by my grandfather Sir Robert Eaton White.
I remember Boulge well throughout my childhood. How... [more]

Books

I loved going in the Ancient House as a child. Lots of stationary and books. I remember the floors squeaked.Shame it is no longer a book store.

I worked here

I worked at Bowhill Elliot and White shoe store at the top of The Walk in 1960  Every morning I walked through here to go to work. I still e-mail a friend who worked at Turners Photography also in The Walk.  We were like a family in The Walk, greeting each other every day, and going to lunch.

Shoe shop

The shoe shop at number 44 was Thomas Alderton and Son, shown on the 1871 census as the family living there, presumably above the shop, it was still there in 1985 with the original street frontage, is it there now?

St. Lawrence Street 1960s

Back in the 1960s there was a beautiful Magnolia tree oposite the church in front of a solicitor's office in St. Lawrence Street.
Forty years have passed and I live the other side of the world.
I wonder if that tree is still there.

The model shop in The Walk

Yes Tami, I remember The Walk very well. In 1959 there was a model shop just to the right of the photo. They had wonderful little steam engines and I saved up pennies and shillings from my paper round until I could buy one.
Some years later as a young man we would drink Cob Toppers at the local pubs... [more]