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Market Drayton
Market Drayton photos
Displaying the first of 94 old photos of Market Drayton. View all Market Drayton photos
Market Drayton maps
Historic maps of Market Drayton and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Market Drayton maps
Market Drayton area books
Displaying 1 of 4 books about Market Drayton and the local area. View all books for this area
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Memories of Market Drayton
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memories of Market Drayton.
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Buntingsdale Hall And Farcroft.
My first posting as as an L.A.C. Chef in the R.A.F. was to 22 Group H.Q. at the hall in May 1953. I was eighteen at the time and was to become chef to A.V.M. Merton in his residence, Farcroft in Market Drayton.
I reported to the guardroom and was then whisked up to meet the A.V.M. by his P.A. F/Lt. Jan Badini who I was told was a Polish Count. I think he must have been as he later told us about hunting wolves on his estate in Poland before the war.
I was later to live in Farcroft cooking for the A.V.M., his wife known to us as 'Agie' (behind her back), Cpl Davis, Pete Redcar and another batman called O'Gorman.
It was a quiet life for about a year before I was moved on to R.A.F. Bridgnorth.
The main thing I remember there was Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, coming to dinner and staying the night. I was given an audience the following morning with the Duchess... Read more
Special Times.
1970s, I see Steve Boughey like a dolphin in the water, Mr Bickley telling you off for bombing, Mrs Holland taking my basket of clothes off me. Girls from school looking great. Big football match on the grass area. My girlfriend meeting me there, to see the DRIFTERS, now my wife. Passing your season ticket through the fence to get your mates in. I was the one outside waiting for somebody's season ticket. PS. I always wanted to be that beautiful bronze colour Steve Boughey had. Special times.
Dalelands
The car in this picture is parked outside my old home. I wonder, was it my Dad's car? Not many of us had cars then. I spent many hours under the lamp-post as it got dark, before I got called in. We were pretty safe to play out in those days. There was a hill to the right of that car, and we sped down it on our bikes. Once I lost my brakes and shot into the fence at the bottom on the other side of the road! I skinned quite a few bits of me that day! Dianne Howells
Growing Up
Betton in the 1940s-50s. I lived at Betton for 21 years from 1940-1961 with my mother and father Arther and Florence Holland and my stepsister Mary Clarke. We farmed at Moss Lane Farm until 1961. Down Moss Lane lived my auntie and uncle Dorris and Phillip Holland and their sons Andrew and Martin. The next cottage was the Challinors and at the bottom of the lane was James Farm who employed a Mr. Hudson, Mr Hunter and Mr Goodwin. I had a friend at the black and white house in Betton called Christine Lowe. I also had two more cousins in the village called Joe and Roger Davies. I remember the McPhillips who lived at the crossroads in Betton where we used to wait for the school bus. My Uncle Phillip and George Lowe used to ring the bells in the little church and I think Mrs Bourne used to play the organ. I remember the Ramsdens at Betton House, and the Allens farmed at Betton Hall.
Victoria Mill Bridge
I remember this bridge very well. Brought up in MD from 1938 until I left to join the Royal Navy in 1955. We, my brother Tony and Brian Roylance, spent many happy hours in the vicinity especially fishing for "Sticklebacks" in Victoria Mill overspill channel which is just 50 yards or so to the right of this picture. We also sledged on Salisbury Hill and in Rogers Field. Both are no longer available for that pastime. The former is now part of the golf course and the latter has been developed with houses. We also had great fun coming down Red Bank in my old pram which was possible in those days due to very little traffic until it was wrecked and Mother forced us to take it to Ruebin Hickman's scrap yard opposite the old police station, I think we got half-a-crown for the remains.
From 1938, my birth year, until 1949 we lived in Salisbury Road and then moved to a brand new council house 14 Clifford... Read more
Sunny Days at Market Drayton Swimming Pool.
I lived in Market Drayton from 1960 to 1963. I was at Market Drayton Grammar school and I lived on Buntingsdale estate. I remember going to the swimming pool. It was always sunny when I went. I would spend nearly every day there in the summer holidays and sometimes I would go after school. I had a friend called Jean who lived on Buntingsdale estate and 2 other friends called Ruth and Sylvia who lived in villages near Market Drayton. Sylvia's family had a garage. We used to go on out bikes to Hawkstone Park and wander round. My name was Audrey Lamb then. I was 11 when I came to Market Drayton and I must have been about 13 when I left.
RAF Market Drayton Aka Buntingsdale Hall
For two years of my three year RAF service 1953 to 1956 as 41255i8 LAC, I was batman to RAF Stoke Heath C/O, Grp Capt (name omitted). His was the largest house on the OMQ (of course), the rear garden of which backed down a slope almost onto the winding road which led around the lake and passes the handsome old building; I have only recently learned that this was called Buntingsdale Hall. I used to take this route on my bike from Sutton Camp on RAF Stoke Heath to the pubs and dance hall in Market Drayton. I also regularly used to take the C/O's two Labradors walkies around the lake and let them swim in the nearby River Tern as well.
Now, about my title...I am absolutely certain that just before the main building on the above mentioned road from Ternhill to Drayton, there was a pukka RAF station nameboard with the words: Headquarters RAF Market Drayton. Can anyone throw any light on this? It can't be... Read more
Restoring The Ceiling Painting at Buntigsdale Hall
I was posted to the Hall after RAF basic training at West Kirby, where an Air Vice Marshall saw a mural illustrated map, another conscript (John Young) and I created, in the Education Hut. His intention was for Peter Melrose (a National Service aircraftsman, who was a scenic artist from Gainsborough Film Studios) and I (an artist from an advertising agency), to work on training booklets and posters. During our stay we were also asked to restore the beautiful 18th. century, mural ceiling of the Officers' Mess, which had become dirty and tobacco fume stained. The ceiling is quite high and I do not like heights. Conversely, Peter was complely at home on the two rickety, lanky pairs of wooden steps, strung apart by a plank to stand on and another to hold, whilst we craned our necks backwards to carry out the work. The steps swayed and creaked alarmingly and Peter took great delight in rocking them to scare me. With time, I became used to the heights.... Read more
