The Francis Frith Collection.
You are here:

Marston St Lawrence

Marston St Lawrence maps

Historic maps of Marston St Lawrence and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis.   View all Marston St Lawrence maps

Marston St Lawrence photos

We have no photos of Marston St Lawrence, although we do have photos of these nearby places:

Brackley| Cropredy| Banbury| Aynho| Adderbury| Barford St John

Marston St Lawrence area books

Displaying 1 of 7 books about Marston St Lawrence and the local area.   View all books for this area

Memories of Marston St Lawrence

No memories of Marston St Lawrence have been shared yet - be the first!
Add your memory of Marston St Lawrence or of a photo of Marston St Lawrence.

Oxfordshire memories

RAF Greatworth

I remember arriving at RAF Greatworth in the back of the camps truck/transport in mid 1962, I had been collected from the railway station in Banbury fresh from training at RAF Locking. The RAF camp was a short walk from the village via a back gate that still exsists today as a stile on the corner of Helmdon Road, a much frequented route as next to the gate were the married quarters. In the village were 'The Inn' and a post office shop, one chapel and of course a church, all built of stone. The lovely rural atmosphere pervaded into the military disciplines of the camp, creating a pleasant blend of regulated but `laid back' atitudes, that would have been refered to by our peers as a `holiday camp' and looking back they were right really, but it worked well, as we excelled at our chores so efficiently as to recieve commendations. Most all who served at RAF Greatworth, remember the village, it's people and the RAF camp with affection.... Read more

Memories of A Nurse

I came to work in Sulgrave in the 1980s. I worked for Major George Coombs who lives at Stonecourt on the Hedom Road. My first thoughts of the village were that it was very quiet and that the people were all very friendly. I visited Sulgrave Manor and learnt a lot about the history of the manor. I live and worked in Sulgrave for four years and those I met were all nice people. Christopher Henn used to let us lake the major's wife down to see the horse as before she was ill she would ride a lot, but due to the MS she was in a wheelchair and I and the other nurses could be seen walking her round the village. We used to take afternoon tea in the hotel near the manor. One of the staff who worked at Stonecourt was a lovely lady called Betty, she lived opposite the stocks. I have been back to visit Sulgrave and to visit the grave of Major George Coombs... Read more

The Thirties

My grandmother, widowed, lived during the 20s and 30s at 1, High Street (next to The Dolphin), and was glad of family visits to assist in her invalid-style of life.  That usually meant our family, and my mother took a number of 'Busman's Holidays' each year to help her mother, my Gran.   We children became familiar over the years with the village, especially the Upper Middleton part.  My grandfather had been schoolmaster at the Primary School; he was called William George.

Gran's cottage had, like many, a rather decrepit pump in the garden as its water supply (see Nancy Long's History).  A large apple-tree stood in the garden and - of course - a vegetable patch beyond.  Over the low garden wall, in Cotswold stone, lay the Jerrams' farmyard; it was usually quiet, but one day I was to observe the killing of a pig (my parents might have been horrified had they known of my secret observation.)

I lived in S.Wales, where coal was cheaper, and delivered... Read more

BEST YEAR OF MY LIFE

We lived for a year in Middleton Cheney. My great grandfather was from England, but we never looked up relatives. I was only seven, but I remember so much of the town. We would go to market uptown everyday, our milk and bread was delivered, we had coal burning fireplace, we would go to get the paper everyday. We had good neighbors and were made very welcome to the neighborhood. My father was stationed at Upper Heyford for 3 years. We would take the double decker bus to Banbury. The countryside was beautiful. We lived in a neighborhood that was at the edge of town. It was in the process of growing.

Chacombe in 1969-1970

My family, the Nylins, lived in the house that had a driveway on an incline and was next door to to small market. I remember (I was 10 years old at the time) there was a small market because we would get our bottled, silver capped milk delivered through a box between the two properties. My dad, Roger, was in the Air Force stationed at Upper Heyford, but my mom, Irene, was a Brit and prefered to live off base instead of on base in "little America" She would say " Rubbish, you dont experience a country if you live on an Air Base" I think folks MIGHT remember us living there because we had a huge Winnebago, new concept for 1969, new to the states and VERY new to the UK. I very much enjoyed my time in Chacombe and miss the lovely little village and countryside.

An Under-Housemaid at Williamscot House

When my Great Aunt Phyllis Ivy Jarrett left school at the age of 13 (about 1918), she joined the domestic staff at Williamscot House, where she was an 'under-housemaid'.

Phyllis used to send photos home to her mother. These give the impression that life in service was not too bad for Phyllis. One photo shows the staff sitting outside the back door: there's the Butler, the Cook (Mrs Collins), Kitchen Maids Ivy and Amy, Parlourmaid Muriel, and even Susie the dog.

In a later photo, the same staff are standing on the immaculate lawn of the big house. The Butler is wearing a typically low-waisted, 1920s style dress and cloche hat, looking like the 'Lady of the Manor'; the Parloumaid sports a top-hat and tails, while Phyllis is looking very mischievous in a chauffeur's uniform, complete with peak-cap and jodhpurs.

I would love to know what they were up to on this occasion.

Phyllis (also known as Ivy) married a groom from Thorpe Mandeville in... Read more

My Short Time Spent Living With A Family

My brother, was in the army and was wounded and sent to a hospital near Banbury, where he met and married a nurse, who was living with her parents in Kings Sutton. I went to live with her parents, and attended the local school. Her father had a farm, and each day he would walk from the farm, with milk in buckets hanging from a yoke on his shoulders, to sell in their tiny shop. I don't think I was allowed in the shop, but I saw the village people bring their jugs for the milk. My bedroom was opposite a pub which was used by service men, I can't recall the name of the pub. The house was very basic, no bathroom just an outside toilet down the end of the garden. The farmer had two spinster sisters, their house seemed to me to be at the end of our garden, that's where they always seemed to appear from.!! We would walk to church for the morning and evening service... Read more

Home > Explore your past > Oxfordshire > Marston St Lawrence

© Copyright 1998-2012 Frith Content Inc. All rights reserved.