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Memories of Suffolk

Hillman Imp Outside The Red Lion

Market Green c1965
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We moved to Debenham in 1964, when I was seven years old. Having come from Oxfordshire, where the houses were built of stone, I remember being amazed that many of Debenham's old houses were painted pink. 'Suffolk Pink' is the traditional colour of the limewash used on the timber-framed houses in this county. The Red Lion, the pub on the right of this photo, was one example.

The Hillman Imp parked outside the pub in this picture, belonged to my parents. They had just stopped to pop into the Post Office, which is next to the Lion. If you look very closely, you can just see the silhouettes of my brother and me, sitting in the back seat!

The Hillman Imp was new when this photo was taken. It was sky-blue, and we were excited to have such a modern car, with its folding back seat and rear window that opened. It was quite a departure from our previous car, a Morris 8.

Debenham High Street... Read more

Childhood

Mendlesham Primary school was wonderful, it is still there but sadly, no longer a school, there is now a new Primary school. My favourite teacher was Miss File, she taught class'B'. Mr Hurrell was also a wonderful teacher. He had small glass files on the wall around the classroom with wild flowers in each one and he carefully had the names of the flowers written close by each one, so that we could learn them. Mr Hurrell's class was 'A' (this was the class before going on to High School, in Stowmarket, on Braybrooks school bus). Braybrook's buses were owned by Mr Braybrook, his secretary was Enid Lambert. Mr Braybrook converted the listed buildings in the Back Street, close to The Kings head pub. I think he wanted to do the same to the whole street, but sadly it didn't happen. I still hold a very dear place in my heart for Mendlesham. My childhood was very happy, I lived at no. 42, Front Street, before the houses were given... Read more

New Beginnings

We visited Gipping in 2003 to try to get a sense of the place our ancestors left in 1859 to start a new life in New Zealand. The flatness of the area was a significant contrast to the rugged coastal lands they farmed on their arrival in Little Akaloa, Canterbury. William Henry Elliss and his wife Sophia Rebecca Davey were resident in Gipping in 1858 when they married at the Primitive Methodist Chapel in Stowmarket. Their parents were Frederick and Caroline Elliss (nee Bass) and William and Eliza Davey (nee Fox), husbandmen, whose families had been in Gipping and Mendlesham for some generations. When William and Sophia left for NZ on the Mary Ann, bound for Canterbury, April 1859 they had been living in Haughley, William was a dealer, and they had a 7 month old son who died on the voyage out. Their parents stayed and died in Gipping, and Old Newton, and indeed Frederick and Caroline have a headstone  erected in their memory in St Mary's Old Newton... Read more

My Mother

My mother was born in Rishangles, 12th Sept 1919, her mother's (my nan) maiden name was Catchpole.

Shrubland Park

My wife and I moved to Shrubland Park in 1950 after I had secured a job working in the glasshouses and market garden of this large estate. It was a wonderful place to live and enjoy the peace of the countryside. After a couple of years the head gardener left to become self employed. I was then given the chance to take charge of the market garden whilst the pleasure gardens were looked after by someone else. I had been involved with three generations of the Saumarez family by the time I retired in 1999, just a few months short of 50 years since we arrived there. The last 41 years of that time we rented the walled garden and surrounding area and established what became a flourishing chrysanthemum nursery. It was quite a wrench when we had to retire but I did write my memoirs of that very happy 50 years. Sidney G Forsdike

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