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Minchinhampton
Minchinhampton photos
Displaying the first of 14 old photos of Minchinhampton. View all Minchinhampton photos
Minchinhampton maps
Historic maps of Minchinhampton and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Minchinhampton maps
Minchinhampton area books
Displaying 1 of 10 books about Minchinhampton and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Minchinhampton
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Gloucestershire memories
Ice Skating on The Port
In the very cold winter of 1963 the canal port (known as the polly basin) froze over we were able to go iceskating , Brimscombe Hill had deep snow drifts and was shutdown but we still got the papers delivered !!! I was a paper boy at the time aged 11 yrs
The Port Inn, Brimscombe
I first knew Brimscombe in the 1950s. I was brought up between Toadsmoor and Middle Lypiatt. In this starkly isolated location, it took a devoted beer drinker to travel through the darkness to the nearest pub. My Dad was of such a breed, and every evening he would go to the Bottle and Jug of the Port Inn in Brimscombe, more or less opposite where the Brimscombe Poly School was. You may have spotted that this was not the nearest pub to us, but my Dad favoured no-nonsense red brick terraced affairs to majestic places like the Victoria, Bourne Bridge (was that the name?). This is probably because he hailed from Kidderminster where such pubs were de rigeur. I think the Port was owned or managed by a family named Gardiner. Sadly the Port Inn came down or was closed, probably in the 60s. Anyone else remember it? Fred Potter
Snow 1963
Having moved into Walls Quarry with my husband in 1961, I too remember the snow. It started to fall on Boxing Day 1962. We had a job to get home from Gloucester by car during theafternoon.
By March '63 it was still thick and frozen hard. The postmen had difficulty doing hillside deliveries out from Brimscombe Post Office. Three of them had a week's holiday due, and were unable to take it before the 'end of the year' (end of March). As I had done a round before Christmas, Mrs Perkins the Postmistress, asked if I could do one for three weeks, to give them their break. Yes I could.
I was given Bagpath and across to the Knoll, Swells Hill and Water Lane, which meant up and down hillside paths solid with ice, and across the common below Bownham, as well as still uncleared roads (carrying the heavy loaded bag). To start with I lost my way a few times, which meant retracing steps across the ice,... Read more
The Potters' Cottage on The Hilltop
I knew Fred Potter and his family in the early 1960s - Fred and I dated for a while. Many times we got off the bus on the main road (I lived in Nailsworth), often straight from school - he at Marling, me at High School. We'd then walk past the lake and up that hill - seemed no distance in those days - to be greeted with a lovely tea from his mum - and then some Charlie Parker from Fred's record player. I remember how remote it was - Mrs Potter getting water from the old pump in the kitchen telling me that all manner of things would often appear in the water! Other water came from a spring in the opposite hillside - fetched by hand. Then there was the Elsan loo down the garden - with lots of foliage round the door. As Fred says - isolated it certainly was and in my youth I never truly appreciated the beauty of the place. I've been back... Read more
Ivy Cottage Winter I Think of About 1981
We had such a tremendous snow fall I believe it was difficult to open the back door due to snow drifts. However my girls Sam and Lucy put on the boots and coats and gloves and we trudged literally through the snow down past Pinfathings to Nailsworth, where real people and stores were mingling and we able to delight in some treats and then tredge back up the hill to Ivy Cottage. 1981 my girls and I are all doing well, Lucy has 4 beautiful girls and Sam is married. I am working with oncology patients now and am thoroughly enoying it. This seems to be the perfect fit for me. If any of you are neighbours or old friends I trust that you are all well and enjoying life. Take care, Marianne
Firwood
Firwood
1958 our family came from the US to settle our Aunt Ethel & Uncle Edmund Smyth's estate Firwood. Edmund had been the 1st Bishop of Lebombo, Africa & Ethel had been a missionary & painter. Firwood had a dairy on the property & my sister's & I played with twin sisters that lived there. The sisters had us go to Brownshill & ride a teenager's motercycle. I loved the village & people there. If anyone knows about Firwood or the people who now own it, we've heard it's called Smyth Estates. (I could be wrong) please contact me. ... Thank you for the fond memories. ....... Terri
Valerie & Rosemary West Firwood Farm
The people, last name West, living on Firwood Farm had four children, Valerie, Rosemary, Kathleen and John. I've heard the farm is still there. My sisters' names were Sharon and Sally, mine is Susan. Firwood is now called Smyth Meadows. If anyone knows of the people I've mentioned or the owner of Smyth Meadows please contact me. We were at Firwood for a month in 1958. There were two older maids there. One was named Olive, the other Mrs. Hutchins. The owners of Firwood were Edmund Smyth who was 98 and Ethel Smyth who was 99 when they passed on so Brownshill was part of their everyday life for many many years. We have many fond memories of your town and country.
