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Queen Camel
Queen Camel maps
Historic maps of Queen Camel and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Queen Camel maps
Queen Camel area books
Displaying 1 of 11 books about Queen Camel and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Queen Camel
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Somerset memories
The Big Question
Upon leaving the primary school in North Cadbury, we were asked the big question. Well, the big question for an 11 year old.
"What do you want to be doing when you are older?"
My answer to this, was that I would like to be writing books and making films, and I would make a film in the village.
It is now 26 years later, and I am preparing to return to the village to make a film.
This means a lot, as it was here that I learnt to write, and where I first wrote my short stories.
The Wedding
The Wedding Of Natasha Pekic and Colin Grugeon
01.May 2010
Harvester Inn
My grandfather ran the Harvester Inn from 1940 (I think it was called the New Inn then) to the mid sixties
His name was Maurice Herman and he ran it with his wife Elsie.
I would go there in the summer holidays from about the age of four - 1958, as we lived in Oxfordshire, it seemed a long way to go in those days.
I remember the inside (upstairs, I was not allowed in the bar) with steps leading to different levels.
I think my grandfather also ran an agricultural machinery hire business at the rear and side of the pub. My brother and I used to play on the combine harvesters and tractors.
When he retired, he built the New house next door to the pub. I think it was called Harvester House.
His wife died in 1971 and he followed her in a tragic way in 1976.
Paydays
This quiet village street, that could at times be busy with traffic, was the scene of frenetic energy once a week. It was on the day the wives from the naval married quarters at Taranto Hill collected all the kids, walked past the church, over the river bridge, and came into the Post Office, on the left hand side of your picture, to collect the allotment money. There was much to see on the way. The garage owner was an expert on restoring vintage vehicles, I can recall a shillibeer omnibus for example. Many young wives used to swear that the pig farmer whose premises you had to walk past at the beginning of the village, would wait until Thursdays before clearing out his charges. Be that as it may, many the baby had its face covered as a precaution. Mind you it was not as busy as pay nights when the Bull (not pictured) became equally swamped by their husbands. There were in fact three pubs. On a good... Read more
South Street
My dad was stationed at no 1 South Street (old police house) in the year I was born, he was a PC. Then I believe we moved to 1 Almshouse Lane. My mum died in 1952,leaving behind my young sister and me and my dad. Dad eventually hired a nanny and then married her in the church next to what is now the italian restaurant. That's about all I remember, perhaps others will remember me.
My Sister's Village
My sister moved from Manchester in 1990 to Keinton as her husband was working in Shepton Mallet. We have been visiting the village at least 3 times a year, Easter, Summer and usually Christmas. Our children say they can smell Somerset - they mean fresh air, fires burning etc. Keinton has shown us a different way of life, we love to go to the local church on Christmas Eve and a walk on Christmas Day. We love the quiet and the peaceful streets and the smell of people's fires burning. We would love to move to Keinton and hope one day we will. We are really thankful that it has become such a big part of our lives. I love Keinton.
REAL & HOLTON - SPARKES OF CARY IN CASTLE CARY
My great uncle Mr Arthur Real who was born at Axmouth Devon in 1886 and grew up there, started a business in Castle Cary Somerset with Mr Walter Holton from Trowbridge Wiltshire in the 1930s. They named their bakery business Real & Holton. Mr Holton was a master baker and confectioner and worked in the bakehouse in Fore Street from 4am in the morning until he finished his day. The first batch of bread would be ready by 8am. Mr Holton would then cycle to his home in Torbay Road to have his breakfast while the staff would take the hot bread from the bakehouse into the shop, ready, when the shop opened at 9am. My great uncle ran the business side and lived above the shop and cafe with his wife Clara. Above the shop and cafe there was a large grand front room with two windows, one a bay. These two windows overlooked Fore Street. The view was beyond the Market House up the road, and down to... Read more
