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Ramsbury
Ramsbury maps
Historic maps of Ramsbury and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Ramsbury maps
Ramsbury area books
Displaying 1 of 12 books about Ramsbury and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Ramsbury
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Ramsbury.
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Late 1950's
Some time in the late 1950's, my best school friend's family moved to Ramsbury and ran the Post office. I used to catch the coach from London every year to stay with them during the summer holidays, and we had fun playing in the stream that ran across the bottom of their garden. Sadly, I have lost touch with my friend, Pat Hill. She had a brother, Colin. I now live in Australia and wonder if anyone knows what happened to the Hill family. My memories of a true English village, are those of Ramsbury.
Good Times
My grandmother and grandfather lived in Oxford Street, and I remember how my mother would bring me to see and stay with them from time to time, I even remember going to the village school on one visit, I think I was about 8 or 9 yrs old, the year was about 1936. I'm 85yrs old now and live in Australia, but often take a walk down to the tree on a Thursday to buy a lardycake, or across the road to the bakers for bread, he would make me a small loaf just for me, I have very fond memories of Ramsbury and often still picture it in my mind's eye. My grandfolks' name was Cook, my mother's maiden name was Elizebeth Cook. She married my father Fredrick Williams from Hungerford.
Another School 1959/63
I went to school in Ramsbury from about 1959/1961, I remember the head teacher being a Mr Eastoe, I liked Ramsbury because we all used to gather at the river to go swimmimg, we used to buy an inner tube of a car at the local garage for 6 pence (old money of course). I'm sure half of everybody who went to the river couldn't swim, but it was fun. We lived in Axford about 2 or 3 miles away towards Marlborough, our house was at the start of the village, it hasn't changed much. I went back to this area about 10 years ago, I used to live next door to the Kirby family. I also remember the Kings, Williams, Pontins and Mowlem familys. I finished my time at Ramsbury school in 1961 when I was 11 and then went to school in Marlborough, the army camp up on the hill, which I believe is now a golf course. It was very cold in winter up there at school... Read more
Wiltshire memories
The Blue Boar Inn
My grandmother owned the Blue Boar Inn. Her name was Annie Dady. I believe she had the pub before the war and up until about 1960. Next door was Major Powell's racing stable and as a young lad I met Frankie Durr when he had breakfast at the Blue Boar. I can still remember the barn at the back and the old wash room. I am sixty-five now and live in Devon, please if any one remembers my grandmother please write.
Some Memories From 1916 to The 1950s
My father believes the man in the carpenter's apron in photographs 60995 and 60995x may be Francis New. The carpentry business he is standing in front of was eventually taken over my grandfather, John Bray, and his brother William. In the directories they were listed as wheelwrights but they undertook a much larger range of buiding work some of which is still on view today, e.g. the lych gate of the church which was built as a memorial to the dead of the Great War. My father remembers them making a coffin for the last of the Cannings family at Bridge house. Sadly Miss Cannings died in relative poverty and there was no money for a funeral so her coffin (complete with body) was transported in the back of my grandfather's converted Standard motorcar to its last resting place near Swindon with my father holding on to it to make sure it didnt fall out! My father, who is now in his nineties, remembers a life which seems to resemble an... Read more
The Past The Present And The Future
I was born 3rd July 1959 in Marlborough hospital, I spent the first few months of my life in Ramsbury, my parents lived opposite the fire station, until our house burnt down and we moved to Crabtree Close, Chilton Foliat, where my dad still lives.
I then went to the "OLD" Chilton Foliat Village School, which is no longer a school but has been converted into a house. The head master in those days was Mr Hassel. Mr and Mrs Dobson had the village shop and post office, I can still smell the scents from the ham that Mr Dobson used to slice up at the back of the shop, I was very sad to hear that they passed away just after retiring. There was also Bunces garage and the Wheatsheaf where I used to work as a "barmaid" in the evenings. I have some very happy memories in that pub.
The photo above is the start of the village and the house on the left... Read more
Living in Chilton
My family moved to Chilton Foliat and took over the "Old Post Office". I was still young then and went to the old school run by Mr & Mrs Hassall who lived next door to the school. Two classrooms and very fond memories.
At the end of every day we would all have to stand still, dead quiet and were not allowed to leave until we heard a pin drop! Then the Hassalls left and Mr & Mrs Porter took over, very nice people again. Along with them I remember an elderly lady who was there called Mrs Nagler, I think she was American and used to sing gospel songs. One year I remember being in the Christmas nativity at Marlborough Church when we did Noah's Ark I think, and I believe I was a "rat" - not in real life!
I left to go to boarding school then, attending 2 different schools in Hampshire, then returned to finish my education at John O'Gaunt in Hungerford. I returned... Read more
