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Rendham
Rendham maps
Historic maps of Rendham and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Rendham maps
Rendham area books
Displaying 1 of 13 books about Rendham and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Rendham
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Rendham.
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Rendham White Horse Pub & Village Shop
The White Horse Pub used to be owned by a brewery in Ipswich, and the name of the former brewery can just be seen on the l.h side of the building. There was once an entrance to an off-license on that side. My uncle wired up a coloured lighting system outside the pub in the early 1960's when he worked as an electrician at G.A Hubbard of Saxmundham.
The building to the left is the former village shop, which I believe, was run by Tyrells. Their speciality was sliced boiled ham. I also remember all the many jars of sweets that they had on sale. When Tyrells left, another owner changed the shop to a MACE stores, and also incorporated a post office in the shop (this had previously been in a cottage just behind the viewer). The shop no longer exists, and is a private dwelling.
My Summer Holidays
It is great to see this scene again, 47 years later. My family and I spent our holidays in this village with my grandparents (Russell), and my auntie & uncle and cousins (Shawcross). They all lived in the cottage shown to the far right of the photo. We used to travel from Leeds (overnight) in an old Commer Express Delivery van (normally used by my dad in his work as a radio & tv engineer). We did live in this house for a while before moving to Sweffling in 1962.
My dad (Denis Horne) did work at G.A Hubbard as a radio & tv engineer in 1963, before moving work to Orford Ness (A.W.R.E SECRET SITE) from 1964/67. My uncle, George Shawcross worked as an electrician at G.A Hubbard at Saxmundham.
My relatives have long left this area, and so have my family by 1967.
I often enjoy travelling back to Suffolk to see it all again !
Suffolk memories
Street Farm Road
We used to live in both houses as my father was the caretaker to the buildings which would have been built to the rear of the photos.
We Played in The Woods
The woods behind South Entrance were our playground. I lived at 5 South Entrance and knew every nook and cranny, and in the spring I knew where every nest was.
Names that come to mind are our neighbours Julian and Christopher Chilvers,
Doreen, Christine Mattinson (or Matteson) then David Nettleingham, Cookie, Richard Green, Colin Thomas. Our biggest secret was the old well, through the far end of the woods, and up Church HIll. It had been covered with a concrete cap, but we chipped away and made a hole, lighting paper and throwing it down to get a good look. It contained dumped wartime explosives, probably incendiaries, which we threw bricks at. I got my eyebrows badly singed when something went off and a wall of fire shot up. Its been filled in now...but did they fill in the explosives too? I suspect so, which means there are houses very nearby. Oops!
I recall vividly making bows and arrows, carrying an air-rifle, dodging Squire Long's wife in her Morris... Read more
THE WOOD AND CHURCH HILL
LIKE JOHN FISHER SAID WE PLAYED IN THE WOODS AND EXPLORED ALL THE SURROUNDING FARMLAND, SCARED OF BEING CAUGHT BY SQUIRE LONG AND LATER MISS ALDOUS. AS FOR THE OLD WELL UP CHURCH HILL, I CAN REMEMBER DROPPING ROCKS DOWN IT WHEN THERE WAS A LOUD BANG AND A FLASH WHICH MADE US DISAPPEAR QUICKLY FROM THE SCENE. I ALWAYS WONDERED WHAT IT HAD BEEN. CERTAINLY TAKES YOU BACK READING THESE MEMORIES.
Blacksmiths
Apparently my Gr Grandfather John Freeman owned a blacksmith shop that was situated just on the left hand side of the road here at the beginning of the 20th century. He also made the 'fences' that protected the bases of many of the trees on the Hurts Hall estate. I've never been able to find any written infromation about him or the 'smithy' though.
Family of 14 And Still Take in Lodgers!
John and Charlotte Freeman lived in the white houses by the motor bike. ( I'm sure I have photos of groups outside the house with this bike!). My great grandfather was a blacksmith with his smithy in Church Road. He made many of the fences that protected trees on the Hurts Farm estate. They had 12 children. 8 boys (Thomas, George, Sam, Fredrick, Sidney, Percy, John and Bill)and 4 girls (Elsie, Rose, Honor and Kate - Percy and Kate were twins). Thomas was a Lance Corporal with the 4th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment and died in 1916 aged 20 and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.
Percy used to cut gents' hair in a shed in the garden in Albion Street where he lived. His brother Sam lived next door. Rose (Hulme) had a laundry the other side of the railway line in Chantry Road and used to have whist drives for the soldiers there. (I think it was later a motor bike shop.) She later lived in Albion Street as... Read more
