Simpson, Main Road c1958

Born in Fenny Stratford

I was born at number 8 Woodbine Terrace; in attendance was nurse Brinklow the local midwife and Dr Gleeve. My parents were Jim and Vera  Cusack.   
                 
Just after the begining of the war my mother, sister and grandparents moved to Fenny Stratford to be near my auntie Doris (mother's sister) and to be away from the dangers of London; they came from Dagenham and Hackney in the East End. My grandfather, Captain Walter Bates, had also just been assigned to the security at Bletchley Park. My father was in Burma in the Far East.                                    

Until my mother managed to rent the little cottage in Woodbine Terrace, they all lived with my aunt in Church Street. After the war my grandparents returned to London, they were lucky their substantial house was still intact, however, my parents' Dagenham home had gone so they decided to stay. It took my father a lot of 'getting used' to the country way of living, he was a real townie, however he managed, and worked until he retired for the GPO (telephones).                           

I was baptised at the Catholic church in Church Street, at only a few weeks old, mother was a wonderfull dressmaker, and made my gown from the parachute silk that she had bought in Cowlishaw's haberdashery shop, in Aylesbury Street. My first vivid memory is of being carried to the corner shop, at the top of Church Street, the lady who ran the shop was called Lelia, I would have been about eighteen months old. I also remember sitting on a high chair in Oliver Wells' shoe shop to be fitted with new shoes, that was at the bottom of Church Street as you turned right into Aylesbury Street. At that time there were more shops in 'Fenny' than in Bletchley Road and everything that you needed could be bought there, it even had a 'Dolls Hospital'in Victoria Road, several of mine had to be  admitted.                                          
In 1950 my brother Ken was born at the Redhouse nursing home, that was situated in the High Street, then just after the Christmas in 1951 we moved house, on to the newly built Manor Farm Estate. I started school in 1952 at the little Bletchley Road school at the end of the drive, over-looking the Leon Recreation Ground, where on a Sunday we might go to listen to the Bletchley Town Band play, my uncle Percy played the Trombone. Sometimes we would go to the Central Gardens, the Salvation Army Band would play there too. When the Manor Road school was opened in 1954, I moved school as it was so close.                                                         

A new Catholic church, St Thomas Aquinas, was built in 1956 on the  corner of Sycamore Avenue and Manor Road, and I was one of the first children to make their first Holy Communion there in 1957. I remember how big this new church seemed and how every little sound echoed, it was also very cold in the winter, there was no central heating then.                                                                                    
Next to the Spurgon Memorial Baptist Church in Aylesbury Street was Dickie Golding's sweet shop; he made award winning ice-cream, the queue on a Sunday after all the services was never ending! And he only made it in the summer months! Whenever there was a birthday party, we would run to the shop with a large pudding basin for him to fill, but we had to remember to take a tea towel, as he would put the basin into the freezer for a few minutes to get it really cold.

As us children got a little older we would go with our parents to the gravel pits, it was indeed like the seaside with the big sandy banks and boats, however it was also very dangerouse if you strayed too far, everyone enjoyed themselves there, it was the place to go on a hot summer's day. A child living in Fenny Stratford was a happy child, there were lots of places to go and play, and as far as we were aware in safety. The Manor fields were a favourite haunt, we spent hours there, even in the cold snowy winters when it was covered in ice.

I have ejoyed writing this little piece, thanks to Margaret for telling me about the site.

Happy days

When I was about 4 or 5 I moved from Water Eaton to Fenny. We lived with my gran, Mrs Gibson, in Church Street. We - my two brothers and myself, used to go to the Salvation Army Sunday School, we were only few doors away, and felt grown up walking the few yards away. I used to play the tambourine there (well, I used to rattle it about a bit). It was always nice and clean looking and felt homely. Next door was a 'house' that was used as a Catholic church, then next to that was our local fire brigade, all the kids used to gather round when the siren went off on the council offices, knowing lots of men would be running like mad from wherever they worked - mainly as cooks in the brush factory in Victoria Road. A year later I was old enough to go with my brothers to the County Cinema, just through a walkway opposite the house.
My gran was one of the first people around to have a TV, on Coronation Day there were people standing in her front room and sitting on her wall at the front with the window open and the sound turned up. A few years later, Mrs Dick started up a beetle drive, I went with her every week and helped her put the tables and chairs out, waiting for the people to arrive 99% of them were ladies. Although I was young they were all local, so we all knew each other. It was always a very friendly evening, even now, writing about it it brings a smile to my face, and that was over 50 years ago (I'm only 61 now!) - happy days and pleasant memories.
I've only been using a computer for a few weeks. I never thought, in my wildest dreams, that I would ever be doing this. It's good INIT??  I will be back anbother day.                                                                    
Hi again. Sorry, I forgot to say the men doing the running to the fire station, were all volunteer firemen. Bless em!

WE WERE FIRST!!

I can't see what all the fuss is about, about having an 'inland seaside', its a bit 'old hat'! US LOCALS had a real one, well over 50 years ago, it was great, wherever you dug there was almost pure white sand, where was it? BEACON LAKE, we used to swim or just walk across to a lovely clean 'beach'. You outsiders probably think I'm 'a mad liar' but if our calm little town wasn't ruined it would still be our 'getaway'. The only thing that wasn't very nice was that we had to get changed in bushes, but most of them were gorse bushes, very prickly. We couldn't  go to the end part (where ARGOS is now) because it was thick clay underfoot, and was overgrown with bulrushes and it was really cold water. Down the main big part of the lake was also dangerous because it was really deep, some older people used to swim  right out, but only if they were strong swimmers, because they used to say it was sometimes a bit scary because of a 'pull' in the currents and in places it was very cold. BUT, YES. IT WAS OUR REAL SEASIDE, and we had many, many happy hours there, we all went mainly together, from the Western Road etc areas, and the older people always looked out for the younger ones. It was safe then, parents never had any cause to worry about their children, not like today! It must have looked weird for anyone driving down the old A5 to see us all crossing the road with big black blown-up innertubes over our shoulders - crossing to where T K Maxx is now, that site used to be a brush factory, called 'BEACON BRUSHES'.
I don't think anyone is allowed to swim in the lake now, it's so very deep. But we've had our lovely times there, and it was a long time ago - but yes, we had one here first!.
Bye for now.
Margaret Hogg, nee Margaret McCracken.

Starstruck!

When I was 15 I left Bletchley Road Secondary Modern, and went to work at MOSSES, in Fenny Stratford, I thought it was great to earn £3. a week, I done a lot with that, I used to go to lots of 'dances' a week,  there was the PALACE at Wolverton, twice a week, MURSLEY village on a Friday, WILTON HALL, on Wed and Sat. We had a job deciding where to go, it was mainly WILTON HALL that won, because it was in walking distance from home, and no fares to pay out for. We used to regularly see THE HOLLIES, THE SEARCHERS, GERRY & THE PACEMAKERS, BRIAN POOLE & THE TREMOLOES, ANIMALS, even LULU, done her debut gig there. They were great days, yes, there was a bit of trouble some weeks, but nothing major like today's youths get up to. Loads of 'big-ish' name groups played in Bletchley, people came from miles away to see these bands. It was chaos when THE ROLLING STONES came here, I used to have to work till nearly 6,o'clock on a Saturday,so I couldn't have got anywhere near WILTON HALL to queue up. BUT, I did get get a quick glance at them on my way home from work, they were sitting in MOKARIS cafe eating beans on toast, - 'well, they are no different from most people,are they?'. For about 2-3 years I always left my autograph book in the ticket office where we paid to go in, it was signed by all the stars etc that played there, but after the 'Stones' played there, everyone's 'books' just went missing, we all had same suspect in mind, but 'whatever', it was 45yrs ago. But it brought back happy memories writing about that. It was great here before G L C became involved in Bletchley, then every went manic! THEY! tried to change us into 'townies' but we were all strong 'villagers' but now Bletchley 'is no more' we've lost it. ITS SUCH A SHAME.  My name then was Margaret mcCracken.

Approximately in 1950.

During the Second World War my gran owned a grocery shop at 7 Stoke Road, Water Eaton and my grandad used to take a barrow round the streets selling slabs of salt. I remember looking out of my window (at about 3 or 4 years old)and watching the foxhounds meet on the green, it was a bit scary for me being so young. I also used to like walking up Stoke Road to see an old horse called Kit, he was very gentle and seemed to love people. We'll never get those lovely peaceful, trouble-free, friendly days back, it's such a shame. When I was about 5 we moved to Church Street in Fenny, and I started at Bletchley Road School, then to Western Road, I was older then and could go out on my own (safely). I used to like going through the central gardens and seeing all the pretty flowers in little 'gardens' scattered in the lawns and the sunken 'bandstand', then all the tennis courts and pavilion, then out on to Bletchley Road, to the left was the cinema, with the open-air pool behind it, and to the right was Weatherhead's wooden record shop, then a garage and petrol forecourt, and opposit ewas 'dear old Woollys' - happy days!
Margaret Hogg (nee McCracken).