Memories of Somerleyton

Somerleyton Primary School

My first memories of school were of Miss Barwood the First Year teacher. She lived in Oulton, driving to school in a china blue Morris Minor. The school was heated by coke fires in each class which a monitor would stoke up during the winter. We would often throw coke at each other after classes. Unfortunately one day the Morris was chipped and dented by a lump of coke... Howard G. did not turn up for school of several days.
As the school years passed we move through the three classrooms until we reached Mr Brundel's, for our final years. He was the Headmaster, living in the house attached to the school. On his retirement he was to move into 'The Chimneys', in the Brickfields, which was modernised from two cottages. When not taking class he always had his pipe on the go, often standing on the entrance steps to the school watching his 'flock' at play. Another 'throwing accident' happened in the winter during a playground snowball fight. Mr Brundel stepped out of the door, with pipe in mouth, only to catch a passing snowball which dislodged the pipe, leaving the snow in his mouth... he was not amused.
From the Primary we moved to Lothingland Secondary Modern, in Lound. This ment a change from wearing shorts to trousers and a 6 mile round trip on the bike.

Holidays with my grandparents in Somerleyton

My grandparents lived at 5 The Green until my grandad retired from working on the Estate farms. They then moved to 5 Widows Cottages. My grandma lived there after grandad died in 1951 until her death in 1959.

I have very happy memories of school holidays spent with them. My cousin and I used to walk everywhere, round the candlestick etc., with no worries. I remember the Co-op, which always smelled of cheese and bacon, the little off-licence and butcher's shop next to the Post Office. There was a garage run by Nee Woodcock, who was always on hand when our not so reliable car broke down.

My auntie and uncle lived at The Nook, on The Street, and he was Butler at the Hall.

My grandparents moved from Fritton to The Green in about 1925 and my father left home as a teenager to join Birmingham Police. He was a keen photographer and fortunately I have his albums which contain many pictures of Somerleyton and surrounding area.

I was in the area about 4 or 5 years ago to attend a family funeral and visited Somerleyton for the first time in about 20 years. I was so pleased to see that it has not changed a lot and hasn't become a "satellite" for Yarmouth or Lowestoft.