My Childhood

I lived in Somersham until I was 14 years old. We lived in Park Hall Road, and played in the fields opposite where we could climb the trees and see into the garden of the Manor House. The owner of the house at that time had 2 or 3 English Bull Terriers and they barked a lot at us safe in the chestnut trees. Sometimes in the evenings we would go to Manley's fish and chip shop for 2 pennyworth of chips and go and sit on the wall of the bowls club which was nearly opposite to eat our chips and watch the people playing bowls. What a treat that was, best chips in the world. In the summer my 2 friends and I would go to pick soft fruits from the smallholding owned by the father of one of them, and we would play "adventure"games in the old gravel pit, My uncles who were in the Merchant Navy during the Second World War used to come and visit when they were on leave, and somehow our dog knew when they were coming although we didn't and he would go all the way through the village and meet them at the railway station. I remember the village school and one or two of the names mentioned in other memory articles rings distant bells. From the age of 11 I attended Ramsey Grammar School and remember waiting at the cross for the bus in the mornings. Also another memory is Bonnets Bakery. My husband and I visited Somersham a few years ago and I loved the fact that the bakery is still there. If anyone knows where the Bishop of Ely's Palace used to be, I would be interested to know. Before we moved into the house in Park Hall Road, we lived in a railway crossing house where my Grandfather was crossing keeper, and I remember seeing my first car in the village, which belonged to one of the local farmers, it was an ugly boxy shape, and had a very loud 2-tone horn.