Stagsden, Bedfordshire

The war years and just afterwards

Turvey Abbey was owned in those days by Rupert Allen who owned an engineering factory in Bedford. My father was employed on the estate as gardener/general factotum (and was paid a pittance for the privilege). The Abbey had a few cows, pigs, geese and chickens. It was often my job to go out at dusk to shut up the chickens to stop the foxes getting them. I remember it was quite spooky as it got dark (I was only 10 or 11 at the time) and I used to run as fast as I could to get the job done. When I think back to those times I wonder what the Health and Safety people of today would have said about some of the things I helped Dad do - like operating the big chaff-cutter or the machine that chopped up mangle-wurzels for the cattle.  We always had a goose for Christmas and whenever a pig was killed we had the offal (chitterlings etc). My favourite thing was after a cow had calved and having some of the first very rich milk made up into a lovely milk pudding. Happy days!!

Fishing in the Great Ouse

I remember fishing for endless hours just about the spot shown in the photograph. There were many perch there and on one occasion I caught a fair sized pike. Just upstream from this location was a sort of peninsular accessed by climbing down steps set in the wall of Turvey Bridge. This was called Sam's Island for some reason. Brings back many happy memories of over half a century ago!!

Swimming in the river at Kempston

Great times were had at the river at the bend as we children called it, we would make mud slides down the banks.  What fun we had.  There was always a good crowd there on a Sunday afternoon, but now its all quiet, no swimmers, the bend has long since gone.

My First Visit to Marston

The first time I went to Marston my boyfriend was taking me to visit his parents. I was 15 and he was 17. We caught a train from Bedford St John's and got off at Milbrook Halt. His family lived in a Brickyard home in "Jubilee Cottages". It wasn't as modern as my parents' council house as it had no hot water and an outside non-flush toilet. He thought that I was posh because we had two flushing toilets, one inside the house and one outside. His house had no bathroom either.
Back then the Brickyards were still working and I remember all of the chimneys in the skyline.
His family moved to Peterborough a few months later and we have only been back a few times since.