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Swaffham Bulbeck
Swaffham Bulbeck photos
Displaying the first of 9 old photos of Swaffham Bulbeck. View all Swaffham Bulbeck photos
Swaffham Bulbeck maps
Historic maps of Swaffham Bulbeck and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Swaffham Bulbeck maps
Swaffham Bulbeck area books
Displaying 1 of 10 books about Swaffham Bulbeck and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Swaffham Bulbeck
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Cambridgeshire memories
Playing in The Corn Fields
I lived in the cottage next to the Chapel, and played with Wendy, we used to cycle to Upware and Wicken fen. At one point we would sit on the haystacks after the farmers had finished them. I would go horse riding in the corn cut fields, wonderful thing to do.
One good memory was when it snowed, Mrs Dowdswell used to pour water on the playground so we could all slide on it. Not allowed to do that sort of thing for the children today, Health & safety and all that! The village used to have a few shops, which sold more or less anything you wanted, and two pubs. We had lots of places to play, cadnam, down the fen, up heath road. It was a happy time. Children now adays do not know how to play with each other.
Elephants in Waterbeach
I am assured that my memory is not playing tricks on me when I recall elephants living in the large garden close to Dr Pritchard's old surgery. The nuns at the convent off the A 10 road used to terrify my sister and I. They were all partially visible behind a decorative gridded screen to the side of their chapel, black-clad and mumbling.
The parcel people would pass through Waterbeach regularly. A woman who turned naked cartwheels through The Fen was a popular sight.
Bott5isham Village College
I attended the college from 1959 to 1963, it really was a wonderful time and set me up well for life.
The Moon & Sixpence
When my mother first bought the 'Pink' cottage, at the edge of the fen, it was very dilapidated, the barn in the back was almost gone, we had no electricity, no running water, the ceilings were too low, the stairs were falling down. My first memory of the place was my mother gardening, I would 'line up' worms in a row, of course they wriggled away. My fifth birthday party was held at the hall, just up the road. We kept horses in Mr Wells's field at the end of the village (Burwell Road side), we would ride on Devil's Dyke, or out on the fens, sometimes to the village shop, (run by Mr Seargent I think?). The dairy farmer used to drive his cows on to the green and down to the field by the dyke, then home again every day. The Lord Mayor used to come yearly and throw new pennies about for the children. I have recently returned to see the cottage, it is very grand now,... Read more
My First Experience of England
When my family arrived in England from the US we went straight to our home which was located in Burwell. While my parents went to buy groceries for the kids we were able to start meeting our new playmates in the area. This was my first expereince with the difference in our english language. To this day I still get a laugh remembering when a young girl was leaving she said "Cheerio" and I thought to my self why is she talking about a cereal.
Pub Crown And Thistle Just Out of View
I moved into the Crownd and Thistle about 1941 aged 4 and I left village in 1960. Arthur Benstead was landlord for many years. He and Muriel his wife retired just across the road to a house left by Mr Knowles the postman. The Pattens lived in the thatched cottage on the right. Not much has changed, just a few infillings but just past the conifer was a stackyard and threshing engine yard.
The Shop
The white building on the right hand side of the photo was the local shop run by a Mr and Mrs Rodwell. My mother (Rose) worked there in the 1950's and my father (Eric) used land at the rear of the premises as a small market garden.
I still have a book which my mother bought in the shop for my 6th birthday, 58 years ago now.
