Upper Boddington memories
Here are memories of Upper Boddington and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Upper Boddington or a Upper Boddington photo.
Boddington School - Maureen Simpson.
I attended the school from 1946-1951. The teacher at first was Miss Semper, who I do not remember too well. After her came Mrs. Pat Bishop, who was a lovely lady, she and her husband lived in the school house in the playground. She was influential in getting the first children from Boddington through to Grammar School, giving extra classes after school in her own home. I remember her getting us musical instruments, and taking us down the fields to study wild life and flowers. She had a dog which had too many puppies to feed, and we used to bottle feed some of the pups after school. Mrs. Bishop was a wonderful teacher, and influence on all our lives, I am sure. There were still only about 2 dozen children at the school when I left, I believe the village had approx. 100 residents in those days, as did Lower Boddington.
Memories of Northamptonshire
Early Schooldays.
My memories of Byfield, where I lived on the brand new council estate, in Lovett Road, are idyllic. I was there from age 6 to 10, then we moved to York.
We children had to walk what seemed like miles, in all weathers, to the village school which was on the opposite side of the village. Passing the sweet shop on Dolls Hill, where halfpenny chews, sherbert dips and gobstoppers were the treat of the week, we would race down the hill to the stream at the bottom,over the bridge, then through the centre of the old village which had an Inn on either side of the road. One of these, The Rose & Crown(?) used to be the meeting place for the Hunt, an incredibly exciting and glamorous event...I was lucky enough to get "blooded" one year, much to the horror of my Mother.
The smell of fresh bread coming from Mr. Smith's used to slow us down, and we used to peer through the door at the very... Read more
Holidays
I often stayed with my grandparents during my school holidays, spending many happy hours working alongside the men at Stan Shepherd's farm. I still visit the village and feel very much at peace when I walk round. If anyone remembers Mr. and Mrs Burbidge or has any stories I would love to know.
Early Years
My early memories of Woodford, were being taken by bus, from Byfield Primary School, to the Moravian church, in Parsons Street, for the polio injection, also of going to the cinema, which was opposite the Post Office, to see the Big Country.
Some of my relatives, worked on the railway, I spent a lot of happy times, watching the comings and goings, to the sheds, watching the Master Cutler and the Yorkshireman, the two high speed mainline trains, at that time.
Childhood
My father was the village policeman until 1958 and we lived in the Police House which doubled as a Police Station (there was a counter for public use at the front of the house). We left for Corby in 1958 when I was 6.
My memories are of the blacksmith's forge (opposite the secondary school), Nobby Brown's dairy (next to the railway station), the picture house, Northrop's butcher's shop, the Fleur De Lys pub (landlady Jean Shrimpton), black topped bread from the bakery, the Fox and Hounds pub, bus journeys on a Bedford OB bus, Saturday shopping trips to Banbury on the train, cricket at Preston Capes and the village primary school.
Other names I can recall are John Kingston (dairy farmer), Francis Cross (farmer from Preston Capes), Len Summers (or Somers), Dennis Raines (who drove railway shunters), John Moore (the vicar) and Les Northrop (the butcher).
To School From Manor Road
Each day my journey either was via the cinder track (there was the old reservoir running alongside and the iron railway bridge stood in those days, the railway was still operating I think or in the stages of being dismantled) or we walked over a somewhat ricketty wooden bridge at the bottom of Castle Hill, there were a few hens scratting round just before the bridge. The hill was so steep when you were a kid, and doubtless when you are an OAP. At the top was the electricity shop and the post office and we went round to the school, the old cinema being used for indoor dancing and lunch. Testa's garage with the hairdresses just along and Northrop the butcher was next door. Going home via the shops down Station Road, Nobby Brown the greengrocers, Mace (run by the Edwards family, my mum worked there for a while), Wickens, the Co op across the road, Faulkners shoes, Le Bonne Marche, Sargeants butchers, Bank, unknown corner shop with net curtains, Lancasters,... Read more
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