Blaise Castle, The Post Office And Henbury Comprehensive.

A Memory of Henbury.

I was moved to Henbury, to Sheepwood Road to be exact with my mum and Dad. Blaise School was a lovely junior school, but it was there that I was first told about my singing voice. Two of us were asked not sing as we were "growlers" - just one of those fifties things.

Henbury School in the sixties made me proud, first Mr Luget and then Mr Bayne-Jardine made us proud to be at a specially built comprehensive. They reminded us that Bristol was in the forefront of education.

Pictures of the village post office, of the church and of Blaise Castle reminded me of such a lot.
There was the once a year service from school at St. Mary's and the crocodile walk down to it from school.


The weekends saw the whole family walk through Blaise Castle Woods from the back entrance and then past the dairy and out by the main house. Which reminds me of some more early memories - buying penny ice lollies (homemade) from the post office and attending Gorham Fair with its giant sat near the paddling pool in Blaise estate.

I still visit the area to visit my mother. Crow Lane may have lost its swimming pool but at the moment it still has cafes, a co-op, a pub and a library, as well as other local shops. My mother swears by the polite and kind people in the giant Aldi supermarket that's taken the place of the swimming pool and the library is such a friendly asset, not there when I was young.

---

---