Memories Of An Old Visitor!

A Memory of Ten Mile Bank.

My grandfather, Frank Green, lived next door to Stevens shop in Ten Mile and was the local baker working from Hilgay High Street, with his family. He supplied most of the surrounding fens and West Derham etc.. with bread and grannery products. My parents, Kath and Len Dearsley moved to Coventry during the war, but when I was young they used to take my brother and I to Ten Mile for the school holidays. It was about a 4 hour trip from Coventry and I can still recall the smell of the old paraffin lamps at Ely station. My grandmother/father had no electricity, tap water or gas and the toilet was the old long drop! Heating in the winter was log/coal fire and cooking on/in a wood fired stove, lighting was from a paraffin lamp sitting on the dining table. Food often came from the fens, partridge ,pheasant, rabbits and an occasional hare, all containing lead shot! Veggies were usually sourced from the garden. We often fished from the old Ouse bridge but most times from the river bank trying to catch gudgeon on a rod of solid cane with the line tied to the end of the rod. As kids, we had fun. I also remember the fish and chip van at the top of Station Road on a Friday evening with smoke coming out of the chimney stack. It was a weekly event with the drinkers also walking across the bridge from the pub for a feed. The local lads would also meet at the same place ,a couple on motorbikes but most either on foot or bicycles. Most people who worked were usually on the land, as most of the cropping was done by hand. My uncle (Geoff) had a shed at the bottom of the garden which had all his 'old' tools locked away, we occasionally got in to check out his fishing gear, blow torches, and pressure lamps - probably worth a bit nowadays. My family were not very religious so it used to be a bit of a joke when, on a Sunday, one of the family would say church or chapple both of which must have been up and running in those days. On one side of the house was Stevens shop and on the other lived Mr and Mrs Porter he was the station master for Ten Mile railway station. I very often got sent next door to the shop out of hours for forgotten provisions. I have not mentioned many names (some forgotten) as I wrote, it's along time ago. Now living in Australia it's a bit hard to remember a lot of things especially when you can't just drive down for a trip of nostalga. To all living at Ten Mile, I wish you all the best.