Visits To Wareside 1964 Present

A Memory of Wareside.

My dad was born at Hillside Cottages in Wareside in 1929 (I think). I remember visiting my Grandmother there up until she moved to Ware round about 1978/9. She lived in the house with the "Hillside Cottages" sign on the front. I remember going to visit every Saturday afternoon. The front garden was a typical cottage garden where I would collect seeds in summer from the flowers and there was a huge apple tree in the back garden that dad would prune and we 3 children would climb to collect apples. There was also a well on one side that we were always told to say away from. One of my favourite pastimes was making "mud pies" using the earth from the dug over vegetable patches at the back. We would also go for walks over to "Hogham". Not sure if this is it's real name but it's the coppice of trees you can see from the front of the house, straight ahead in the distance. This would involve crossing the old iron bridge over the river (now replaced) and then over the old railway line. We also used to collect mushrooms from a particular field along by the railway line. They grew every year. My sister used to collect bits of china from the Bourn also out the front of the cottages in the field opposite while my brother rummaged around in the rubbish dump in the same field (now flattened and grassed over). We would stay for tea at Gran's (always marmite sandwiches with butter warmed by the fire and fruitcake made by gran) and she would always let us have a sweet each bought from the Wavy Line shop at the end of the row of cottages and on the opposite side of the road (now a house I think). I remember sitting on the front door step in summer after dark watching the bats fly about. I adored that house, so if the person(s) living there now ever wish to sell, please get in touch. My dad went to Wareside Primary School and I think he still occasionally meets up with other school mates there. My Grandmother is buried in the church at Wareside and used to play the organ there when she was little so I think she lived locally most of her life aswell.

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