West Ilsley, Berkshire

My dad the police officer

I was born in the 1980s and my father was Alan Prior. He used to work with Jim(or James ) Heath. We lived in the 'police' house with my mother Dawn. I remember being snowed in at one point and a lovely lady in the village let a whole coach full of us (we were supposed to go to school) invade... [more]

Childhood

After leaving Wield, Hampshire, my mother was the headmistress of St. Andrew's primary school. She raised 4 children alone. My brother Peter G.W. Keen is a highly respected businessman (look him up on the internet). He went to school at Reading and Balliol college Oxford. My elder sister is also a well respected eductator. My twin... [more]

I lived in Hampstead Norris from 1945 to 1962

I lived in Hampstead Norris as it was known in those days from 1945 to 1962 when I departed for greener pastures(I thought). I have had this longing for a while now to get in touch with people I went to school with in the village and at Compton. If you know my history you may or may not want to... [more]

My uncle aunt and cousins lived here

My uncle and aunt  lived here from roughly 1948 to 1958.  We lived on Oare Common and visited them at the Castle regularly.
In the living room was a large hook and apparently someone in the past was hung from the hook and has haunted the castle ever since. Another aunt lived at the top of the Castle, she was... [more]

fear of wells

The well incident at yattendon scared my father. We had heard about it through relatives and we lived in east tytherley at the time. I remember my father spending a weekend tapping floors and trying to lift flag stones in our kitchen because he was convinced that there was a well under our home- there wasnt.

The Royal Oak

'The Oak' is the only pub and hotel in the village and in the fifties our next door neighbour was the cleaner there. She would cycle to the village from the farm on a heavy green bicycle in a slow and ponderous manner that has stayed with me to this day. I must have been about nine when the awful event... [more]

The Well House

This was where everyone waited for the buses that took us east to Pangbourne and Reading or west to Newbury, our main shopping town.  Newbury had a thriving market twice a week and buses were frequent, eight per day.  
The Well House did indeed have a well beneath it and following a tragedy at the Royal Oak pub in which... [more]

The hiding place

When I was ten years old this old tree was a delight. Ancient and hollow inside, we children were able to crawl inside while mother did her shopping. We watched people pass on their way to and from the blacksmith, the grocer or the butcher, firmly believing they had no idea we were there.  If we were lucky we would have... [more]