Guntrip Family

A Memory of Whitchurch.

My mother and father moved into number 1 Church Lane, just seen on the right of the picture, in the 1950s. Four children were born in that house and were christened in the church. It remained our family home until sold in 1993. My mother father and brother are buried in the church yard.

My mother Jean worked for Miss Heywood who lived in what was to become the Priory Hotel. After Miss Heywood's death the house was converted into a hotel and was owned by the Luddingtons. I remember when they built the car park in the gardens at the rear of the house. One of the workmen hit a cable and was thrown out of the cab of his digger. The cable fell on our rabbit's cage and electrocuted it.

We originally lived next door towards the church to Canon Bell who moved into a retirement home and Mr & Mrs Bird moved in after that. At the top of the lane the house was occupied by the Ladymans before Mr & Mrs Brockman purchased it. I believe Mr Brockman lives there still.

On the left of photograph is a large and rather beautiful house just out of shot. The walls shown are the garden walls with a garage half way up the lane. There was an enormous walled vegetable garden with greenhouses and cold frames. The garden was tended by Mr Elmer who often let us children in to have a look. The house belonged to Lord and Lady Kearton.

The church in the centre of the photograph played an enormous part in our lives. I understand that Rev Savage was the vicar when my mother and father moved here and the post was then taken over by Rev J E A Williams. Rev Williams was the vicar for all of my childhood and retired in the early 1980s. We children were stalwarts of the church choir for many years, my mother looked after the village hall and took the bookings and my father wound the church clock every week.