Idyllic Childhood

A Memory of Birchington.

In 1946 my parents, grandparents and other members of the family took Spenser House at the corner of Spencer and Constable roads to run as a guest house . the army had been there in wartime. My sister and I went to the Little Galleon nursery school in Crescent road run by Miss Worsely. Later we went to Woodford House briefly and later still we worked at the Ice Cream Parlour in the school holidays, when it was run by Mr and Mrs Collins. The beach was just around the corner and in the summer we practically lived on it when we weren't cycling out to the marshes beyond Minnis Bay to make campfires for cooking sausages etc, exploring empty old houses or tunnels in the cliffs. One year we did maypole dancing with the Minnis Bay guides and a play at the village hall next to the church. Horses also featured in our lives. Mr Hutchins gave pony rides to all the children and that's where we spent our 1 shilling pocket money and there was a little riding school behind the garage next to Westons Dairy. I remember the Guide Commissioner, Miss Philips who lived at the other end of Constable Road, Mr Castle the carter and many of the shopkeepers. I could ramble on, but sadly we left Birchington in 1969. We go back every now and then for a nostalgia trip.

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