The 1960s

A Memory of Cheddar.

I lived my early years here, until the 1970's, having been born in Wells and brought home to Cheddar as a baby. I have many family ancestral links to Cheddar via my father's parents. In the late 1800's-early 1900's my great-grandfather John Day ran the Gardener's Arms in Silver Street, with his wife Emma. My parents lived in Birch Hill (also known as Bush Hill and Burdge Hill on older maps and records) from the 1950's until their deaths in the 1980's.
I attended the junior school in The Hayes from 1960 till 1966; the headmaster at the time was Mr Birch. On leaving there, I followed in my grandma's footsteps to Sexey's Grammar School, Blackford, till 1973.
The 1960's was a period when children could happily roam around the area for hours, on their own, with few problems or worries. I spent much time walking the small paths through Daghole, past the White Hart Inn and onwards towards the Cliff Hotel gardens and waterfall (now renamed). Fishing with nets in the fast-flowing river beside the Cheddar Valley Dairy was a regular occupation; and one repeated at the other end of the village on the same River Axe, at the points where it flows past Cheddar Church and onwards onto the flatlands. This region was a peaceful haven of long grasses, nettle-filled river-banks and a couple of water sluice-gates which usually held loads of sticklebacks. Today I believe access is blocked off by a camping site.
Several family acquaintances owned shops in The Gorge. My father's parents occupied Lakeside Cottage (situated up a back lane at the foot of the Gorge) until grandfather's retirement from Bristol Waterworks around 1961. In the summer, the Gorge used to be extremely busy with tourists milling around everwhere.
Cheddar swimming pool was once a busy activity centre, with scores of users during the 1960's. I used to like swimming there in the evening period, when it was quieter and had less swimmers (and troublemakers) per square inch. It was an outdoor pool and had it's periods of extreme chilling water, but that didn't seem to stop most people from going there. It's eventual demolition for the construction of housing marked the end of an era for many locals.
The large recreation ground, situated in the angle between Lower North Street and Tweentown and backing onto the old Cheddar National School, was another area well frequented. The donging of chains against metal posts on the "maypole" could be heard for miles around on a summer evening. Facilities included swings, a sandpit, a small roundabout, the infamous umbrella-ride (responsible for numerous grazed shins and banged heads), a slide and see-saw. I can only assume these have now all been removed "in the interests of health and safety".