Lower And Upper Culham Farm

A Memory of Culham.

When I was 18, I lived with my relatives on the outskirts oif Reading. I was offered a job working as a builders labourer. The year was 1963 and I was given a lift most days to work, which was at Upper and Lower Culham Farm. The man ( Mr Berens ) we were working for was apparently a millionaire, and I believe that were true! I worked every day of the week, and on Friday my wage packet had 14 crispy, consecutive numbered pound notes in it ! We built pig styes and a corn drier at one farm. I used to fly from one farm to the other at top speed on a little grey tractor! I loved it. We worked on the owners big house and when I worked on the roof I was amazed at the graffiti carved into the chalk blocks, people's names that had worked there before I did; I think the dates and names were 1600's. There was an office inside, under where we were working and in the mornings a nice looking girl would turn up in her little mini car. I wanted to chat to her, as young men would do, but alas one morning the word was that she had been killed - her and three other girls the night before in that same car. I was very sad. The summer passed and the winter arrived. I remember the ducks on the river having ice on their beaks, it was bitter but we had duffel coats and carried on working. Even though we put antifreeze in the cement, we had to dismantle the blocks next day and re do them. A while later I remember Maurice the farm hand, who wore a berret assisting the sows to give birth in the styes we had built. I dont know who it was, probably one of Mr Beren's relatives, gave me a lift from one farm to the other in his sports car at breakneck speed! The workers that were working at the house said it was haunted ?? My cousin phoned me tonight and mentioned the farm, which made me look it up and that is why I am sharing my story. I loved the 60 s and I loved the farms - since then I have built a couple of boats and now live on the Isle of Wight , on the River Medina. God bless, Ken.

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