The Big Freeze

A Memory of Fordingbridge.

I lived in Ashford Road for the first 20 years of my life and my mother still lives in the same house; she has lived there since 1933. I was born in 1950 in the new cottage hospital at the top of the road. I went to school at Fordingbridge Primary and Burgate Secondary. I remember the snow of Boxing day 1962; we were playing in the field next to the river at Ashford Road when it began in the late afternoon.There followed weeks of freezing weather when the patterns that 'Jack Frost ' made on my bedroom window never went for weeks and my sister and I cuddled up together in bed to keep warm. During that holiday I continued to play outside with my friends, I remember walking up the field in Ashford Road that we called the Allotment Field on the top of the snow and every few steps my foot falling through the foot or more of snow! I think that we returned to school on the usual day although there were no buses running. Most of the teachers were there and I remember a lesson on the first morning back when we looked out of the window to see the children from Woodgreen arrive, I believe that they walked all the way to school! We had school lunch and then were sent home, I think that this happened for the rest of the first week. The food must have been sourced locally. We walked from Ashford Road and we didn't get home much earlier than normal because we stopped to have snow ball fights. There were not many cars on the road and most of those had chains round their wheels to stop then slipping. Quickly the snow was cleared from the pavements and piled up at the edge. This remained on Station Road between the Station and Witt's shop until Easter! I am writing my childhood memories as time allows. I wrote several pages about my memories of Fordingbrdge school for Avonway and have given a copy of my 'Junior Days' to the Fordingbridge Junior School.

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