Annual Visit

A Memory of Frampton Cotterell.

My parents, Fred & Marjorie La Touche, always took us to visit our great aunt & uncle Curtis,who lived at Cottage of Content in Harris Barton.At one time this was a pub, (perhaps someone has a photo of it ) but then it was a smallholding. Coming from the town of Swindon, it was marvellous to be able to go & pick plums from the orchard & tomatoes from the greenhouses. We used to arrive by train at Coalpit heath & walk from there under the viaduct & across the fields, which were always full of cows. Now there is a housing estate on the field. There were always gypsies camping at the back of the smallholding, down by the brook. They were always very friendly families & never caused any trouble. It was lovely to see them cooking round their fire. My great uncle's home only had paraffin lamps, which gave a lovely atmosphere, slightly better than the old hole in the ground toilet in the back garden. It was also in the back garden that a large drum was always cooking up pig swill - all potato & vegetable left-overs & bran - this was given to his pigs in the orchard opposite the house. We thought it quite brave to go in the orchard with the pigs there. We also had later visits about 1964 when we took our baby. Not having a car, we sent our large high pram, in advance, well wrapped up, by train & it was delivered, ready & waiting when we arrived by bus. There was only one little single storey shop. You could buy almost everything there. Unfortunately I can't remember the lady's name.