My Granddad Stevens

A Memory of Great Braxted.

Years ago my grandad had a small garage and workshop at the side of the Du-Cane Arms. My dad was born there and went to scool at Great Tottom. My grandad is buried in Great Braxted Church and my nanna is there too. In the last few years dad  (Anthony Percy Stevens who died in 2005) was buried also in Great Braxted Church, and in 2008 my mum Alfreda Emily Stevens died and she also is burried with my dad in Great Braxted Church. My dad told me that him and his little brother would go into Braxted Park and get mistletoe and sell it on to get themselves a few pennies for Christmas. My eldest sister was christened in Braxted Church. My Aunty Dot and Uncle Cecil Raner lived in Braxted village for years a few doors away from the Du-Cane Arms and they had a green monkey that lived in a large cage in their garden. I would go and stay at my auntie's with one of my sisters for our school summer holidays, and we did have fun. We would ride our bikes with my aunty to Goldhanger, spend some time there and then ride home again. We would go and see the Frosts up the road in High Ridge and when one of my sisters married one of their sons they became my sisters-in-law. Margaret and Reg Frost were their names and their ashes are laid to rest in Braxted churchyard. Keith Frost still lives in the same house as he has done since he was a small boy and where he was born. It would be nice if anyone is still around that knew my grandad or maybe whose family has passed on words or photos of my granddad, he was the village wheelwright and he ran the litte garage. The house my dad was born in I believe was knocked down years ago. I go to my dad'sand mum's grave quite reguarly and sometimes I come from the A12 or sometimes I come up to Blue Mills into Wickam Bishops as my sister that married Malcolm Frost from Braked lives there with their family. Then I come into Braxted past the pub through the village to top of the road, turn left down Braxted Road to Great Braxted Church. I wish I had found this site before my dad and mum had passed away because I could have found out more. I have loads in my head, the problem is just trying to get it down in order, but as you can see I can't do that. I still see my Uncle Richard, my dad's little brother, and speak to a couple of my aunties, but they don't say a lot about my dad. My uncle tells me the most but he had a tumour removed some years ago so he has trouble to remember things. I will have to try and find out more about my grandad and nanna when they had the little 2 up and 2 down house in Braxted village. I know they had to get water from the village pump which is still up the road by the playing field. Oh yes, when I stayed with my auntie in the village we would have to go to the village shop and get our weekly sweets but Auntie Dot would make us put them in a jar or a tin and we could only have a few at a time. Well, must go, so if anyone knows anything about my grandparents or my dad etc it would be lovely to hear their stories. Well time has run out for today so I must go. My maiden name was Stevens, I was the fourth eldst of 10 children. Thank you for reading this, hopefuly I will be back with some more if I can remember, from days passed with my dad and mum.