Spurstow 1953 To 1958

A Memory of Spurstow.

I am Jean Dunn, nee Livingston, and my Dad was the village policeman from 1953 to 1958. We lived in the police house at 'Sandymount' on Whitchurch Road. We left there when Matthew Lowe and his family moved into the new police house in Peckforton Hall Lane, which I remember being built. I have a brother called David and we both went to Spurstow CP School, in fact I started school there and left after five years. I have fond memories of my time there and remember firstly Miss Bayliss and then Mrs Love; the lovely school dinners, sitting in front of the fire on a cold winter morning before school started and playing rounders in the playground. I also remember the school garden with the old air raid shelter where the tools were kept; knitting hats, doing embroidery on cushion covers for the lady from Haughton Hall and going to Crewe on a coach to see the Queen! Along with Peter West and some of the Fittons, we crammed into the back of the milk van for a lift to school but we had to walk the 2+ miles home in all weathers. Friends I remember are Rosemary Wood, who lived in one of the cottages at Haughton Hall, Helen and June Fitton from the farm in Spurstow, Peter West from the village shop and Susan Brookfield and her brothers from Brookfields farm along the A49. I too, have a school photo, of the whole school though, including the cook! My brother and I also went to Sunday School at the little Methodist Chapel off Peckforton Hall Lane, where I was an angel in the Nativity play one Christmas. My Mum would take us, with our spaniel, for long walks across the local fields where I learned about wild flowers, trees and birds. We would go to see the baby pheasants with the game keeper at the Peckforton Castle estate and I remember going to the keepers cottage on the day of a shoot. We also went to see the hunt starting at The Crewe Arms pub in Long Lane, now The YewTree, and would follow them on foot until they really got going! On hot summer days we would go to the garage on the opposite side of the road to buy choc ices or orange ice lollies. I also remember The Lantern opening after the old cafe was renovated and remember playing with the daughter of the owners and a little girl in the farm bungalow opposite called Caroline, who was born around he same time as Christine West. We spent five happy years in Spurstow after which my family moved to Heswall and I haven't moved far away since then, apart from two years in Australia. My husband an I often visit the area since we found The Yew Tree!

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