The Cafe School

A Memory of Alton.

We moved to Alton from Somerset in November 1958. The primary school was closed for refurbishment. Mr. and Mrs. Carnwell who owned the garage and cafe played host to the village school, it all seemed quite strange to this 7 year old. There are many good memories. Rushing out at play time to wave to the steam train drivers after they left the station and Mrs Carnwell mothering us all. We played in the yard at the back of the premises and two classes shared a room. Mr. Carnwell had lorries which transported the first excavators for JCB. We moved back to the village school in 1959 after the toilets had been moved indoors and central heating installed. The winter was freezing and the walk to and from the village seemed long and cold. Mrs Carnwell used to heat up the bottles of school milk which were often frozen. Mr. Gilbert the Headmaster lived to the left of the bridge down in the valley in a bungalow. Petrol was a lot cheaper!!! (My Maiden name was Henson)