Growing Up

A Memory of Kettlethorpe.

My father was employed as the farm foreman at Park Farm, Kettlethorpe for several years up until his death in 1960. We lived in the farmhouse down a lane about half a mile from the A57 main road. I went to school at Saxilby, my younger sisters to Newton on Trent. I must have been about 12 years old when we moved there and left at 18 when we had to leave our tied cottage on Dad's death and we moved to Fenton. Life was good on the farm for a growing lad, I had a dog and an air rifle and spent many hours "ratting" at night around the barns and stackyard. I had my cycle and used to roam for miles and frequent Newton on Trent and Kettlethorpe village. Kettlethorpe church featured quite strongly in my family's life, my older sisters were married from there, my Dad's funeral was conducted there and eventually I was married there too. This in the spring of 1963 because my future wife Nora had been to stay at our house at Fenton over the weekend and was unable to return home. Her father had a small farm down Sykes Lane at Saxilby and during the weekend it snowed so hard the lane was blocked for several weeks. So the arrangements were quickly altered and Kettlethorpe church it was. Mr. Woodford being the vicar, a man I had great respect for, a statement that may suprise some who knew me at that time, but very true.
My mother used to act sometimes as cook and bottle washer for the owners of Kettlethorpe Hall, Judge Daly Lewis, another really nice gentleman.
I remember the names of some of the people who lived in and around Kettlethorpe at that period, I am a little suprised that no one has so far written anything about the village and life there. I wonder if anyone remembers me. Brian Williamson.

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