Hilton House

A Memory of Sible Hedingham.

Our family lived in Hilton House, Swan Street from 1960 to 1971, my father ran an accountancy business which gradually occupied the entire ground floor as it expanded. I was educated at Miss Bligh's private school in Alderford Grange, along with many American children from USAF Wethersfield, and later at Grenville College, Stoke by Clare.
My parents seemed to know everyone in the village. Daisy Cowan from Alderford Street. Mr Wiseman the builder from Alexandra road. Roy Tanner,
the Newmans, Dr Putnam, Ken Eary, Roy Eary, the Darkins family. The Veaters from Castle Hedingham. Vicar Howard Davies. The blind Bragg brothers. Neighboursthe Jeggos. Mrs Twiggins and Edwin Metcalf, Sunday school teachers. Fred and Ivy Laver and their daughter Janet, later Janet Barber, also a Sunday school teacher. Susan Ripper was my best friend at school and Rippers flourished then. Michael Beadle worked for my father as did Joe Aluko and a Mr Chandler. The business then passed to Mr John Caddie.
Miss Bligh taught us cricket, the first sport i learned and still my favourite. She also would take us to Parlshill plantation where we'd run wild in the woods. Imagine that happening today...
I recall fishing for sticklebacks and loaches at Alderford Mill. The estate behind our house was farmland until my father sold it off for housing.

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