Newsletter 4
Bottesford Community Heritage Project
September 2007
‘Living History’ Celebrates its First Birthday
September 22nd is the anniversary of the launch of Bottesford ‘Living History’ and everyone on the team can congratulate themselves on the amazing development of the infant project so far. The project has grown a great deal faster than anyone expected and has exceeded most of the targets set out in the Heritage Lottery Fund bid. It’s time to take stock, evaluate what has been achieved, and plan for the second phase.The next Project Team Meeting is on October 1st 2008, 7.00 p.m., Fuller Room, so come along prepared with your ideas and suggestions.
Bottesford Local History Trail Leaflet
The first of the three leaflets we plan to publish arrived from the printers this week. It was written, according to Neil Fortey, in blood, sweat and tears, but fortunately this does not show in the printed version. The leaflet offers a short history of Bottesford, followed by maps giving the routes of two walks around the village, with photographs and details of points of interest.
Copies of the leaflet will be distributed to schools and museums and will be available free from local libraries.
Reunion at Six Bells
On August 18th, Angela Bradshaw, Margaret Monty and Wendy Cross met up at Six Bells to remember the old days in Bottesford and tell us about the happy times they shared. Angela Bradshaw remembered life in Bottesford Police Station, Wendy Cross described Wyggeston cottages and reminisced about their neighbour, Verger Tommy Robinson whose grandson, Mike Turrell, has also been in touch with us from Luton. Margaret Monty recalled her father’s grocery shop and The Rutland Café, in the buildings now occupied by the mower shop. Margaret and Angela continued a tradition and had a new photograph taken outside The Rutland Arms, though these days, they said, jumping up onto the wall was a bit of a problem. We hope they will send us a copy of their most recent picture to complete the set.
Oral History
Sixteen Oral History interviews have now been completed and nine of them have been transcribed so far. They make fascinating reading and are even better when you hear the voices of the speakers directly. We hope that eventually the completed interviews will be available from the library on CD with copies of the transcripts.
We are grateful to: Dorothy Beedham, Wendy Cross, Ken Greasley, Violet Hinde, Norah Logg, Angela Marsh, George Pearson, Lol Pickin, Bill Roberts, Brian Silverwood, John and Joy Simpson, Edna Taylor, Mary Taylor, Brenda Turier, Peter Topps and David Wright.
Thanks too to interviewers: Barbara Pizzey, Julia Tobin, Peggy and Peter Topps, Elaine Marlow, Angela Marsh and Neil Fortey.
Mr. Roberts Remembers.
From the interview by Barbara Pizzey and Peggy Topps:-
“The first thing I started to make a pair of wheels, the cart wheels as one of the carts was about jiggered, Father’s farm cart. I started making a pair of new wheels. I got the stuff from a firm called Gray’s of Stamford. They got these various centre pieces and the spokes and all from them ready cut. …It was just a matter of the hand work and set the hubs out. I chopped it all out by handwork at night after I got home … In father’s barn … a man called Mike Buckston he made the bands …He said he would put them on for me if we took the hub down from Sutton to Granby there on the pushbike…the only transport I had…
And then the piece of land there next door to Bottesford Post Office became available and was on sale for £100 … And that’s where I first started and that is where the main wheels which I had started as an apprentice, where they got completed … Mike Buxton came down, rigged up and managed to get open a bending machine and then we got Jack Branston. He came to us once we started there and he left Bateson’s and did the horseshoeing …about late 1939, 1940 … we got much bigger … repairs and that sort of thing … I was doing a bit of brickwork as well as roofing and that sort of thing … when the war was over the chappies came to me for a job and we got bags of work for them …
551 (workers) according to Margaret. That’s including the office staff … 71 different kinds of apprentice, all learning the trade … all going to day release … I like to think that I can look that I can look at that photograph there …and the first wagon wheels that I made and repaired .. Those wheels and hooping … The hoops, I’ve still got the steel hoops in my lawn there …but the others the cart and that, they are gone.”
Pictures and Memories
We were delighted to receive a visit from former Bottesford residents, Mr. and Mrs. Sellers (nee Culpin) and their daughter Brenda Turier. Mr. and Mrs. Sellers, who are now in their nineties, lived at 2, Church Street until they moved to West Bridgford in 1952.
As well as sharing memories of Bottesford going back to the 1920s they also lent us a wonderful collection of photographs, some of which can be seen on the website, where Brenda has written a vivid account of her childhood in the village.
House History
Work continues on compiling information about Bottesford’s old and interesting buildings, with visits to Silk Mill Cottage, Forge Cottage and Walnut Farm. Space does not permit their inclusion here, but these houses will soon be featured on the web site.
Local History: Sources and Methods
A Local History Course, funded out of the Project’s training budget and free to members, will start in October. It will be taught by Sue Clayton, curator of Flintham Museum and Tutor in Local History at Nottingham University.
The course will take place on the following Monday afternoons in the VC Hall Meeting Room. If you are interested in joining, contact Neil on 01949 843320 for details.
The course dates are October 8th, October 22nd, November 5th, November 26th, December 10th, January 14th, January 28th. Also provisionally February 11th.
Phillip Brewster
AB A/SG DEMS Gunner P/JX335909, Royal Navy - SS Oporto
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