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Do You Remember…? Growing up in Botley (The second part of Ann Ford (nee Trinder)'s recollections of life in Botley in the decade after the last war) My maternal grandparents, Arthur and Matilda Barrett, lived in what was then Seacourt Farm House (now Blake Lapthorn) on West Way. It was built of stone with a Stonesfield slate roof, and owned by farmer Stephen Howse. Mr Howse and his family lived in the larger section of the house, and my grandparents lived in the smaller part, which was tied to my grandfather's job on the farm. We had an outside toilet, and my grandmother cooked and heated water on a kitchen range. North of the farmhouse was the original road to Wytham village (now the site of HSBC). To the south was an apple orchard (now Clydesdale Bank and Cluttons) with Botley Infants and Junior School on the western side. Across the Botley Road, on the corner with North Hinksey Lane, was Surman's Bakery (now the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution), where the Surman family lived and worked. My grandmother would give me (pre-decimal) pennies to cross the road to buy bread, and Mr Surman would take it out of the flaming oven with a long handled wooden paddle. Behind Mr Surman's bakery was a bungalow on a large plot (now Curtis's Yard), later used by Alfred and Hubert Curtis for their sand and gravel business at Radley. Where the yard adjoined the Cemetery was a detached house called Red Cottage. It faced the Southern By Pass, and Miss Sadie Curtis lived there. It was later demolished and incorporated into Curtis's yard. In Old Botley on the opposite corner of North Hinksey Lane to the bakery was a small grocery shop, in the front room of the lady who owned it (I think her name was Nancy). Facing it over the narrow road was the Carpenter's Arms pub, where grandfather Barrett would adjourn in the evenings after a hard day in the fields behind the plough pulled by his beloved Shire horses. Heading towards Oxford, there was a large stone house called North Lodge. This had been divided into two, and my uncle and aunt, Cyril and Olive Barrett lived in one part with their sons Cyril junior and Michael, and a Mrs Thomas lived in the other. Mrs Thomas was a renowned foster mother, and many of her children attended North Hinksey C of E School. Macdonald's car park has now replaced North Lodge and its garden. Going further up North Hinksey Lane, past Miss Halliday's Riding Stables and Yarnell's Road, was the twin crescent to the one I lived in, the two roads separated by allotments, as they still are, with a path running between the two, locally known as 'the Ashes' because everyone dumped their ashes on it to soak up the mud. Below this crescent (still known as North Hinksey Lane) was the lower road, which ran alongside the 'Botley Mill Stream' (now called the Seacourt Stream). This flooded on a regular basis. Beyond here next to the new Primary School is the original North Hinksey C of E School (now a private residence). It had just two classrooms, the infants taught by Miss Butler, and the juniors taught by the headmistress Mrs Walker, who lived in the house attached to the school. The toilet block was outside, across the playground. The classrooms were heated by a single pot-bellied coal stove. In the winter, the crates of milk for our mid- morning drink were placed around the stove, to thaw the frozen milk, which stood up on stalks like mushrooms supporting the cardboard top. Road widening in 1962, taken from where it always floods. North Lodge, recently demolished, behind road works sign, McDonald's is just out of sight on the left, and the square tower in the centre is that of Botley School Photo courtesy of Oxford Mail/Oxford Times (Newsquest Oxfordshire) At Christmas time, the school had a visit from 'Father Christmas'. Those of us who were old enough knew that it was really Miss Toynbee, dressed up and with a particularly convincing beard, who handed out the presents. Miss Toynbee then lived in Conduit House, up Harcourt Hill (she later moved to Elms Farm House, before it was demolished). At the beginning of Lent, all the school children were given a small envelope, printed with a wren on it, in which to save our farthings. On Maundy Thursday, we went to school as usual, then at 9.30, we all trooped along the path from the back of the school, between the Vicarage and its garden, to St Lawrence's Church, where we attended a service, and handed in our 'Maundy Money' envelopes. After the service, we all went home to commence the Easter holiday. (Much later in the year, we used to scrump walnuts from the tree in Reverend Stratton's garden!) In the summer, we had a Sports Day, held in the field next to the school (where the new school building is now). I passed my 11+ examination in 1952, and then the question of which Grammar School I should attend arose. Although our postal address was Oxford, as the Botley Mill Stream was then the border between Oxfordshire and Berkshire, we were deemed to live in Berkshire. As a result, I had to travel the 18 miles each way by school bus to Faringdon to the girls' grammar school there. Ann Ford.

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