Autobiographical
Memories of Lower Street by Muriel Chadwick. Transposed June 2006
Muriel was born in 1932 at 4 High Street to Cyril Drury and Susanna Keeler. Next door was her uncle John Knights. Her father knocked the houses into one and are now Well Cottage. Her father ran a business selling and repairing radios and bicycles. She married Alan Chadwick.
School days
Starting at Gunton Station which used to be part of the Gunton Estate-all owned by Lord Suffield-years ago there was a goods yard where farmers used to take all the sugar beet to the factory by rail.
Upwards from the Station is the Suffield Arms PH. In my school days it was run by the Thain family. Mrs Thain who lived there with her Mum and Dad and 2 children June and Vivien. Leaving the station and pub we go down Bramble Lane turn near the common. As children we had great fun on the common playing hide and seek and on the school common during lunch break. The school was built well over 100years ago. It had several classrooms. The head when I started at 5 years was Hector Percy Jones and he and his wife lived in the school house. They were great days. We had great fun at school.
The shops in Lower Street consisted of Bayes shop (Which then became the Blooms) in Chapel Road where we used to buy liquorice fruit. There was Nora Neave’s shop in Warren Road. As I wasn’t born in Lower Street, I think I should leave the rest to John Daniels.
I will tell you about the reading room which is really the men’s Social Club and a thriving place now. When the evacuees came (during the war) we used to go down there to have out lessons because some of the evacuees used the school for their lessons. Part of Hill House was also used for lessons.
Now coming back into the Upper part of Southrepps, I am going to tell you about the Long Room. Years ago during the war when the evacuees were here, we used to have concerts in the Long Room got up by my sister Jean. We had great times. I remember my friend Jean Bates and I used to sing “Hey Little Hen”. Our voices were not very good but we did our best. The evacuees took part in the concert.
Another thing during the was (a memory) we had a plane come down on the Dutchman’s field in Long Lane and they had to build a runway for it to take-off again. I remember girls used to go down as far a letters corner and try and cadge chewing gum off these Americans. I guess the older ones used to try and get nylons as well.
Also down in Lower Street in the barn which now belongs to Mr Key, we used to have barn dances. Something else we used to have in the Long Room was film shows. They used to be on a Friday night, if I remember rightly.
I said previously about the goods yard at Gunton Station taking the sugar beet-it also used to have coal come through the station. The coal merchants in the village were Mr Temple and Mr Gotts. They went up there to get their coal to deliver around the village.
Down to Mill Farm, I had relatives there, Auntie Carrie and Uncle Charlie Gotts. In later years the farm was bought by John Gotts. His wife Ivy was my husband’s fathers’ sister.
Back to the school and I shall try to remember games we used to play when we were children. We used to play tag. Another game was 40-40, like Hide and Seek -count up to 40 and here I come. We used to play rounders on the common as part of school lessons. We had not got a playing field at the school then. We used to have to come up to the recreation field if we had lots of games and we used to walk across the fields -no buses then. We used to walk to school or cycle. I can remember one wintertime when my mum had to come and pick up my cousin Pat and me from school, walking, of course, and the snow was dreadful and my bloomin’ legs and feet were perished with cold.
One of my earliest memories when I lived at 4 High Street where my Mum and Dad lived and where I was born, we used to be very friendly with the people who lived next door in what is now the Grange. It used to be called Laburnum Cottage. I used to spend a lot of my childhood round there. I can remember my father gave Dorothy de Wael the nickname Muffet. This came about because her mother had a photograph of her sitting on a mound and he used to say, “oh Miss Muffet!” and the name stuck. My oldest memory from then is them taking me out in my pushchair all through the footpaths to Northrepps. We went into Northrepps church and saw all the little doors on the pews. I didn’t go into that church again until my brother Derek was married and that is going back 30 years. It was over 60 years when I first went in.
Another memory -they took me down (perhaps with my sister Jean) for a picnic to the cliffs at Trimingham. As I said I used to spend a lot of time around there (at Laburnum Cottage). They used to keep hens. At Easter time, Dorothy always used to ask me what kind of Easter egg I would like. I always used to say a marzipan one. I don’t know if they are even made now but she used to get me a lovely marzipan Easter egg in the most marvellous colours and from that day to this, I don’t think I‘ve ever seen a marzipan Easter egg.
Another time I remember as a child. Mr and Mrs Gray used to live opposite and they used to have their grandchildren come over from Hanworth. I used to play with their grandchild Brenda and she used to come and play in my garden. We used to play with my dolls and doll’s tea set on my lawn.
When we used to have the concerts in the long Room, I can remember Captain Gray, who used to live down near the recreation ground, did a party piece “Old King Cole was a merry old soul and a merry old soul was he” He put that over very well.
To get back to Lower Street and the shops. When the shops were in full swing there used to be a little shop near the beck, which was owned. By I think John Daniels sister. If I am wrong, he will put me right. I believe his father and mother used to live in Beck House.
Years ago Alan’s (husband) grandmother used to have the shop where Nora Neave used to be. Fred Knights, another uncle of mine used to go round selling fruit and veg and also used to sell them at his house.
The reading Room at Lower Street was once owned by Alan’s grandmother and she sold it to Hector Percy Jones(headmaster) for half a crown. Can you imagine that,-a building being sold for that and now such a thriving place. I mentioned that during the war we used to have some of our lessons in the (now) Social Club.
Conversation with Muriel and Alan Chadwick 23rd September 2006
Mr Botwright was the harness maker, he had his own business in the High Street which is now a small bungalow in the lower end of the High Street, he was in business for many years and passed away in 1941.
Next door to the harness maker was Mr Cyril Drury (her father) who had a radio and cycle shop, he also had a shop in Cromer. He started up in business in the 1920s when he used to take accumulators round in his van for people with wireless sets. He also supplies the HT batteries.
The Post Office was also in the High Street and was run by Mr and Mrs V Allen. The post office men used to bring the mail to the village in a large red van, they had a room at the back of the New Inn in which they could rest before carrying on with their work.
Another business in the High Street was Eddy Batess’ carpentry shop, He also made coffins and his wife Evelyn would line them out and they looked lovely.
There was a village shop next to the New Inn which was run by Mr and Mrs Williamson.
The Vernon Arms is a Public House in Church Street it has been there many years. Away back in the years I can remember it was run by Mr and Mrs Ben Baxter. We also had a butchers shop in Crown Loke which was owned by E Bird and later his son Frank, but sadly after Franks retirement we now have to go further afield for our weekly joint.
Now we travel up Chapel Street to the local baker, Mr J Drury and Son, their slogan was North, East, South, west Drury’s bread is still the best. In later years after the death of John Drury in 1942, in the late 1950s Peter moved into a new bakery up the Thorpe Road which is now MigAnglia. The bakery was run from there until it was sold to Roy’s in 1965.
We now go back to Church Street to Eva Greens store that sold everything from groceries to paraffin, her shop must have opened in the early 1920s. Carrying on up to the top of Church Street we come to Church farm which was farmed for many years by the Bartrum family.
Then we have St James Church, which is a lovely building of flint and stone. It is built in the perpendicular style, consisting of a chancel, nave, South porch, and lofty tower. In the nest the tower has five bells.
The fabric of the chancel was partially restored by the rector in 1875. In 1897 the church was partially restored and the floor was restored. The nave and chancel reseated throughout as well as a new pulpit, reading desk and carved oak choir seats for the chancel.
The font was restored by the rectors daughter (Mrs GF Buxton), the register dates back to 1558 the side aisle were taken down in 1788.