I have almost finished writing the full history of the Hopbine beer house and it will be ready to read here online shortly. It will be available as a free PDF booklet, which you'll be able to download using the link at the bottom of this article or by visiting the Downloads shop in the main menu above. ​In the meantime, I thought I would share with you some of the information and lovely old photographs showing rare glimpses of this long-forgotten Cherry Hinton beer house.

The Hopbine beer house (or Hopvine as it was sometimes known) once stood at the northern end of Cherry Hinton on the western side of the High Street, just south of Fernlea Close. Today nothing remains of the original buildings above ground and the site now lay beneath new houses since built on the High Street. It was in operation for about 100 years, from at least 1851 to the 1950s.  

It was a beer house rather than a public house as the Beer Act of 1830 removed duty on beer and people were encouraged to run what were instead called beer houses for a licence fee, which was much cheaper than paying for a full licence to be a public house. This distinction between beer-only beer houses and fully licensed pubs selling beer, wine and spirits remained until around 1960.

In the photograph below, you are on Cherry Hinton High Street, past the railway crossing, looking north towards St Andrew's Church - if you look carefully you will see, in the centre of the picture, left of the horse and cart, a wall with a short white vertical line on it - this is the old gas lamp sat on St Andrew's Church wall until earlier this year, before being damaged by vandals. 
On the immediate left of the picture is an old thatched cottage which was called Robert's Cottage. Next to that was another house, bound by a fence, which can't be seen in this picture and then, set back from the road and again out of sight in this picture, was the original Five Bells public house - you can just make out the tall black and white post with the pub sign at the top.
Beyond that are a row of cottages and you can just make out another sign hanging from these - this is the sign of the Hopbine beer house.

I have added it again below, enlarged twice for you - although we lose definition on the picture it is still good to take a closer look.

The photograph below is of a similar date of the one above -perhaps around c.1910 - again here you can make out the rectangle hanging sign which is attached to the cottage roof with an iron bracket. You can see what looks like a family standing outside the door to the Hopbine. You'll be able to read more about the people who owned and lived in the Hopbine and more about activities that took place there in the full history that I'll add here soon.

This next photograph below is from c.1927, and a little later on from the previous photographs but still looking from a slightly different angle, northwest, up the High Street. You can see Robert’s Cottage on the immediate left, the first house - this cottage, which District Nurse Harniman once lived in*, was demolished in 1966 to make way for the new Five Bells pub car park) and can now just catch a glimpse of the house we couldn't see previously, with its fence. Next along and set back from the road we can now see more of the original Five Bells pub with its pub sign followed by the row of cottages which include the Hopbine beer house/Quinney’s store with a man outside - this time it looks as though the Hopbine beer house sign has gone; this reflects the gradual change from beer house to grocery store.  The house on the end is still shown as before and was Stanley Tabor's house, it stood at what is now the entrance to Fernlea Close. Beyond that, The Pamplin Brothers had their steam engine yard which then joined with Coldhams Lane (now houses).
(A separate history of the Five Bells Pub will be coming later this year. Along with a separate history of the Pamplin Brothers)

The Quinney family were the last family to run the beer house and began selling groceries and other items from the house. This was the very first version of the well-loved Quinney's shop, which after these buildings were pulled down, moved a little further south down the High Street to become Quinney's shop and newsagents in the house on the corner on Fernlea Close and the High Street (where Sun Studios are today).

It was Albert Frederick Quinney snr (born 1883 died 1960 aged 78) who was an ex-landlord of the Red Lion pub (1903-1908), - he was also a shopkeeper, butcher and grave digger* - who moved from the Red Lion into the old Hopbine and ran it as a shop, butchery and betting shop, amongst other things. He eventually had his new shop built on the north corner of Fernlea Close/High Street. His son Albert Frederick Quinney jnr (born 1904 died 1986 aged 82) took over from his father as shopkeeper but was no butcher*

The photograph below shows George Quinney (died 1961 aged 41) with Rover the dog*, outside his father's shop, the old Hopbine - you can still see the metal work bracket, which once held the beer house sign, still attached to the roof.

The photograph below shows a view looking in the opposite direction, south down Cherry Hinton High Street, with the Hopbine/Quinney's shop on the right side of the photograph. On the left-hand side, you can see the original Cherry Hinton School (where the school stands today on the High Street). The Gog Magog Hills can be seen in the distance and the railway crossing gates in the centre. To the extreme right-hand side you will see Stanley Tabor standing at a gateway at the end of the cottages.

The picture below shows the view towards where the Hopbine used to stand - approximately fronting the High Street where the brick wall is shown - The picture is c.1984 and shows the new Five Bells pub (cream building beyond the brick wall), the new road of Fernlea Close leading off of the High Street and Quinney's shop which he had built after the demolition of the Hopbine cottages. On the right, the houses with the black weatherboard are built on what was Pamplin's steam plough works meadow.

Below: The same view today

In the forthcoming full history of the Hopbine you will be able to see more pictures and a lot more detailed information, so do keep an eye out for that here, over the next month, and do follow me on the socials like Facebook and so on, to keep up with news of new releases on here as they happen.

* thanks to Richard Hoye archives held at Cambridgeshire Collection for these extra bits of useful information

You will be able to download a free PDF copy of the full 'History of The Hopbine Beer House, Cherry Hinton' here shortly.

Please feel free to get in touch if you would like to add anything to this story or if you have any further information on the Hopbine Beer House.

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On Sunday 10th November 2024 the newly installed information board detailing the history of the World War One War Memorial Recreation Ground was officially presented to the village as part of our Remembrance Day held at the Cherry Hinton War Memorial Recreation Ground, High Street.

*Ignore the blog date stamped above, I had to create a holding page for this history to be able to make a QR code to go onto the new information board, as such the date this page was created is time stamped but all information here was finally loaded on 10th & 11th November 2024.

Cherry Hinton Remembrance Day Celebrates History with New Information Board at WWI Memorial Recreation Ground
Cherry Hinton, Cambridge — November 10, 2024
As part of Cherry Hinton’s Remembrance Day observance, an information board detailing the history of the Cherry Hinton World War One War Memorial Recreation Ground was officially unveiled on Sunday, November 10, 2024. The new board, located at the entrance to the site on the High Street, serves to honour and inform the community about the rich heritage of this significant village landmark, which was originally purchased by the people of Cherry Hinton in 1919 as a lasting memorial to the fallen soldiers of the First World War. Today, this site is held in trust by Cambridge City Council and serves as a cherished community space.
Since its establishment, the recreation ground has been a hub of activity and enjoyment, hosting events, sports, and gatherings for Cherry Hinton residents. Local clubs and societies, such as the Cherry Hinton Football Team who use the grounds regularly, and the site is a favourite location for village festivals, fetes, and recreational activities. The addition of playground equipment, a skate park, and the football pavilion has enhanced its role as a communal gathering space.
Yet, as time passed, the ground’s role as a war memorial was largely forgotten, with only the plinth at the entrance recognised as the commemorative feature. The newly installed information board—produced through the efforts of Cllr Mark Ashton and local historian and landscape archaeologist Michelle Bullivant—highlights the entire site’s memorial significance, reminding the community of the profound legacy the site holds. Michelle Bullivant, who researched and documented the history of the recreation ground over the past year, has now presented an abridged version of this history on the new board, inviting visitors to reconnect with this important piece of the village’s past.
Councillor Mark Ashton, who has independently maintained the war memorial plinth and its surrounding garden, championed the creation of this board to raise awareness about the site’s full memorial status. With Mark Ashton’s advocacy, Cambridge City Council supported the project by funding the board’s production and installation, ensuring that future generations will understand the site’s historical and cultural significance.
“We hope this history will remind us of the sacrifices of those from our past and instil a renewed appreciation for this village site, which has been shaped and cherished by so many Cherry Hinton residents over the years,” said Michelle Bullivant. 
A full history of the site can be read below.
The Cherry Hinton War Memorial Recreation Ground is only part of the village’s commemoration efforts. A separate history, currently being developed, will explore Cherry Hinton’s World War Two Memorial, symbolized by the cherry trees lining Cherry Hinton High Street, each one representing a Cherry Hinton soldier.
The new information board is intended not only as a source of historical knowledge but as a symbol of respect and remembrance for those who sacrificed for their community and country. It serves as a reminder of the continued value of this communal site—a space that brings Cherry Hinton together, just as it was envisioned in the wake of World War One.

Below you can read the full history of the Cherry Hinton World War One Memorial Recreation Ground which I have written to accompany the information board. 
As soon as I have finished uploading it below (It's a fair length!) I will add a link here so that if you would like a copy, you can download the PDF file to read at your leisure.

​©Michelle Bullivant November 2024
www.michellebullivant.com

Contents
Introduction 
Location
The Site Before It Became a Recreation Ground
   1806
​      Gibraltar Close
   1881
   1901
   1912
The Creation of the World War One Memorial Recreation Ground
   1919
   1921
   1925
   1927
   1929
   1930
   1931
   1933
   1938
The Expansion of the Site
   1949
   1950
   1953
   1955
   1985
Use of the Site
Protection/ Future of the Site
Acknowledgments

 ​Introduction
The people of Cherry Hinton purchased a field in 1919 with the purpose of being a WWI memorial recreation ground. Today the site is held in trust by Cambridge City Council.
The Cherry Hinton recreation ground has been used and enjoyed by the public for many years now, including by many of the Cherry Hinton clubs and societies like Cherry Hinton football team who have a pavilion on the site. Festivals and fetes have taken place on the recreation ground and many memories made. Over the years play equipment has been added and renewed, including a skate park.
Somewhere along the way it became forgotten that the recreation ground is also a World War One war memorial and not just the plinth at the entrance to the site.
This history was produced to accompany a new information board that has been made and installed (November 2024) at the entrance to the recreation ground and will remind and give a renewed appreciation of this village site which so many of the people from our past helped provide.

A history of the Cherry Hinton World War Two War Memorial is being produced separately and will tell of how the cherry trees that line Cherry Hinton High Street are the World War Two War Memorial, each tree having represented a Cherry Hinton solider. 

​Location
 
Cherry Hinton World War One Memorial Recreation Ground and memorial plinth is in the southern end of the village at Mill End. It lays immediately east of the High Street. There is a main front entrance from the High Street, a back gate entrance to Colville School on the northern side, and a passageway at the back of the recreation ground that leads to Leete Road.
 
The WWI War Memorial plinth is outside the main front gates and fence of the recreation ground.

What Three Words:
///vows.leaps.parks.
https://w3w.co/vows.leaps.park

The Site Before It Became a Recreation Ground

Let’s have a look at what we can find out about the site before it became a WWI Memorial Recreation Ground.

We do not have any drawn maps covering the site before the early 1800’s so it is difficult to find out very much about what the field was called, what the extent of it was or who owned it.
 
The earliest drawn map that we have for Cherry Hinton is the 1806 pre-Inclosure map and the following 1806 Inclosure map which were drawn up for the purpose of dividing up the old open fields and land, laying out the new roads, drains, hedgerow and fences for the Inclosure of the parish of Cherry Hinton. Inclosure was a time of great change from the old medieval open field system to the new agricultural ways.
 
If you’d like to know more about Enclosure/Inclosure (both terms used) you can read about it here: htttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/enclosure

1806

We can get some good clues from the 1806 pre-Inclosure map, shown below, as it represents a view of the site in 1806, and which probably hadn’t changed all that much over the preceding 50 years or longer.

On the map we can see the field that was to become the recreation ground over one hundred years later in 1919. It is shown above as plot 135 Vicar of Wilbraham Mag. (Wilbraham Magna = Great Wilbraham, a village northeast of Cherry Hinton). On the site in the left corner is also a plot with a cottage on, numbered 136.
 
Within the Inclosure award book (a written document that lists all the plot numbers, landowners and occupiers etc.) and on the key on the Inclosure map, which lists the names and plot numbers, it is stated that the Vicar of Wilbraham owns both plots, along with 2 allotments on the Common in Cherry Hinton. Plot 136 is called a homestead and large field shown on the map above no. 135 is called Gibraltar Close.  

When the recreation ground was first given, it was just this field, Gibraltar Close. Later on, once the recreation ground had been established, the site was extended to include land to the north and south.
 
In 1806, Pre-Enclosure, this extra land to the north had belonged to Benjamin Farrent, No. 138 Home Close (he also owned No. 137 Homestead – that later became the site of the Chequers Pub[1] – now Chequers Close). More land to north of that was owned by Edward Harlow, No. 139 Home Close (he also owned No. 140 Homestead, where today we can still see the thatched cottage). Further land on the south was also eventually taken in by the recreation ground and this had once belonged to John Green, No. 134 Home Close (No. 133 was a cottage and garden also belonging to John Green and today is the site of Applewood Cottage which still stands next to the Recreation Ground.)
 
The rough overlay of the Pre-Enclosure Map and Modern aerial Google map below will give you a better idea of this.
​​
[1] A separate history of the Chequers Pub and site is forthcoming.

We have learnt that the main field, which was to form our recreation ground and WWI memorial, was once called Gibraltar Close. I do not know of anyone in the village that still calls it so today and it is certainly not something that has been mentioned in the many years of my gathering people’s memories and studying the history of the village. So where did this name come from?
 
Place names can be very useful and interesting in giving us clues about the history of a site, they can be topographical, geographical, named after people or events and so on. There are no immediately obvious explanations as to why this field was called Gibraltar Close from just looking at it and knowing the geology and its layout.
 
The most likely explanation is that of a commemorative name. Under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 Gibraltar was ceded to Britain. This treaty stated that the town, castle, defences and fortifications were to be held and enjoyed forever.[2]
 
It could be that this field was named Gibraltar by way of commemoration of this event and if so, it would have been a sort of memorial from battles past. Which would be apt as it eventually became our WWI memorial.
 
The answer lay in the records for Great Wilbraham, which show that in 1757 a bequest of £200 was made to Great Wilbraham from a lady called Joanna Clench (d.1736) which was used with matching funds from Queen Anne’s Bounty to buy 14 a. in Cherry Hinton and 2.5 acres in Shelford among other land for the vicarage of Great Wilbraham.[3]
 
This gives us the likely date from which this field was purchased, and it is most likely that it was around this time the field was named Gibraltar Close, as it was under Queen Anne’s reign that Gibraltar was captured in 1704.
 
You can read more about Queen Anne’s Bounty here:
​https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2003-01/church-commissioners-for-england-research-into-historic-links-to-transatlantic-chattle-slavery-report.pdf
 
As it appears that the field was given the commemorative name in honour of the capture of Gibraltar and the associated Queen Anne’s Bounty, it means that we do not know what the field was before the 1700’s. The site fell within the village settlement of Cherry Hinton and so was not really part of the larger open fields which surrounded the village before enclosure.
 
It is quite likely that the Gibraltar Close field that we can see on the 1806 Enclosure maps was once two strips. If we look at the pre-enclosure map again, we can see the old medieval planned village tofts and crofts. The toft was the cottage, often with barns for animals and sometimes workshops for seasonal work, the croft was the long thin strip of land to accompany the toft which would have been used to grown vegetables and so on.
 
These toft and crofts were laid out against the High Street and at the back would have been the ‘Back Lane’ which I have marked out for you on the map below. The Gibraltar Close Field looks like it would fit with the pattern here if it were divided in two to match the layout of the surrounding toft and crofts. If this was the case perhaps the whole set of the crofts in this little area were once all called ‘Home Close’ as the croft strips surrounding Gibraltar Close, which was probably named sometime in the early 1700’s, were still called Home Close in 1806. This would also mean that at some time there would have been another cottage on the separated plot, probably gone by the early 1700’s. There are clues to this being a possibility from the earthworks – lumps and bumps in the ground at the front of the present-day recreation ground at the spot which could represent the site of where the old cottage and any outbuildings would have stood.

[2] Resolution 2070 of the XX General Assembly of the United Nations.
[3] A F Wareham, A P M Wright, 'Great Wilbraham: Church', in A History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely: Volume 10, Cheveley, Flendish, Staine and Staploe Hundreds (North-Eastern Cambridgeshire)( London, 2002), British History Online https://prod.british-history.ac.uk/vch/cambs/vol10/pp314-317

​There was still one of the toft buildings left from the southern strip of Gibraltar Close in 1806 which has gone today (marked red on the map above). You can also see some evidence in the ground of this site just inside the Rec from the toilet side entrance to the recreation ground. We will come back to this toft cottage shortly.
 
As an aside, you’ll see a ‘Butt Road’ and ‘Waste’ on the map above (today the back playing field of Colville School, back of the Cherry Hinton Village Leisure Centre and Southern edge of Cherry Hinton Library) and this would have referred to the ‘butts’ where, during the medieval period, mandatory archery practice would take place.
 
The back row is an ancient footpath which can be traced south continuing over the Gog Magog Hills and forms the back eastern boundary of the Beech Woods – it also be traced northwards through Cherry Hinton and is quite likely a prehistoric boundary. Today a very old hedgerow wooded area at the back of the recreation ground, along with a passageway at the back of the houses that abut the site marks out this old routeway. You’ll see this old routeway in more maps as we travel along through this history.
 
The subsequent 1806 Enclosure Map[4], below, that followed on immediately from the 1806 pre-enclosure map, shows little change at the site, other than Benjamin Farrant’s plots of 137 & 138 are now in the possession of James Gotobed. In 1806 the vicar of Great Wilbraham was John Stevenson (vicar from 1762 to his death aged 92, in 1829).

[4] 1806 Cherry Hinton Inclosure map, Cambridgeshire Archives KCB/9/3

I have added an aerial map next to this picture to show you the line of the ancient back road that runs at the back of the recreation ground, you can trace it by following the field boundary line shown on the aerial picture. You can have a look on google maps satellite view or suchlike yourself and have a go at tracing this old routeway. You can walk along many parts of it as modern footpaths, such as the leading from the corner of Mallets Road and Leete Road through to Cambridge Road still respect the line of this old route. If you trace it north, Augers Road forms part of it where it again becomes a footpath running across Fishers Lane, past houses in Arran Close and beyond. This old route is parallel to the Tottenhoe Way, just east, which is the Cherry Hinton parish boundary. For more on the Tottenhoe Way see here: https://www.michellebullivant.com/cherryhintonhistory/the-totton-way-cherry-hinton#/

​​1886
​
The next maps that we have for Cherry Hinton after the enclosure maps of 1806 are the OS (Ordinance Survey) maps – 80 years later.
 
The 1886 map[5] below shows the old routeway at the back of what is later to become the recreation ground, marked as a footpath on the map.
 
We can see a line of cottages (marked in blue) coming off the High Street and running alongside the site, which we will see again soon, so take note of them for now.
 
The site at this time would have still been known as the field called Gibraltar Close The old toft cottage that is no longer there today is also still shown as standing on this map (marked red  - just by where the modern toilet block stands today).
​
[5] Cambridgeshire Sheet XLVII.NE, Surveyed: 1886, Published: 1888 Size: map 31 x 46 cm

On the map above you can also see the plots either side of Gibraltar Close that were eventually added to the recreation ground much later. I have marked the southern boundary line of Gibraltar Close on the map above with a blue dot – you’ll see that the map shows this boundary as tree lined. Today this boundary no longer exists as the field next to it was eventually taken in as part of the modern recreation ground but when you walk along the grass today you can just make out a slight earthwork bank in the ground where this boundary would have once been.
 
1901

​The 1901 map[6] shows what was to become the recreation ground as we know it today, as several parcels of land. You can still clearly see the old routeway at the back shown as a footpath. The dot dashed line you can see on this map is a contour line.
 
This is the last time that we see the old toft cottage (marked red on the map above) that stood in the southwest corner of Gibraltar Close as by the next OS map in 1925 it has gone.
 [6] Cambridgeshire Sheet XLVII.NE Revised: 1901, Published: 1904 Size: map 31 x 46 cm

However, amazingly, we do have one photograph[7] that shows this old toft cottage.
[7] Y.Cher.KO.24725 Cambridgeshire Collection.

​The photograph above is looking south down Cherry Hinton High Street from about where the mini roundabout is today, that marks the junction of the High Street and Colville Road. On the immediate left you can see the old toft thatched cottage which still stands today next to the library. After that you can see the run of late 1800s houses (built on the site of older toft cottages), the end one was the original Chequers Pub, you can just see the square pub sign on a wooden pole in the middle distance. Just behind that is a slither of the end of the old toft cottages that bound Gibraltar Close on the north side then, after that there is a wooden fence bounding Gibraltar Close…. then you will finally see the white gable end and thatched roof of what was the toft cottage that stood in the southwest corner of Gibraltar Close and which I’d previously marked red on the maps preceding.
 
Here it is zoomed in:

1912
​
By 1912 Cherry Hinton had expanded dramatically with the building of the Rock estate and houses covering the area which is today Cherry Hinton Road up to Hills Road Cambridge. A significant part of the western side of Cherry Hinton parish was built upon. This land, which once was the moorland and heath covered by small springs and boggy land in places, had been drained and managed by the 1870’s. This allowed a large amount of new development to take place.  

The first mention of a recreation ground within Cherry Hinton was in 1912 in the Cambridge Newspaper when:
 
“Mr I.G. Elworthy told a meeting at Morley School that he had been one of the first members of Cherry Hinton parish council in 1894. When he first came there were only 50 houses, but the district had developed enormously and the need for a recreation ground was very urgent. With the enormous increase of motor traffic, it became more and more dangerous for children to play in the streets. The Council should purchase a site between Cherry Hinton Road and Mill Road and in the meantime the Cattle Market field should be laid out as a temporary playground. It could be planted with trees like Christ’s Pieces and would preserve the beauty of the district.”[8]
 
This, however, was a suggestion for a recreation ground more suited to what was then called ‘New Cherry Hinton’ between the western top end of Cherry Hinton Road and Mill Road. The site suggested at the Cattle Market appeared never to have gone ahead but eventually Coleridge Road Recreation Ground was created and which served this need.[9]

[8] 07/06/1912 Cambridge News, Cambridge Cherry Hinton (village) Scrapbook 1897-1990 Mike Petty www.mikepetty.org.uk
[9] A History of Cambridge Cattle Market and a history of Coleridge Recreation ground are forthcoming so will not be covered in detail here.

The 1952 map above shows the Cattle Market (left), Coleridge Road recreation ground (top left) and Cherry Hinton recreation ground (right).[10]
 
It showed the need in growing towns and villages for such allocated recreation spaces, especially with the advent of motorised vehicles and the new dangers that they posed to children playing in the streets. In times before the village green and the common lands would have been some of the main areas for roaming and playing and it is indeed why we sometimes see a modern playpark area on an old village green, more often then not though, playparks were placed within recreation grounds within a village, taken from an old allotment or field, allocated for the increasing need for such a space. It was during the Victorian period that we start to see such things as the 1859 Recreation Grounds Act, the 1860 Public Improvement Act and the 1906 Open Spaces Act.
 
Even if the people of Cherry Hinton had been starting to look for a suitable site for a recreation ground within the old village, they hadn’t long before all else was taken over by World War One which began on 28th July 1914 and continued until 11th November 1918.[11]

[10] Spalding’s Map of Cambridge 1952. Scale 1:10,560. National Library of Scotland.
[11] A History of Cherry Hinton during WWI is forthcoming so will not be covered here in detail.

​The Creation of the World War One Memorial Recreation Ground
 
1919
In May 1919 a newspaper article[12] appeared stating that some Glebe lands, belonging to the Benefice of Great Wilbraham were to be sold, this included a “Meadow and garden in Cherry Hinton parish known as “Gibraltar Close” for £250, fronting the main street in Cherry Hinton with a Mr William Saint[13] being listed as the tenant. Gibraltar Close was the field which was to become the recreation ground.

[12] Reported 16th May 1919 Cambridge Independent Press, British Newspaper Archive.
[13] You can see from the newspaper report that Mr Saint was also renting an arable field on what is now Queen Edith’s Way.

​William Saint would have been renting (or perhaps subletting) the cottage and land, paying rents to support the vicar of Great Wilbraham but this was all ending, as after World War One things were changing.

In the Cambridge newspaper on 30th May 1919[14], It was announced that a public meeting had been held in Cherry Hinton School (the old school which stood on the High Street just past the railway line). At which it had been decided to accept a plan submitted by the Balsham Guild of Workers for a tablet to be placed in the church (St Andrew’s) in memory of those who had fallen in the first world war and the larger memorial scheme was to proceed, the plan for which was to acquire a piece of land in the village, known as Gibraltar Close, some 4 acres in extent which had already been purchased and was being held in trust. A house-to-house collection in the village yielded the sum of £77. Efforts had to be taken to raise the remainder of roughly £200 more to cover the expense of the land purchased.
​
[14] 30th May 1919 Cambridge Independent Press, British Newspaper Archive.

​You can still see the original World War One Wooden Tablet with Roll of Honour, made by the Balsham Guild of Workers, inside St Andrew’s Church on the eastern wall.

​We know from the previous advert, 8th May 1919, that the land was placed up for sale for £250. It had been Eliab Pamplin, a well-known Cherry Hinton man that had purchased the land and he had then placed it in trust. 

In 1919 The Ely Diocese sold the land to Eliab George Pamplin of Cherry Hinton, who had facilitated the purchase of this land in 1919 through the village efforts of fundraising.
 
The Pamplin family were very involved with Cherry Hinton life and both brother Eliab and Walter were members of the Parish committee, amongst other things. They ran a famous steam plough works at the north end of the village. Eliab’s actions were key to securing the land which was to become the war memorial recreation ground. [14]
 
In the Cambridge newspaper 4th July 1919[15], we find the first published statement calling the land “War Memorial Recreation Ground”. The whole village was involved in various events to fundraise for this land, and this was an advert for a fete to be held on the 10th July 1919.

[14] The History of the Pamplin Family is almost finished and is due January 2025
[15] 4th July 1919 Cambridge Independent Press, British Newspaper Archive.

As an aside, ​I thought that you might like to see these pictures, they are the only three pictures, different dates, of the Cherry Hinton band that I have been able to find so far.

​In the Cambridge newspaper on the 11th July 1919 we find the report of that great fundraising fete held the previous day on the 10th July 1919, it is quite faded so I have added the transcription below:

​“A very enjoyable fete, arranged by the Cherry Hinton War Memorial Committee, in aid of the War Memorial Recreation Ground Fund was held in the Vicarage Field, Cherry Hinton. The piece of Ground known as Gibraltar Close, situate in the centre of the village, has already been secured through the kindness of a local gentleman and a sum of £250 is required to pay for it. The Committee responsible for the arrangements are as follows: The Rev. Dr, H. A. Watson (vicar), Mrs E Tabor, Mrs Stubbings, Mrs E. Monk, Messrs. Archer, W. Manning, H. H. B. Grain, F. Monk and Challis, with Mrs. George Pamplin and Mr. F. W Crane as hon. secretaries, and Mrs Watson and Mrs Crane as organisers of entertainment. The fete was opened by Mrs. Walker, wife of the Rev. Dr. T. A. Walker, the former vicar, who was accorded a hearty vote of thanks, on the proposition of Mrs. Watson. A sale of fancy and useful articles made by members of the Ladies Working Party was held in one of the tents. In another teas to coupon holders were served by the following ladies, who kindly supplied the materials and looked after the tables: Mrs A. Doggett, Mrs Neal, Mrs Watson, Mrs Mansfield, Mrs Crane, Mrs Pratt, Mrs Smith, Mrs F. Doggett, Mrs G Pamplin, Mrs W Pamplin, Mrs Archdale, Mrs Scott, and Mrs Rain.
Teas for non-coupon holders were served in an adjoining tent by Mrs Challis, Mrs Cornell, Mrs Drane, and Mrs George. there was also a country produce stall, under the charge of Miss Scot.
Other attractions included lighting portraiture by Mrs Murray, an exhibition of dancing on the Vicarage lawn by Miss E T Shillington Scales, a variety of guessing competitions, athletic sports, arranged by Messrs. F. Monk and Mansfield, and dancing from 8-9.30pm to the music of the Cherry Hinton Band, under Bandmaster Squires.
In addition to the recreation ground, a roll of honour is to be placed in the Parish Church….The cost of this has already been collected.”[15]
[15] 11th July 1919 Cambridge Daily News, British Newspaper Archive.

The newspaper report really does show just how many people of the village were involved in fund-raising and the supporting of the effort to purchase Gibraltar Close and turn it into a War Memorial Recreation Ground, many of the names you will see above are those of the parents, wives and families who lost loved ones and who’s surnames you will see on the Roll of Honour.
 
Fundraising continued at a good pace, a further Cambridge newspaper article announced that:
 
“very attractive garden fete and sale of art work is being organised and will be held in the Vicarage Grounds on July 17th 1919. Gifts of all kinds are asked for by the committee.”[16]
[16] 17th July 1919 Cambridge Independent, British Newspaper Archive.

​c. 1921
The village fund-raising efforts were successful, and the field once called Gibraltar Close became the village ‘World War One Memorial Recreation Ground’. The photo below[17] is the earliest photograph we have that shows the entrance of the new war memorial recreation ground.
[17] Cherry Hinton High Street c.1921 Opposite the War Memorial Recreation Ground looking northwards. (Cambridgeshire Collection III 6-10 30288)

​Do you recall the line of old cottages which were marked blue on the previous 1886 map that I suggested to keep in mind? Here you can see them running from the High Street, back alongside the boundary of the now war memorial recreation ground. Eventually these old cottages burnt down and in time became the site of Neville Cullop’s bungalow, which we’ll come to again shortly.
 
What is lovely about the old photograph above is that if we zoom in on the picture, as shown below, we can see that there is what looks like a couple of notice boards. I wonder if one is the parish notice board and perhaps the other held the Roll of Honour, listing the names for the Cherry Hinton World War One Memorial.

​1925
By the 1925 OS map[18] we can see the first layout of the recreation ground which was occupying the main field strip with allotment gardens to the northeast, which were later to form an extra part of the rec on the southern side of the footpath there, with Colville School taking in the northern section of the allotment gardens.
  
Between the 1901 OS map and this 1925 OS map the toft cottage which had stood on a plot in the southeast corner of what was Gibraltar Close has gone. Was it pulled down and cleared away in the creation of the Recreation ground ?  
​
[18] Cambridgeshire XLVII.7 Revised: 1925, Published: 1927 Size: map 64.4 cm x 96.6 cm

In the middle of the south side of the rec was a square orchard plot and two other sections of land all of which were taken in later to form the recreation ground that we have today. The marked-out rectangle plot, centre north, within the site I haven’t any information about – perhaps it was a marked-out area for sport or suchlike?
 
1927
In 1927 Mr Pamplin conveyed the land to five trustees to use as a recreation ground.
The recreation ground land remained in a trust. The conveyance of 1927 (Cherry Hinton Recreation Ground Trust 1927[19]) sets out the details of the trust and records the fact that the land was acquired by public subscription for a war memorial.
[19] Was eventually passed over to Cambridge City Council, current whereabouts unknown.

1929
In January 1929 Eliab Pamplin passes away[20].
[20] 1st February 1929 Saffron Walden Weekly News, British Newspaper Archive.

In the report above it states: “…he recently made a gift of £100 to the Parish Council, with which it is proposed to extend the recreation ground.”

However, what had actually happened was that a year before Eliab had given the parish council £100 as a donation for being allowed to alter ‘Top Path’ which lay at the northern end of the High Street and ran through to Coldhams Lane. This path passed by the Pamplin Steam Works and the brothers wanted this altered. The parish council had accepted the donation, and the path alterations were made. But the £100 was still to be allocated for use.

On 26th March 1929 the annual Parish Council meeting was held in the school room where discussion took place as to what to do with the donated £100.[21]
 
At the annual parish meeting held in the schoolroom …
 
“The chairman asked for propositions as to how the £100 given by Mr Pamplin for alteration of the Top Footpath should be allocated, he stated that the Parish Council had considered some and these suggestions are as follows-
 
No 1. For a Village Hall
2. Additional Land for Recreation Ground provided being bought reasonable price
 
After discussions Mr A Smith proposed, and Mr Olson seconded that a public memorial should be erected as the 3rd item.
 
It was then proposed by Mr A. J. Smith and seconded by Mr A. H. Doggett that the vote should be taken by a show of hands.
 
Mr J. N. Cornell and Mr. Arthur Root were appointed the two fillers?
 
The Chairman then proceeded with the voting
 
For No 1. For a Village Hall    47
2. Additional Land for Recreation Ground   0
3. For a Public Memorial    4”
 
The Chairman then declared that the £100 would be allocated towards the erecting of a Village Hall. This was to be what became the Parish Room known more affectionately as The Cherry Hinton Green Hut, situated immediately northwest of the railway crossing on the High Street. The Green Hut was demolished in 2020, and the site is now a community garden.

[21] Cherry Hinton Annual Parish Meeting held in the school room 26th March 1929, p196, KCB/9/1/3/1 Cambridge Archives.

1930/31
At the annual Parish Council meeting, on 28th March 1930, held in the schoolroom on the High Street the trust of the recreation ground was discussed due to the passing of Eliab Pamplin and because big changes were about to occur local administration and Cherry Hinton parish council.
 
“Recreation Ground:
A question in respect to the Recreation Ground being taken over by the Parish Council was asked. The Clerk reported that the Deeds were in the hands of the solicitors Messrs. Grain & Co [now Cheffins] and as there was difficulty in the wording of the Deed some could not be handed over to the council but it was thought that it might be vested in the Official Trustees of the Charity Commissioners and controlled by the Parish Council with a scheme to be agree by the Charity Commissioners.”[22]
 
It was further discussed at the Annual Parish Meeting held in the schoolroom on 9th March 1931
 
“Recreation Ground:
A question was asked in reference to the recreation ground of which the clerk stated that the form duly filled by the trustees and co. had been sent to the Ministry through layers Messrs. Grain & Co.”[23]
[22] Cherry Hinton Annual Parish Council Meeting 28th March 1930, p202, KCB/9/1/3/1 Cambridge Archives.
[23] Cherry Hinton Annual Parish Council Meeting 9th March 1931, p207, KCB/9/1/3/1 Cambridge Archives.

1933/34
In 1933 the trustees of the War Memorial Recreation Ground conveyed the land to Cherry Hinton Parish Council, and the following year it was transferred to Cambridge City Council as a result of Cambridge boundary changes which were extended in 1934, when Cherry Hinton ceased to have a Parish Council and became a Ward of Cambridge (Under the Great Britain Ministry of Health and Local Government Act 1929 – section 46, Cambridge extension order 1934, abolishing the parishes of Trumpington and Cherry Hinton). The conveyance and title deeds for the Memorial Recreation Ground are held by Cambridge City Council[24].
[24] However, at present they cannot be located.

1938
The 1938 OS map[25] below, shows that recreation ground still hadn’t been expanded to how we are used to it today. (The red line on the map is a contour line).
[25] Cambridgeshire Sheet XLVII.NE Revised: 1938, Published: ca. 1945 Size: map 31 x 46 cm

This is the first map that shows the British Legion Hut Building on site - circled in blue. Being a War Memorial site, it made sense that there would be a British Legion meeting rooms/hut on site. Alongside the business of the British Legion, many a happy memory has been recalled by Cherry Hinton residents who remember parties, dancing and receptions taking place in this hut. You can see the hut in the picture below.[26]
[26]Cherry Hinton Memories Book Three:
https://www.michellebullivant.com/cherryhintonhistory/cherry-hinton-memories-book-three#/
1949

“On the Recreation Ground then half the size it is now, as Bullard’s Brewery owned the Chequers and allotments behind it, there was Sid Hancock’s bungalow – the village cobbler. The old British Legion “Hut” as the locals called it was a long, mainly wooden structure built on raised concrete stilts, therefore small children could easily move underneath it. The Rec in those days had lots of bushes around it and small copses of trees more natural and evolved than the well organised and designed as today – but much more fun for children.” Unknown[27]
 
“Cherry Hinton was childhood heaven, we spent most of our time playing outside in the road, the Spinney, down the Rec” Maree Williams (nee Stevens Nov 2012)[28]

[27] Cherry Hinton Memories Book Three:
https://www.michellebullivant.com/cherryhintonhistory/cherry-hinton-memories-book-three#/
[28] As previous.

The map below[29] shows that extra land to the south is now part of the recreation ground. Again, note the old footpath – locally called ‘Long Walker’ at this time, at the back of the recreation ground.
[29] Cambridgeshire Sheet XLVII.NE Revised: 1950, Published: 1952 Size: map 31 x 46 cm

“I was born in Fisher’s Lane and then moved to Fulbourn Road when I was two months old. I went to school with my sister Shirley. We used to walk along a path which was called Long Walker, which started at Fulbourn Road and ran along the back of Cherry Hinton Rec where Colville Estate is now. How the High Street has changed! ……..There was another butchers opposite the rec (where the Building Society is now). Next to the Rec was Sid Hancock’s (the cobbler) shoe shop. Then the Chequer’s Pub run by the Tabors. Across the road from the Rec was Steven’s Building Yard where we used to keep the football marking machine. My dad (Olly) used to mark the football pitch. My dad was well known in Cherry Hinton because he helped run the football club.”  Bill Chapman (26/04/2011)[30]
[30] Cherry Hinton Memories Book One:
https://www.michellebullivant.com/cherryhintonhistory/cherry-hinton-memories-book-one#/

1953
“There was a great celebration on the Rec for the coronation and everyone dressed up in fancy dress. I was a black cat.” Kay Smith (2011)[31]
[31] As previous.

The 1953 photograph[32] above shows another view on the rec showing the first British Legion hut. The line of thatched cottages that you saw earlier running alongside the recreation ground have now gone, and in their place is the Chequers Pub 2nd incarnation. There was a 3rd Chequers pub which some of you will remember but that too has gone now and is the site of Chequers Close. Behind it and behind the British Legion hut, in this picture, is a bungalow – the old shoemakers bungalow – within another 20 years or so both these buildings are gone and a new bungalow is built on the site, which was Neville Cullup’s home, he also sold shoes – the plot had retained a good long portion of original medieval croft land, where geese and chickens could still be seen, until recently. Just this past year (2024) the bungalow has been demolished and new houses built all along the plot, upon what was one of the last remaining medieval croft plots. But that is all for another history – and will come under the forthcoming history of the Chequers Pub.

[32] Foster 1953 Cherry Hinton Recreation Ground, Cambridgeshire Collection y.cherK53 19443

“Opposite the Parish Room (Green Hut) in 1956 Lings shop was bought by Ted and Audrey Cunningham with their young daughter Sally. They introduced me to their niece Janet then 16 who I married in 1959. That same year I bought the bungalow and show repair business from Sid Hancock after working for him for 7 years. I continued the business until April 2013.” Neville Cullop (2014)[33]

[34] Cherry Hinton Memories Book Three:
https://www.michellebullivant.com/cherryhintonhistory/cherry-hinton-memories-book-three#/

c.1953

The c.1953 photograph[35] above shows the playground equipment and is a view looking towards the northeast corner of the recreation ground - towards the Colville Road / Leete Road houses which were still being built. Various play equipment has changed over the years but all remain within the same area of the recreation ground.

[35] Cherry Hinton Women’s Institute village history/prize-winning scrapbook C.44.3 Cambridgeshire Collection.

“We used to watch the Cherries [football] on the Rec and in the mid 50’s they won the premier division of the Cambs league and I recall seeing such people as Brian Stevens, Peter Dean, Billy Chapman in the team. I remember Mr Rust the hairdresser as one of the driving forces … When I was 16 dad encouraged me to join Cherry Hinton Football Club and I can remember dear old Bunny Tabor finding it difficult to keep up to date with play acting as a linesman. I was lucky enough to achieve first team recognition and a small amount of success was forthcoming. Most of the players came from Cherry Hinton such as Trevor Chapman, Tony Tabor, Paul Ritson, Barry Witt, Mick Colville, and the rest I just cannot remember.

A lot of my early years was football orientated and I can remember in the school holidays spending virtually all my spare time playing football on the Rec.
The only other activity on the Rec or near the Rec scrumping in the apple trees in the orchard which backed onto the Rec and we were only caught on one occasion and my god whoever hit us, hit us hard with a very large stick.”. Stuart Nunn 04/02/2014)[36]

[36] Cherry Hinton Memories Book Three:
https://www.michellebullivant.com/cherryhintonhistory/cherry-hinton-memories-book-three#/

“Around the village I remember playing on the Rec. with Tony & Brian Tabor, Peter & Michael Boland, John & Peter Hedge, John Cornell, Chris Gifford, Brian Grey, Billy Taylor & others. There was a track at the top of the Rec. for riding bikes between the trees. Ray Causton had the best bike. Billy Taylor would take his air pistol & rifle up there and if we were lucky he let us have a go.” Basil Simpkins (Nov 2014)[37]
 
“Summer holidays were long and the best ever. Groups of us would disappear all day in the Spinney, on the Rec or the Beech Woods. Sometimes we would club together to buy a hot loaf from Roots the bakers to eat on the Rec. If it was wet we would play Monopoly in Di Lilly’s dad’s shed, for hours on end.” Chris Ketch (c.2011)[38]

[37] As previous.
[38]Cherry Hinton Memories Book One:
https://www.michellebullivant.com/cherryhintonhistory/cherry-hinton-memories-book-one#/

1955
In 1955 building plans[39] were submitted for a public convenience to be built on the recreation ground – these were on the site of the conveniences that still stand today. Stevens Bros of Cherry Hinton were involved in the original building works.
[39] Building bylaw plan and approval for new public convenience, Cherry Hinton Recreation Ground, Cambridgeshire Archives KCB/2/SE/3/9/21214

The plans above show the toilet block to be built on the righthand side (where they still are today) and also show the site of the British Legion hut on the left.

By the September of the same year, the British Legion hut was closed and the building put up for sale.[40]
[40] Cambridge Daily News - Saturday 10 September 1955.

​The British Legion hut had moved from the war memorial recreation ground to its new site in Fishers Lane and was in full operation there by 1957. ​This building was then demolished in 2016, and is now the site of Poppy Close houses, in Fisher’s Lane. There is currently no new Cherry Hinton British Legion meeting place to replace this lost village facility.

“The Rec was another source of fun. Crawling under the British Legion Hut just behind the cobblers bungalow, especially when the dances were being held. We would watch our hero’s playing football during the winter and cricket during the summer. I never thought that I would receive a telephone call in 1962 from Joe Denny asking me to cycle to the Abbey Stadium as three of the first team forwards were either injured or unavailable to play against Girton in the Creake Shield Final. A dream first half saw me scoring the first and third goal in a 6-2 win, followed by my first beer back at the Chequers Pub with the men. My dad was so proud but it put me off beer for life!!.....Behind the trees at the far end of the rec was a very large corn field where we would run through trying to find the skylarks nests, to no avail.
Who can remember the time during the forties when the army put on a show on the rec with all their equipment/guns etc and letting off canisters of “smoke screen” for us youngest to get lost in.” Kenneth Gifford (Kenny, 2/04/2020)[41]

“As teenagers we had a great time in dear old Cherry Hinton, the Rec being a favourite meeting place. The village had the usual celebrations at the Queen’s coronation, I Particularly remember the football match on the Rec – girls versus boys. I believe the girls won although we had a distinct advantage – the boys had their hands tied behind their backs! My good friend Joyce Elliot was a major player in our team and gave no quarter!!” June Kathleen Stevens (nee Buffett c.2009)[42]

“School holidays were spent in the Spinney, on the Rec, blackberrying on the Roman Road and exploring the Beechwoods. There were huge steam rollers in Pamplins Yard and Mr Fabbs equally huge pigs to feed in Fulbourn Old Drift.” Gill Rapley (nee Fordham c.2012)[43]

“The year before I started school Peter Hedge (who was one year older than me) broke his arm so was off school. He and I went up the Rec to play on the swings (yes, with a broken arm!) Whilst there a hunt passed by heading for what was then the fields beyond. We were so frightened by the noise the dogs made – we swang as high as we could to escape them. Now when I hear a lot of dogs barking I think of this…..We loved to climb trees at the top of the Rec. How pleased I was with myself when I managed to get from tree one to tree seven without touching the ground. My sister got stuck up one of these trees and had to stay there until our dad came home to rescue her. I thought her a bit of a sissy!.....We learnt to do things on our own like riding a bike and swimming. The former by getting on by a bench seat on the Rec and by falling off when wanting to stop.” Sue Gentle (2012)[44]

[41] Cherry Hinton Memories Book Three:
​ https://www.michellebullivant.com/cherryhintonhistory/cherry-hinton-memories-book-three#/
[42] Cherry Hinton Memories Book Two:
https://www.michellebullivant.com/cherryhintonhistory/cherry-hinton-memories-book-two#/
[43] Cherry Hinton Memories Book One:
https://www.michellebullivant.com/cherryhintonhistory/cherry-hinton-memories-book-one#/
[44] As previous.

1960’s

“I played football from the age of 14 for the village football team (The Cherries) from the 60’s right through to the late 70’s till I was in my 30’s. We had 4 teams at the time I started in the youth team. I remember playing Cambridge City Youth in the Cup on the Rec on the first pitch they roped it off, there was about 600 there and we won 3. 0. I did finished in the First Team, when I first started playing we got changed in the Unicorn. What days there were, I loved it and would do it all over again if I could. I could go on and on. Anyway I will never forget great peachy life.” Pat Clarke (03/09/2012)[45]
[45] As previous.

1985
​In 1985 there had been plans to build a community centre on the Recreation ground but by Nov 1985 these plans were scrapped with the efforts and campaigning of John Woodhouse and others – instead a new community centre was built by the Cherry Hinton library, on Colville Road which was opened by Princess Diana in 1989. Today it is the Cherry Hinton Village Leisure Centre run by Better enterprise. 

 Use of the Site
​The recreation ground has been used and enjoyed for many years now, including by many of the Cherry Hinton clubs and societies like our brilliant Cherry Hinton football team who have a pavilion on the site[46].
 
Festivals and fetes have taken place on the recreation ground and many memories made. Over the years play equipment has been added and renewed including a skate park. Somewhere along the way it became forgotten that the whole recreation ground is also a war memorial and that it accompanies the memorial plinth at the entrance to the site.

[46] There have been so many football matches played on the recreation ground that I have not included coverage of them here but instead challenge someone else to produce a much-needed history of football in Cherry Hinton. In addition I am not added all of the details about the long running Cherry Hinton Festival here either, although for many years held on the recreation ground the festival has even earlier beginnings and I am writing a separate history about that.

Protection/ Future of the Site

The War memorial plinth states:
 
WAR MEMORIAL/ RECREATION GROUND/ IN HONOUR OF THOSE/ WHO SACRIFICED THEIR/ LIVES FOR OUR COUNTRY DEDICATED BY THE/ CHERRY HINTON BRANCH OF/ THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION/ 1995
 
In loving and grateful memory of the people from this parish who laid down their lives. 1914-1918

​Cllr Mark Ashton with some volunteers has been independently looking after the war memorial plinth and surrounding garden area, keeping it clean and tidy – he asked if I would get details together to make an information board that could be put inside the entrance to the recreation ground to let people know that it is the whole of the site that is a war memorial and not just the plinth at the front, as we both knew that hardly anyone today knew this fact.
 
I decided it was about time that a proper history of the recreation ground was carried out, and I have over the last year been researching and writing the history of the site – the abridged version of which you can now read on the newly installed information board which has been installed just inside the main entrance to the Cherry Hinton World War One Memorial Recreation Ground.
 
There has been no funding to do this, but with Cllr Ashton’s help the council agreed to fund the making and installing of the information board on site. Our hope is that this history will remind us and give a renewed appreciation of this village site which so many of the people from our past helped provide.
 
The recreation ground has been used and enjoyed for many years now, by many of the Cherry Hinton clubs and societies including our brilliant Cherry Hinton football team who have a pavilion on the site. Festivals and fetes have taken place on the recreation ground and many memories made. Somewhere along the way it became forgotten that the whole rec is also a war memorial and not just the plinth at the entrance to the rec. This board will help remind us and give a renewed appreciation of this village site which so many of the people from our past helped provide.
 
After all – here is what it is all about really.

I hope that you enjoyed this history. It is quite understandable that we don't go about calling the site "Cherry Hinton World War One Memorial Recreation Ground" and that over time, probably quite quickly, the whole site simply got called "the rec". By having this history written up it helps preserve the history of this lovely site and we can feel a bit more confident that this information will not be lost whilst being able to still refer to the site as "the rec" :)

M. Bullivant November 2024

I've still a few little extras to add into the history above and will do so shortly.

You will be able to download a free PDF copy of the full 'History of Cherry Hinton World War One Memorial Recreation Ground' here shortly.

Please feel free to get in touch if you would like to add anything to this story or if you have any further information.

If you'd like to support my work and the archive, why not buy me a virtual coffee or make a one-off donation at PayPal, I'd be really grateful and it will help keep me going!
​
Just click on either of the buttons below :)

Memories of Laundry Lane by Penelope (Penny) Jackson
My Early Life living in Cherry Hinton Road & Laundry Lane

Family
 Ruby Gladys Jackson (Mum)   William (Bill)  Ernest Jackson (Dad)
Sisters Ellen Margaret, and me Penelope

*All photographs included here are Penny's, unless otherwise stated.

I was born on 28.04.1948 at 141 Cherry Hinton Road where my family lived in a downstairs flat.  I was the youngest of three girls, Ellen was the eldest, she was born in North London in 1940, Margaret followed in 1946 and I came along later in 1948. Margaret and I were both born at 141 Cherry Hinton Road. My parents decided after the 2nd World War to move away from London and make Cambridge their home.

I believe that my dad's first job in Cambridge was at the Swiss Laundry on Cherry Hinton Road, which was not far from our home. My dad was an engineer, and he eventually left his job at the Swiss Laundry and worked for the Cambridge Steam Laundry which was at the end of Laundry Lane off of Cherry Hinton Road in Cambridge. ​​

The job came with a cottage which was located at Laundry Lane, our cottage was number 1 Laundry Lane which was the cottage nearest the Laundry, there were 5 other cottages and as far as I can recall, all were occupied by other laundry workers.

I recall that there was a family called Arnold who lived at number 3 Laundry Lane, Cecelia Arnold was the eldest and I think Len was her son, there was a young lady called Ella and I remember a young man called Ricki. At some point, there was a baby boy living in the Arnold household and I guessed he was Len's son, his name was Kevin.  

There was a family whose surname was Cramer. I think the dad was Polish. I cannot remember his wife's name, but I remember he had 2 daughters.  I think one of the daughters was named Barbara, the other I think was Marisha but I am not sure.

​There was a family called Inskip but I cannot remember what number they lived at, but they had two children Michael and Christine.  At the end of the row of cottages was a couple who did not have any children, they were Tom and Ivy Cordon, and I can remember when Queen Elizabeth was Crowned (1953) they let us children watch the ceremony on their TV because none of the other residents had one! They were also the only ones who had a car.

There was another little cottage in Laundry Lane, it was nearer to Cherry Hinton Road.  There was a little girl called Freda Mauer who lived there with her parents, her dad's name was Steve.

​Post-war, money was tight, but as a child, it seemed to be a happy community. At the back of the row of cottages, we all had back gardens and to the side of the houses was a plot of land which was turned into allotments for growing vegetables. There was also a well on this piece of land.

Beyond our back gardens was a big field, where in the summer the children used to play during the school holidays. In early summer the field was covered with cowslips, which today are still my favourite flower.  The boundary of the field had a row of trees and beyond the trees was Coe’s Farm. Mrs Coe ran a shop, the front of which was on Cherry Hinton Road. The shop was opposite where the TA is now. 
​
(* You can read more about the Coe's by clicking here: Lime Tree Farm and the Coe Family, Cherry Hinton)

Ellen went to Morley School and when she left there she went to Coleridge School.  With all the building that was going on in this area two new schools were built, Queen Edith School and Netherhall Secondary School.  Margaret went to Morley School but when Queen Edith was built, she moved there and then went on to Netherhall. I went to Queen Edith and then to Netherhall, but we both hated school.

​In the Early 1960s, I am not sure of the date, but I know I was at Netherhall School at the time, we learned that the field that was playing field, at the back of the cottages had been sold and houses were to be built, and Derwent Close was born, building proceeded and we were surrounded by a building site.  At the time it seemed like a huge number of houses were being built, but worse was to come, the houses that we lived in were to be demolished to be part of the new build, I think there are garages where our houses used to be. The workers from the Laundry were given new homes on Derwent Close, wonderful we thought, brand new houses with a bathroom!  I can remember our old cottage being demolished, Margaret and I watched out of our new bedroom window, and we could see all the pictures of pop stars still clinging to the walls of our old bedroom as they demolished the cottages.

I was 14, Margaret had left school and had a job and Ellen had been married for a couple of years and they lived in a flat in Station Road. Dad came home from work one night and he had to tell us he had been made redundant from his job, so he had to find us somewhere else to live. Margaret and I were really upset, we did not want to move! ​

​But Dad sorted it out, he got another job, at the Cambridge pumping station (now the Museum of Technology) ,  and the council rented us a house, but the house was on the other side of town, Arbury Estate, it seemed miles away from our friends, but there was no other option. It was winter 1962 when we moved, Dad and Margaret had to go to work, so Mum and I had to sort out the moving, we had a removal company move us, and when they had finished, I had to take the key to the house back to the manager of the Laundry, I think his name was Mr Dorsey. We then ordered a taxi and together with the cat and Tinker the dog we arrived at our new home.  It was freezing cold, the house was brand new, and I think it was colder inside than out. Dad eventually ended up working for the University in the Engineering Department, being in charge of the boilers in the teaching lab.

So, our new life began. The next morning it was freezing cold, but my sister had to go to work and I had to go to school.  But to go to Netherhall school involved 2 buses each way, nightmare!

​Christmas came and went and School Easter Holidays in 1963 were on the horizon, I knew I did not want to stay at school any longer, so I went to talk to the Head Teacher of Netherhall at the time, Miss Wilkinson, I told her I wanted to leave school, but she said I was only 14 and could not leave. She looked at the calendar and said, you will be fifteen in the Easter holidays, if you find a job that you can start when you are fifteen you can leave. That is what I did!  Murketts Motor Vehicle Company had a repair workshop in Histon Road and I became a receptionist, telephonist and general office worker. It was a bit of a shock as I was very shy, and most of the staff were men.

​Looking back, I had a very happy childhood, we did not have much money, but we had a good time, and we made the most of what we had. Looking at the recent pictures that my husband Nick took the other day of Laundry Lane, it made me sad to see how neglected it is now.  But that is progress for you!  After my marriage to Nick in 1968, our first home was at Swann’s Terrace (off Mill Road) before moving to Shepherds Close Cherry Hinton where we resided for 45 years bringing up our two boys before moving to Church End in 2015.

​Penny Nicholas (Jackson)
18.09.2023

The Laundry Lane / Arnold Layne Pink Floyd Connection.
Added by D J (Nick) Nicholas

The story of the Pink Floyd song Arnold Layne has never been fully explained, and probably never will, the Lane although called Laundry Lane had so many Arnolds living there in the very early days, it was called (unofficially) Arnold Lane. If you listen to the lyrics of Arnold Lane by the Floyd, you will gather that it is pertinent to an individual (known to the police) as an alcoholic, and a thief who stole items of clothing from the washing lines in the area, it is believed he was an Arnold  (one of the many that lived in the Laundry Lane cottages) and as the nearby Homerton Colleges had lots of ladies lodging in the area, it was a like a child in a sweet factory, with an abundance of quality undergarments to pilfer. He also had an illegal still in a shed at the back of the cottages where he brewed illegal hooch and sold it on.

The connection here is that Kevin Arnold was a friend of Roger (Syd) Barret and it was one of Kevin's relatives that was the perpetrator of these acts.  Obviously he not only stole ladies' clothes, but men's attire as well, as it is rumoured that Syd Barret was one of his customers, (Syd being totally unaware of where the booty came from) He was eventually caught and served time for his misdemeanours. Hence it can be assumed that Syd used this knowledge to pen the song, Arnold Layne. Below I have written down an abridged version of the lyrics.

Arnold Layne had a strange hobby
Collecting clothes
Moonshine, washing line
They suit him fine
 
On the wall hung a tall mirror
Distorted view
See-through, baby blue
He dug it
Oh, Arnold Layne
It's not the same
Takes two to know
Two to know 
Why can't you see?

Now he's caught
A nasty sort of person
They gave him time
Doors bang, chain gang
He hates it
Oh, Arnold Layne
It's not the same
Takes two to know
Two to know 
Why can't you see?
 
The song was Pink Floyd's 1st Single and was recorded on Feb 8th  & was released on the 11th March 1967.
DJN (Nick)

Michelle's Notes - A draft History of Cambridge Steam Laundry:

Laundry work was a traditional trade in Cherry Hinton, usually carried out by women of the village. The main clients were the colleges of Cambridge University, but the laundries also served local hotels, schools and families.

Before motorised vehicles, the washing would have been delivered and picked up by horse and cart or donkey and cart.

With the rise of the steam-powered industry in the later Victorian period, the traditional manual laundries were overtaken by mechanised steam laundries. With the establishment of the Cambridge Steam Laundry in 1881, in the fields west of Cherry Hinton village, much of the trade soon diverted there. 

1881
The Steam Laundry was built in Cherry Hinton parish on the site of an old brewery and was opened by 18th October 1881 for business. It included a large area of drying ground. Further research is needed to learn more about the brewery that is said to have once stood on this site.

Cambridge Steam Laundry was established in 1881 by Ginn, a Cambridge solicitor, who made Josiah Chater the secretary of the newly formed company. Newspapers reported on the formation of the new public company by March of 1881.

You can read more about Samuel Ginn here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginn_%26_Co_Solicitors

Capturing Cambridge are currently transcribing and publishing the diary of Josiah Chater - you can find out more about this on their website here:

https://www.museumofcambridge.org.uk/2022/07/josiah-chaters-diaries-a-glimpse-back-in-time/

They state that: "Josiah Chater records in his diary the establishment of the Steam Laundry Company. On 11 Feb 1881 he writes:
"Had a pipe with Ginn the solicitor; he told me about a new project of a Laundry Company he had in view to which I am to be secretary if it comes off. He has the offer of an estate of 4 acres, with buildings on it, at Cherryhinton, opposite the waterworks, and he has a capital man in view as a manager." Josiah was appointed secretary and the first meeting of the directors was on 5th March. It was decided to demolish the brewery which had stood on the site; by 18th October the laundry opened for business. The first customers were Cavendish College and Mrs Todhunter, wife of Isaac Todhunter, honorary fellow of St John’s College. Josiah as secretary was paid £25 per year, the manager was paid £1 per week and the manageress £1 10s per week.

By February 1882 there were problems though. Josiah found the books in a bad state and did not think that the manager and his wife were competent. There had been many mistakes in sending linen back home. Eight cottages for workers had been built near the laundry and a Dr Cunningham, a graduate of Harvard then living in Cambridge, had been consulted on the problem of disposing of the soap suds without interfering with the sewage system." (Capturing Cambridge) 

1882
In January 1882 we find evidence of the trouble referred to by Josiah above, in the form of an advert for a Forewoman for the Laundry who "must understand book-keeping":

By March 1882 we begin to see the first advertising for custom by the new Cambridge Steam Laundry Company. The advert below ran for several months in various publications.

The advert above states that full information may be obtained from No. 2 Alexandra Street, Cambridge. This was the office of the Cambridge Reform Building Company. This office was given up quickly because it was too small and moved to 5 Alexandra Street. 
​
You can read more about Alexandra Street on Capturing Cambridge here: https://capturingcambridge.org/museum-of-cambridge/museum-exhibit-stories/7-alexandra-street/

In August 1882 a complaint was published in the Cambridge Newspaper (see below) about the contamination of water. This matter soon seems to be resolved and no further public reports are made. It does help us identify the water source being used for the works. The article refers to an open ditch which ran at the back of the Steam Laundry building and although not visible above ground there today. You will note on the map above that there are two long water-filled troughs which must have been made for use by the laundry.

1883
The laundry continued with consistent, regular advertising for business in the newspapers. You'll see from the advert below that the offices have now moved from No. 2 Alexandra Street to No. 5 and that the manageress of the laundry is Miss Daniel.

1885
By December 1885 the manageress is Mrs Pratt. The advert below also describes the laundry site a little more by mentioning the "Spacious well ventilated sorting, washing and ironing rooms and an extensive meadow for drying ground"

1887
By May 1887 we start to see the first of many sponsorship adverts between the Steam Laundry and Reckitts Blue. 

You can read more about Reckitts Blue at the 'Old and Interesting' website here:

http://www.oldandinteresting.com/laundry-blue.aspx
​ 
These sponsored adverts linked between the manageress of the Steam Laundry and Reckitts continue for many years and appear in adverts all over the country, providing a great deal of coverage and promotion for both parties.

1888 Kelly’s Directory:
Steam Laundry Co. Limited (Josiah Chater, sec.) 5 Alexandra Street; works, Cherry Hinton

1889
In 1889 we get the first look at the Cambridge Steam Laundry Company's logo in an advert placed in the Cambridge Independent Press. You'll also see that Mrs Pratt is still the manageress and Josiah Chater still the secretary.

1890
In the financial papers and financial sections of general newspapers continuing information about the share prices of the company are given regularly over the years.

In the 1890s there were newspaper adverts for more workers needed at the laundry, which provided employment for local people.

1891
The first full record of the people who worked and lived on-site at the new laundry is in 1891. The 1881 census was taken before the Steam Laundry was opened so there are no details for it for that year. The 1891 census shows 7 households living at the laundry site. James Pratt is listed as the manager along with his wife Annie Pratt who is the manageress. The remainder of the families appear to be housed due to the wives working at the company.

On the OS Map (25" 1888-Surveyed 1886) you can see a terrace of 6 cottages down Laundry Lane and 2 separate semi-detached houses set back, facing Cambridge Road (Cherry Hinton Road) - it is not clear if these last 2 houses are part of the laundry houses. However, the 1901 Census lists two households (with the laundry manager & family living in one and the laundry Carman & family living in the other) as being on Cambridge Road and the rest are called Laundry Cottages Cambridge Road. It would make sense that the manager/s would have higher-grade houses, separate from the main workers.

​1891 Census
 
Laundry – 
 
1.
James E Pratt Head M 35 Laundry Manager – Norfolk Old Catton
Annie A Pratt wife M 31 Laundry Manageress – Loughton Essex
Grace A Pratt daughter 6 Scholar – Cherry Hinton
Daisy M Pratt daughter 4 – Cherry Hinton
Fred Thomas Pratt son 10 months – Cherry Hinton
Mary Ann Pratt mother widow 55 – Brook Norfolk
Keziah Read servant single 14 Domestic Servant – Petersfield Hampshire
 
Cambridge Road Laundry – (Cambridge Road is Cherry Hinton Road today)
 
2.
John Osbourne Head M 67 Farm Labourer – Great Wilbraham Cambs
Ann Osbourne wife M 64 Laundress – Little Wilbraham Cambs
Annie McDonald Boarder 46 widow Laundress – Hanover Square St George London
 
3.
Wilfred Freeman Head M 38 General Labourer – Royston Cambs
Jane Freeman wife M 38 Laundress – Cherry Hinton
John Henry Fuller step-son s 15 General Labourer – Cherry Hinton
Sidney Fuller step-son 8 Scholar – Cherry Hinton
 
4.
Isaac Read Head M 48 – Cherry Hinton - Buckworth Hants *Defective eyes*
Elizabeth Read wife M 46 Laundress – Walworth Surrey
Annie Read daughter s 18 Packer and Sorter in Laundry – Worcester Park Surrey
Jessie Ann Read daughter s 16 Packer and Sorter in Laundry – Worcester Park Surrey
Mary Elizabeth Read daughter 12 Scholar – Petersfield Hants
May Read daughter 10 Scholar – Petersfield Hants
 
5.
George Patten Head M 30 Carman – Cherry Hinton
Jane Patten wife M 26 Laundress – Cherry Hinton
Percy George Patten son 2 – Cherry Hinton
 
6.
Arthur Nightingale Head M 34 General Labourer – St Andrew the Less Cambridge
Sarah Anne Nightingale wife M 35 Laundress – Thriplow Cambs
Julia L Nightingale daughter 6 Scholar – Cherry Hinton
Arthur George Nightingale son 5 – Cherry Hinton
Ernest H Nightingale son 2 – Cherry Hinton
Emily Ann Benstead Servant s 12 Domestic Servant – Swaffham Prior Cambs
 
7.
​Margaret Daniels Head widow 53 Living on own means – Edinburgh Scotland

*In 1891 the secretary of the Steam Laundry, Josiah Chater and his family - including Augustine Chater who would later take over the role from his father as secretary of the Steam Laundry - lived in Hartington Grove, off of Hills Road Cambridge*

1892 Kelly’s Directory
Steam Laundry Co. Lim. (Josiah Chater, sec.), 5 Alexandra st

In February 1892 the newspapers reported on the death of a well-known Cherry Hinton man, one of the Pamplin Brothers of the Steam Engine fame, who had a steam engine works in Cherry Hinton at the junction of Coldhams Lane and Cherry Hinton High Street. 

Eliab Wright Pamplin died as a result of an accident, in which it was believed that he fell from the loft of his stable. The report notes that "Mr Pamplin was for some years Manager to the Cambridge Steam Laundry Company". We know that Mrs Pratt was still manageress in 1899, it is not clear when Mr Pamplin was manager but Mrs Pratt still continued to be manageress for some years.

1893

1894
There were many steam laundry businesses across the country by the 1890s and many books were written about the processes, equipment and running of these establishments. The newspaper article below discusses the wages of the Cambridge Steam Laundry Company as a comparison. 

The continuing adverts both for the business and for employees gives us useful pieces of information that we can use to build a picture of the machinery used, the jobs available and the workings of the Steam Laundry. Click on each below to expand them.

1896 Kelly’s Directory
Cambridge Steam Laundry Co. Limited (J. Chater, sec.) Cherry Hinton, Camb
Steam Laundry Co. Limited (Josiah Chater, sec.) 5 Alexandra St. Cambridge

The following newspaper article from December 1899,  gives a report on proprietors and employees of Steam Laundries and is extremely useful as it includes the Cambridge Steam Laundry in the listings, giving a list of names of people working there. - you'll see the error in the print calling Cherry Hinton 'Cherry Linton'!

1901 Census
 
Cambridge Road –
 
1.
James C Pratt Head M 45 Laundry Manager - worker – Norfolk Old Catton 
Annie A Pratt wife M 41 Laundry Manageress -worker – Loughton Essex
Grace A Pratt daughter s 16 Pupil School – worker - Cherry Hinton
Daisy M Pratt daughter 14 – Cherry Hinton – Typist Pupil – Own account at home
Frederick T Pratt son– Cherry Hinton
Annie A Pratt daughter 7 – Cherry Hinton
Rose M Pratt daughter 7 – Cherry Hinton
Mary A Pratt mother widow 68 – Brook Norfolk
Margaret Daniel mother-in-law widow 63 – Scotland
 
2.
Arthur H Wolfe Head M 32 – Laundry Carman – worker – Cambridge
Alice Wolfe wife M 33 – Little Wilbraham
Rose Wolfe daughter s 13 - Cambridge
Harold Wolfe son 8 – Cambridge
 
Laundry Cottages Cambridge Road Cherry Hinton – 
 
3.
Ann Osbourne Head Widow 73 – Little Wilbraham Cambs
Agnes M W Maloney niece m 33 Laundress – worker – London
 
4.
Henry J Frost Head M 37 – Steam Laundry – worker – Cambridge
Jane Frost wife M 38 – Laundress – worker – Great Easton Essex
Christopher W Frost son 12 – Cambridge
Montague H Frost son 10 – Cherry Hinton
William H Frost son 7 – Cherry Hinton
Henry J Frost son 5 – Cherry Hinton
Robert G Frost son 1 – Cherry Hinton
 
5.
Arthur J Case Head M 28 – Asylum Attendent – worker - Cambridge
Ann Case wife M 26 – Silverstone Northants
 
6.
Frederick E Coe Head M 27 – Waterworks Stoker – worker – Cambridge
Ellen Coe wife M 30 – Teversham
Ellen E Coe daughter 6 months – Cherry Hinton
 
7.
William Tingery Head 33 Foreman & Coal Porter – worker – Wheathampstead Herts
Minnie Tingery wife M 32 – Cambridge
Frances Tingery daughter 10 - Cambridge
William E Tingery son 8 - Cambridge
Dorothy Tingery daughter 1 – Cambridge
 
8.
Arthur Nightingale Head M 44 – Brewers Labourer – worker  - Cambridge
Sarah A Nightingale wife M 45 – Laundry Worker – worker – Thriplow Cambs
Julia L Nightingale daughter s 16 – Laundry Worker – worker – Cherry Hinton
Arthur G Nightingale son 15 – Whitesmiths Assistant – worker – Cherry Hinton
Ernest H Nightingale son 13 – Errand Boy – worker – Cherry Hinton
William M Nightingale son 6 – Cherry Hinton
 
9.
Frederick Bowles Head M 30 – Coal Carter – worker – Fulbourn Cambs
Mary A Bowles wife M 28 – Whittlesford Cambs
Frederick Bowles son 2 – Cherry Hinton
Redvers Bowles son 6 months – Cherry Hinton
Pretoria May Bowles daughter 6 months – Cherry Hinton

*In 1901 the secretary of the Steam Laundry, Josiah Chater and his family - including Augustine Chater who would later take over the role from his father as secretary of the Steam Laundry - lived in Hartington Grove, off of Hills Road Cambridge*

Extensive regular advertising continues for the Steam Laundry in the local newspapers, again providing us with interesting clues and information about the business.

1903
In 1903 the Cambridge Steam Laundry opened new Offices at 84 Regent Street Cambridge.

1904
With continued drainage of the land and management of the various streams crossing the fields to the west of the Steam Laundry, development continued across the western parish of Cherry Hinton, along Cherry Hinton Road towards Hills Road, which was known as 'New Cherry Hinton'. With the growing number of new houses, streets and shops, a new laundry called The Swiss Laundry, was built on the higher ground further to the west. The Swiss Laundry was founded in 1904 by Mr Chapman and Mr Goundry on the former site of a tannery. It offered a Swiss finish to table linen. This new laundry was to be in direct competition with the Cambridge Steam Laundry. 

It is worth further research to see what effect this event had on the Cambridge Steam Laundry share prices.

As a result, the advertising campaign for the Cambridge Steam Laundry went into overdrive with many repeated and varied advertisements being placed in many local publications and newspapers. Some are shown below - click on each to open them fully.

1907
By 1907 Cambridge Steam Laundry had progressed from donkeys/horses and carts to including tricycles for their collections and deliveries.

In 1907 Cambridge Steam Laundry worker, 16-year-old Montague Frost, was involved in a serious cycling accident whilst riding a Steam Laundry carrier tricycle laden with linen.

1909
The advert below shows that things must have continued to go well for the Steam Laundry despite the competition further up the road, this was in part probably due to the sheer amount of new development leading to a decent number of customers going around. It's also worth noting that despite opening the new offices in Regent Street, the office at 5 Alexander Street was still in use.

In February 1909 drama unfolds with a robbery at the Steam Laundry premises. This is then reported in several newspapers across the country as well as locally.

Along with adverts seeking new staff the Steam Laundry continues with its regular advertising but is now able to include a phone number for the first time.

1911 Census  - Cambridge Road now called Cherry Hinton Road

1. 3 Huckles Cottages, Cherry Hinton Road Cambridge – 6 rooms

Henry William Oakman Head 26 (M 6 years 1 child) – Domestic Groom – worker - Cambridge
Mary Ann Oakman wife 23 – Laundry Hand Steam Laundry – worker - Cambridge
Henry William Oakman son 6 – Scholar - Cambridge

1. Loughton, Cherry Hinton Cambs - 8 rooms (They have named their house after wifes home town)

James Pratt Head 55 - M 27 years 5 children 4 alive 1 deceased - Laundry Engineer – out of work – Old Catton Norfolk
Annie A Pratt wife 51 – “ “ “ “ – Laundry Manageress -worker – Loughton Essex
Fredrick A Pratt son 20 s – Clerk Government Telegraph – worker – Cherry Hinton
Annie A Pratt daughter 17 s – Cashier Café – Cherry Hinton
Rose M Pratt daughter 17 s – Teacher (Pupil) School – Cherry Hinton
Harrold G Daniel brother-in-law 45 s – Journalist – at home – Loughton Essex

1. Hinton Cottage, Laundry Cottages, Cherry Hinton – 4 rooms

Arthur King Wolfe Head 41 (M under one year) – Laundry Carman Steam Laundry Company - Cambridge
Elizabeth Wolfe wife 38 M “ – Laundry Ironer Steam Laundry Company – Chesterton

1. Laundry Cottages, Cherry Hinton Road – 4 rooms

William Arthur Coe Head 33 (M 11 years 2 children) – Dairy Farmer – own account – Cherry Hinton
Annie Coe wife 38 M – Dressmaking – own account, at home – Compton Devon
Arthur Coe son 9 – School – Cherry Hinton
Annie Coe daughter 6 – School – Cherry Hinton

1. 6 Steam Laundry Cottages Cherry Hinton Cambridge – 4 rooms

Henry James Frost Head 48 (M 23 years 6 children) Laundry Man employed worker - Cambridge
Jane Frost wife 49 - “ “ “ - Essex
Christopher Frost son 21 s – Labourer to Carter – Cherry Hinton
Montague Frost son 20 s – Labourer to Carter – Cherry Hinton
William Frost son 18 s – Farm Labourer on Land – Cherry Hinton
Harry Frost son 16 s – Farm Labourere on Land – Cherry Hinton
Robert Frost son 11 s – School – Cherry Hinton
Sidney Frost son 8 s – School – Cherry Hinton

1. Laundry Cottages, Cherry Hinton Road – 4 rooms

Charles Patten Head 26 (M 7 years 4 children) – Bricklayer – worker – Cherry Hinton
Emily Patten wife 28 M – Trumpington
Rose Patten daughter 7 – School – Cherry Hinton
Frederick Patten son 4 – Cherry Hinton
Sidney Patten son 4 – Cherry Hinton
Maude Patten daughter – 3 months – Cherry Hinton

1. Laundry Cottages, Cherry Hinton Road – 4 rooms

John King 51 M – Attendant Fulbourn Asylum – worker – Woodwalton Hunts
Emily King 30 M – Laundry Maid Steam Laundry – worker – Arlesey Beds
 

1. Laundry Cottages, Steam Laundry Cambridge – 4 rooms

George Walker Miller Head 40 (M 14 years 2 children) – Hydro Man Laundry – worker – Edinburgh Scotland
Olive Harriet Miller wife 47 M “ “ “ “ – Forewoman Laundry – worker – St Pancras Islington
William Frederick George Miller son 11 – School – Wood Green Middlesex
Robert Rick Miller son 8 – School – Wood Green Middlesex

1. Laundry Cottages, Steam Laundry, Cambridge – 4 rooms

Arthur Nightingale Head 54 (M 29 years 4 children) – Brewers Labourer – St Andrew the Less Cambridge
Sarah Ann Nightingale wife 55 M – “ “ “ “ – Laundry Ironer – worker – Thriplow
Julia Louise Nightingale daughter 26 s – Laundry Ironer – worker – Cherry Hinton
Arthur George Nightingale son 25 s – Whitesmith – worker – Cherry Hinton
Ernest Henry Nightingale son 22 s – Wheelwright – worker – Cherry Hinton
William Mark Nightingale son 16 s – Under Gardener – worker – Cherry Hinton

1. Laundry Cottages, Cherry Hinton – 4 rooms

Frederick Bowles Head 40 (M 14 years 4 children) – Coal Carman – worker – Fulbourn
Mary Ann Bowles wife 38 M “ “ “ “ – Whittlesford Cambs
Dorothy Bowles daughter 13 – School – Cherry Hinton
Frederick George Bowles son 12 – Cherry Hinton
 Redvers Bowles son 10 – Cherry Hinton
Pretoria May Bowles daughter 10 – Cherry Hinton

​*In 1908 Josiah Chater died, the role of secretary to the Steam Laundry Company most likely fell to his son Augustine Chater at this date. In 1911 Augustine was living in Hartington Grove, off of Hills Road Cambridge*

1912
In 1912 we find the first mention of the use of motorised vehicles for the Steam Laundry.

1916
By May 1916 the effects of the First World War on businesses were being felt and a claim was placed by the Steam Laundry to hold on to their key worker, William Henry Wenham, rather than him go off to war, stating that if he were to go, they would probably have to shut down. We can see from the newspaper report below that the Steam Laundry was engaged in army work by the washing of army blankets.

1918
Throughout 1917-1918 the Steam Laundry places less of its regular weekly newspaper adverts for business and instead, there is a constant stream of weekly adverts places requesting staff for various jobs. The advert below, for example, states that a war bonus is included. 

In July 1918 we can see that William Henry Wenham was granted another 3 months' extension to continue working at the Steam Laundry rather than be sent of fighting. This must continually be requested.

1923
For a few years after the war there were quite a lot of newspaper adverts placed for job vacancies at the Steam Laundry but no real regular adverts for business like there had been before the war. In 1923 we find the following newspaper notice which discussed one of the Steam Laundry cottages. We can see that the office at 5 Alexandra Street was still in use and that the manageress was now Annie Wheeler.

1925
In January 1925 Mr Rutter dies and the newspaper obituary states that he was a director of the Cambridge Steam Company.

1933
In 1933 another break-in at the Steam Laundry occurred with an interesting tale of how the culprit was caught!

The full tale unfolds in March 1933 in the trial report given in the newspaper, which you can read below - click on each picture in turn to see the full details!

In the report we discover that Edna Fisher, who gives evidence in the trial, is Chief Clerk of the Steam Laundry.
Saffron Walden Weekly News - Friday 10 March 1933 - British Newspaper Archive.

In the end, at sentencing, Thomas Spriggs was found not guilty.

1935-36 Cambridgeshire County Directory
Cambridge Steam Laundry Co. Ltd. Receiving office 4738 Works 87548 Chater, A. B. A.C.A., F.C.I.S., secretary
Cambridge Steam Laundry, Cherry Hinton road and 54 Regent Street

*Augustine Barrett Chater was Josiah Chater's son*

1937
The following newspaper notice shows that the laundries are working together - how this worked in practice and affected the public ownership of the Cambridge Steam Laundry is not clear and would merit further research.

In 1937 we find the first general business advert in many years for the Steam Laundry. It is much plainer than those that they used to publish before the war, and you'll note that there is now a new phone number for the Steam Laundry.

1938 The Blue Book Cambridge Directory
Cambridge Steam Laundry Co., Ltd. Cherry Hinton meadows. 87548
Cambridge Steam Laundry Co., Ltd. (Chater, A. B.), 54 Regent st. 4738

By 1938 Kelvin Close was laid out to the immediate west of the Steam Laundry and the houses were built just before the war.

1939

A very sad tale appeared in the newspaper in August 1939 which tells of the suicide of Francis Cort Carpenter, Manager of Cambridge Steam Laundry. You can click on each of the pictures below to read more.

With the outbreak of World War Two the Steam Laundry business was once again affected.

1946
I visited the Cambridgeshire Archives at Ely to look at the records that they hold for the Steam Laundry at Laundry Lane. They hold a set of building bylaw plans which I was able to photograph.

​Cambridgeshire Archives Reference:
KCB/2/SE/3/9/14843 Building byelaw plan and approval for alterations and additions to laundry, Cherry Hinton Road (Cambridge Steam Laundry) 11th Feb 1946.

Cambridgeshire Archives: KCB/2/SE/3/9/14843 Building byelaw plan and approval for alterations and additions to laundry, Cherry Hinton Road (Cambridge Steam Laundry) 11th Feb 1946.

I sent Penny the plan which showed the houses on the Steam Laundry site, and she kindly highlighted in yellow, which house used to be theirs - see below:

"I was pleased to see that the well was marked on the plan, it was practically in our back garden! It's a shame that the Lane is in such a mess now.....On the attached plan that you kindly submitted I have highlighted our cottage and we resided there circa 1952-1962."

1948

1962

1954
From around 1950 the Cambridge Steam Laundry had begun a new service of Dry Cleaning and had begun its advertising campaign by 1954 Perhaps this was in part because it had now lost its traditional drying ground to the new houses. For several months there were many newspaper adverts placed to call for new employees at the Steam Laundry, in the 'Dry Cleaning Department'.

 Mrs B Jackson & Co. 3 Regent Street, was one of the first businesses in Cambridge offering Dry Cleaning from 1900 onwards. The Swiss Laundry had also offered dry cleaning since its opening in the early 1900's.

1962
In 1962, during the last years of the laundry, Mr H Dorcey of Cambridge Steam Laundry represented on the East Anglian Council section of the Institute of British Launderers.

In the same month of February 1962 Cambridge Steam Laundry changed its name and became the Cambridge Laundry and Cleaners Ltd with Mr Dorcey identified as the general manager. The company then takes over another laundry - The Coldham Model Laundry - bringing along a few of its staff.

1969
In August of 1969, the end of the 88-year history of Cambridge Steam Laundry was coming to an end. The name had been changed in recent years, but the business did not last much longer. The remaining premises and land were listed for sale by direction of Lyndale Laundries Ltd.

By October 1969 the public auction sale of the site had been withdrawn, citing the reason that the site had been sold by private treaty. 

The mystery surrounding this sale was noted in a newspaper article the following year. It seems that after the private sale of the land in October 1969, the business had carried on for almost another year under its name of Cambridge Laundry and Cleaners Ltd, which had been owned by Mr W Shaw. It soon becomes apparent that the Swiss Laundry had taken over the Cambridge Laundry business. The Cambridge Steam Laundry, albeit with a new name change, finally closed for good on the site it had occupied for 89 years.

Today the Cambridge Steam Laundry Buildings are all gone and in their place is a new housing development called Brothers Place. Laundry Lane remains as a rough road now leading to a dead end.

You can download a PDF copy of Michelle's History of Cambridge Steam Laundry Company and Penny & Nicks article  for free, by clicking on the buttons below.

Please do feel free to get in touch if you would like to add anything to this story or if you have any further information on the Cambridge Steam Laundry.

If you'd like to support the work that I do and the archive, why not buy me a virtual coffee or make a one-off donation at PayPal, I'd be really grateful and it will help keep me going!
​
Just click on either of the buttons below :)

Suggested further reading and research:

• A visit to Cambridge Technology Museum to find out more about the steam engines which would have been used or the systems.
• More about Steam Laundries across the country.
• More of the workers and families of Cambridge Steam Laundry.
• How the shares in the Cambridge Steam Laundry did over time.
• ​It would be a good research project to discover the various sites around the village for not only the laundry houses and sites but also the paddocks and meadows for the horses and donkeys and any laundry drying fields.
• Work on the census records to glean the names and addresses of other laundry workers in the area
• More work on the families and employees of the Steam Laundry
• It is to be kept in mind that there were several other laundries in the local area leading to the need to be sure which people worked and lived where so as not to confuse the laundries.

Books that are worth reading on the subject:
 
The Steam Laundry and its Methods - Charles A Royce
 
How to Successfully Operate a Steam Laundry - Caleb David Patterson 
 (Classic Reprint) 
 
The Steam Laundry. Its Construction, Equipment and Management - Taylor, John. (Consulting Laundry Engineer)
 
LAUNDRY MANAGEMENT. A Handbook For Use In Private And Public Laundries - Editor of "The Laundry Journal" 
 
A Manual Of Modern Steam Laundry Work 1912 - Ellis Clayton 
 
Steam Laundries: Gender, Technology, and Work in the United States and Great Britain, 1880-1940 - By Arwen P.Mohun (Baltimore,  Johns Hopkins University Press,  1999)
 
Further Suggested Archives and Records to Consult:
 
Cambridge University Library:
 
Laundry books, 1956 - 1968
Reference Code:
 GBR/0265/UA/BG 18
Scope and Contents
Record laundry taken in and money paid. Several of the books in this series were used concurrently.
Dates: 1956 - 1968
Conditions Governing Access: From the Fonds: Among the archives of the Botanic Garden, personal records are closed to scholars for 80 years from the date of creation under data protection legislation. Restrictions are clearly indicated in catalogue entries.
Found in: Cambridge University Library / GBR/0265/UA, Cambridge University Archives / Teaching, learning and research records / Archives of the Botanic Garden
 
Personal diaries: Volume 39 (loose inserts), 1930
Reference Code:
 GBR/0271/GCPP Tillyard 1/1/39a
Scope and Contents
Photograph of AT with ? Agatha at St Anthony-in-Roseland in Cornwall; also press cutting re a carol concert given by the Perse School at the Cambridge Steam Laundry works.
Dates: 1930
Found in: Girton College Archive / GBR/0271/GCPP, Personal Papers / Personal Papers of Aelfrida Tillyard / Personal and biographical records / Personal diaries, 1897-1959, together with documents formerly contained loose in the diaries, 1868-1959.
 
Personal diaries: Volume 50, 1935-11-01 - 1936-06-08
Reference Code:
 GBR/0271/GCPP Tillyard 1/1/50
Scope and Contents Oxford. Still at St Benedict's. Alethea also living in Oxford - frequent visits. Brief visit to Cambridge - resigns directorship of the Cambridge Steam Laundry. Continued illness: goes to a nursing home in Torquay in Jan. 1936. March 1936 - has an operation then convalesces at the Convent of the Holy Trinity. Otherwise this volume contains largely description of the contemplative and religious life - occasional comment on the world, eg the situation in Germany. Discussions with Father Cary,...
Dates: 1935-11-01 - 1936-06-08
Found in: Girton College Archive / GBR/0271/GCPP, Personal Papers / Personal Papers of Aelfrida Tillyard / Personal and biographical records / Personal diaries, 1897-1959, together with documents formerly contained loose in the diaries, 1868-1959. +   taking on her father's role as a director of the Cambridge Steam Laundry Ltd. Writing: 'Concrete' and 'Can I be a Mystic?' both published by   Tillyard, Aelfrida
 
Cambridgeshire Collection:
 
The laundry of perfection
Author:
Cambridge Steam Laundry Co. Ltd
Imprint:
n.d.
Collation:
4 p. ; 19 cm.
Dewey class:
C.27.2
Local class:
C.27.2
Language:
English
Subject:
Cambridge Steam Laundry Co. Ltd
BRN:
1144480
 
Cambridge steam laundry, 80 Regent St and adjoining shops
Imprint:
1907-1911 (circa)
Notes:
Indexes: Yes
Dewey class:
P.Stea.K0
B.REG.K0
PC.Lan.K0
Local class:
B.REG.K0
Language:
English
BRN:
1024081
 
The Cambridge Steam Laundry, Cherry Hinton Road, Cambridge
Author:
Sales Catalogue
Imprint:
Cambridge, 1969
Collation:
p.7 ; 35 cm.
Notes:
With map enclosed
Dewey class:
C.06
CABINET
Language:
English
Subject:
Cherry Hinton Road

This memory is taken from the Cherry Hinton Memory Books Collection which were donated to my Cherry Hinton archive. You can read more about the complete collection by clicking here:

Cherry Hinton Memory Books Introduction

I am now taking each memory/story and posting them individually on here, adding in any pictures to illustrate the memories and any further points of information and research that may be of interest. 

Memories of Cherry Hinton by Bryan Stevens

Vic Phillips often mentions me by my nickname “Ziggy”. Ziggy was the owner of the clothes shop in Newmarket Road before he moved into Regent Street “Stylebest”. This shop sold the most modern clothing during the fifties and sixties and it was where I bought most of my clothing, hence the name “Ziggy”. Ziggy gave me a gold tie pin for my wedding in 1959 which I still have. I am now happily married for the second time.

Bonfire nights in the High Street were something special. There was an air raid shelter opposite 197 High Street, where I used to live, and we would fill it up with logs collected from the Spinney. One Bonfire night the fire was so large that it nearly burnt down the telephone wires.

There was a rubbish dump down Fulbourn Old Drift over the railway line and we would go up there with our air rifles to shoot the rats. One day we were up there shooting the rats when the siren sounded from Fulbourn Hospital and thinking someone had escaped we all ran home as fast as we could.

We all talk about the Spinney with fond memories. During the school summer holidays we more or less lived up there, making dens, laying turf for the floor of the den, and cooking on open fires. One day when we were there my dog Gyp caught two rabbits from out of the chalk pits which I took home.

Opposite the Robin Hood pub are the springs where the water for the brook starts. There used to be railings round the springs to try and keep us out but we would get in and try to catch the pike which would be by the island. We would stand on the now stepping stones and try to catch them before they went back to the lake in Cherry Hinton Hall.

In the brook round by the Black Land allotments we would block up the tunnel underneath the bridge with a sheet of corrugated iron so that the water could not escape and we could get it deep enough to swim.

Grandma Coe who used to live at the then 203 High Street was still riding her “sit up and beg” bike when she was 90 years old. I still remember when a horse and cart passed by her house and left “deposits”, she would rush out with a bucket and collect them. She always had the best roses in the High Street.

As you old Hintonians know, my grandfather started the Stevens Brothers Building Company. He built some of the first houses for the Housing Association in Cambridge. One of the last houses they built was the bungalow in the High Street for the Bartram family (the level crossing keepers). They also built the shoe repairers bungalow next to the recreation ground. 

The Cherry Hinton History Society have no record of the building company. My only record is a photograph of a cast iron sewage drain cover in the front garden of the house in the High Street which used to be 201 High Street. It reads “Stevens Bros, Builders, Cherry Hinton”. If anyone could help me find out any other information I would be grateful.

Further notes by Michelle:

I would love to find that drain cover, mentioned above, and get a picture of it and photographs of where the houses above mentioned stood. I have had a look along that stretch of High Street but the house numbers have all changed sometime ago and many houses have been pulled down and others built in turn. There is a real challenge now to draw up a map showing the changing houses/buildings and where they were over time on the High Street, along with working out the house numbering system. Once this has been done we will be able to add the information and pictures to a separate article, and in turn to these memories where they mention any particular houses.

One clue from the story above is that Mrs Coe lived at what was then 203 High Street - meaning that 201 would perhaps of been next door to that house, and therefore the Steven Bros drain cover may still be found somewhere there. 
I have search the census, electoral and directory information to see if I can find which house Mrs Coe lived at on the High Street around the 1930's-1960's. The only two clues that I have so far are the picture on the left below, which is from the Richard Hoye collection - it is a photograph c.1985 showing a house on the High Street which is still there today (see my picture on the right). Richard Hoye's picture, on the left, has a note beneath it stating "Mrs Coe". The house has the name 'Temperance Villa' on it (for which I have searched many records and turned up nothing on it) and it is dated 1903. If this was the house, 203 High Street, referred to in the story above it is now known by a different number.

The next clue is on the 1911 Census and of the only Coe family on the High Street at that date - it shows Charles Coe living on the High Street with his family "near the school" - Temperance Villa shown above would have been built by this time - and is near the school on the High Street. This branch of the Coe family were certainly living along this stretch of the High Street in 1911, did one of these Coe ladies end up living in Temperance Villa and is this the house referred to above, what was then 203?

We might also be able to work out where 197 High Street, above mentioned, was and in turn know that across the road there was once an air-raid shelter - which may or may not remain in some form.

I have managed to find out a little more about the Steven's Bros Builders business. The picture below shows Albert Stevens and Jess Tabor in Cherry Hinton near the railway line, stating that they are both apprentice carpenters. The photo is not dated but as you will see from the other sources that I've managed to find, below, this helps us get an idea of what the Steven's Bros were doing in their business. 

You can see from the County Directory extract below that 'Stevens Brothers' are listed as builders and wheel-wrights.

Then, in this newspaper clipping below from 1936, we find that the Stevens Bros were the undertakers of a funeral! They give the address for the business as the High Street Cherry Hinton. As odd as this seems, to find them acting as undertakers, this was not unusual for joiners or furniture makers and like to do this at this time. I presume it would be because they are able to produce the wooden coffins but that's just my guess as to why this is the case, as in many similar firms across the country years ago - in fact Chippendale in London, the great furniture maker, also did the same, so it really was 'a thing'.

To add further proof that they were listed as builders and contractors but also carrying out undertaker services, you can see more detail on the bill below from 1935. Note the business header on this paper and the house shown.

You can see the details of the business still continuing in 1955 from the newspaper advert below.

A very important part of the village has been the British Legion Hall, first a shed-like building that once stood on the main recreation ground and then, when it was rebuilt down Fishers Lane. So many Cherry Hinton memories from both of these two  versions of the hall from over the years. The Fishers Lane hall was demolished about 10 years ago and now the houses of Poppy Close stand on its site. I have now discovered that the Stevens Bros were the builders for the British Legion Hut in Fishers Lane, as you'll see from the bill below. This is great to discover and will add a bit more to the story of the firm. Again note the header and picture of the house. They give their address as 77 & 79 High Street Cherry Hinton. 

The picture above shows the Fishers Lane, British Legion Hall, as it was, built by the Stevens Brothers of Cherry Hinton. 

Please do feel free to get in touch if you would like to add anything to this story or if you have any further information on the Stevens Bros.

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Here you will find the complete article by Chris Gifford 'Cherry Hinton 1946 Onwards' - if you haven't done so already, I would encourage you to take a brief look at the introduction page about the memory books and this accompanying article  first - which you can do by clicking the link here: Cherry Hinton Memory Books - Introduction
There are three books altogether and this one separately written article - you can find the links to the other books and this article by visiting the Cherry Hinton Memory Books Introduction page, mentioned above, or by searching the index (Categories) on the righthand side of this page or by using the search box on the right.

Cherry Hinton 1946 Onwards Chris Gifford 5.6.12

Chris Gifford Cherry Hinton Memories
 
“Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin!”
 
This we heard as infants in the school hall. A short story on the wireless in early afternoon, and afterwards, we had to lay on rush mats to try and sleep.
 
I remember that we had “Music” once a week. A low cupboard running down along one side wall, stored all of the instruments. We boys wanted to get hold of a drum. But as I sat near the opposite wall, all I ever had was the triangle – such a disappointment. So begineth the course for my life.
 
After one Christmas Party in the Hall, we came out to find that it had snowed. We began to make slides, but I had crepe soled sandals which would not slip. So, I made sure that I had leather soled shoes on the following day.
 
Near the entrance to the Playing Field was a small brick kiln, which seemed to be smouldering for days and blackened Pots etc eventually came out.
 
The Sports Days were exciting. We all had roped off areas for each class along the far side of the Playing Field. At one Sports Day, Susan Thompson and her friend were short of a third person. A teacher asked me to join in. The girls were a couple of years older than me, but they were ‘girls’, and I was confident that I would keep up with them. After about 20yards I realised that I couldn’t, and half-way along, they pulled me off my feet. So that I went head-long onto a white line. I returned to my class, looking, and feeling, a right Charlie.
 
I think that we all enjoyed “Tig-Ball”, when one was hit with a tennis ball, one joined the “catchers”, until there was only one person left.
 
Football was our passion. Putting a sleeveless jumper under one’s football shirt to keep warm. Having your mother’s women magazines down your socks as shinpads. Having football boots on already, before one caught the 131 Bus into town. The terrific racket stamping up the stairs to the top deck. Dangerous leather studs with protruding nails. Cutting three or four parallel cuts down one’s leg. Or in my case cutting mums mags to shreds.
 
I have always enjoyed dancing. Ballroom, Barn dancing, German dancing, I liked it all. And I put that down to the lady who used to come and teach us Country Dancing every week. I used to like dancing with a pretty girl with lovely red hair, freckles, and plaits down to her waist. I used to hold the door, as everybody came into the classroom. Quickly whisper to her, “Can I be your partner?” She always said “Yes”. You see that I never had trouble with girls under 12, and over 70. It was the bit in-between that caused me trouble!
 
At our recent Cherry Hinton Reunion at a Fulbourn Pub. I kept saying to ladies, “I’m looking for my Country Dancing partner. Was it you?”. Plenty of giggles, until I asked a rather younger young lady. A look of contempt came over her, and she said, “You had better ask my older sisters!” Boom! Boom!
 
It was clever of our Headmaster to play some classical music at morning Assembly. I liked “The Hall of Mountain King” best. He used to ask us questions. One was, “What is a weed?” And of course, we all gave various plants as the answer. But he said, “Anything in the wrong place. So, a potato could be a weed, or if one dropped a couple of lettuce seeds in the wrong place – they would be weeds.” I have remembered that answer for over sixty years, but the question has never turned up! So, if we have another C. Hinton Reunion, will somebody please ask me the question. Stop me dreaming about that answer!
 
I remember that the teacher asked us to bring a potato to school, as we were going to cut them in half, and make potato prints. Modern ideas even in those days. The following day, I walked to school with another boy, and as we reached the Tin Hut, we remembered – no potatoes. I used to help my dad with planting potatoes, so I knew that they wouldn’t be too deep. Somebody had a vegetable patch between the railway line path and the playground boundary. I told my friend to keep an eye out. Took a stick, ran over to the potatoes, and quickly dug two out. Of course, all afternoon, I was waiting for the headmaster to come into our class, but nothing happened.
 
Another time, the headmaster asked me to take a bundle of old letters to the Vicarage. The stamp on the top of the letters was Queen Victoria. Many of us collected stamps in those days. I kept looking at that stamp, and I gave into temptation, and ripped the corner off that envelope. (Even in later life, I was prone to give in to temptation – not stealing, unless it was a cherry). Then I thought, I’m going to get “told off” for taking one stamp, I might as well have more. I worried about it at the time, but nothing happened.
 
I remember a Vicarage Fete, and they had a painting competition at 6 pence per entry. I did a vase of flowers. A blue vase with some red crosses on it. John and Peter Hedge and their mother were going to the fete. I tagged on with them. The winning entries were pinned up on display boards. There was my painting, but with a girl’s name on it. I told Mrs Hedge, and she went over to tell them the mistake. When the prizes were given out, I was given two fairy cakes worth 6 pence. Disappointed Tunbridge Wells! I never went in for anymore painting competitions.
 
“Turf” cigarettes had printed cards onto the packaging. So, as we walked to and from school, little Eagle Eyes were on the lookout for old ‘Turf’ packets. Brian and Tony Tabor, as they lived at the Chequers Pub, suddenly cornered the market. They came to school with packets full of Turf cigarette cards. The dear boys had emptied out all of the Turf cigarettes and taken the packets. After which, customers were given their cigarettes in small paper bags.
 
Then dad had some pigs down the end of the garden and took some farming magazines. So, when our teacher asked us to look out for pictures of farmyard animals. Tony arrived for school with a whole pile of magazines and gave them out. But there were only a few pairs of scissors, and I became tired of waiting, so ripped out the various pictures. Pasted them in my book, job done. But the teacher was not impressed. This was while in the Tin Hut.
 
The teachers had a chart on the wall to record Tables. One had to say the table and then answer some questions, i.e. what is 7 x 3? 9 x 3? Etc etc. Success meant a star against your name. I struggled to get 2 stars, while some children had 5 or 6 stars.
 
I had forgotten that we had poetry and we had to write out the poems into our books. The neatest one got a prize. We boys discussed the prize as we walked home and decided that it must be a penknife! I won the prize, and it was a book of children’s poetry by R.L. Stephenson! Deep depression as we walked home. A poetry book of all things. Some weeks later in Assembly, the Headmaster asked a question to which the answer was R.L. Stephenson. Nobody knew the answer. He said, “I’m surprised that Chris Gifford didn’t know the answer, after winning that book of poetry by R.L. Stephenson”. Of course, I went as red as a beetroot, having not even opened the book. Last year at the Trumpington car boot, I brought a copy, thinking that I would actually read it after 60 years. But I mislaid it somewhere in my house. Sorry! Mr Stevenson.
 
We were writing with the simple nib pens and had to keep dipping the pens into the ink. When we came out of school one afternoon, a man was sitting outside the Tin Hut with a board of colourful fountain pens. They had wooden bodies. He said that if we brought him a bag of old clothes, we could get a pen. I ran home and got a bag of clothes. My mother being in Town. But he said that these weren’t enough, so I had to run home again, grab my dad’s old pullover and an old jacket, run back again. This time I was given a pen. The next morning in class a lot of us were writing with our bright, new pens.
 
Tony Tabor and I were good friends. By the time we were in the top class, bikes were beginning to become available. I was scared to sit on the saddle at first, so sat on the back mud guard. Spent hours going up and down the lane beside our old house, which led to the Stevens wood-yard and black barn. I was always after wood off-cuts and saw-dust. I took my bike to the Rec. Whilst there, I tried to sit on the seat, as the grass gave a softer landing, if I fell off. Once in the saddle proper I could ride to school.
 
Tony was also riding to school. One day we were racing each other home. Neck and neck, we peddled furiously. Suddenly we caught up with an old man going slowly. I was on the inside and I realised that if I braked to go around the outside of the old man, I would lose the race. I saw that there was just enough space for me to over-take on the inside as Tony on the out-side. We flashed past, and we could hear the shouting and swearing fading into the distance, as we arrived home. A draw!
 
There were a whole bunch of children who lived in Mill End Close, opposite to the Recreation Ground (Rec). We met on the Rec and soon had a game of football in progress. Anybody who turned up – played. 15 a side, 20 a side, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that the kid who owned the football turned up. Otherwise, we picked sides to play hide and seek (offs).
 
Initially, there was only a swing on the Rec. If one was on the swing, and a Tiger Moth flew up from Marshalls, it made a strange noise with one’s ears. Near the swings stood a circular stand of plum bushes, but with a hollow space in the middle. Somebody suggested going around the circle without touching the ground. Some promenade tree roots in some gaps helped this along. Next suggestion was tig, without touching the ground. Exciting stuff, but usually somebody went home with a dirty handkerchief tied around a leg wound.
 
There were bushes up the sides of the Rec and a line of mature trees across the end. More testing to our climbing skills. One day, Tony Tabor and I rode to the end of the Rec and decided to cut a track through the big trees. So, we spent a happy time with a spade and saw making our dirt track. Making a half circle with short branches on the Rec itself. We began the races beside the big trees, around the half-circle, and then to the trees. Any over-taking had to be done on the half-circle. We used to let other kids use our bikes to race. Plenty of fun, until it was another race between Tony and myself. Just before we went into the trees, Tony’s pedal went into my front wheel, and whipped out several spokes in a split second. My poor father used to spend a long day repairing cars at a garage along Cherry Hinton Road (Cambridgeshire Motors), cycle home, and find more work with our bicycles.
 
We made bows and arrows. Took then onto the Rec to see who could shoot the furthest. One boy had a large box kite, which went absolutely miles into the air. We spent many happy hours trying to make kites out of old newspapers, bamboo strips, glue, paint and string. We had to run at 50 miles an hour just to get those kites up in the air a bit.
 
Catapults were another obsession. As we wondered about, we always kept a good eye out for suitable wooden forks in a “Y’ shape.
 
I found a red car wheel innertube in my dad’s garage. “Borrowed” my mum’s scissors and cut off strips for catapults. I think that nearly every kid in the area, turned up for a pair of red rubber strips.
 
At the end of the Rec was usually a corn field, and we enjoyed making tracks and hiding places in it. Until the farmer sent the local Copper to tell us off.
 
I remember lovely summer evenings when we were all having great fun and our mother coming to the Rec to call us Gifford three in for bed. Looking at the older kids, who were allowed to stay out.
 
There are photos of my father as part of the Chequers Darts Team, in cricket whites in the Cherry Hinton Team, and he was in the Football Team. After he married, he didn’t have the time for any of it – which is sad.
 
Our place of joy was the Spinney. A wild place of small hills and a deep hollow, thick with bushes and some mature trees. To have such a place at one end of the village, opposite the “Robin Hood” pub was brilliant.
 
We used to gather on the Rec. Divide into two teams. One side would dash up to the Spinney to hide, while the other side counted up to 500 (nothing wrong with our village education!). Whoever was caught had to join the Seekers, until only one or two were left. Not being able to find them, sometimes we called out “We are going home!” and all troop out of the entrance. But then creep around the edges, waiting for movement. Then all poured in to give chase. My middle brother Dave (Todd) was extremely cunning at hiding. Once he sat in the middle of a creeper covered bush right beside a footpath. Another time, he climbed a tree and lay on an Ivy-covered branch, going over a footpath. So, we all passed by, underneath him. I once sat under a bush, only to be entertained by a little mouse fussing about.
 
In summer, we used to ride our bikes down the hollow. In winter, we went down on our home-made sledges.
 
There was a tall plant, which when old and dried out, made beautiful spears. The hard root had a long sharp point. We used to stand on a hill. Put the index finger on the end and hold the spear between the thumb and middle finger. Lift the spear up with the other hand, and throw. So, we all lined up on a hill. One, two, three, throw, and a whole shower of spears flew off. Most of us had wellies on. Once when I bent forward to collect my spear, another spear hit my wellie. It went through the top of my wellie, grazed my calf, and made a hole in the opposite side. Everybody was very impressed by the effectiveness of the spears. It was not until many years later, that I realised that the little rascal John Hedge, had deliberately thrown his spear at me!
 
If there were only two of us and we had catapults, we would hide behind two thick tree trunks, about 60-70 yards apart. Then fire lumps of chalk at each other. Chalk was slow in flight and easy to see. So, we didn’t get hit. But if one of us found a marble in our pockets, we called out a warning because one couldn’t see a marble in flight, and it was very accurate. We hid behind the tree trunk, as the marble thudded into it.
 
If any of us had any money, we bought a bottle of pop, and a batch of bread rolls from the bakers, near the Robin Hood. Then go into the Spinney to divide them out.
 
Opposite the Unicorn Pub in C.H. High Street, was a footpath between the houses. It led into the end of the Bakeries very long garden. We chose to walk up this path, because it went past various fruit trees. Especially a heavily loaded Victoria Plumb tree, right beside the path. So, on our way back with our loafs of bread, we would pinch several plumbs. (Still my favourite). But the baker used to wait outside the Robin Hood, for our father to cycle home, we got warned to leave the fruit alone. The smell of that Bakery was gorgeous. Those rolls had a special taste, not like the bland white bread of today.
 
Being the eldest son, our father used to put me on his bike, and cycle to the top of Cherry Hinton Road, to the Cattle Market. He used to buy cheese roll, which had thick slabs of cheddar. Several years ago, I went to the Bury St. Edmunds Cattle Market, and brought some cheese rolls and it was the same taste. I was delighted.
 
Opposite the Robin Hood was the spring, and one could see the water bubbling up, a pile of fine grit moving about. There was an island with mature trees. We put down branches to make a bridge. We got onto the island but several of us had wet feet. The water became deeper, and it was covered in thick weed. But there was a clear patch, and a large Pike could often be seen sun-bathing. One day a group of bigger boys from the Church End of the village, arrived with home-made spears to get the Pike. They were all standing in the water, which had gone muddy, shouting at each other and stabbing the water. It’s a wonder none of them were injured. They all cycled off, but I think, without the Pike, which must have swam downstream to find a new home.
 
At the other end of the spring was a high black metal fence. But we could get our feet between the uprights and walk over to the other side. There was a large meadow, and the stream went on to Cherry Hinton Hall. At the time the Hall was in private hands. The back of the Hall was an overgrown jungle. So, we could follow the stream along and into this brilliant place. If we made too much noise, there was always the possibility of being chased by one of the gardeners. I remember one sunny day, and we were following a track through the jungle. I climbed onto a thick fallen tree trunk and was just about to jump down, when in a patch of sunlight lay two grass snakes. I yelled “Snakes”, and we all ran off in panic. Us little boys had never seen snakes before and were easily scared.
 
There was another set of black metal fencing at the other side of the C. H. Hall, which we could easily climb around and come out at the Brook and allotments. So, we could return home along Mill End Lane.
 
We spent hours and hours down at the Brook, catching sticklebacks. Most of them were 3 spine but occasionally we caught a black 10 spine fish. Usually, it was my brother Dave who caught the 10 spine fish, as he went down the stream of the Wooden Bridge, and just used his hands to catch fish. Further down-stream, where it was too deep to paddle, we had some thread and a cane, tied on a small nut for a weight and a small worm. The bigger sticklebacks would take in the end of the worm, and we would gently pull them out. Sometimes they dropped off but in the Brook.
 
We lived in the “Red House”, which was a pair of old red brick semi’s, belonging to the Church. We were on the High Street, opposite the Chequers, and the Thatched Cottage. It was only a one room up and one down. Very dark inside, and dark twisting stairs. We had gas lights and had to go “over the yard” to an old wooden hut privy. Dad had a large shed next door, where he had a vice, tools, and car parts, as he was a mechanic by trade. By watching him in his shed, we learnt about the various tools and how to use them. We used to make our own trolleys, fishing rods, and sledges etc. Although we left his tools all over the place, I think dad was quite proud of our efforts.
 
One day, Billy Taylor and I were looking around in dads shed. Billy picked up a strange box with a plunger on top. Pressed the plunger and it made a horrible noise. It was a horn from an old 1920’s Taxi. Beside the Thatched Cottage, on the other side of the road, was a large meadow going down to Fishers Lane. The farmer kept a mixture of white bull, cows, and a couple of horses, all in together. We sat on top of the wooden rails and took it in turn to press the plunger. Weerrker! Weerrker! Weerrker!
 
The animals began to run I a group around the meadow. Weerrker! Weerrker! Weerrker! More and more noise. Faster and faster went the animals, until it was like a wild west stampede. They were thundering around. While at the Fishers Lane end, the white bull disappeared right through the hedge. We ran into the middle of the road and looking anxiously to see what would happen. Suddenly, the white bull appeared, coming straight down the middle of the road towards us. We immediately ran for my dad’s shed, and looked out from the doorway, as the bull went past. 
 
We stood in the middle of the road again and watched the bull going up towards the Robin Hood. Sometime later, back came the bull with a man on a bike guiding him home. Back in the shed again. A lot of excitement and we got away with it completely.
 
The next house along was a big house made out of chalk/clunch, most probably from the Spinney. There was a long barn at right angles to the house, and a tall pole, which could have been a wireless Ham Radio. Every evening a little owl sat on top of that pole and screeched.
 
Beside the chalk house was a footpath going to Mill End Lane, and so was our short-cut to the Brook. One side of the footpath were trees and bushes, and on the otherside a large meadow with a tall pear tree and a carthorse. The pears were small, red/yellow and sweet. The ripe ones dropped onto the grass, and we would go over the fence, run out to the tree, picking up as many as we could, stuffing them down our shirts. But the carthorse didn’t like us in his meadow, and always chased us out.
 
So, some of us lads went to the Mill End Lane end of the meadow, The horse gave chase, as we others went in for the pears. As soon as he saw us at the tree, he came charging up. But we already had our fruit.
 
For us boys, the best place in the world was Woolworths. They sold what we wanted. Foreign stamps, balsa wood gliders, marbles, and fishing kit. Brilliant.
 
Brian and Johnny Richardson lived on Coldhams Lane, and they had the Cement Works pit beside them. A real source of adventure. Their father took them on bikes right to the end of Coldhams Lane, over Newmarket Road, past the Gas Works and to the River Cam. So instead of sticklebacks, they were catching Gudgeon, Roach, and Perch. Huge monsters in comparison. They told us lads at school and got us all excited.
 
Woolworths sold a beginner’s kit of line, float, weight and hook on a card. Dad got a piece of 1” square board, knocked in some staples, and nailed on a cotton reel, so I could wind on the line, and fix the hook to the staple. Dad found an empty paint tin, and a piece of white bread. Ready.
 
From the Chequers, I cycled up to Coldhams Lane and met Brian and Johnny. That first time seemed a long cycle ride. Too much anticipation I suppose. Soon we were beside the river, and I watched what they were doing. Put my float up to fish close to the bottom. Gudgen shoal on the bottom and bite freely. So, it’s only a couple of minutes before one of us has a bite and swings in a sturdy fish. We only had to fish 3” or 4” from the bank, so it was easy fishing. Time goes by quickly when you are having fun. We gradually moved upstream until we came to the Jesus Green Weir, and that became our favourite place. Fishing became one of our main hobbies. We three Gifford brothers always took our rods in the car, whenever dad took us out. Even coming back from a Hunstanton seaside trip, the rods were with us. Halfway back home he always stopped at an isolated pub right beside the river (A10). We caught some lovely silver bream, another new species for us. Dad always came along with glasses of pop and crisps. We didn’t mind how long our parents were chatting in the pub, and it was always disappointing to have to stop fishing.
 
Brian Richardson became a very accomplished fisherman. After about 50 years I was able to obtain his phone number and we are going to meet up and have a go at fishing again. And of course, it will give us a chance to chat about our childhoods.
 
There was no T.V. when we were young. The Victoria Cinema on the Market Square used to run Sat morning films for us children. The “minors” had a membership card, and sometimes checked the cards at our back of the cinema entrance, beside the Holy Trinity Church. The Mark’s & Spencer shop is now on the site. My friend Billy Taylor had forgotten his card at that morning’s check-up. I went through, and then sneaked my card to Billy behind the back of the checkers. They made us sing songs first of all. The words were put up on screen, and a white ball bounced along the words. Quite boring, unless it was the Woody Woodpecker song, and we could make a lot of noise.
 
The films begum with cartoons, then a serial of a cowboy, detective, or later a space film. One could see the cotton holding up the spaceship and smoke just puffed out of rockets. The serial always ended at a critical point. Was the hero going to survive a tomahawk blow, or a gun shot? How was he going to get out of this tricky situation? Then we had a full-length film, and we loved Tarzan of the Apes, or Cowboys & Indians. After the cinema, we looked around the Markey Square. Our dad used to mend the car of a market trader who used to sell broken biscuits. We used to say hello to him, and he would say “Hello, the Gifford Boys”, and give us a bag of mixed biscuit pieces. Then to Woolworths to spend our 6 pence pocket money. Before catching the 131 Bus back to Cherry Hinton.
 
A group of bigger boys were discussing the Treasure Island film about Pirates etc. I ran home and asked my mother whether I could go with them, and she said yes, which surprised me. It was a very exciting film. Especially when the boy had climbed into the near empty apple barrel and he over-heard Long John Silver’s plan. A Pirate was just about to stab into the barrel for an apple, when land was sighted. Again, when a pirate had chased the boy up to the Crow’s nest, and the boy had to shoot him.
 
Recently, I have been able to obtain a copy of that film and enjoyed watching it once again.
 
On the corner of Mill End Close and the High Street was a Grocers shop. In those days, nothing was packed. So the staff had to cut, pour and pack every item. Consequently, there were very long queues in the shop. I was only about four years old, and my mother used to give me a list and money. The shop was always crowded to the door. All I could see were legs. I used to worm my way to the counter and could just hold up the list above it. Which attracted attention and I was soon served. I remember one woman saying loudly “why is he the last in but the first to get served?” 
 
I think that we lived in a golden age for childhood, and we all had a very happy and exciting time.

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Here you will find the complete contents of Cherry Hinton Memories Book Three - if you haven't done so already, I would encourage you to take a brief look at the introduction page about these books first - which you can do by clicking the link here: Cherry Hinton Memory Books - Introduction
There are three books altogether and one separately written story - you can find the links to the other books and story by visiting the Cherry Hinton Memory Books Introduction page, mentioned above, or by searching the index (Categories) on the righthand side of this page or by using the search box on the right.

BOOK THREE

Book Three “The Golden Years - Cherry Hinton, 1930's-1960's"
Contains memories from:
Unknown
Christine Wright
Mavee Williams
Malcolm Jobson
Bett Dawson
Stuart Nunn
Neville Cullup
Basil Simpkins
Tony Tabor
David Gifford
Kenneth Gifford

Below you will find the full transcription of book three, copied as it is, with pictures of the handwritten stories to compare (and send me any corrections!). You can choose to read through it here or, for more detail, you can click on one of the names above to see their story individually and any extra pictures that I have added to illustrate their story.

Book 3 The Golden Years Cherry Hinton 1930's-1960's.

​Unknown: Cherry Hinton Memories
 
I was born in the middle of the night in February 1944, in a council house up Fulbourn Road beside the Spinney and at the other end was a big Dutch barn, both the Spinney and the Dutch barn were ideal for children to play in.
 
The council houses at Fulbourn Road were the latest in Cherry Hinton, completed in 1939. They had flushing toilets, a luxury that not everyone enjoyed in England during the 1940’s.
 
I recall in my pre-school days the High Street was not made up and not kerbed all the way from the Robin Hood corner to the school – which was opposite Ling’s sweet shop.
 
We could drink the water from the natural spring opposite the Robin Hood where wild Honeysuckle grew and Moorhens nested on the island. There was a green triangle that made the slip road from Queen Edith's way to Cherry Hinton Road and Mr Scott, who lived in the first house by the Spinney in Queen Ediths Way used to hold Sunday service for the young men of the parish.
 
There were two thatched cottages in the corner of the Spinney opposite the Robin Hood where the late Bricky Mason used to live in one.
 
Turkeys often wandered along the High Street from Stevens Builders Yard where they were being fattened up for Christmas (meat was on ration).
 
In the late 1940’s for pre-school children Cherry Hinton was idyllic with the war over. We had the Spinney, the Recreation Ground, Cherry Hinton Hall, the chalk pits and lime pits, with only the chalk pits still being worked of these – we could roam free all over the village.
 
Fulbourn Road in the late forties and early fifties was home to lots of children. The games we played too numerous to remember all. The council house side was on a sub-road with only one entrance for cars, you could draw anything on the road and play. There were several variations of hop-scotch and with the Spinney and chalk pits nearby there was no shortage of chalk. I recall the game with the most competitive edge, passion, and arguments, that lasted days or until the next time all the children were available for a re-match was rounders – “boys against girls a catch was the whole side out”.
 
On the Recreation Ground then half the size it is now, as Bullard’s Brewery owned the Chequers and allotments behind it, there was Sid Hancock’s bungalow – the village cobbler. The old British Legion “Hut” as the locals called it was a long, mainly wooden structure built on raised concrete stilts, therefore small children could easily move underneath it. The Rec in those days had lots of bushes around it and small copses of trees more natural and evolved than the well organised and designed as today – but much more fun for children.
 
On V.E. day in May 1945 Fulbourn Road children had a celebration party under the Dutch barn.
 
In the late 40’s and early 50’s on a Saturday morning and early arrival was Mr Hardwick who came down the Fulbourn Road with a horse and cart, it was a mobile shop.
 
A thatched cottage caught fire on Saturday morning in the High Street 1955 and the Esso Garage and Petrol Station were built there.

Christine Wright nee Ellison Cherry Hinton Memories 12 Nov 2012
 
Cherry Hinton in the 50’s & 60’s was very special. I know everyone will say that about their village but it is true. Bert Quinney’s shop – he could serve 10 people at once as he knew who came in for cigarettes & what brand, he knew who paid cash and who had “tick”. I am sure he was the shopkeeper who “Open All Hours” character “Arkwright” was based on. Pledges newsagent in Coldhams Lane used to sell comics which were out of date much cheaper. I used to love going there to get “Bunty”. Greenwoods sweet shop near the railway was so small. In the 70’s Mrs Greenwood used to do chiropody. Our Sunday “paper boy” was Jim Chapman – bringing us the News of the World.
 
We lived in the prefabs in Teversham Drift which were lovely & warm until 1964 when we had to move to Fulbourn Road as they were going to be demolished. The house in Fulbourn Road was a shock as there was an outside toilet & ice on the inside of the windows! 
 
Cherry Hinton Infants School with Mrs Holman as Headmistress. She showed my mum (Tess) the drawing I had done titled ‘what I did on a Sunday morning’. It was a picture of my friend Valerie Betts and I playing in the garden of the Red Lion while my mum was inside having a drink. All the other pictures were of children going to Sunday School, going to nana’s, taking the dog for a walk etc. Well, she always told me to tell the truth!
 
Miss Rush riding her ‘sit up & beg’ bike across the playground & all the children jumping out of the way convinced she would run them over. Was there a child in Cherry Hinton who was not frightened of her???
 
Colville School with Mr Farmer as Headmaster. Being milk monitor & carrying the crates on a cold icy morning & the milk had frozen forcing the top of the bottle was a highlight. Playing tig off ground in the girls toilets & being sent to Mr Farmer for the steel ruler treatment. Daren’t tell my mum otherwise I would have got another clout when I got home.
 
Many, many memories.
 
Christine Wright nee Ellison

Maree Williams nee Stevens Cherry Hinton Memories Nov 2012
 
My sister and I were born in the front room of Fulbourn Road in 1944, and I lived there until I got married. Growing up in Cherry Hinton was childhood heaven, we spent most of our time playing outside in the road, the Spinney, down the Rec and in the big barn at the end of our road and round the back of the houses there were allotments, no buildings then. My father kept pigs and chickens and Roy Tabor had a shepherd’s hut on his. My father used to walk the sows all the way down the High Street to Mr Fabbs pigs opposite the church.
 
We knew mostly all the neighbours, Tabors, Grays, Chapman, Walders, Clarke, Pearson. We would start building a bonfire weeks before Nov all the road contributing and on Nov 5th used to go with our potatoes. No fancy fireworks then – bangers, rockets, Catherine wheels. We would try and keep embers going for days.
 
We used to be sent to shop in Smiths. – on the bk, and George Parish the butchers used to have a bike with a  huge basket on the front, smoking and coughing his heart out, then there was Arkright himself – Bert Quinney with his brown coat on.
 
Love Lane was another haunt there was a scrummy pear tree in the middle of the field ideal for scrumping, messing about down the island and falling in trying to get to the middle, playing in the buttercup field opposite the Spinney, doing a paper round on the new estate after collecting the papers from Jim Chapman in Coldhams Lane
 
We used to walk round from school once a week for country dancing, a lady used to play the accordion, and many happy times spent in the Tin Hut, it looks a bit worse for wear now. We also had lots of dancing etc. in the British Legion Hall down Fishers Lane, mostly every week there were live groups, rock, roll and skittle, Mark Arnold and Jonny Collum absolutely packed, great, happy times.

​Malcolm Jobson Cherry Hinton Memories – 20/12/2012 – 75 High Street (after Giffords)
 
My family, the Jobson’s, mum Mary, dad Tom, Michael, Margaret, Alan and Brian, arrived in Cherryhinton in the early 1950’s from Radwinter End near Saffron Walden. We lived at number 75 High Street in a tied semi-detached home which belonged to the farm owned by Mr Chalk, where my dad worked as a famer. Mr Chalk was also an auctioneer at the cattle market which is now the industrial site at the top of Cherry Hinton Road near the railway.
 
After Mr Chalk died, the farm and the field were sold and now is the Chelwood Road estate behind Rectory Terrace on the High Street.
 
We later moved onto the Colville Road estate to live at No. 10 Drayton Close, my dad still lives there today with my brother Alan.
 
Going back to the house on the High Street, behind there was a builders yard owned by Mr Stevens who had a son called David whom I played games with. He had a elder brother who played football for Cherryhinton F.C. I had another mate named Peter Anderson who lived in Fishers Lane near the little chapel, we all used to go on the bus with the football team to away matches on Saturday afternoons. Some player’s I remember in the team were, Brian Stevens, Peter Dean, Billy Chapman, Mick Colville, Sam Bartrum, Ron Hagerty, to name a few, and the manager was a Mr Denny who lived in Queen Edith’s Way.
 
Opposite our house, and still there today is a little thatched cottage where Mrs Jane Elwood lived, a lovely old lady who used to give us children sweets and drink (orangeade). Behind her house was a field which someone used to keep a little pony, and every weekend a male patient from Fulbourn Hospital used to bring a carrot to feed it. We named him Pony Man. The site now belongs to Tony Mason Plastic Engineers.
 
To the left side of our home was a big white cottage and when the wife died the gentleman had it burnt down, and he went to live in a caravan in in the orchard at the bottom of his garden.
 
My friend Peter’s mum used to work as a cleaner at the big house in the middle of Cherry Hinton Hall grounds. At that time it was used as a play group, and one day, when his mum was there working she let us go down into the cellars which are still there today. It now belongs to Cambridge City Council who hire it out. At the back is a large playing field. When myself and Peter came out of Netherhall School we used to kick a tennis ball to each other on our way home. 
 
Later when we were in our teens we met up with a lot more youngsters and we formed a Sunday football team which was called Hinton Rangers F.C. and we became the first team to win the newly formed league by one of our lads named Bruce Badcock and someone from the Cambridge newspaper. I remember we all met round Mick Davey’s house near Queen Ediths School to pick the name of the club and the all-green kit we played in by a show of our hands.
 
At the top of Fishers Lane on the High Street now stands a Guest House, before it was a home to Mr West who owned the Renault Garage at the top of Coldhams Lane near the traffic lights. They also had a son called Martin who used to let me and Peter play snooker on his father’s table.
 
The little hut in the picture with the lamp post outside in Mrs William’s Story was a classroom for the infants school which I had when I went there. We all loved Cherryhinton village as it was then, we knew a lot of people, who looked after the little ones, watched it grow to what it is now, no longer a village, but a part of the City.
 
By: Malcolm Jobson.

​Bett Dawson (nee Stevens) Cherry Hinton Memories
 
In February 1938 we moved from a farmhouse in Shelford Bottom to the new council house in Fulbourn Road Cherry Hinton. My mum and dad and two brothers Peter and John, and my sister Pam. I was 9 years old.
 
We thought we were in heaven, bathroom, hot and cold water, flush toilet (even though it was outside).
 
We all went to the school in the High Street, Mr Bray was the headmaster, the times I’ve stood on a chair and was hit on the back of my legs with a ruler.
 
We spent holiday playing marbles in the street and hopscotch. My father was in the T.A. and went straight in the army when war was declared. During the war there was dances every Saturday in the Legion hut on the Rec, you could hardly move let alone dance it was so crowded, especially when the pubs closed.
 
We used to sit on the bank and watch the army convoys going down Fulbourn Road, on one such convoy there was a fatal accident near Fulbourn Hospital, my father built an air raid shelter in the garden but we rarely used it, it was much better to get under the table when the sirens went. Then we had the evacuees form London, the brightened things up. One or two families stayed in the village after the war.
 
In 1947 the weather was very bad, we had lots of snow, my brother Pete and I had to get in the loft and shovel snow out, the inside of the windows were iced over and you can guess what it was like getting up in the morning and walking on cold lino.
 
Over the years, whenever I’ve been, I’ve always come back to Cherry Hinton it was a lovely place to live, and I’m still living in Fulbourn Road.
 
Bett Dawson (Nee Stevens)

Stuart Nunn Cherry Hinton Memories 04/02/14
 
I was born on 27th April 1951 to Jim and Joyce Nunn (nee Elliot) and we initially lived in a room on Fulbourn Road next door to the Plumbs. Mum was the daughter of Kathleen and Bill Elliot who lived in Fishers Lane. Bill worked at the cement works and spent a lot of time at the Five Bells in the High Street and I remember on one occasion he fell off his bicycle attempting to get home after a session in the pub. Her mother also lived in Fishers Lane and I believe the family history goes back many years before that. Around the age of about 3 mum and dad got themselves a council house in Drayton Road, dad spent most of his time on the allotment and playing football for Cherry Hinton who were a very successful team in those days. I can remember as a young lad going football training with dad at Stevens Farm in Teversham and I think we were one of the few teams that had floodlight facilities for training. We used to watch the Cherries on the Rec and in the mid 50’s they won the premier division of the Cambs league and I recall seeing such people as Brian Stevens, Peter Dean, Billy Chapman in the team. I remember Mr Rust the hairdresser as one of the driving forces.
 
I used to go to the 27th Cubs at the red hut on the railway line and always went to Auntie Nelly and Uncle Charlie Mason who lived in Railway Street for my tea on a Thursday. Their daughter Ann would always make sure that my ears were clean and that my hands were not dirty before attending Cubs. When I visited Aunty Nelly and Uncle Charlie I used to play with their son Tony who used to shoot birds in the garden with his air rifle and I had the most enjoyable times playing with him. Mum and dad were regulars at the Unicorn where they played both skittles and darts and I can remember as a young boy sitting in the garden eating my crisps and glass of lemonade, the landlord being Reg and Daisy Fuller who would be always bickering with each other but the pub was very much community orientated with lots of Cherry Hinton people enjoying themselves.
 
I used to go shopping with mum at the co-op and was fascinated to see the money shooting around the tubes when she paid for goods. Gran had her groceries delivered from Bowyers but unfortunately their demise came in the late 60’s.
 
In my early teens my friends and myself used to visit Bob Hirsts fish and chip shop in the High Street who used to sell marvellous pickled onions and would always give you a bag full of fritters when you bought your chips.
 
Mum and dad then bought their first house in Claygate Road, Cherry Hinton for I believe in the region of £3,000 and I was lucky to pass the 11 plus and caught the bus from the High Street to Soham Grammar School on a daily basis.
 
When I was 16 dad encouraged me to join Cherry Hinton Football Club and I can remember dear old Bunny Tabor finding it difficult to keep up to date with play acting as a linesman. I was lucky enough to achieve first team recognition and a small amount of success was forthcoming. Most of the players came from Cherry Hinton such as Trevor Chapman, Tony Tabor, Paul Ritson, Barry Witt, Mick Colville, and the rest I just cannot remember.
 
A lot of my early years was football orientated and I can remember in the school holidays spending virtually all my spare time playing football on the Rec.
 
The only other activity on the Rec or near the Rec scrumping in the apple trees in the orchard which backed onto the Rec and we were only caught on one occasion and my god whoever hit us, hit us hard with a very large stick.
 
I think that covers the 50’s and 60’s and my recognition of what was then a great village to live in and I have not lived in Cherry Hinton since my early 20’s and am now semi retired living near to the Suffolk coast.
 
Mum died some 12 years ago and dad recently passed away on 9th December 2013. We have now sold the family house and I must say Cherry Hinton has changed so much, not for the better but I still have very fond memories of my early years.
 
Stuart Nunn 04/02/14

Nev Cullup Cherry Hinton Memories
 
I was born on 1st October 1936 at 6 Railway Street, Cherry Hinton in the front bedroom that looked out onto the cement works. Next door but one to my friend Tony Mason and his sister Ann.
 
My father Bert Cullup and mother Daisy had moved with my sister June from Fishers Lane to look after my grandfather Jim Fisher who worked for Pamplins Agricultural Engineers as a foreman driving threshing and ploughing steam engines. He was well known as the Steam Engine Man.
 
During the war I remember my father was a nightwatchman for Thompson’s Yard in the High Street. He dug an enormous hole in the back garden, then bought a large car body from Richies in Coldhams Lane and put it in the hole with steps down to the door and covered over with railway sleepers and earth.
 
When the sirens sounded we all got into the home made shelter together with our neighbours from number 4 the Stevens. However my grandfather Fisher refused to leave his bed.
 
I can remember bombs dropping over the railway line in a field close to Orchard Estate. One dropped through the roof of the cement works but failed to explode. However the one that fell on Riches Yard killed his guard dog. I can distinctly remember, even now, the sound of the Doddlebugs as they went overhead.
 
I remember my grandfather James Fisher cycling to nearby villages as foreman to oversee the ploughing and threshing engines from Pamplins who lived in ‘The Battlements’ in Fernlea Close.
 
Nearer to home I can recall at least 4 stacks waiting to be threshed at the end of Fishers Lane which was then an unmade road. The smell and heat from these mighty steam engines that remains with me to this day.
 
Also in Fisher Lane on the right Ray Cawston’s father George kept pigs. He also operated a mobile greengrocery van with his wife Gladys.
 
I remember coal being delivered to the school in the High Street through a sort of trap door in the wall to fire the tortoiseshell stove in the Parish Room (Green Hut) and the open fires in the classrooms. These were tended by the school caretaker Harold Fabb. On cold days in the winter the third pints of milk would be stood around these fires to warm – no ‘health and safety’ then.
 
Regarding memories of the school, I remember a sliding partition between Miss Wilson’s and Miss Rush’s classes which was folded back nearing Christmas to facilitate the playing of numerous simple but enjoyable games. Hester Anderson from Fishers Lane was the school cleaner. A large bell hung in an archway on the roof over the top of the school office with a rope hanging down into the hall. Perhaps somebody will recall it ringing?
 
Owen Fabb was a friend and his father Harold kept pigs and one cow in a field beside Fulbourn Old Drift. During the summer holidays when I was 9, Owen and I hoed almost a whole field of sugar beet. Harold gave me a suckling pig which I took home in a home-made wheelbarrow, to a sty in the garden. I called the pig Marco Polo as we were studying the adventures of Marco Polo in Miss Lilley’s class. One Saturday morning I remember Harold wanted to get the cow out from its stall. He tied a rope to her halter and round his waist. After some considerable pulling and swearing the cow bolted pulling Harold halfway across the field with both ending up in a ditch much to my and Owen’s amusement.
 
When I was 10 years old I developed a TB hip and was sent to a hospital in Shropshire. The school P.T.A. sent me 2 books and Sylvia Horner sent me comics. My own mother wrote to me every day, including Sundays for 5 years, she also sent food parcels twice a week because the hospital food, before the NHS, was quite awful. Five years later, after an operation, when I returned home, most of my contemporaries had finished secondary school.
 
I learned to walk again, then Mick Bentley and I made a table tennis table in a large shed in Steven’s Builders Yard in the High Street. We hired the Parish Room (Green Hut) and started a table tennis club. Among the members I remember were Ken Harrison, Fred Rentcomb, Peter Tyrrell, Peter Dean, Peter and Michael Boland and some local girls. We met most Friday nights and entered a good team in the Cambridge League for several years.
 
Opposite the Parish Room (Green Hut) in 1956 Lings shop was bought by Ted and Audrey Cunningham with their young daughter Sally. They introduced me to their niece Janet then 16 who I married in 1959. That same year I bought the bungalow and show repair business from Sid Hancock after working for him for 7 years. I continued the business until April 2013.
 
These are just a few of my memories of a Cherry Hinton childhood – perhaps I should write a book!

Basil Simpkins Cherry Hinton Memories Nov 2014
 
 
I was born 31st Jan 1941 at 36 Mill End Road, the youngest child of Ralph & Irene. I had two older sisters Daphne & Beryl, who have both sadly passed away. I remember the blacksmith at the top of the road and Chalks Farm at the bottom.
 
One incident I have always remembered was when my mum cycled by the brook through to Mill Road with me on the front I pointed to a Barrage Balloon in the sky & we both ended up in the water! I remember seeing the ration books hanging on the line to dry out.
 
Before I started school I played with Susan Thompson, who lived next door. I learnt that it’s not a good idea to chase women after chasing her round her rockery and cracking my head on a rock!
 
When I started school in the village I was in Miss Wilson’s class and we drew on little chalk boards. At the end of the day the children who had been good had a turn on the rocking boat. I then went to Miss Rush where I peaked and was top of the class (the only time!). I remember the start chart with the times tables on it and instruments mentioned by Chris Gifford.
 
In Miss Dunnett’s class I think we made made models with Homerton students. I enjoyed playing football and cricket in Mr Read’s class. I passed the 11 plus and went to the Central School with Chris Gifford, Dicky Pilsworth and ? Stevens. Tony Mason went to the “County”. I had happy years there, especially enjoying chess, football & cricket and maths.
 
At Cherry Hinton School I also remember country dancing with Mr North. We did a display on Sports Day and I danced with Doreen Fabb.
 
Around the village I remember playing on the Rec. with Tony & Brian Tabor, Peter & Michael Boland, John & Peter Hedge, John Cornell, Chris Gifford, Brian Grey, Billy Taylor & others. There was a track at the top of the Rec. for riding bikes between the trees. Ray Causton had the best bike. Billy Taylor would take his air pistol & rifle up there and if we were lucky he let us have a go.
 
We played in the brook – building dams and fishing for sticklebacks. My sister and I would go through Cherry Hinton Hall grounds across the wall at the lake, around the springs and into the High Street.
 
I was not allowed to go in the Spinney but of course I did! We loved building dens, making fires and playing “offs”. I remember bikes being ridden up and down the hills. I once borrowed Chris Gifford’s bike (I didn’t have one), came off halfway down, Brian Tabor came behind and his pedal hit my eye. I told my parents I had fallen over on the Rec & hit my eye on a brick! I had a black eye for ages.
 
In the hard winter of 1947 I remember we went into the field at Fishers Lane where there were icy pools. Margaret Boland was the first to run across the ice, making it crack!
 
I joined the Cubs in 1949 and loved the Cubs and Scouts, with Mr Ward the Scout Master. We had summer camps at Pakefield and Cromer and weekends at Pampisford Hall. We went in the back of Steven’s lorry. One Bob-a-Job I remember making sausages for George Parish the butcher with Michael Boland – very unhygienic! 
 
During the holidays we would go out on all-day cycle rides, sometimes Newmarket or Royston. I must have been impressed with Royston because when I married in 1966 I moved there and have lived there ever since! Tony Tabor also married that year. We have remained good friends and meet up regularly – often reliving happy childhood memories of Cherry Hinton.

Tony Tabor Cherry Hinton Memories Jan 2015
 
Sorry, my memory is not good!!
I lived in the Chequers Public House on the High Street, Cherry Hinton with my mum Nellie, dad Jesse and brother Brian.
 
I remember going to school with Basil Simpkins, Chris Gifford, Bill Taylor, Brain Gray, also Peter and Mick Boland.
 
I also remember the butcher George Parish and also the shoe mender Sid Hancock (that was before Nev Cullup took over the business).
 
We had an Anderson bomb shelter in the back garden of the Chequers and Brian and I would play in and around it, I remember one of us fell down the shaft and hurt ourselves badly, but I can’t remember which one of us it was!!
 
Our father had a newspaper business and we would go with him very early in the morning to collect the papers from the train station, then we would help to deliver them around Cherry Hinton houses.
 
When we were old enough we both helped mum and dad by serving in the Pub behind the bar, there were lots of great characters – Bags Chapman, Cyril Murrell.
 
Wonderful memories.

David Gifford Cherry Hinton Memories – Ex – 75 High Street. Opposite to the Thatched Cottage. June 2018.
 
We went to school one day, and found some tyres in the playground. They were for a race on Sports Day. A boy was to sit inside the tyre, and another boy to push it along. Billy Taylor asked me to sit inside a tyre. When the race started, Billy gave a really big push, and away went the tyre over the finishing line, and continued until I think somebody stopped the tyre. When I looked back, I was the only one over the finishing line, thanks to Billy.
 
When I first went to school, I played with the bigger boys. One day a boy called me toddler, so I ran after him to hit him. All of the boys began to call me toddler, which after a time shortened to Todd. So Todd I was throughout my life.
 
When I was about seven years old, we were told about Cave Men at school, and I thought that I would like a Cave. So I took a spade and fork down to the bottom of our garden, next to Mill End Close. I began to dig a hole. Soon, some boys came by, and asked me what I was doing. When I told them, they came into my garden to help. More boys came by, and they helped too. But then I put the fork into my foot. It hurt, so I got out of the hole. By this time there were too many boys to dig. So some of them went onto the Playing Field (Rec). They returned with sticks and green plants to put over the deep hole. They had just finished, when my mother came to see what we were doing. She was not happy at all. Some of the gang had gone into Mill End Close. My mother was telling them off; when she stepped back onto the roof of our hole, which gave way, and she fell in. The gang ran off to the Playing Field, but I couldn’t run as my foot hurt so much. I didn’t know that my mother could speak a foreign language. I didn’t understand one word, but I knew that I was in for it when she got out of our hole.
 
Yes we had a great childhood.
 
They were happy days, but sadness too. After some years, I went to C.H. High Street. I knew that it was just before John Cornell’s 50th birthday. So I bought a card, and gave it to his mother to post. Some weeks later, he phoned me, and that was great. He said that he would look me up, but it didn’t happen. That year I was told that he had died on the way home from work. Only 50 years old.
 
I have had a good life. I became a Christian in my teens. I live near St. David’s in Wales, which is not much bigger than Cherry Hinton in the 1940’s.
 
I can look out of a window and see a line of hills two miles away, and the sea in another direction. It is great!
 
Todd. 

Kenneth Gifford (Kenny) Cherry Hinton Memories 2/04/2020
 
Hi, 
 
My name is Kenneth Gifford (Kenny). I’m the youngest brother of three, Chris and David (Todd). Mother “Dot” and dad “Sid”. 
 
We have lived in the forties and fifties in the oldest house in Cherry Hinton High Street opposite the old Chequers Pub run by the Tabors. A big Tudor house with a large garden which went right down to Mill End Close where a lot of our friends lived.
 
My first recollection of growing up in Cherry Hinton was sitting on a little seat on my mother’s bicycle at the age of three and half going to pick potatoes in the large field running down the side of Fulbourn Old Drift opposite the parish church. The church where I was nearly stopped for going because I would not sit quietly. Like others, we also all went to the Baptist Church where I remember the Smith sisters would be teaching in Sunday School. Owners of the lovely little grocery shop near Roots Bakery.
 
The school has already been mentioned by others, I can only add that it holds some of my happiest memories. Mr Farmer and my form teacher Mrs Rush, I can still remember running home to tell mum and dad that Mrs Rush had given me the “ruler” across both calves for being cheeky. Me!! I remember one school Nativity play, the school hall was packed, people standing at the back and sides and four young boys were shepherds in the field looking after their sheep. Itchy blankets, tea towel on the head, sitting around a pretend fire. I only had one line “The star is very bright”. This unfortunately came out as “Cor Blimey me, it ain’t half bright in’t!!” My mother took days before she would leave the house. Someone said “A star was born”.
 
The games of conkers and marbles played in the playground were legendary. We always collected an abundance of conkers from the conker trees on our way to school. During September, just past Lover’s Lane was the farmers field which had a very large walnut tree. Iron Railings right along the path with just one bent railing just enough to squeeze through!! But there was always a very large unfriendly white horse just waiting for us. So with carrots in one hand one of the boys would try to lure the beast to the other end of the field, many a times I would just make it back through the railing!!
 
The Rec was another source of fun. Crawling under the British Legion Hut just behind the cobblers bungalow, especially when the dances were being held. We would watch our hero’s playing football during the winter and cricket during the summer. I never thought that I would receive a telephone call in 1962 from Joe Denny asking me to cycle to the Abbey Stadium as three of the first team forwards were either injured or unavailable to play against Girton in the Creake Shield Final. A dream first half saw me scoring the first and third goal in a 6-2 win, followed by my first beer back at the Chequers Pub with the men. My dad was so proud but it put me off beer for life!!
 
Behind the trees at the far end of the rec was a very large corn field where we would run through trying to find the skylarks nests, to no avail.
 
Who can remember the time during the forties when the army put on a show on the rec with all their equipment/guns etc and letting off canisters of “smoke screen” for us youngest to get lost in.
 
As somebody has already mentioned the freedom which we enjoyed during this time. Half penny bread rolls hot from the baker before spending most of the days in the “Spinney” playing “offs” and later riding our bikes up and down the big hills. I also remember always going to the Spinney to pick wild violets and primroses on Mothering Sunday for our dear mothers.
 
We built our own trollys and sledges for the mad rides down Lime Kiln Hill during the winter and summer. How we all reached adulthood I never know.
 
I nearly forgot about the snail races on the front path outside our house and the time in our back garden when about six/eight of us dug a large and deep hole to reach Australia. One evening my mother returning from the Chequers after playing in the ladies Darts team managed to fall right down in the hole. I learnt some of my first swear words that evening. Dear dad had to climb down to recue her. Needless to say the hole was gone the following day.
 
Like others I’m now in my seventies but I can still look back and say “What a great time to be born and spend my early childhood in such a wonder village as Cherry Hinton” 
 
I now live in Comberton. Kenny Gifford.

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Here you will find the complete contents of Cherry Hinton Memories Book Two - if you haven't done so already, I would encourage you to take a brief look at the introduction page about these books first - which you can do by clicking the link here: Cherry Hinton Memory Books - Introduction

There are three books altogether and one separately written story - you can find the links to the other books and story by visiting the Cherry Hinton Memory Books Introduction page, mentioned above, or by searching the index (Categories) on the righthand side of this page or by using the search box on the right.

BOOK TWO

Book Two “The Cherry Hinton Gang” Those Golden Years
Contains memories from:
Bryan Stevens
June Stevens
Pat Clarke
Julie Smith

Below you will find the full transcription of book two, copied as it is, with pictures of the handwritten stories to compare (and send me any corrections!). You can choose to read through it here or, for more detail, you can click on one of the names above to see their story individually and any extra pictures that I have added to illustrate their story.

Book 2 “The Cherry Hinton Gangs” Those Golden Years.

Memories of Cherry Hinton by Bryan Stevens
 
Vic Phillips often mentions me by my nickname “Ziggy”. Ziggy was the owner of the clothes shop in Newmarket Road before he moved into Regent Street “Stylebest”. This shop sold the most modern clothing during the fifties and sixties and it was where I bought most of my clothing, hence the name “Ziggy”. Ziggy gave me a gold tie pin for my wedding in 1959 which I still have. I am now happily married for the second time.
 
Bonfire nights in the High Street were something special. There was an air raid shelter opposite 197 High Street, where I used to live, and we would fill it up with logs collected from the Spinney. One Bonfire night the fire was so large that it nearly burnt down the telephone wires.
 
There was a rubbish dump down Fulbourn Old Drift over the railway line and we would go up there with our air rifles to shoot the rats. One day we were up there shooting the rats when the siren sounded from Fulbourn Hospital and thinking someone had escaped we all ran home as fast as we could.
 
We all talk about the Spinney with fond memories. During the school summer holidays we more or less lived up there, making dens, laying turf for the floor of the den, and cooking on open fires. One day when we were there my dog Gyp caught two rabbits from out of the chalk pits which I took home.
 
Opposite the Robin Hood pub are the springs where the water for the brook starts. There used to be railings round the springs to try and keep us out but we would get in and try to catch the pike which would be by the island. We would stand on the now stepping stones and try to catch them before they went back to the lake in Cherry Hinton Hall.
 
In the brook round by the Black Land allotments we would block up the tunnel underneath the bridge with a sheet of corrugated iron so that the water could not escape and we could get it deep enough to swim.
 
Grandma Coe who used to live at the then 203 High Street was still riding her “sit up and beg” bike when she was 90 years old. I still remember when a horse and cart passed by her house and left “deposits”, she would rush out with a bucket and collect them. She always had the best roses in the High Street.
 
As you old Hintonians know, my grandfather started the Stevens Brothers Building Company. He built some of the first houses for the Housing Association in Cambridge. One of the last houses they built was the bungalow in the High Street for the Bartram family (the level crossing keepers). They also built the shoe repairers bungalow next to the recreation ground. The Cherry Hinton History Society have no record of the building company. My only record is a photograph of a cast iron sewage drain cover in the front garden of the house in the High Street which used to be 201 High Street. It reads “Stevens Bros, Builders, Cherry Hinton”. If anyone could help me find out any other information I would be grateful.

​For the version of this story with pictures and added notes, please click HERE

​June Kathleen Stevens (nee Buffett) Cherry Hinton Memories
 
I was born on Friday 13th June 1930 at 39, High Street, Cherry Hinton in my grandmothers little thatched cottage which sadly no longer exists as all three were demolished to make way for shops. We were fortunate to have a general store and post office next door – Mansfield’s. Mr Mansfield was also our landlord. We had no gas, electricity or water in the cottage; cooking was done in the oven heated by the fire (which was never allowed to go out) or on a small paraffin stove. Water was collected in pails from the pump in the road outside Mansfield’s, in later days a tap was installed in the next door cottage garden. I don’t remember the name of the lady who lived there but the Fuller family lived in the one adjacent to grans. Fred Fuller spent many years driving what was called ‘the clunch waggon’ from the chalk pits up to the cement works, back and forth many times a day. The water carrying was a chore mostly carried out by the man of the house – in later years my boyfriend came in handy for the job!
 
Grandad (Albert Buffett) was a road worker in his prime but after retirement I can remember him smoking his pipe, leaning on the gate at the top of the path and watching the world go by. The gate and railings were taken for the war effort but Grandad died in 1938 so didn’t miss them. At one time, he had an allotment round on ‘the black land’ and very productive it was. As a special treat, I was ferried there on the crossbar of his bike.
 
Gran (Elizabeth Buffett, nee Clarke, whose father owned the bakery and store in Weston Colville) remained in the cottage for many years and I lived with her after we had relocated back to Cambridge from Norwich in 1946.
 
My dad, Noel Eric Buffett, moved back to take over running the Self Motoring Garage on Hills Road. In his youth he was a milkman delivering by horse and dairy float in the village. This mode of transport soon became too slow, so he decided to be adventurous and started up a taxi service. I still have his first driving licence dated August 1922, he was 19! The service became quite popular, the local builders, Stevens Bros hired him every year to take them to Yarmouth for their day out at the races, I particularly know of this event as I am married to Bert Stevens’ second son Roger and the tales were told many times by Roger’s grandad.
 
As teenagers we had a great time in dear old Cherry Hinton, the Rec being a favourite meeting place. The village had the usual celebrations at the Queen’s coronation, I Particularly remember the football match on the Rec – girls versus boys. I believe the girls won although we had a distinct advantage – the boys had their hands tied behind their backs! My good friend Joyce Elliot was a major player in our team and gave no quarter!!
 
We also had the run of the Spinney, fishing for tiddlers down the ‘island’ opposite the Robin Hood and bike races down Lime Kiln Hill which would be very much frowned on by health and safety these days. How surprising that we al survived (Joey Ling did break his arm once!)
 
Roger has just reminded me of when he played football in the field at the top of Fishers Lane – before the game, everyone was required to remove the cow pats! A wonderful ‘growing up’ time in Cherry Hinton, writing this has made me recall so many things, the book is a great idea, long may it continue. Regards to all who may remember me – June Kathleen Stevens (nee Buffett).

​Pat Clarke Cherry Hinton Memories 3-9-12
 
My memories as a kid in the 50’s & 60’s in Cherry Hinton, from Pat Clarke, nicknamed ‘Pixie’, from birth by: Ted Chapman, Dick Tabor & Bunny, when they first looked in my pram and saw my ears.
 
I remember looking from my bedroom window, out over the hill at the fields to the Beech Woods from 62, Fulbourn Road which is not there now because they pulled it down to make way for the new houses, most families used to go to the Beech Woods in the summer for picnics and spend all day there. I also remember at Fulbourn Road, families having chickens and hens in their back gardens, also homing pigeons which Bill Chapman from 56 and my brother Ron had who was born at my nana’s house, 34 Fulbourn Road, my nan also took in Doug Kitson from a baby such a good women. Ron used to bring pigeons home on the 131 bus down his shirt from the Catholic Church when he got home he used to be covered in pigeon shit!!
 
I remember playing in the Spinney and chalk pits in the summer holidays all day long, helping with the harvest in the summer, going down the High Street on the tractor to Chalk’s Farm, also cutting down branches in the spring for Bonfire Night. Everybody from Fulbourn Road was there, such fun and such good memories.
 
I remember going down the High Street nicking the empty beer bottles from the crates at the back of the Unicorn then going into the Off Licence and getting the money back on them from Reg & Daisy for a pence for sweets or crisps.
 
I also remember going on the coach on a Saturday to see the best village football team at that time. The coach used to take us to the away game. In the 50’s, they had the best team in the Cambs league at that time, with such good players like Big Stevo “Ziggy”, Bill Chapman, Peter Dean and don’t forget Ollie Chapman who helped with Cherry Hinton football club for many a year. What a great man he was. 
 
On a Sunday you would see on the washing line all the football shirts hanging out to dry at 56 Fulbourn Road which Queenie, Bill’s mum, had washed, where on a Saturday night, Ron my brother & myself would go and watch TV, there would be Well Fargo, Dixon of Dock Green and not to forget the 65 Special etc! You would see Peter Dean who was dating Bill’s sister Shirley at the time who later married.
 
Christmas time at the Robin Hood Bill’s dad, Ollie my own father, “Nobby” Phil Clarke, Luffy, Rocky Root & Tubby Tabor all singing their heads off, also most Saturday nights, in the High Street, there was Smith’s where we used to get sweets. Next door was Parish Butchers on the corner of Mill End was Co-op where my mum used to send me for some groceries. Sometimes the ladies who worked there would get me to sing Elvis? With a broom as a guitar then give me some sweets. I also remember my mum going to the butchers which is now the Building Society and our dog followed her in and pinched a lump of meat and over to the Rec to eat the lot. We had to have him put down as the butcher wouldn’t accept payment for the meat and reported it.
 
I remember coming home from school straight round my nan, where she would have the tea-pot out or on the table and loads of home-made goodies ready, like Jam Roly Poly and Spotted Dick and also Suet Pudding. 9 times out of 10, Eddie Long would be sitting at the table with my nan, they were great friends at the time.
 
I played football from the age of 14 for the village football team (The Cherries) from the 60’s right through to the late 70’s till I was in my 30’s. We had 4 teams at the time I started in the youth team. I remember playing Cambridge City Youth in the Cup on the Rec on the first pitch they roped it off, there was about 600 there and we won 3. 0. I did finished in the First Team, when I first started playing we got changed in the Unicorn. What days there were, I loved it and would do it all over again if I could. I could go on and on. Anyway I will never forget great peachy life.
 
Bunny Tabor, Bill Chapman, Trev Clapman, Dick Tabor, The Roots, Gentles, Pearsons, Bakers, Vic Phillips and one old mate, Barry Hawtins,
 
Such good times, NEVER FORGET
 
“Pixie” – Pat Clarke
 
Sorry Pixie again, I forgot Meadly Gray and his sister Evelyn & Grayson Tabor and his blind brother Russ playing football in the road and laughing his head off, all good fun as kids.
 
Thanks for all your memories, “Pixie”

​Julie L Smith (nee Plumb) Cherry Hinton Memories
 
Formally Fulbourn Road (4 doors up from the Robin Hood and Little John)
 
The stories so far have triggered a lot of my memories and stories from my dad about Cherry Hinton who all of his family were CH people. Dad, Len Plumb or as everyone knew him ‘Doggy’, as he always had a dog, somebody in one of the previous stories mentioned horses in the High Street, well dad used to bring the working horses down to wash them down in the spring near the Robin Hood and Little John the would mount one and gallop at speed with 6 more tied up behind the High Street, he often got told off for this, he then lived in one of the houses next to the level crossing with 2 brothers and 4 sisters, so there will be a lot of stories lost. 
 
Dads regiment was billeted back to Scotland were I was born and then we moved back to CH just after the war at the end of 1945, so my own memories start from here, my thoughts are triggered by many of the names of previous writers.
 
We lived in Fulbourn Road before it was straightened, our front garden went up to where the car park on the other side of the road is now, and before traffic lights were positioned. I with Richard Tabor and Trevor Chapman and others “whose names are often mentioned in previous notes” would be always in the Spinney and chalk pits looking for meteorites, then we’d speed down the road on carts made up from old prams and end up in the Robin Hood next to the big stone that according to us had Little Johns footprint on it “traffic what traffic”. School like many others was in the Green Hut with teacher Miss Rush and Mr Reed who gave me the slipper, many years later he came into the hairdressers that I had just started work and said to everybody “I gave Julie here the slipper”.
 
I digress. Back to better memories, can anybody else remember the day cattle got out of the train that had stopped at the crossing, they came charging down the road, can’t remember the date but we were in school. 
 
My family now cannot understand how we would sit on the church wall collecting car numbers and collecting the confetti. One of my walks from home in Fulbourn Road, to my aunts (married Gordon Plumb) in March Lane, was as you walked up the High Street you had to pass field with bull’s in, I used to bribe a school friend who used to live near the scrap yard (Richies) in Coldhams Lane, to come with me pass the field near where the bookie’s shop is now, to see my aunt who had been evacuated here in 1940 from London. She lived next to Mrs Daniels who kept pigs. One of the places where they did washing and ironing for the University is a shed opposite the Unicorn pub, dad’s step mother was one of them, and aunt Eileen did the ironing, later married Noel Buffett. Also, opposite the Unicorn was our and Mr Birds back drive to the Gardens, as many people will remember collecting flowers and vegetables from Birdies garden next to dads, you would have to go past Don Smith’s bakery ovens.
 
Up to and possibly the early 70’s the patients from Fulbourn Hospital used to come down the High Street, accompanied by nurses to spend their pocket money. Fulbourn Hospital and Colville School used to run the local St John’s Ambulance Brigade where I attended, I only joined for the uniform.
 
In Fulbourn Old Drift was the coal merchant, Mrs Potter, I had to stand and count the sacks that we had delivered. Another memory is of all the turkeys near the brook by the bridge, they disappeared to be replaced with static caravans for a time, now all houses. 
 
Cherry Hinton Hall was the nursery school and baby clinic. My aunt told me the extra land in the Recreation Ground was part paid for by the village people! Is this right? I didn’t realise how much freedom we had until you look back on it. Cherry Hinton was a village, even the local policemen knew everybody. 
 
Dated: 27-12-13

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Here you will find the complete contents of Cherry Hinton Memories Book One - if you haven't done so already, I would encourage you to take a brief look at the introduction page about these books first - which you can do by clicking the link here: Cherry Hinton Memory Books - Introduction

There are three books altogether and one separately written story - you can find the links to the other books and story by visiting the Cherry Hinton Memory Books Introduction page, mentioned above, or by searching the index (Categories) on the righthand side of this page or by using the search box on the right.

BOOK ONE

Book One “The Cherry Hinton Gang” Those Golden Years
Contains memories from:
Mick Covill
Bill Chapman
Kay Smith
Diana Lilley
Ann Gentle
Chris Kirch
Gill Rapley
Sue Gentle
Ronnie Clark
Tony Mason

Below you will find the full transcription of book one, copied as it is, with pictures of the handwritten stories to compare (and send me any corrections!). You can choose to read through it here or, for more detail, you can click on one of the names above to see their story individually and any extra pictures that I have added to illustrate their story.

Book 1 “The Cherry Hinton Gangs” Those Golden Years.

Mick Covill 4th Jan 2011
 
‘Yess’ .. I do hold Cherry-Hinton with a great love & fondest memories. I myself was not born in Cherry Hinton but was born and lived in Broad Street of East Road Cambridge, born in 14-Aug-39. Can only just remember the last part of the war air raid shelters and the Anderson shelter we had in the living room which we got under when the air raid sirens went off.
 
My mum & dad moved to Cambridge when he got a job with Ralph Thompson as a painter. We then were offered a council house in either Trumpington or Cherry-Hinton but as the house in Fernlea Close were built by R. Thompson and the yard and offices were in Fernlea Close my mum & dad chose Cherry Hinton. We moved to Cherry Hinton when I was about 9 years old into number 6, the beginning of my life in Cherry Hinton.
 
I always remember Bert Quinney’s shop just in the High Street. You used to go in like a dark cellar where they sold most things. They then had a house & shop front built at the front of Fernlea Close, where we used to do most of our shopping. Bert Quinney used to be the local Bookies runner, and my dad used to give me some money wrapped up tightly in paper & say take this up to Bert’s. Bert who used to call me Billy - don’t know why – used to slip the money under the counter. If dad won any money he would send me up to Bert’s & I would say “have you anything for dad”. Bert would say “I will have a look” and then produce another bit of paper wrapped around money and say “here you are Billy” and slyly pass it to me to take back home. Bert Quinney’s shop was always open from early morn to late at night, he was a good man, friendly and kind.
 
One of my early introductions to Cherry Hinton was when Kenny Sutcliffe, who I did not really know, wanted to have a fight with me and my brother John. If I remember we declined and ran home.
 
My sister Marie and I went to the Catholic School in Cambridge, so we knew Ron Clarke and his family, also the noble family and the boys Peter George and Paul who lived on the High Street. Their father George was the bone collector from all the butchers.
 
I suppose my introduction to the friendship that Cherry Hinton was to offer me was passing my 11 plus exam and going to the Central Grammar School. Here I met and was in classes with John Anderson, who lived in the prefabs in Church End, and Ray Williams or chick to most people who lived in Queens Meadows. Also, Tony Short who lived also in Fernlea Close.
 
I used to do a paper round which was run by Jim Chapman, Bill Chapman’s uncle, I did Pen Close, Shepherds Close, Fishers Lane and worst of all, Fulbourn Old Drift. The drift was not very nice as it was very dark and everybody had guard dogs, which were not that friendly. Jim Chapman ran the paper business from the back room in the Chequers Pub run by Tony Tabor’s mum and Jesse his dad.
 
The years slowly passed and there are memories of all the new families moving into Cherry Hinton i.e. the Medow’s family, the O’Reiley’s - Paddy, Patric, Phillip, Brendon, Fergie – very poor families. I used to go scrumping walnuts with Paddy in Chalk’s farm off the High Street and finished up with stained hands which lasted weeks.
 
There was Jimmy Davidson, Mick Williams, who I think went to the County School also moved in.
 
When recalling names there was a great friends Peter Boland & Mick Boland, who lived down Mill End Road with sisters Margaret & Liz, also Stan Paine who lived in Rosemary Lane.
 
While I drift from name to name let’s not forget the Youth Club which was held in the old Cherry Hinton Infant School by the Labour Party members an old record player playing the latest hit songs and then the skifle groups who and about, and then the Youth Club held at the Lower Netherhall School and also the dances held in the British Legion Hall, Fishers Lane, where all the latest budding groups played. At these events all us Cherry Hinton boys and girls danced the night away and if I remember correctly no alcohol. 
 
Flashes come back to me now of the Queen Edith’s school dances where the lads would sit in one corner of the room reading in Cambridge Blue, a paper with all local football results and pictures. 
 
Must not forget my friend J Poulter who I met at Central School and I introduced him to the Cherry Hinton way of life and am sure he then made many, many friends.
 
Down the Red Lion pub, run by Norman and Joan, we played darts and bar billiards and on a Sunday morning we all played football which could last up to 2-3 hours and then we would go to the Red Lion for a drink. Norman would have loads of orange drinks lined up for us all which quenched our thirst.
 
Must not forget Cherry Hinton great such as Brian Stevens, Peter Dean, John Bertram, Danny Buttress, Mick Scoett?, Matt Lindsay.
 
I think ... could go on and on and write page after page. The pages I wrote may not have been of historic or exciting events but a small glimpse of some of the people I met from school to growing up and can say Cherry Hinton is in my blood. I love it, maybe I love the past more than the present because it has changed so much. However, I thank all those people and friends who made my life in Cherry Hinton such a wonderful life.
 
Yours Mick Covill

Bill Chapman’s Story    Written 26/04/2011
 
I was born in Fisher’s Lane and then moved to Fulbourn Road when I was two months old. I went to school with my sister Shirley. We used to walk along a path which was called Long Walker (which started at Fulbourn Road and ran along the back of Cherry Hinton Rec where Colville Estate is now. How the High Street has changed! 
 
There used to be a cottage on the corner, opposite the Robin Hood (just outside the Spinney). An old man, Mr Clark lived there. In the Spinney, gypsies would often park and live there sometimes. At the junction of the Robin Hood there were no traffic lights as today, but a little slip road from Queen Edith’s Way to Cherry Hinton Road and then the other road went straight across to Cherry Hinton. There was a little triangle green in between where Mr Snowy Scott used to preach on a Sunday evening. Mr Scott used to grow his own tobacco. On the left hand side there was a big hole (where a bungalow is now), we used to sledge there (it was called Prior’s Field).
 
Sheep were herded by the Creek Brothers from the Chalk Farm (off the High Street) to fields at the back of Fulbourn Road (near the water softener where the water company is now.) Next to the water softener there was a big barn where all of the wheat sheaves were gathered and stacked and threshed with a threshing machine. There used to be loads of rats and mice around there. There also used to be hare hunts that came through the village with all the hounds and then chase the hares at the back of Fulbourn Road. Taffy Lloyd (from Queens Meadows) was the local poacher. He would put snares out in Lime Kiln Quarry and you would see him coming home on his bike with rabbits across the cross bar. Percy Tabor was the nightwatchman at the chalk pits (where the caravan site is now). Luffy Tabor used to drive the steamroller through the village, and he was a great friend of my dad. 
 
Rarzo Tabor was the landlord of the Robin Hood. Dad, Luffy, Rocky Root and Tubby Anderson used to sing around the piano at Christmas at 56 Fulbourn Road (where we lived). 
 
There were two bakers: one in Fulbourn Road called Don Smith’s – the other one was in the High Street – Root’s Bakers. Then there was George Parish the butcher. Across the road there were two cottages next to the shop. There was another butchers opposite the rec (where the Building Society is now). Next to the Rec was Sid Hancock’s (the cobbler) shoe shop. Then the Chequer’s Pub run by the Tabors. Across the road from the Rec was Steven’s Building Yard where we used to keep the football marking machine. My dad (Olly) used to mark the football pitch. My dad was well known in Cherryhinton because he helped run the football club. My mum and dad were good parents.
 
Next to Love Lane (where the bank is now) there used to be a smallholding with chickens and ducks in a field. Next to that was Chalks Farm (roughly where Desmond Avenue is now). There was a big drive where they took cows across the High Street to the field opposite. There was a big pond in the field opposite (roughly where Colville Road is now). 
 
Further on opposite Fisher’s Lane there used to stand a big tank filled with water. On the corner of Fisher’s Lane, I used to go to Chapel with my sister Shirley. We would be dressed in our Sunday best. Next to the Chapel (towards the railway line) were a row of 4 cottages (only 2 now) and then a police house. This was occupied by Mr Laddington who was the village copper at the time. Mr Bartram was the crossing man who was in charge of opening the railway gates (he was the father of my friend John). Just over the railway was the green hut where we went to youth club and played table tennis. Neville Cullup was a very good table tennis player. The school next door in an old building which has now been pulled down. Tommy Bray was the headmaster and he lived in a house next door (next to the Green Hut). Just across the road was the Five Bells pub and Quinney’s store where I used to buy my sweets.
B.C.

​Memories of Cherry Hinton from Kay Smith
 
I lived in Mill End Close until I was 17 years old. I think we were all very lucky to have lived in such a small safe community. In Mill End Close most of our parents were married just before the war and as was usual most of our mother’s either didn’t work or had part time jobs – unlike today. 
 
My parents bought the house when they married in 1939 and my mother’s 1st cousin bought the other half of the semi so I was fortunate as an only child to have 4 cousins next door, namely Cynthia, Charlie, Diana and David Lilley. Diana being 3 weeks younger than me, Chris and Lorna Ketch, Ann and Sue Gentle, John and Christine Cornell and John and Peter Hedge, all similar in age lived in this great little cul-de-sac.
 
We all went to the village school together, walking safely through the village without parents coming with us.
 
We had Miss Wilson in reception class – with orange juice, cod liver oil and malt. Plus, the small bottles of milk, which in winter we stood beside the large ‘turtle’ heaters to defrost the ice. We had Miss Rush in the second class and I remember her saying as we left the class that we had to leave the bead frames behind but take our fingers with us.
 
I think it was on Friday mornings in assembly that we heard a record played but I only remember the Flight of the Bumble Bee and Finigal’s Cave. Perhaps they only had 2 records. I also remember Jeffrey Rheimen singing Greensleeves – he must have been good or brave!
 
We had some sad momentous occasions when Mr Bray died and also when we were in Miss Dunnetts class someone came into class and whispered in her ear and she announced, “The King is Dead”.
 
There was a great celebration on the Rec for the coronation and everyone dressed up in fancy dress. I was a black cat.
I also remember watching the hunt leaving from Chalk’s Farm – an amazing sight.
 
We used to go to Ling’s sweet shop opposite the school, and buy packets of crisps from Smith’s shop with the salt in the blue paper and hot bread from Root’s – all in the High Street. Our favourite play areas were the Spinney, catching sticklebacks in the brook – and falling in. 
 
I went to church on Sunday mornings and then to the Baptist Chapel for Sunday School afternoons. The vicar was Fatten Forrest who drove an amazing car and used to bring carrots to school for us to eat in a wheelbarrow. He always seemed very shy but was very kind to me. When I went to see him about getting married in the church but no longer lived in the parish he suggested I use a different address – so my marriage certificate gives Ann Gentle’s address and the Gentle’s very kindly let me get ready and leave the from their house.

​Cherry Hinton Childhood – Diana Lilley
 
As Kay has said, I also lived in Mill End Close, my parents bought the house in 1938 and my mother lived there until she died in 1995. They were truly very happy days, the whole of the Close very good friends – always helping one another out – I remember in the summer all the mums and dads loading up old prams with games and equipment and food, and we would walk over Lime Kiln Hill to the Beach Woods – We would spend the whole day there playing rounders, cricket etc. using the trees as our posts. The parents would light fires and perhaps cook sausages etc. on to eat. We used to have a great time, and then again walk home. We were always very safe having games in a very wide area, and never any fears hanging over us. 
 
Kay also mentioned memories of Junior School, many of which I can remember. One thing Kay did not mention that I remember, was when we heard our 11 plus results, we individually went into see Mr Farmer, as it was then, and told our results. From school we were taken to Coldham’s Common swimming pool in our final year to learn to swim whatever the temperature in an unheated pool. Thereafter I would spend many days there at the cost of One Penny for the whole of the day.
 
Playing in Cherry Hinton and spending a lot of time in the Spinney. I remember walking to the Robin Hood corner and seeing the patients from Fulbourn Hospital out for a walk. They were all tied together and were resting on the wall outside the Robin Hood Public House, before walking back. I found this very frightening.
 
I could have been no more than 10 when Kay and I decided we would cycle to Balsham, which was a fair way. On arriving at my great aunts who had a farm, and I loved to visit – apart from the outside loo – (a shed with a wooden seat – with a hole in it). She said “Does your mother know where you are”, well as we said “No, why, should she, we are quite safe” – to which she fed and watered us and sent us home.
 
I went to Cherry Hinton Church with my brothers and sister on a Sunday and continued on to confirmation classes in the vicarage with Mrs Forest. The vicarage was a very large rambling house – we used to sit in one of the rooms for our class – and the ceiling was peeling off on to us. It always caused quite a laugh. Needless to say I did get confirmed in 1956 at St Pauls Church on Hills Road, and I did get married in Cherry Hinton Church in 1964.
 
When we were old enough, I delivered papers for Mr Seal – both morning and evenings, before and after school daily and on a Saturday I worked for Mr Bird the greengrocer in the new shops in the High Street when Colville Road was developed.
 
As mentioned previously in this book, I also had to deliver to Fulbourn Old Drift – a very dark and not a very nice place to be in the dark mornings and evenings, likewise, the caravan site on Bennett’s Farm, Mill End Road. I often had to get my dad to come with me.
 
Coronation year 1952, Kay’s family were the first in the Close to have a television and I remember each family having a time slot in which to go around and watch the occasion. They also had a motorbike and side-car which I remember being taken in when I was 11 to fetch my first pet dog Mick, and I also married a Mick!
 
There are many things in this book already that I recall – the cycling through either the Tins or the Snakey Path to the secondary school and later on to work. Quinney’s shop open 7 days a week – when mums ran out of something on a Sunday – he would sell it to us – and then wrap it in newspaper to disguise what we had. It was illegal to sell certain items on a Sunday years ago.
 
We were extremely lucky to have had our childhood in Cherry Hinton – we were well cared for and looked after. Very happy days.
 
Several of us have flown the nest, but we still keep in touch regularly, for lunch and a chat – Kay Smith, Chris Ketch – Ann Gentle, Gill Fordham and myself. We are friends for life.

​Cherry Hinton Memories Ann Gentle
 
I lived in Mill End Close with my parents and sister Sue – who is 3 years younger than me. We were a close-knit community only 22 houses in the Close, and all the children played together. I went to the village school and was in the same classes as Vic Phillips, they were happy days. I remember us giving Mr Reed? our class teacher the bumps on his birthday, he took it all in good sport, I remember going to Mr Ling’s shop and buying 1p OXO’s to eat as we could not buy sweets because of rationing. I still like them now.
 
The summer holidays were great, we had the run of the village, going tiddler snatching in the brook, climbing trees on a  ree?, many’s the time my dad would have to come and get me down as I got stuck up a tree. The Spinney was another favourite, my mum didn’t like me going up there but it did not stop me.
 
My dad kept racing pigeons and Tony Tabour and many of the boys used to come and see them. Vic my dad went to Crystal Palace with your mum and doing the High Jump I think they went to the same school. 1927 was the years I think they would have been about 14 years old.
 
The High Street was a lot different to what it is now, there were 2 farm cottages at the top of Mill End Close they belonged to Chalks Farm. The Jonson's lived in one of them. The farm was where the hunt used to go from, and we used to go and watch. In autumn we would scrump walnuts I have always liked them. opposite the farm there was a field with a pond. In the winter it would freeze over and we would skate on it. One day on the way to school I decided to have a go, the ice wasn't very thick and I fell in afraid to go home and tell my mum I sat in school all day in wet clothes. When I got home, someone had told mum she made me have a mustard bath to stop me catching cold. We used to go to parties in the Chequers pub they were great fun.
 
I left Cherry Hinton in 1963 when I married J Holmes. We lived in Chesterton for many years and had two sons I now live in Landbeach. My son Kevin now lives in my home in Cherry Hinton having bought it when my mother died so the connexion still goes on as I come back home quite often.
 
Ann Holmes

Some of my memories of Cherry Hinton – Chris Ketch
 
Our Cherry Hinton is unrecognisable from the one of today. There was only one pavement along part of the High Street, small gas street lamps and Chalk’s Farm on both sides. I remember a bull being in the field in summer and skating on the pond in winter. Twice a year the sheep were herded through the High Street, no traffic calming then, thank goodness.
 
I too was a Mill End Close girl, living there for 20 years with my parents and younger sister Lorna. The Millers, Janet, Roger and Sally, lived 2 doors away, Jackie and Danny Buttreas? across the road and Les, Win and their son Richard “Bonzo” King next door.
 
As the girls have said before, it was a safe, happy environment in which to grow up in. Everyone’s parents respected each other, the mothers calling each other Mrs, not using forenames and all extremely hard working.
 
School was a good experience then. Mrs Runnett getting us to chant times tables in the tin hut, Mrs North playing her piano accordion and being flung around by the boys who hated dancing. We often played marbles after school, rolling them down the High Street on the way home. In the winter we made long slides on the ice and formed an orderly queue for a “go”. It was also where I met Gill Fordham, my very good friend who came to live on the “new estate”. She is an adopted Mill End Close girl now. The wonderful Bernard Reed was the best teacher ever. How he remembers us all I will never know.
 
Sports days were a great occasion. The MC used to be Mr Thompson, Susan and Caroline’s father. Margaret Boland was a terrific runner, I did beat her once but only once. I remember Billy Taylor rolling one of the Richardson boys along in a huge tyre in one of the races. Gill and I came third in the three legged race on our last sports day. We won a comb each and we got a big cheer when we collected our prize and it felt like an Olympic medal.
 
Summer holidays were long and the best ever. Groups of us would disappear all day in the Spinney, on the Rec or the Beech Woods. Sometimes we would club together to buy a hot loaf from Roots the bakers to eat on the Rec. If it was wet we would play Monopoly in Di Lilly’s dad’s shed, for hours on end.
 
Church, Sunday School and Bible class was the plan for Sundays. We took a few pence for the collection but Lorna decided to pay a visit to Ling’s sweet shop sometimes and spent her collection money on sweets. Our mum found out when bubble gum stuck around her mouth. After Sunday morning service we would pick up an ice cream block from Quinney’s shop which he wrapped in newspaper. This was kept on the pantry floor as we had no fridges then.
 
As teenagers we went to youth club in the school hall and the British Legion Hall in Fishers Lane where some good local bands played live. No alcohol or drugs then but we had a really great time without the need for either.
 
Today, I live in Fulbourn where I see several old school friends. John Richardson works very hard in his woodyard at the bottom of my garden. Horace White is landlord of the Six Bells and lives near me. I also see Tony Mason around the village and Herbie and Marie Williams. All of them are still so friendly.
 
Great memories of very happy days spent in Cherry Hinton. - Chris x

A New Life in Cherry Hinton – Gill Rapley nee’ Fordham
 
I came to Cherry Hinton with my parents Bill and Chris and my sister Margaret in 1952. We moved into one of the new council houses in Leete Road on the Colville Road estate. As newcomers we were not welcomed by all the villagers, some obviously thought this influx of strangers would change the life of this small community and not for the better!
 
I well remember the terror of standing in the playground on my first day at the primary school next to the level crossing and knowing absolutely no-one. 
 
That school with its coal fires, outside toilets and overflow class in the Green Hut was, it turned out, a wonderful place of learning with headmaster Mr Farmer, teachers Bernard Read and Miss’s Rush and Dunnett who enabled many of us to pass the 11+ and move on confidently to High School and Grammar Schools.
 
School holidays were spent in the Spinney, on the Rec, blackberrying on the Roman Road and exploring the Beechwoods. There were huge steam rollers in Pamplins Yard and Mr Fabbs equally huge pigs to feed in Fulbourn Old Drift. The Norman Cement Works along the Tins path was always fascinating with the huge cauldron of liquid cement constantly being fed by the chalk lorries from the pits in Lime Kiln Road.
 
The Green Hut with Brownies, Guides, Cubs, Scout groups, youth club and table tennis club was our social centre. I learned to Jive there to Paul Anka, Everly Bros and Elvis and I also fell in love for the first time, all such bitter sweet memories.
 
There were more pubs than shops when we first arrived but eventually Mr Seals newsagents, Mr Bowyers grocery shop and Mr Birds greengrocers augmented Bert Quinney’s and Lings sweet shop. 
 
The friends I made all those years ago thankfully remain my friends today – I see Chris, Kay, Di and Anne quite regularly and so many of “the boys” now spend their retirement on the allotments on the Black Land where Mary and I spend a great deal of our time.
 
Cherry Hinton was a good place to move to in 1952 and it is still a good place to live in 2011 and I am thankful for it.  – Gill

Sue Gentle March 2012 Mill End Close
 
My sister Ann (Gentle) brought this notebook of reminiscences to show me. Reading them made me want to contribute so here goes!
 
I have lived in the Pennine Hills almost twice as long as I lived in Cherry Hinton but my memories of my happy childhood are vivid. As others have mentioned we were so lucky to have had the freedom to roam, climb trees, make dens, go on long cycle rides. We would run home at lunch time then rush out to play again. Or sometimes we would take picnics which meant we were away from home for hours. This did not cause any parental concern as it would have me with my children.
 
As already mentioned by Kay, Mill End Close was a new build just before the war and most of the houses were bought by young newly married couples. Because of this a lot of children were born there, including us. As a consequence, we were never short of playmates. One of my first memories was of the close being flooded and having fun paddling in the road with our shoes on.
 
The year before I started school Peter Hedge (who was one year older than me) broke his arm so was off school. He and I went up the Rec to play on the swings (yes, with a broken arm!) Whilst there a hunt passed by heading for what was then the fields beyond. We were so frightened by the noise the dogs made – we swang as high as we could to escape them. Now when I hear a lot of dogs barking I think of this.
 
I remember walking to school with Christine Cornell and her pet chicken Billy. When we reached the level crossing we told Billy to go home, and it duly did.
 
One day I took my little doll to school – she was my pride and joy. On leaving school some boys in my sisters year (was it you?!) took the doll off me and when it was returned it had one leg missing. I cried all the way home. The leg went missing by the level crossing. Because I was so upset my dad went to look for it in the dark with Mr Bartrum the crossing keeper. He had a paraffin lamp. The leg wasn’t found but the next morning my doll had a wooden leg carved by my dear dad. It was even more special to me after that.
 
We loved to climb trees at the top of the Rec. How pleased I was with myself when I managed to get from tree one to tree seven without touching the ground. My sister got stuck up one of these trees and had to stay there until our dad came home to rescue her. I thought her a bit of a sissy!
 
We learnt to do things on our own like riding a bike and swimming. The former by getting on by a bench seat on the Rec and by falling off when wanting to stop. The latter by spending much time at Coldhams Lane swimming baths which I remember as always being cold. It didn’t bother us though.
 
I loved school especially Mr Read’s class. His classroom was of a wooden construction that was separate from the rest of the school, it was near the railway line. One day, when I should have been paying attention, I counted the number of freight coaches there were passing by. I hadn’t realised Mr Read had stopped talking and was looking at me. When he asked me how many coaches there were (I still remember there were 23) I had to write out 23 times “the goods train engine was pulling 23 coaches”!
 
We had a great time in Mr Read’s class doing project work. One project I was involved in was a study of the flora and fauna in the Brook. This was an excuse to have fun! He would allow us to go to the Brook in project time and we would come back invariably late and wet having paddled too deep or fallen in. Imagine a teacher giving pupils that freedom now! 
 
How fortunate we were. Our parents had modest lifestyles but they gave us a very rich and secure upbringing in Cherry Hinton – Sue (Gentle) March 2012

Ronnie Clark 12-6-09
 
I remember in the 1950’s when Cherry Hinton had the best village football team in Cambridgeshire, and around the 1950’s when Cherry Hinton was a village, sadly no more. Farms up the High Street, Smiths bakers in Fulbourn Road. A piano playing all the old songs on a Saturday night in the Robin Hood.
 
I remember the sheep being brought from Fulbourn Road down the High Street to Chalks Farm. Old Ken Baker riding side-saddle on the big Shire horse, chewing a bit of straw, delivering muck for the allotments behind Fulbourn Road. Those were the days. 
 
Walking to school from Fulbourn Road down what was classed as Long Walker (a path which ran from Fulbourn Road to Fishers Lane) before the council estate was built. And the other footpath which ran from between Fulbourn Road and the old Dutch barn over the hill to the Beech Woods. No longer there (but could be if the locals had it opened up). I remember Mr Ollie Chapman, 56 Fulbourn Road. He used to cut my hair for sixpence on a Sunday morning. If I did not keep still he would clip my ear. Oh those memeories.
 
Catching rats and rabbits when they done the harvest, the foreman from Chalks Farm, Mr Dawson, could not catch us. I remember Bill Chapman, who I owe so much for what he did for me, and was one of those players along with Peter Dean, Brian Stevens who would be todays £50,000,000 football players who played with pride. I could go on and on. Always dreaming but the times have gone, two other men I must mention are Douglas Kitson, who was like a brother to me, sadly no longer with us, and Bill Taylor from the High Street who also I owe so much to. I was born in Fulbourn Road, no. 34. Nickname Nobby. Cherry Hinton, thanks for the memories.

Tony Mason's Tale (born.1-12-41) June 2012
 
Lived at 10 Railway Street next door but one to Nev Cullup in a road where everyone knew everyone with a real community spirit. Kelly Ling a good friend of my sister Ann lived about halfway along the long row as did Marglin? Bird, Rodney Smith, Andrew Tabour and Richard Hallam? We had wonderful bonfire nights in those days with everyone mucking in building the bonfire and pooling our fireworks and potatoes for roasting later. Nev who still works in the village as a cobbler in his mid 70’s needs a medal for he was struck with TB as a child which severely disabled him but he was brilliant with his model aero engines and later so good at table tennis.
 
My memories of Cherry Hinton are really happy ones as it was such a wonderful rural village in the 1940’s and 1950’s and just a fraction of its present size. There were no houses between Fishers Lane and Jane Elwoods old thatched hut still stands next to the library, there was just a lovely meadow with cattle and horses grazing amongst daisies and buttercups but in the winter it flooded in its lower part to form a small lake on which we would float an old tin bath using a slab of wood as a paddle and when frozen it was brilliant for slides. In summer if the cattle were not using the field, it was used for a rounders or cricket pitch by the chapel the quality of the pitch being questionable, but we did have David Shepherd (yes the England cricketer) play on it. He and Bob Jones used to help out at the chapel whilst they were at Cambridge University and on Sundays they would stay with Joyce and Stuart Hill in Fishers Lane (Sue and Jane Hill’s parents), poor Jane had a hole in her heart and went through much surgery as a child at Guys Hospital in London, I think it was the early days of heart surgery.
 
There were just a few houses in Fishers Lane with a field on the left hand side where they held the village feast after the war and just beyond this field Prefabs were built to help house families of troops returning. At the bottom of Fishers Lane, which was quite short, were large fields stretching across towards Fulbourn Hospital where as a young one it was marvellous to watch the old binder making sheaves of corn which were stacked to dry before being pitchforked onto carts some horse drawn and some by an early tractor pulling them back to Chalks Farm which had a beautiful avenue of walnut trees roughly where the chemist and bookies are in the high street. It had a grand old farm house, surrounded by fields to the front going up the hill as far as the railway and very large barns built of chalk blocks and timber. Mr Chalk was the auctioneer, Grain? and Chalk, later to become Cheffins. He also had land to the south of Fulbourn Road where he grew corn and in winter moved his sheep well up the hill in compounds of bales, when they first came out, where the shepherd had his living van, dog with horse and cart so he could keep a close eye on the lambing as it progressed.
 
Behind Chalks Farm was a winding part of Mill End Road where the road followed the shape of the brook which ran open in those days, not in pipes as now. There were fields and stables where the wealthy of the University had their beautiful big horses kept which later became a riding school. Further down Mill End Road was Arnolds Farm which again had tennis courts to the side of a large farmhouse with lots of corn haystacks in the farmyard. A steam engine would arrive in autumn/winter to power the thresher which sorted grain from the straw. This farm had an ex-prisoner of war Hans working on it, he was a friendly chap who used to let us ride on the trailers up to fields to the north of Fulbourn Old Drift and to those near the cement works north of the railway. It was great fun and mum would get one to take a bag with me to glean the loose ears of corn for the chickens and straw for my rabbits.
 
Mr Fabb (Doreen’s father) had quite a lot of pigs in a large shed in a small field on Fulbourn Old Drift where I used to go with him at feed time and when he was ploughing it was great to hitch a ride on his old Fordson tractor which ran on paraffin. Next door to us in Railway Street lived Ray Coustons grandparents. Rays father used to come in a large van and sometimes we would go to the colleges to collect the vegetable cast offs which after he had sorted out the better veg at his Fishers Lane yard he would take the rest for his pigs that he kept in Church End somewhere near where Listers old building used to be. Dr Stracham lived in the big house in Church End used to give us school children a real treat in the autumn term by bringing a whole barrow load of apples into the playground. Another real treat in those days was the strawberry teas they used to do on sports days. We would all sit at great long tables with white tablecloths in the playground like a street party.
 
Back in the High Street was Lings shop just above the railway line on the corner of Railway Street. I always remember queuing in a really long queue on a Tuesday evening when they first had ice cream delivered. Between Lings and the old 5 Bells was nurse Armanents? thatched cottage, she was the District Nurse. Between the 5 bells and the old Quinney’s shop (the one you went down steps into) at the rear was a sizable house with Battlements and vast gardens and tennis court which was where Pamplins the steam engine contractors used to live. It was a large business for its day with engines out all over East Anglia. Nev Cullup’s grandfather Jim Fisher was Foreman and many of the workers were housed along the row in Railway Street. Luffey Tabour from Cherry Hinton started as a teaboy/cook for a steam engine gang and later drove engines for most of his life. He told me he would often be in the Lowestoft area for 6 moths at a time. The last steam engine I remember commercially working in Cherry Hinton was when I was quite young in the field north-east diagonally across from the church. When Wimpeys built on it dad always said it should never have been allowed because the land was left to the church for a further graveyard. No wonder there’s no room in the churchyard to bury people now. 
 
As a child I used to play in Orchard Estate with Martin Capon?, Teddy Harding, Ronnie Heywood, Dickie Pilsworth, Horace White, Peter Crabb. We used to go fishing in the brook in summer but I always remember Horace leading us through the village to meet a bus at the Robin Hood on which was coming the greatest den builder from Fulbourn (Rocky Root) who needless to say, after waiting for several hours, never turned up. But when he eventually moved to Cherry Hinton to live proved to be a great guy who still tends his allotment by the brook even though he now lives in Landbeach and has proved to be the best roof carpenter I have ever known. Many lovely people moved into Cherry Hinton with the new houses being built all around and the village seemed to have the greatest football team of all time, Brian Stevens left wing (Swavesey always put 2 men on him but he still ran through the pair of them), Peter Dean, Mick Cornish, Bill Chapman, Ron Hagaty, Sam Bartrum, Brian Merry, Bill Taylor, Jimmy Nunn, Winkey Wells, Tom Watson, Pete Bland and many more good players. They seemed to win everything. Brian played for Cambridge United then Leicester City he was outstanding the Beckham of his day to us young ones.
 
In my early days a tramp would knock our door and ask for his dirty old paint tin to be filled with tea, another similar sort of chap but cleaner would come on a bike with a stand that raised his wheel so he could pedal and drive a grinstone on which he would sharpen scissors, knives and shears. 
 
In Fulbourn Old Drift there was a small railway siding where a few railway trucks filled with coal would be backed onto for the local coal merchant to unlock by hand into sacks on his cart. Mr Doughty, who had a wooden leg, lived near the siding and worked for the railway trimming the wicks of oil lamps and filling them with paraffin for the railway signals.
 
Doreen Tabour (nee Rowlings) who still lives in the row in Railway Street was relief railway gate lady. Mr Bartrum, John’s dad, was the resident gateman who lived in the old station house. 
 
The hunt in the old days which was quite a spectacle, normally left from Chalks Farm but on some occasions left from the Vicarage, the hounds I think came from Gingell? of Horningsea, they looked magnificent. Steven Bros Builders yard used to be next to Mr Bendalls old thatch which after a fire became the site of a garage but is now housing.
 
The blacksmith shop, run by Kitch Gentle, opposite the Red Lion pub was the place to take glass accumulators to be charged for powering our radio as we did not have electricity, our lights were by gas or oil lamp. Upstairs at the back of the blacksmith shop was a beautiful picture with Springfield Farm on the edge of Cherry Hinton Road. There used to be another farm “Ventress” on the other side of Cherry Hinton Road just slightly along near the start of Cherry Hinton Hall, which again was burnt down for Harold Ridgeon (Sindals) to build more houses.
 
At the top of Fishers Lane just on the High Street was Clintons big drying shed where washing was deposited for the village ladies to wash and iron for the University. Several houses in those days had washrooms in their back gardens just behind their house. It would contain a water filled copper heated by a fire below.
 
Another large shed was at the back of the Steggles house in the High Street next to Joan and Bill Taylors house where tobacco would be dried. On the opposite side of the High Street was the Co-op Shop where later Freddy Reaverone? Was manager they had cables across the ceiling which took the money to the cashier, quite fascinating to watch as a child but the system seemed to hold up everyone because they had to wait for the cashier to process it and send it back the change in a little pot in a carriage zooming across the room against the ceiling – Hi Tek for its day I guess but slowed everyone down. 
 
In later days the Rec was enlarged to include where allotments used to be behind the Chequers Pub. There seemed to be a lovely croud of lads came to live in the village, Herbie Williams from Stotfold moved into Leete Road, John Anderson into the prefabs in Church End, he was  a brilliant lad, he built such a good hi-fi system, I think he cast concrete into the base of a speaker cabinet he fabricated, the sound was so good that the whole prefab vibrated with the deep base notes. He was always up to something clever. I well remember the time when he made some metal tubes with a tiny hole for the fuse but with thread at the tube end which he would fill with chemicals from I think Jim Davidson which he would ask one to put a bolt at the end and gently tighten. It was nothing to see a massive branch blown off near trunk of a large tree with a horrendous bang as a test that it would work. Followed by PC Plod roaming the neighbourhood for the next few hours when we had to make ourselves scarce. But John’s father was very good at fobbing him off because PC Plod knew very well who had probably done it. I shall never forget the tremendous boom in the toilets (when they used to be underground) in the centre of Market Square) one Bonfire night, I’m sure it must have been heard halfway to Newmarket. 
 
I went with Herbie, Stan, John Poulter and others to learn to ride a motorbike at what was the old cattle market at the top of Cherry Hinton Road on Sunday mornings, it was a brilliant system where Hallens and Kings Harpes provided a bike for each of us to learn on off the road around the cattle market lane system. Needless to say we all got bikes which gave us the freedom to roam anywhere from there on.
 
It was a wonderful time you could always tell when Stan was zooming through the village on his fanny barnet, it seemed the throttle only had one position. I remember Vics younger brother Gordon riding pillion on the back of mine whilst Vic was on the back of Stans, Gordon never realised he was going to fly as we took the railway gates going downhill at full throttle – happy days, we were the lucky generation, we had all the benefits of prewar tranquillity with orange juice, cod liver oil, chocolate and later milk at school each morning and in our teens, when most older lads would have to do 2 years in their National Service, which most thought was a waste of 2 years in their prime of life, even that was stopped just a year or two ahead of us. I think the last from the village who had to go were Sammy Bercham, who went into the RAF as did Paddy Reilly, what a smashing lad he was to come into the village with bros. Pat, Fergie and others in the family. Pete Noland I think was the last to go into the army, unless someone knows different.
 
My dad Charlie was a bricklayer who worked until he was 74, quite a heavy job till that age, he would cycle all over as far as Girton but if he was working around town or nearer he would always cycle home at lunch times as well, people were really fit in those days with no cars to get about with. One of my fondest memories is of walking my son David, when he was little, to the cement works to watch the rotating machinery mulching the slurry to meet dad on his way home, David would sit on dads coat on his bikes handlebars with his feet in his basket, I think both of them were in heaven walking back through the Tins pathway. It was such simple things that gave such pleasure in those days, I can’t think of anywhere beter to have been brought up unless we were all living by the coast, maybe Bembridge I.O.W. (Isle of Wight) where Stan, Mick Colville and a group of us went for a holiday one year, before we had 4 chalets in a row at Skegness with a group of 16 of us another year with some of Vics United pals who joined the village lads at the Red Lion. We were a lucky generation. Tony Mason July 2012.

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This is an ongoing project to add the information, data and history of the pubs (Public Houses) that are in Cherry Hinton, both past and present. It is a fluid post with things being added to as I found out more along the way. Please do feel free to add your comments, which I can then approve to be added to the blog, if you so wish.

The Russian Arms was a public house in Cherry Hinton, Cambridge, that was positioned on the east side of Cherry Hinton High Street, one house north from the Baptist Chapel, on the junction of Cherry Hinton High Street and Fisher's Lane. The records that I have found, so far, for this pub cover dates from 1867 to 1912. So, we know that it was in existence for at least 40 years as the ‘Russian Arms’. 

The present-day map below shows the approximate position of the, now private, house which used to be known as the Russian Arms – marked with the red dot.

Here is a picture, below, of the building as it stands today. It is the building on the left, with the burgundy front door in the center. The top three windows from the left belong to this building, along with the 2 bay windows either side of the front door. 

The only physical clue that we have to show us that there was once a pub on this site is the name above the front door, shown below, which states “Russian House 1867”

This clue gives us a solid date for this building and for, perhaps, its deliberate construction for use as a public house in 1867. There are no records of a public house upon this site, named the Russian Arms or otherwise before this date. Although, as we can see from this portion of the Cherry Hinton Enclosure Map of 1806, there were certainly buildings of some kind on this plot.

Here is the same map roughly overlaid onto a modern map - see if you can make out where the roads and buildings relate.

It is very likely, due to  the angles at which both the older buildings depicted on the 1806 map and the later Russian House building stands, that they were positioned to face what was once one of the village greens in Cherry Hinton. Traditionally, the often thatched, cottages would line the edges of a village green to face inwards in order to be able to keep an eye of the cattle and livestock overnight when they were brought back in from the common land - just a little further down Fisher's Lane was a small common called Drayton Common (now built upon) which was in use throughout the medieval period. There is still some evidence today of the green at the corner of Fisher's Lane where it joins with the High Street. There was also a large pond (now filled in and built upon) on the other side of the road, on the High Street directly opposite the Baptist Chapel - giving clues to one of the features often associated with a village and it's green - a village pond. Perfect for keeping the livestock watered. It was very common to find a pub within this scene but as I have mentioned we have no records suggesting a pub on this site any earlier that our 1867 Russian House/Arms.

The records that I have found, that mention or relate to the Russian Arms, are as follows (in chronological order):

OCTOBER 29th 1881 – Cambridge Chronicle
 
“ “Russian Arms” Public House, and 18 tenements mostly brick and slate, ANNUAL RENTAL £133 14s. TO BE SOLD BY AUCTION BY WM. WALLIS, ON TUESDAY, November the 8th 1881, at the “Russian Arms”, Cherry Hinton, Cambs, at six for seven o’clock in the evening, by order of the Mortgagee with the power of sale in the following or other such lots as may be determined upon at the time of sale…….
LOT 4. All that New-built Brick and Slate PUBLIC-HOUSE, DOUBLE FRONTAGE, known by the sign of “The Russian Arms”, with a frontage of 66ft. 6in. The house is admirably adapted for business, having the above frontage with large Bay Windows and containing 8 Rooms with Club Room, good Cellar, Range and Copper, also a side gate Entrance to stable, Cart Shed, with lost over, Brick and Pantile outbuilding, etc. There is a Drying Ground to the back of this property with a width of 8ft. and a depth of 50ft. The above is let to Mr. W. H. Apthorpe on a lease expiring the 25th. March 1883 at a yearly rental of £35. Copyhold of the Manor of Hinton Netherhall.”

This is the first documentary evidence that I have found that discusses our pub. You can see from the record that it is regarding the sale of the property. We know from that date of the building, that it appears to have been constructed in 1867. 14 years later in 1881 it is being sold along with some other properties and the auction of all of these properties, along with the pub, is taking place at the Russian Arms itself. Auctions of property often took place in public houses in those days. What we can see from the description of the Russian Arms, is what it would have looked like and how that correlates to what remains today. The description lists the Russian Arms as 'new built', which in essence it was, being about only 14 years old. The large bay windows mentioned are still there today and we get a good description of what the building and pub itself would have been like, inside and out.

The seller of the property is William Wallis, an agent for the Netherhall Manor estate, and the property is copyhold of the Manor of Hinton Netherhall. There were once four manors in Cherry Hinton, two situated in Church End (the north part of Cherry Hinton) - Uphall Manor and Mallets Manor and two more situated in Mill End (the southern part of Cherry Hinton) - Rectory Manor and Netherhall Manor. Netherhall Manor was one of the largest Manors and would have been a physical manor house with a large administrative role in the village. Today there are no manor houses in physical form left -each one having fallen in to disrepair, gone out of use or pulled down. The only one that we do have some evidence of still standing, is that of Uphall Manor, which stands in Church End as a private house now. It was extensively remodelled and changed, the only clues to its original purpose hidden behind later brick encasement. (A separate blog is being done for the manors of Cherry Hinton, where you'll be able to read more there). At the time of this sale of the Russian Arms in 1881, Netherhall Manor was no longer  a 'manor house' but was an administrative body which ran the estate and lands still belonging to what was Netherhall Manor.

The other key piece of information within the sale details is that the Russian Arms was being let to Mr W. H. Apthorpe, his lease was due to expire in another two years.

Both William Henry Apthorpe junior and his father W H Apthorpe were both well known brewers and public house owners in Cambridge during the mid-late 1800's. In 1868 William Henry Apthorpe junior had acquired the Albion Brewery in Coronation Street in Cambridge. His father owned the Victoria Brewery in Napier Street. W H Apthorpe senior retired from brewing by 1875 and the pubs that his brewery controlled were passed on to his son. By 1895 the Albion Brewery had at least 50 tied pubs in Cambridge - presumably including our own Russian Arms.

It is wholly likely then, that beer brewed at Apthorpe's Albion Brewery, shown in the picture above, was sold and served in the Russian Arms, here in Cherry Hinton.

An article on Albion Brewery on capturingcambridge.org shows what happened to the brewery after this date:
1896: acquired hy Lacon
1913:
E Lacon & Co, brewers, wine and spirit merchants
H W Badcock, Granta View, Stapleford, manager
1962:
E Lacon Ltd, brewers wine and spirit merchants
1965:
Lacon taken over by Whitbreads. Site demolished soon after.

The last date of use of our Russian Arms, being a working pub in the village, is 1912. So from the information given above it would have seen at least one change of ownership and probably brewery - that of the change in 1896 to Lacon. 

In the London Gazette 1862 we find further evidence as to which Apthrope - father or son - would have been involved with our Russian Arms:

"NOTICE is hereby given, that the Partnership sub- sisting between us the undersigned, William Henry Apthorpe and William Henry Apthorpe the younger, in the business of Maltsters and Brewers, carried on by us at the borough of Cambridge, under the firm of Apthorpe and Son, was this day dissolved by mutual consent. All debts due to and from the partnership will be received and paid by the said William Henry Aptborpe, by whom the busi- ness will in future solely be carried on.—Dated this 12th day of May, 1862.
W. H. Apthorpe.'
W. H.Apthorpe,junr."

With our building being constructed in 1867, it would mean that the Russian Arms would be in the management of William Henry Apthorpe junior.

Shortly after the notice of sale, in November 1881 we find the following announcement:

NOVEMBER 12th 1881 – Cambridge Chronicle
 
“On Tuesday last, the following property, situate at Cherry Hinton, was sold at the “Russian Arms”, by Mr. Wm. Wallis:-………………
LOT 4. The “Russian Arms” public-house, with cart-shed, loft and brick and pantile outbuilding, copyhold of the Manor of Hinton Netherhall, fine certain, sold to Mr. W. H. Apthorpe for £480.”

This shows that Apthorpe junior goes ahead and buys the Russian Arms and becomes owner rather than the tenant of the property. It does make me wonder though...If the Apthorpe's were the first to run a pub there and if they didn't actually build the building itself (as tenants only, why would they have?) then perhaps the naming of the pub "The Russian Arms" was simply due to the house being called "Russian House" as we can see remains the name above the door today. This means rather than searching for reasons for naming a pub the Russian Arms, the line of enquiry falls to why the original building was named Russian House. I would, at this point, be inclined to think that the Russian Arms was so named after the house itself....although....having said that...surely it was built for use as a pub rather than converted - if we go by the sale description of the building? this is a little mystery to solve!

We can see that the pub was still in business in 1887 as it is mentioned indirectly when an announcement is made in the Cambridge Newspaper regarding two cottages that were being sold next door - notice that Fisher's Lane is referred to as "Chapel Lane" due to the Baptist Chapel which was built in 1870. This name doesn't seem to be used very often in the records and today retains the preferred "Fisher's Lane". There wasn't another small lane next to the Chapel which could have had this name that can be discovered as of yet.

March 4th 1887 – Cambridge Chronicle
 
“CHERRY HINTON, CAMBS
Two Freehold Cottages in Chapel Lane…..and Two Brick, Stud and Tiled Cottages, situate next “The Russian Arms” Public House, …..”

In 1888 we find an entry that shows the Russian Arms still going strong and playing its role as an integral part of the community, when an inquest is held at the pub - again, along with auctions, sales and various club meetings, village pubs were often used to hold inquests and court session.

JANUARY 20th 1888 – Cambridge Chronicle
 
“INQUEST – Mr. C. W. Palmer, the county coroner, on Wednesday, held an inquiry at the “Russian Arms”, Cherry Hinton, into the circumstances attending the death of Blackman Flack, aged 57. The deceased had been an outpatient at the Hospital, and died rather suddenly on the 11th inst. A post-mortem examination, made by Dr. Perkins, showed that death was occasioned by consumption, and a verdict to that effect was returned.”

In 1893 we again find reference to the Russian Arms through an announcement regarding the sale of some cottages next door.

MAY 26th 1893 – Cambridge Chronicle
 
“Two Cottages, Brick, Stud and Tile built. Situate next the Russian Arms Public House….To be sold.”

Then the final newspaper entry that I can find for our pub, dated 1894, is in regard to another inquest held at the premises:

SEPTEMBER 7th 1894 – Cambridge Chronicle
 
“A FATAL FIT
An inquest was held at the “Russian Arms”, Cherry Hinton, on Wednesday evening, by Mr. A.J. Lyon, County Coroner, on the body of Susan Merry aged 49, who died somewhat suddenly on the previous Tuesday morning. David Merry, a labourer, the husband of the deceased, said on Monday afternoon, while his wife was washing, she fell down in a fit. She was subject to fainting fits, but on this occasion she did not rally as usual, and she never spoke again. He did not send for a doctor, as he thought she would come round; he had known her to be in a fit for six hours. There was no change in her condition from the time when she was seized until just before she died.-
Mrs Sarah Watts said when she was called to the deceased she was lying insensible on the floor of the kitchen. She remained in that condition for two or three hours. The doctor was sent for when witness though the deceased was dying.-
Dr. Nicholls, of Fulbourn, said he had made a post mortem examination of the body, and was of the opinion that death was due to heart disease. It was doubtful if a doctor could have done any good had he been sent for at the time of the seizure. The jury returned a verdict of “Death from natural causes.” 

It is worth now checking the census returns to see who was actually living in the building over the years and to see if we can find a solid date when the building stopped being a public house.

The first entry that we have for the Russian Arms is in the 1871 Census - about 4 years after being built. Census returns were done every 10 years, the previous return was for 1861 - before our building was erected. I did however search the entire Census entries from 1841 - when they started - through to 1861 just in case there was any evidence of a pub previously on the same site but there was none.

​The following details are given in 1871 Census:

Russian Arms, High Street, Cherry Hinton, Cambridge 
Thomas Merry, born in Cherry Hinton, aged 33, Head, Beer House Keeper - living with him are; Charlotte Merry, born Little Wilbraham, aged 32, shop keeper - along with Fred Merry, 1 year old and George Merry 1 month old, both born in Cherry Hinton.

Notice that Thomas is running the 'beer house' but that his wife Charlotte is noted as a shop keeper - was this her occupation elsewhere in the village or town of Cambridge or did she run a small shop from the pub premises?

A couple of doors up from Thomas and Charlotte are further members of the 'Merry' family - perhaps Thomas' parents. They are predominantly Agricultural labourers.

In the 1881 Census the following details are given:

Russian Arms, High Street, Cherry Hinton, Cambridge
Thomas Merry, born Cherry Hinton, aged 44, porter - living with him are;
Charlotte Merry, born Little Wilbraham, aged 44 - along with Mary A Merry, aged 13, scholar, George Merry, aged 11, scholar, Frederick Merry, aged 10, scholar, Sarah Merry, aged 7, scholar and Rosina Merry, aged 2.

No mention of Charlotte being a shopkeeper and Thomas is listed as a porter - beer porter? or an additional occupation? Their daughter Mary A Merry wasn't listed on the previous census, so was presumably staying with relatives when the last census was being taken. Frederick and George are still there and in the intervening ten years Sarah and Rosina Merry have been born.

In the County Directory, Thomas Merry is listed as a Beer Retailer and shop keeper in 1869 & 1879 and Beer Retailer in Cherry Hinton in 1883.

The 1891 Census tells us the following:

Russian Arms, High Street, Cherry Hinton, Cambridge-
Sarah Fuller, aged 58, born Essex, Little Bury, Widow, Publican
​with her are her daughter Mary Ann Fuller, born Cherry Hinton, aged 36, Laundress and her son Charles Henry Fuller, born Cherry Hinton, aged 34, Carrier.

As you can see from the above, the Merry family are no longer at the premises. Sarah Fuller was married to Charles Fuller and they had previous lived in Mill End, Cherry Hinton. Charles senior had been a railway labourer. After he had died Sarah takes on the business of running the Russian Arms.

​Sarah Fuller is listed in the County Directory as a Beer Retailer, Cherry Hinton in 1892.

1901 Census is more vague with its addresses and there is a possibility for the occupants of the Russian Arms, listed on the High Street, Cherry Hinton but it doesn't distinguish where exactly on the High Street or if it could be the Hopbine, Five Bells or the Russian Arms - all of which were on the High Street at this time. Annoyingly it does note the names of The Robin Hood, The Unicorn and The Red Lion - at least it rules those ones out. Even with reading through the addresses in succession it is still not completely clear - we do have an 'Inn Keeper' on the High Street called Jane Nightingale who is a widow from Barnwell, Cambridge and is living on which ever premises it is with six of his children aged from 11 -27 (all of whom were born in Trumpington - two of the girls are working as laundry workers - a well known Cherry Hinton profession). At the moment we can't say for certain if this is the family who are then living at our pub.

An interesting article in Ale -Cambridge & District Branch Newsletter Issue 391 February 2019 - discusses the interesting character of Joe Nightingale from Trumpington who's second wife was Jane Nightingale. They had been running the Volunteer pub in Trumpington. When Jane was widowed she came to Cherry Hinton and was running the Russian Arms in 1901. So it would seem it was the Nightgales at the Russian Arms at this date.

"....his evidently very sturdy widow probably carried on in the Volunteer for a short time, but by 1901 she (along with much of her brood) had moved on to the Russian Arms in Cherry Hinton...."

You can read more about this here: https://www.cambridge-camra.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/pdf/Ale391.pdf

The image above shows us what the Russian Arms would have looked like during its working existence, this is very roughly dated to around 1910. I will place a zoomed in version below so that we can see the pub and its sign a little better.

We have more luck with the 1911 Census, which gives the following information:

Russian Arms, High Street, Cherry Hinton, Cambridge;
George Burch, Head, aged 38, born Ipswich, Publican.
Annie Burch, wife, aged 36, born Eastmeon, Hants, married for 15 years, 7 children - all survived, assisting in the business.
Florence Burch, born Eastbourn, Sussex, aged 14, domestic day girl.
Winnifred Burch, born Eastbourne, Sussex, aged 13, school.
Daisy Burch, born Eastbourne, Sussex, aged 11, school.
Fred Burch, born Portsmouth, aged 10, school.
Edgar Burch, born Cambridge, aged 9, school.
Dorothy Burch, born Cambridge, aged 6, school.
Edward Burch, born Cherry Hinton, aged 2.

We can see that the pub is still running in 1911, the Burch family in residence. Given the age of Edward Burch, their youngest at 2 years old and being the first of the children born in Cherry Hinton, suggests that the family are relatively new to the village and therefore perhaps not that long in the pub itself.

We cannot yet access the 1921 Census until January 2022 when it is to be released. So now I shall turn to the County and Village Directories to see if we can find out anything else.

So far, I have been hitting a dead end for anything after 1911 to say that the pub was still in use and no records coming up for the Burch family placing them still there, so as it stands we know that the pub was still going in 1911 but that is currently the end date we have for its use.

The Lost Pubs (www.closedpubs.co.uk) project gives us the following information:

"The Russian Arms was situated on Cherry Hinton High Street. This pub closed in 1912 under the 1904 Compensation Act."

Mike Petty (www.mikepetty.org.uk) also mentions this, in his compilation on Cherry Hinton, taken from historical newspaper reports:
1912 07 26
Licensing: Cherry Hinton Russian Arms, 12 07 26 

1912 11 15
Licensing compensation for Cherry Hinton Russian Arms

1935 07 05 The Five Bells was one of five fully-licensed houses in Cherry Hinton. In 1920 the Hop Bine, next door, was done away with and the Russian Arms had been closed in 1912. Lacons the brewers said the extra penny on beer had hit sales. The Five Bells had been ringing harmoniously for a good many years to the comfort and convenience of the inhabitants and should be allowed to continue to ring a litter longer. The licence was renewed - 35 07 05b

From these reports we can see that the Russian Arms ceased trading in 1912 and became a private dwelling house.

The Russian Arms had closed as a result of the 1904 Licensing Act. It seems that the idea was to reduce the numbers of licences in congested areas, and compensation was paid under the Act. 
Under the Licensing Act, 1904, in the seven years from 1905 to 1911, 7,318 licensed premises were closed with compensation. Of these, 6,880 were in England and 438 in Wales. http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/acts/licensing-act-1904

Please do get in touch if you would like to make a comment or have any further information. More history and information on the other pubs in Cherry Hinton coming soon....

If you'd like to support the work that I do, why not buy me a virtual coffee, I'd be really grateful and it will help keep me going :)

A little exploration into one of the old farms of Cherry Hinton. Ventress Farm was one of the old farms that stood in Cherry Hinton village, positioned just off of, what is now, Cherry Hinton Road. There would appear to be nothing remaining of it to see today...or is there?...

So as you can see from the two little video clips above, it may be that there is something of the old farm buildings remaining, that we can see today, hidden away from sight and only there if you go exploring and have a look. The question is, is that older looking house, within the more modern Ventress Farm Court Flats, actually the old Ventress farm house? or even on the site of the Ventress Farm. Given the name of the site today as Ventress Farm Court, it seems a fairly obvious clue that this was at the least the site of the old farm. So let's take a look at the things I can tell you about Ventress Farm, that I know of already and then see if we can decide if that house is, in fact the old farm house. Firstly lets get our position clearer in the landscape.

A good place to start is the old Enclosure map of Cherry Hinton, which is from 1806, when Enclosure took place in Cherry Hinton (more on that in another blog coming soon). This is one of the earliest maps that we have for the village in any detail and we can get to see what buildings were there at that time. 

So in 1806, we can see that there are two sets of buildings around the site. The ones, in the larger yellow circle, look more like a set of related buildings which make them a more likely candidate for a farm and then the second singular building in the smaller yellow circle further to the left. Let's have a go at overlaying the modern map with the Enclosure map to see if we can sort the position out better.

Hopefully you'll be able to make out a little of what is showing through the overlaid maps above. We can now rule out the building shown previously, in the smaller yellow circle, and turn our attention to the collection of buildings, within the plot of the larger yellow circle. As you can more or less make out in the overlaid maps above, the left hand L shaped building seems to lay beneath what is now a road way - (the second part of Ventress Farm Court roadway, which comes off of Greystoke Road). The building that is shown on the picture above, in the yellow circle above is the one to focus on. If it is not the building that remains today, it would have stood upon the same spot and may relate to those bricks that were reused to make the back wall, shown in video clip 2.

As you can see there are two L shaped buildings within this one plot, numbered 113, and marked as owned by Caius College. In fact look a little closer within the plot and you'll see another small, square building, by the roadside. The dark line going across the picture is where Cherry Hinton Road now lays (this used to be called Long Drove). It does not name the site as Ventress Farm on this map. I need to do several things to make this information clearer at this stage but given the lockdown that we are in, some things will just have to wait until another day - one of which is a trip to Caius College to have a look in their archives, as it will be good to see what they have on Cherry Hinton in general but also to see what this site was called in previous years to the Enclosure. I also need to pop back up to Cambridge Archives, which is now in Ely, in its new building there, and go over both the Enclosure and accompanying pre-Enclosure maps of Cherry Hinton, getting some new and clearer pictures of them to share with you. I will then also be able to look through the Enclosure award book to see what and who else may be listed, for the plot that we are looking at. I do have all these records here but hidden in piles of archives, in boxes, so it's just as well to go and get some newer pictures with better camera. As I get more data I will keep adding to this post.

In the old medieval open field system within the parish of Cherry Hinton, the site lay in a large parcel of land called Fendon Field. The written survey, of parts of the village in 1592, by Christopher Saxton, describes many of the smaller parcels of land within Fendon Field, most of which are owned by Gilbert Wise and his family but it doesn’t mention any buildings, only the size of the land parcels. The same can be said for the survey of the land carried out in 1733 by John Tracey, some of the land within Fendon Field still being owned by the Wise family, descendants of Gilbert Wise.As we've just seen, on the Enclosure map of 1806 we can see that Gonville and Caius (Cambridge College) are marked as owning the site. Here's a little more information relating to that for now.

“In 1503 Thomas Willows granted c.45 acres to Gonville Hall (Cambridge), to which in 1708 W. Peters left 66 acres copyhold of Netherhall manor. After inclosure [1806] Caius College's main Hinton holdings were in Fendon field… Between 1830 and 1857 its land was leased out to William Ventris. Its lands were sold off piecemeal in the 20th century, and in 1998 it retained 20 acres....In account of Caius' building expenses between 1564 and 1573, amounting to £1,837, includes purchase of timber-trees from Warboys and Ramsey woods, freestone and rubble from Ramsey [Abbey] and Barnwell [Priory], freestone from King's Cliffe and Weldon, clunch from Haslingfield and Barrington and lime from Reach and Cherry Hinton.”
“From the 16th century Caius College owned other lands in Teversham, called WILLOWES. In 1502 Thomas Willows, a Cambridge glover, had devised his purchased lands, c. 79 a., in Teversham, Fen Ditton, Fulbourn, and Cherry Hinton, to Gonville Hall, for 99 years, to help maintain a fellow and bible clerk. The Teversham portion, which, with other land in Fulbourn and Fen Ditton, became Willowes farm.” [in Teversham]
(A History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely: Volume 10, Victoria County History, London, 2002.)

The next thing we can do is to take a quick look at the site from the air.

So one last little thing to try before I start telling you about the tragic and interesting history from what I already know about Ventress Farm... let's overlay the Enclosure map with the aerial view to see just where that building lands, more or less ;)

Mr & Mrs Ventris lived and ran the farm on our site in the early 19th century, and it was called Ventris Farm  - later, by the end of the 19th century the spelling had changed to Ventress. You can read more about the tragic incident that occurred, in 1813, to Mrs Ventris and her young child  below:

The following is gleaned from old newspaper records about the Ventress (Ventris) family in Cherry Hinton and Ventress Farm:

Mrs Ventris, Relief of poor, May 1801  (Cherry Hinton Chronicle, E.Filby)
Relief of the poor in Cambridge and the neighbouring villages. Second subscription. Mrs Ventris, Cherry Hinton paid 10s 6d

Melancholy Event, September 24th 1813  (Cherry Hinton Chronicle, E.Filby)
We are much concerned in stating, that on Monday morning last, Mrs. Ventris, wife of Mr. Ventris of this place was found drowned in a ditch in the Parish of Cherry Hinton. She had left Cambridge on the preceding day, and took one of her children with her, a girl about 16 months old, who we regret to say, was also drowned, being found within a few feet of her mother. The Coroner's jury returned a verdict "found drowned".

This terrible thing happened and the verdict just seems so plain... 'Found drowned'. Perhaps it was as simple and as tragic as that. I presume that the ditch in question was most likely a point somewhere along the Hinton Brook, only across the road from Ventris Farm, which flows from Giant's Grave at the High Street crossroads, through the grounds of Cherry Hinton Hall and on towards Coldham's Common, before joining the River Cam at Stourbridge Common. You have to bear in mind that the Hinton Brook had far more depth and the area was covered in marshy boggy places, with natural springs and their little ditches cropping out in various places. This was before the drainage of the parish took place and before the water reservoirs were built on top of Lime Kiln Hill in the late 19th century, which in turn lessened the flow of water in the Hinton Brook. So perhaps it was just that, a tragic accident. It is natural to wonder if there was more to it such as foul play or even suicide, perhaps due to something like postnatal illness or such like but we can not presume or surmise anything like that because we do not have the full facts and can only give our respectful thoughts and prayers to the memory of Mrs Ventris, her young child and her family, acknowledging the sad incident, now part of our Cherry Hinton history.

I have started a family tree for the Ventris family, on Ancestry, so that I can get further records and information about them, which I'll add here as I discover facts. 

Mrs Ventris was called Mary and she was buried, at Cherry Hinton, 23rd September 1813 (FHL Film No. 2149251)

The child, who died with her, was called Elizabeth Ventris, as she is shown as also being buried in Cherry Hinton on 23rd September 1813. (FHL Film no. 214251).

The main and only village burial site from the medieval period onwards was St Andrew's Church at the top end of the village in Church End - There was a large Saxon burial site further down Church End, pre-dating the main church today, which was discovered and excavated about 2009. Before that we've got isolated burials all over the place, from the skeletons of those massacred in long gone battles, found up on top of Lime Kiln Hill, at the War Ditches - to the boundary marker, bronze age burials around the parish and more besides. I'm not sure if the Baptist Chapel on Fisher Lane ever allowed any burials there but on the whole everyone was buried in St Andrew's Church yard - before the creation of the Cambridge Cemetery on Newmarket Road. I have long thought that there may have been some earlier, collective burial site, down the south end of the village (Mill End) somewhere, because Church End (in the north) and Mill End (south) were quite separate from one another before drainage took place in the late 1800's. Perhaps there is still a Saxon burial site to be discovered in Mill End somewhere - the only indication of something religious down that end at the moment, is an odd reference to "God's House" which keeps cropping up on old surveys and documents - it seems to lay somewhere off of the High Street, opposite the Post Office, in that area. So much to explore and discover still...:)

You can visit the tree that I have now started on Ancestry, to learn more about the Ventris family by clicking this link: www.ancestry.co.uk/family-tree/pt/RSVP.aspx?dat=MTY5MDQ0MzkwOzswMWU5NDJkNS0wMDA2LTAwMDAtMDAwMC0wMDAwMDAwMDAwMDA7MjAyMDA1MTIwNzE3MDI7MQ==&mac=KJIo8AoL8hQtxxf6g8vMBA==

The basics are:
Mr Ventris was William Richmond Ventris and he married Mrs Ventris - Mary Lawrence in Cambridge on 28th December 1796 at Saint Andrew the Great Church. 
Mr Ventris was born around 1765 and his parents were from Teversham. He was married first to Martha Plume (born 1764 - died 1788) and they had 2 or 3 children together. He then married Mary and they had 4 or 5 children together.  

William and Mary had a baby called Sarah in June 1812 and who was then buried in Cherry Hinton in June 1812. Mary and her daughter Elizabeth died the in September 1813 - the newspaper article saying that Elizabeth was about 16 months old - I wonder if Sarah and Elizabeth had been twins? - a quick check of the records confirms this to be the case, as both Elizabeth and Sarah are baptised together in Cherry Hinton on 6th June 1812.

William and Mary's son, Edward Ventris (b.1802 -d.1886) went on to live in Cambridge (3, Bateman Street, Cambridge) and was the Vicar of the parish church in Stow-Cum-Quy.

William Ventris died in 1827.

More newspaper clips and information regarding Ventris Farm:

27th September and 4th October 1816 (Cherry Hinton Chronicle, E.Filby) 
Parish of Cherry Hinton in the County of Cambridge
Whereas the GAME within this Parish has been much destroyed by poachers and unqualified persons, and considerable damage done by persons sporting amongst standing crops and other acts of unsportsmanlike conduct, obliges us to adopt this mode of proceeding. We the undersigned being owners and occupiers of Lands within the said parish, do hereby give notice, that such persons found trespassing will be prosecuted, and qualified persons are requested not to sport.
T.S. Headly, R. Johnson, R.Rickard, R.Emson, W.Capp, J.Barrance, R.Granger sen., R. Granger jun., J.Truslove, John Headly, John Green, W.R. Ventris, William Tagg, Thomas Hart, J.Clements, William Coe.

October 15th 1819 (Cherry Hinton Chronicle, E.Filby)
Furniture - Cherry Hinton
To be sold by auction by Elliot Smith on the premises of Mrs Ventris, deceased, on Tuesday next the 19th October at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. Consisting of bedsteads and furnishings, beds and bedding, 8 day clock, a bureau, corner cupboard, kitchen utensils, hooks and various other articles. May be viewed morning of sale. Catelogues to be had at the Coach and Horses, Fulbourn, Red Lion, Cherry Hinton, and Elliot Smith.

January 1st 1822 (Cherry Hinton Chronicle, E.Filby)
Inquest
On Friday last, an inquest was held before John Ingle Esq., one of the coroners for this County, on view of the body of Thomas Lane, servant at Mr. Ventris's farm, at Cherry Hinton. It appeared that the deceased, who had been unwell for some time, but not so much so as to prevent his going about his usual avocations, retired to bed after eating a hearty supper. In the night a person in the adjoining room was awoke by the cries of a lad, who slept with the deceased. He immediately got up and only arrived in time to see the poor fellow expire. Verdict, died by the visitation of God.

September 14th 1832 (Cherry Hinton Chronicle, E.Filby)
Theft
​On Sunday night last or early on the following morning, a post chaise was stolen from the premises of Mrs. Ventris of Cherry Hinton.

October 21st 1882 (Cherry Hinton Chronicle, E.Filby)
MILK! MILK!
J.Barton will supply
Daily pure MILK from the cow
8 pints for 1 shilling.
Deliveries to all part of the Town.
​All orders received at Ventris Farm, Cherry Hinton.

Owners and occupiers of Ventris (Ventress) farm over the years:

Both the 1851 and 1861 Census do not record Ventris Farm by name but records a John Spencer as a farmer in the vicinity of where Ventris Farm would have been, on Cambridge Road (called Fulbourn Road 1861) - but we can not say for certainty that this is the same site, so for now we'll just note that, rather that say for definite.

In the news, which may relate to Ventris Farm, if Mr Spencer did indeed farm and live there, the following entry in the Cambridge Chronicle appears:
November 17th 1849
FIRE!
On the night of Tuesday last, about 12 o'clock, a fire broke out in a wheat stack situate in a field on the farm of Mr. Spencer, of this parish. The flames speedily communicated to a contiguous wheat stack and a barley cob, and the three were reduced to ashes. The stacks were at some distance from the Homestead and there is no doubt that they were maliciously fired. The conflagration, from the solidity of the Stacks, lasted for a considerable period, and created a great deal of alarm in Cambridge. Mr Spencer is insured, but we have not heard an estimate of the loss, which must be considerable.
(Cherry Hinton Chronicle, E.Filby)

Both the 1871 and 1881 Census do not record Ventris Farm by name but records a Remmington Pratt as a farmer in the vicinity of where Ventris Farm would have been, on Cambridge Road - but we can not say for certainty that this is the same site, so as with 1851 and 1861 previously, for now we'll just note that, rather that say for definite.

OS map 1885 shows the name spelt Ventress rather than Ventris.

On the 1891 Census, Ventris Farm isn't named but approximately where it would be expected a farm is listed but called Barton's Farm - perhaps a temporary change? this needs more investigation. As it corresponds to the site, it is worth mentioning the details here:
Barton's Farm -
James Bass, Head, married, aged 60, Farm Bailiff, employed, born in Oxford
Emma Bass, wife, aged 61, born Bucks
William Bass, son, single, aged 37, Book Cavasser, born Bucks
Louisa Bass, daughter, single, aged 23, born Trumpington
Walter Bass, son, single, aged 19, Stationary Engine Driver, employed, born Trumpington

*note how the son, Walter is a stationary engine driver - this suggests that he was working for the Pamplin family of Cherry Hinton who ran the steam plough works (where there were stationary engines working the plough) in the village and are recorded as owning the Ventris Farm site in 1913 - perhaps they owned it from this date, 1891

The 1901 Census doesn't name Ventris Farm, just the road, but we can presume with some degree of certainty that Daniel Coe who is shown as Farm Baliff and is on the 1911 Census (see below) as a Farm Steward, living at Ventris Farm, is at the same place in 1901. 
So for 1901 it is likely that the following applies:
Cambridge Road, Cherry Hinton -
Daniel Coe, Head, married, aged 48, Farm Baliff, worker, born in Cherry Hinton
Emma Coe (Emily on 1911 Census), wife, aged 47 years, born Cherry Hinton
and
Lizzie Coe (Lucy on 1911 Census), daughter, aged 20, Dressmaker, born in Cherry Hinton
Ada F Coe, daughter, aged 16, born Cherry Hinton

Any other the families shown either side of the Coe's on this Census could also be living on the site but without a link we can not presume to add them at this point.

In 1909 a sad incident took place at the farm:

On the 1911 Census for Cherry Hinton, there are three people listed as living at Ventris (spelt the original way) Farm, as follows:
Obdiah John Malting, head of the household, aged 52, married for 30 years, 3 children born alive, 2 living, one died. Horse keeper, worker. born in Suffolk.
Caroline Malting, wife, aged 51, born in Suffolk
and
Harry Joseph Malting, son, aged 20, single. Born in Suffolk. 
The house is listed as having 4 rooms (not inc. any scullery, landing, lobby, closet, bathroom nor warehouse, office or shop) 

Also on the 1911 Census, shown living as separate family (and most likely building with in complex) at Ventris Farm were:
Daniel Coe, Head, aged 59, married for 40 years, Farm Steward, Farmer, Worker, born in Cherry Hinton.
Emily Coe, wife, aged 59, 5 children born alive and 5 children living, born in Cherry Hinton.
and
Lucy Coe, daughter, aged 30, single, dressmaker, born in Cherry Hinton

c. 1913 - The two farms at Cherry Hinton owned by Pamplins were Ventris Farm and Sidney Farm. Ventris Farm stood on the left of Cherry Hinton Road as you left the Robin Hood public house and made your way towards Cambridge, the farmhouse stood on the site that is now a brand new housing complex of flats called Ventress Farm Court. (M. Bullivant, Cherry Hinton Community Archives (CCAN). You can read more about the Pamplin Bros. here - https://cherry-hinton.ccan.co.uk/wp-search/ventris)

Harold Ridgeon and his family are living at Ventress Farm in the 1960's - a well known Cambridge family, involved with the Sindalls Company, which had a site further down Cherry Hinton Road, opposite Wulfstan Way.

The record on the Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record database is as follows:

Which we now know isn't quite correct, the farm isn't completely demolished. So I have written to them to request the record now be updated with the new information provided by this post. You'd never know it was there, unless you live in Ventris Farm Court and saw that odd building in the middle as different, or if you didn't just come off road and explore because it can not been seen from the road side at all.

Addendum.

This welcome comment was posted to this article by Ivan who said the following:

"Not sure if you found it already but if you search for planning reference C/75/0116 on the greater Cambridge planning portal, you find : "Address: Ventress Farm House Cherry Hinton Road Cambridge Cambridgeshire. Proposal: Erection of two-storey extention to existing dwelling to from flats.Change of use of existing dwelling to flats". Dated 02 Apr 1975. The application was granted - maybe this is as straightforward as it sounds - the house was there at that time and was converted to flats then?"

If you go onto the planning portal yourself, you will find the information he is referring to and you'll see that it does indeed give the date for which the flats we see today at Ventress Farm were approved for construction in 1975 and that it also says they are to be extended from the farmhouse that stood on the site. It also suggests that the house itself is converted to flats. Here's a screen shot of part of the original application:

Many thanks to Ivan for this information - and remember, if you have any information you'd like to add or ideas you want to suggest please do get in touch. In addition, you are more than welcome to share you memories of Ventress Farm and the site, living in the flats and so on, to this site - just drop me a line :)

If you'd like to support the work that I do, why not buy me a coffee, I'd be really grateful and it will help keep me going :)