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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 
Bryan Stevens Cherry Hinton Memories
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). 
June Stevens Cherry Hinton Memories
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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In the autumn of 2021 I had a letter from a gentleman called Chris Gifford, who lives in a village close to Cambridge. He told me how, some years ago, he had written out a Cherry Hinton story from his memories of Cherry Hinton and had put it into an exercise book. He then went on to say...
“I showed it to another Cherry Hinton resident, and he wanted to write his stories. We were at Cherry Hinton Junior School in the 1940’s. The book was passed around from one to another all keen to write their stories! We have three books, and I continued with a 24 A4 pages of stories. One girl who lived in Mill End Close wrote about carrying her pet chicken to school. Upon reaching the railway line, she put it on the ground and told it to go home. Brilliant! Of course, there were few cars, and no stray dogs about” Chris offered me the collection of stories and notebooks to add to our Cherry Hinton archives, which I hold. We arranged a meeting, and I visited Chris in the village where he now lives. We had a very enjoyable time, as he related some of the tales from the books and then showed me around his village where he does such a lot to improve the surrounding natural areas using traditional skills. Chris then entrusted the collection of stories to me to make available for you all. There are three exercise books and one A4 written piece of 24 pages. 
The Cherry Hinton Memories Collection
I will transcribe these tales individually and publish them here on the Cherry Hinton page. You will be able to find each complete book, once completed, under the link in the index menu on the right-hand side of the page or by following these links:
Cherry Hinton Memories Book One Cherry Hinton Memories Book Two Cherry Hinton Memories Book Three Cherry Hinton 1946 Onwards by Chris Gifford You can also click on the links below for each book/story. I will index the names, places and each story and each book individually too, which you can also find by looking down the right-hand side clickable menu on the main Cherry Hinton page or by using the search box on the right hand side. In addition, I will add any historical reference pictures that I have access to, to illustrate the tales within the individual stories. I am currently working on adding the pictures to each individual story. You will soon also be able to click on any of the names given below from each of these books to see individual stories or you can click on each book title to see the full collection of the stories within that book. Please feel free to use the 'Contact' button to get in touch if you spot any transcription errors (I'm only human!) - Please do ignore some general spelling and grammar issues as these stories are transcribed as they are written, in general - it's about preserving them as they are, as best is possible. There are, of course, some names or other words that I haven't quite been able to work out, which I would encourage you to drop me a note if you know what they should be so that they can be corrected. If you would like to add a memory or comment to any of the specific stories, then please do click the 'Comment' button at the end of each story. This will come through to me to approve and once approved it will show live in the comments section under the story on this site. Alternatively, if you would like to get in touch privately with any comments please use the 'Contact' button at the top of the pages which will result in me receiving an private email. Lastly, if you would like to add any of your own Cherry Hinton memories/pictures to the Cherry Hinton Archive and let me know using the 'Contact' button at the top of the page and let me know if you would like them published on this website too. 
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 
Book Two “The Cherry Hinton Gang” Those Golden Years
Contains memories from: Bryan Stevens June Stevens Pat Clarke Julie Smith 
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 
Cherry Hinton 1946 onwards by Chris Gifford -separate written story on A4 paper.
If you'd like to support the work that I do and the archive, why not buy me a virtual coffee, I'd be really grateful and it will help keep me going!
Just click on the green button below :) |