MEMORIES FROM CATTLE END
PART 5
Unlike Lois Weedon, with only one shop and two off-licences, in the 1920’s Weston had a lot of tradesmen and was more or less self-supporting.
The Bakehouse was owned by Willy Osborne, who had a horse and van to deliver the bread to Lois Weedon, Weston and Moreton Pinkney. The horse and van was driven by Rueben Saunders, a ginger headed person, who used to sit on the front of the van. The horse, I remember, was a strawberry roan in colour, with a fair mane and tail. When Willy retired, the Bakehouse was taken over by Fred Tuck who came with his family from Banbury. Fred, at the time, was Manager of the Co-op shop in Broad Street in Banbury. The horse was kept in a small field half way up the Moreton Road on the right hand side; the road was always called Bakers Road at that time. Rueben continued to work for the Tucks all the time they delivered with horse and van until they acquired motor transport.
John Watts, Builder, Carpenter and Undertaker, had the builders yard next to the Bakehouse. John employed several men in addition to his own sons and did work in other villages.
Fred Leadbeater, the Butcher, lived where the Pomeroy’s live now and went to live in Helmdon when he retired.
Calib Watts, Stonemason, who was John’s brother, lived up Grove Lane. I remember Calib building the stone wall round Milthorpe corner for Mary Davies. He used to bring his tools in his truck, a box with two pram wheels.
Fred Robinson, who lived up at the end of Grove Lane, had an orchard of apple and plum trees that he sold the fruit from. Also eggs from his free-range poultry, which he sold to the public.
Mrs Bennett kept the shop in the High Street that had a bow front window and stable door and sold provisions, sweets, etc.
George Seckington was the Blacksmith and had his forge and house on the left-hand side of the road. One job I remember George doing was erecting the iron fencing around the new cemetery about 1933. He also made me my garden hoe in 1946, which I still use; the cost was twelve shillings and sixpence. His main job was shoeing horses, which he was well qualified to do.
Edie Whitton kept the other shop and post office, also the telephone where the people had to go to phone before the telephone boxes arrived. I believe Edie’s father, Mr Coggins, kept the shop first, her brother Harry occupied Hall Farm.
Bill Grubb and his wife were licensees of the Crown Inn and Bill also did taxi work with an Armstrong Sidley car. He also took the billiards team to the away matches.
Mr Grundon, who was Builder and Carpenter, had the building up near Pear Tree Cottage for his workshop. He later moved to Greens Norton, where he employed several people as well as his two sons, Len and Reg. The last job I can remember him doing out this was was to build the bungalow next to the village hall at the beginning of the 1930’s.
Mr Whitton, the Saddler, lived in Tapley’s Cottage and had a horse and trap to deliver all the repaired harnesses to villages over a wide area. The garage near the cottage was used for his trap, while his horse was kept in the orchard nearby, which has now surrendered to houses.
Harry Coggins had the bus business at Hall Farm. He also acquired a cattle lorry, which was driven by the late Eric Hinton, mostly to Banbury market. Eric was employed full-time working on the farm when he was not driving the lorry.
Mr Jones, the Tailor, lived in the house that has since gone, which was next to where the Carpenter’s now live. My mother used to say that he made all the clothes for the hunting fraternity, including their pink coats.
There were seven farms with dairy herds producing milk. The village people used to go to one of them for their daily milk, taking either a can or a jug. I can’t remember any farmer in Weston or Lois Weedon who went to people’s doorsteps with milk. I did know of one, Fred Mold, who kept the Royal Oak with his wife at Woodend and also had a smallholding and kept cows. Fred had a milk float and delivered milk to the people at Blakesley. Having a large milk can in his float, he would fill an oval two-gallon bucket with milk from the large can which had a tap at the bottom of it. He would go from door to door, where the ladies would open their doors and would have their jugs filled by way of Fred’s pint measure, which he carried hooked on the side of his bucket.
Most of the village people had an allotment to grow all their vegetables. Several had trucks in preference to a wheelbarrow to carry their garden tools to the allotment. In the summer months one would see the elderly gentlemen pushing their trucks up the Bakers Road to the Poors Lot, where they had a piece of allotment. There was also a large shed on the site with a seat around the inside. Some would take their lunch with them to eat in the shed and stay up there all day. There were also the Close Garden allotments near the Blacksmiths, where there was one piece of ground allocated to every cottage that belonged to Weston Hall Estate in Weston. Also the Weston Road allotments which were let to anyone at two shillings and sixpence per chain. I believe the rent for the Close Garden plots was slightly more. The rent was collected in March and September by Mr Stace, estate agent, who came from Brackley and for years used the tack room at the stables at Weston Hall for collecting the rents. Later Mr Stace was partnered by Mr Foote, so it became Stace & Foote. When Mr Stace retired, Mr Foote hired the front room of the Crown for collecting the rents for the Allotments and Farms. Cards were sent to every individual reminding them of the day and time that the rents would be collected, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The other allotment, which is the only one left, is round near the school. Although not so large as it used to be, at one time it was owned by the church and the rents were paid to the Vicar who would be in attendance one evening twice a year at the school. The allotments were sold by the Rev Hamilton when he was Vicar, to the Lois Weedon and Weston Horticultural Society, so making sure of an allotment for future years to come.
I suppose a lot of villagers like myself can remember the war years when all the four allotments were cultivated to provide vegetables for their households. Let’s hope war doesn’t happen again.
Charlie Burbidge