Buckden - a Huntingdonshire Village

BUCKDEN: A CLOSING MISCELLANY 215 CHAPTER 21/ BUCKDEN: A CLOSING MISCELLANY Horace Haynes, Brian Carter, John Hebblethwaite And June Woods Edited in part by Robin Gibson This chapter opens with the late Horace Haynes’s wonderfully vivid memories of Buckden and the ways it has changed over the last eighty years. W. B. (Brian) Carter tells the story of a vanishing fire-engine. June Woods dances to the music of Blind Ernie Bonham and remembers fundraising with the Mayoress of Buckden (her father). John Hebblethwaite, past Chairman of the Village Hall Trust, is taken to task by Horace Haynes for forgetting the true origins of the village playing-fields but redeems himself with the help of some old Buckden hands. In between, young Hales and Hardwick spin a few discs, the village plays host to a famous poet and is home to a budding songwriter, the wicked companions of a Very Bad Man are clothed in the decent obscurity of a learned language, and there are buns for tea. Buckden as Bob Baxter and I knew it: Horace Haynes in conversation with Bob Baxter T he last census before the Second World War showed 1087 people. There were six shops, a Post Office, two Bakers, two Butchers and two Blacksmiths as well as two butchers’ vans, two fresh fish vans and two fried fish vans who visited the village on different days. Three churches: Methodist, St Mary’s, and Baptist situated at the far end of the High Street. There was also a Gospel Hall, now attached to the Lion Hotel. I cannot remember this being used as a church but I do remember the Pastor, who lived at the top end of Hardwick Lane. The School, as I remember it, had about 50 pupils, girls and boys in separate schools and an Infants School. While I was at school there was an outbreak of Yellow Jaundice and all but four or five of the pupils caught it~ and the school was closed for six weeks. I was one of the unlucky ones. You felt really ill for the first week but after that we had a jolly! We used to play cricket on the Village Green using the trees as wickets. Cars were few and far between and we used to play Whip and Top in Church Street and the High Street. Boys rolled their marbles on the way to school. Buckden was a friendly place and everyone knew everyone and they really helped each other. When someone died the neighbours would collect pennies for a wreath. Our older grandparents would wash and get the body ready for the undertakers on the day of the funeral. If the coffin was to pass our house the blinds would always be drawn across. We had our own undertaker in the village and the coffin was made by hand. There was no such thing as a Chapel of Rest. We used to go to Sunday School morning and afternoon. There must have been 20 or 30 boys and girls and two or three teachers. On Sunday School Anniversary we had to take part. I remember we had to learn two new hymns. Of course our parents always attended. Our Sunday School Treat was held in the summer. We had tea on the lawn at the house just across the street and then marched to the fields where School Lane is now for sports. The men of the chapel put ropes on the trees for swings. We all left with an orange and apple each. We always had a Seaside Outing in summer and I think this was arranged with the church as well. We had three coach loads. Great Yarmouth, I remember took four hours and we had a break at Newmarket. We once went by train from Buckden station. Our mothers used to pay weekly at the chapel. I seem to remember we had our own Sunday School Hymn Books. Once hymn always sticks in my mind ‘Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam’. I wonder what happened to our School Hymn Books? I went to Sunday School until I started work and then I was allowed to stay in bed, but I always had to go to evening service. This I did until I went into the RAF. Mum always bought our clothes from a man who came for the money once a week. No different to the plastic cards of today. We always had new clothes for Easter Sunday.