Article archive :: Little Downham

Article archive

05/04/2008 13:49

Horses and Blacksmiths

Horses and blacksmiths Among my earliest recollections are horses, cart horses which were the power unit of the village. They pulled the plough; they pulled the cart; they did the lugging. I recall many horses passing our house in North Fen each morning bound for a day's slog on the land....

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05/04/2008 13:47

School Days

School The village had two schools, the infant school in Eagles Lane, now demolished and "top school", now the village centre, where one finally graduated at the tender age of fourteen years of age to be launched on to the world employment market. A fortunate few passed the eleven plus...

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05/04/2008 13:29

November 1898

November THE Annual Tea at Downham, was celebrated on Tuesday, Nov. 8th, as close to St. Leonard's Day as we could put it. The tea was beautifully arranged, and the attendance very large indeed; so large that we ought to have provided more trays. Fortunately all the ladies had made ample...

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05/04/2008 13:28

October 1898

OCTOBER BITS ABOUT TEMPERANCE.-Some very curious facts have recently been made known respecting the Drink Question; £ 152,281,723 was spent in the United Kingdom last year on intoxicating drinks. That is £3 16s 5d a head for every man, woman, and child. This sum is equal to all the rents of...

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05/04/2008 13:27

September 1898

September THE Harvest Thanksgiving at Downham was celebrated on Tuesday, the 27th. Numbers of contributions of Vegetables, Fruit, Flowers and Eggs, were brought to the church during Monday, and all these were tastefully arranged about the church, by kind and skilful hands. The ladies who...

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05/04/2008 13:26

August 1898

August ALL over England men are now busy gathering in the harvest, and although in places much extra trouble and expense will be incurred owing to the prostrate condition of the corn, there is much cause for gratitude. Another fortnight's fine weather will place the chief part of this year's...

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05/04/2008 13:25

July 1898

July THE last month has been an eventful one for the parish. Apart from the great change, which has come over the appearance of tha fields owing to the fine weather, it has been a time of some relaxation in preparation for all the labour of the harvest. THE Flower Show has been a thorough...

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05/04/2008 13:23

June 1898

June THE Jumble Sale in behalf of the Parish Club was very successful. Fortunately the day was very fine. the garden looked beautiful, and about three hundred of the parishioners came in during the afternoon. The Sutton Band played, and altogether a pleasant time was spent. The expenses...

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05/04/2008 13:22

May 1898

May FLOWER SHow.-A meeting of the Committee to make final arrangements, was held on May 1st. The Show is definitely fixed for July 19th. Sports and amusements have all been arranged to the utmost care to provide a village holiday. The whole village should endeavour to assist by growing...

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05/04/2008 13:22

April 1898

April WAR at all times is a very terrible thing, when we think of the many lives which must be sacrificed on either side, and the many lives which will be spoilt by loss of limbs and internal injuries. Fortunately in the case of America and Spain we hope since neither nation is very warlike...

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