Constance Margaret Reeve nee Riches born 27th January 1930 at Church View, Norwich Road, Ludham
GP Dr. Brown   Midwife Nurse Leadson, Norwich Road
Christened 2nd March 1930 at St. Catherine's Church


I lived at Church View from my birth to 1936. The two houses comprising Church View belonged to my Uncle Alfred (Tedda) Riches. The house built during the reign of Queen Anne previously belonged to a doctor. Redcot and Lamb Cottage also belonged to Uncle Tedda. The occupants of Lamb Cottage were Miss Lamb and Miss Hagen. Uncle Tedda was the village carpenter/undertaker with a workshop in School Road. He was a bellringer and church chorister. The village blacksmith, Mr. Anderson, worked next door to the carpenter's shop. My early recolection is of the roaring furnace fanned by bellows and shire horses waiting to be shod.

There was no electricity during my years at Church View. Water was taken from the pump in the yard and carried down to the semi-basement kitchen. Used water was carried up to the ground floor, across the shingle yard to be used in the garden. Four 'privies' served the four properties and were located in line at the back of the property concealed under an ivy covered arch just beyond the garage. A climbing red rose grew in that area. A garage had a rope ladder to an apple loft. Just before the garage there was a washroom, with bath and sink. The inside walls of the outhouse/washroom were lined with a composite fibreboard. My recollection is of a traditional tin bath in front of our living room fireplace.

Uncle Tedda kept pigs and chickens. I enjoyed collecting eggs with Aunt Annie from the nest boxes in the large shed across the start of the garden. The chickens scraped amongst the apple trees. There was a flag pole located in the back yard for use on appropriate occasions. I had angora rabbits as pets. Periodically their offspring were sold. My father Harry Riches was employed by M & GN (Midland and Great Northern Railway). He used to cycle to work at Catfield Station. Being on shift duty he was able to cultivate the large garden with a wide variety of crops - potatoes, cabbage, root vegetables, peas, beans, onion, marrow, asparagus, beetroot, Spring onion, lettuce - blackcurrants, gooseberries, rhubarb, pears. Surplus apples were placed in a wheelbarrow at the front of the house, and available freely to the yachting fraternity and others. Onions were pickled, chutney and jam made.

Towards the end of the garden on the left hand side was a bungalow occupied by Mrs. Davey, whose daughter became Head of Nursing at County level.

The Revd. Mohan lived at the Rectory. I used to go through an adjoining fence to play with his daughter Patricia. Fetes and tennis took place on the rectory lawn. Medlars grew in the garden. Sunday school was in the Church Hall. I enjoyed a Sunday School outing to Cromer by train from Potter Heigham and recall drinking ginger beer from stone bottles on the beach.

There were tennis courts at the village hall; bowling green and billiard room at the King's Arms. (Beulah Gowing nee Turner, local historian lived there). We used to play in the upstairs billiard room when the room was not in use.

Mr. Albert Knight kept the harness makers at the corner (now a tea room). Much of the village featured in the film "Conflict of Wings". Village hedgerows in spring contained primroses, violets, hawthorn then wild roses and poppies.

In 1936 after we moved to Norwich, Church View was modernised by Col. and Mrs. Daniel (nee Bush). The Bush family lived in a thatched cottage on Norwich Road next door to Nurse Leadson.

My general memory was that the village seemed isolated although on the Norwich to Yarmouth bus route. We walked or cycled to visit relatives at Catfield. Car ownership was rare. Uncle Frank, a baker/confectioner, at Wroxham visited us by car. Uncle Tedda bought a Ford 8 in 1936. Visits to Wroxham and Yarmouth would be limited to an occasional trip on a holiday period. Mrs. Powell, a village grocer, would collect and deliver our weekly order and would bring a "selection" of items on approval from the Yarmouth shops when required. My first raincoat came via Mrs. Powell. We had no radio but had a cherry wood piano and solid oak furniture. Mother took pleasure in keeping Church View immaculate; the front steps were whitened with hearthstone and the living room fireplace polished black with Zebo. Stairs and front room carpets were cleaned with stiff handbrush and dustpan. Tableware had a weekly polish with Silvo.

In those more difficult days outings were restricted to the traditional annual holiday. We would journey to Felixstowe via bicycle to Wroxham Station. Rail travel for us was free but as holiday time was unpaid, Father stayed on at work. Felixstowe was my mother Hilda Riches (nee Jolly)'s home. She met my father when he was stationed there in the Army (Royal Norfolk Regiment) having survived the Battle of the Somme.

Significantly Uncle Ern and Aunt Kathleen regularly came each August from Lewisham, London by motorbike and sidecar to stay at Church View. My Uncle Ern was extroverted and brought other friends with him. I recall Uncle Ern's love of music. He was skilled with both violin and double bass.On a summer's evening he and other guests would perform open concerts in our front room. This was well received within the village. Folk would dance joyously in the road in front of Church View. Another guest played our piano and one of our visitors fron London brought his drum set. On other occasions they would fish the local water. Uncle Ern was photographer for Deptford Gas Works and took holiday photographs. One of his photographs which I still have is a photograph of the Cutty Sark under full sail on the Thames prior to its containment in the nearby dry dock.

Toys were chiefly handed down from within the family. I recall a doll's pram, home-made cot and doll's house made from an orange box, a wooden cart, wooden engine and a clockwork train set which ran on a circular track. Rupert Annual was a regular Christmas present. (Uncle Tedda read the Daily Express and I was thus introduced to Rupert). I learned to ride my first bicycle, which did not have pneumatic tyres, on the long garden path. Cousin Phyllis Riches who lived next door at Church View was my mentor. We spent hours cutting and pasting in scrapbooks in her father's office which was above their kitchen.

I enjoyed my one year at the local school, conveniently sited in School Road, which I reached via our garden path. The head teacher was Mr. Kitchener. Other teachers were his wife and Mrs. Mattocks. A highlight of school was an outing to How Hill. On the occasion we were conveyed on a hay wagon.  I recall the daily delivery of bottled milk for each child. The classroom was heated by a large open/guarded fire and the milk was thawed out as necessary. I learned to read and recognise fractions in the first year. I still recall the smell of plasticine. There were a number of dolls and I recall a caterpillar track toy. I was perplexed by the singing in the adjoining classroom of a "foreign language" - the tonic-sol-fa! We staged Babes in the Wood at the village hall. I was a fairy in white paper dress decorated with tinsell made by Mrs. Mattocks; the dark haired little girls wore pink! We had wands made by Uncle Tedda in his carpenter's shop. A huge tin of sweets kept us quiet while waiting to make our debut. Education was to a good standard. I was able to integrate well when I later attended school in Norwich. My cousin Helen (Nell) Skillern who lived in School Road was awarded a scholarship to North Walsham High School.

Birthday parties were a significant event attended by school friends and my cousins Nell and her brother Bob. Favourite games were Hunt tthe Thimble and Blind Man's Buff. An artificial Christmas tree had candles which were lit for a very short time and watched carefully! Party food I recall was jelly, blancmange, egg and cress, marmite.

It was usual for us to spend time pre Sunday lunch in next door Church View when father and uncle would enjoy warmed bottled beer. Walls ice cream vendors visited the village by tricycle. Their slogan was "Stop me and buy one". We could put a card in the window for vendor to call. Bread was delivered by Mr. Nicholson of Stalham. Local milk arrived by pony and trap in a churn to be measured out. I enjoyed buying chocolate toffees, 5 for half-penny at Cooke's shop conveniently situated at the corner of School Road. Father bought our first tinned produce (peas, raspberries, fruit salad) at Woolworths, Norwich circa 1935 when he began working at City Station, Norwich and returned to Ludham at the weekend.

My cousin Madeline Newman maintains a family tradition of reuniting the family on Harvest Thanksgiving Sunday at Catfield, well attended by relatives from other counties. Inevitably concersation centres round our formative years.