Elston Oral History – Audio Extracts

The recordings were made by a number of different interviewers, on different recorders, and in different surroundings. As a result the quality varies.

Alice Walker (interviewed by Evelyn Wright) relates the duties of her father, John Rawson (1868 -1959), as a verger and describes the annual Feast Day parade and celebrations, the last of which took place in 1934.

Mary Peatfield (interviewed by her son-in-law Colin Smith) describes the modest beginnings of what later became Gash’s bus company and how her mother came to take on the role of village Postmistress.

Brenda Castle (interviewed by Diane Hofton) recalls her memories of childhood visits to Elston Towers in the early 1940s.

Olive Gilbert (reading from her own notes) describes a wartime bombing raid, the funeral of General Sikorsky, and the auction of the Darwin estate in 1945.

Margret Grundmann (interviewed by John Partridge) illustrates what a pest she was as a child, describes working part-time for the boys’ school at Elston Hall in the1950s and her husband Ralph, who died in 1980, and his renowned piano playing.

Stan Wright (interviewed by Robin Campbell) SW10 describes wheelmaking by the village blacksmith, Fred Mann, and joiner, George Wilkinson, and lists the pubs and shops that used to be in the village.

David Smith (interviewed by David Ditcham) recalls the trades and shops in the village in his youth in the 1940s and 50s, memories of how cold it was living in the shop, and his youthful pastimes.

Ivor Walker (interviewed by Evelyn Wright) describes his early life as a farm boy in the 1950s and his grandfather, John Rawson (1868 – 1959), the village basket and skep maker.

Ray Horner (interviewed by David Ditcham), retired farmer, talks about the changes he has seen in his lifetime on Stokefields Farm.

Chris Crawford (interviewed by Sue Brooks) describes the Elston Football team in his youth in the early 1960s and enthuses about Elston, the friendly village.

Colleen Lievesley (interviewed by Marion Sergeant) describes the state of Tudor Farm when the Lievesleys bought it in 1981 and problems with their pond.

Margaret Moutrie (extracts from her memoirs read by Chris Ditcham). Margaret, the daughter of William Gash, the founder of Gash’s Bus Company, describes the Mill where she spent her childhood and The Old Chapel.

The complete interviews, including the readings for Margaret Moutrie’s memoirs, comprising over eight and a half hours of listening, are available as a boxed set of three DVDs. See menu under Merchandising