(Author of following unknown but could be Cyril Wigby? – TE)
History, or dates of characters
James & John Hill who made gin lived in the smallholding in Green Lane 1841 which was then taken over by Robert Wigby Dealer, followed by Bickie Rose
who was a photographer. Then Mr & Mrs Chaston,
Robert Wigby (Horse Dealer)
had a large family, Adelaide his wife.
Sons: Arthur, John, Stephen, Willy, (Molly), Mark
Daughters; Sarah, Rachael, Riemander.
Arthur Wigby
lived on the Green. He had two sons (could have been three) Fred,
Arthur(he served in cavalry during first world War)
Arthur Wigby (Senior had two daughters. Ada & Littiea.
Arthur's mother-in-law lived with them. She was a Dame schoolmistress and
taught Billy and Bob Goodings.
Nearly all the Wigby family reared horses.
When W.F.Cook
left Primrose Farm, Warman took it over, George Chapman was
Team-man, Fred Bryant was cowman, he lived next door to Chapman. Bryants moved
to EYE, a family named Jolly moved in, they moved to Keswick, then came Mallets.
Chapman’s wife Sally kept shop.
She had two sons, Frank who was an epileptic.
He lost his false teeth in hedge by the Green when there were five lovely ash
trees standing there. The teeth were found by G. Coldham after I left village.
Russell Chapman
was in 1918 War. When he came home he got married and lived
in a large Army hut on Sally's garden and took over her shop, he couldn't
make it pay and moved out.
Sally reopened shop. She was the only lady I ever
saw that could grow a blue tinted rose. Russell destroyed it when he put his hut there
A woman named Page lived next door to my Aunt Emma when I was young; her husband led a stallion around for Earl of Kimberly.
When he died Mrs Page moved out.
Mr & Mrs Fields moved in with their large family. He worked for W. Tuddenham for a time, then due to eye trouble moved up to High Oak.
They had 13 children. Next door to them lived Daisy Blunt, mother-in-law to H. Watson. High Oak. J. Thurlon, John Head, H.N. Watson, Mrs Dover (School cleaner) Lindsay Wigby and family.
Mrs Pearce, Cyril’s Grandmother lived with them.
Mrs Rose, The Grove had two sons, Dicky (Gin Lane) and Hubert who was a telegraphist at Norwich G.P.O.
He was a backroom boy during 1914-18 war, very clever but weird.
John Culyer’s son lived at Dyebeck where lodge is.
Ellen's Grandad built that when he was foreman for Stumpy Bidewell.
Winfred Hurrell, lived where Bob Goodings moved to after marriage.
He was related to Mrs Allan and her daughter who died of T.B. (at?) Boarded Gates Farm.
Mrs Tim Mark lived in Milestone lane
Phoebe Woodcock
lived in small school near Kimberley Church – kept light in her window.
Jimmy Flint
Polly Herbert, moved to Red Lion.
Mr & Mrs Stone
moved to High Street.
Bolman’s Pit
Jack Haden drove crane engine for G.W.S. – got drunk and broke up home.
Triny Watson and Dick Blake
worked for Basil Cook’s granddad, Gertie, Rhoda and one boy.
Dick Blake’s son was drowned in the pond in Milestone Lane.
Timed cycle race between the two milestones won by H. Downes. He also won race from ‘Cherry Tree’ around the Green, Top Road, Deopham, Hackford and back to ‘Cherry Tree’. That would be about 1924-25.
Jimmy Rayner
was the first car accident (victim?) I ever heard of.
Pulham rigs and airships R34,R33 and the ‘Norse’ could be seen moored at Pulham from the top of Harpers Lane.
Zeppelins dropped bombs in January 1916 at ‘Tuppeny’ Allans’s farm, Kimberley.
One incendiary in river, near the ‘Wild Man’ made of pitch and wound with sacking, taken to school by Mr Prior. Two or three bombs fell
just inside the gate on the allotments where Lenny Breeze’s father worked. Taken by Uncle George to see craters (gassed)
April & May 1915. Germans first used gas
August 1916. Tanks first used by British.
Mrs Joy Jermany and her husband Arthur
Recollect William or Billy Carr’s workshop being at the end of Low Street many years ago.
He was a wheelwright and carpenter, made tumbrels and wagons, coffins and also shoed horses.
The house and workshop was all in the same yard facing the High Street.
In 1959 the house was the post office and shop run by Mr & Mrs Atkins.
Mrs Jermany recalls:-
“I went for a walk with my dog Rex one day and coming home past the Kimberley Arms I saw Lenny Breeze go into his yard after he finished work at Wicklewood Hospital and as I got level with his gate he came out of his house and told Fred Cooper his hot dinner was on the table. Fred was working in his garden. The only place Lenny could have got that hot meal was from Wicklewood Hospital as Lenny’s house was almost opposite the Kimberley Arms and all this happened while I walked at most twelve steps up the road. Arthur says the Bricklayer’s Arms pub that used to be in Low Street, Wicklewood had a small shop in it run by Bob Blake, the building on the side that is now a bungalow was a club room with stables out the back. Bob Blake’s mother kept the pub.
After the Kimberley Arms closed as a pub I was walking past one day when the brewery lorry pulled up to make a delivery.
They then discovered it was the wrong pub they were delivering to. It should have been the Morley ‘Buck’.
The funny thing was that the son of the house was getting married and all that beer would have come in useful.
Ernie Chenery had a fish and chip shop in High Street at some time.
Mrs Cletheroe
kept the shop in the High Street where the present shop is now and her son used to come round and deliver the goods on a Saturday morning when I first got married.
Mr Semmence used to come round and deliver meat on a Tuesday and Friday from Hingham.
Two brothers, Mr Blye from Wymondham used to deliver bread twice a week, Tuesday and Friday, I think.
The anniversaries at the Chapel in the High Street were very good.
As I lived in Wymondham my sister and brother-in-law, Betty and Jimmy Rayner asked me to dinner because they used to say if I had it at home I would be late.
The chapel used to be trimmed with flowers, most of which Lenny Breeze arranged himself, and they looked very nice.
There were two violins playing as well as Lenny on the organ.
The Chapel was always full, they even had to get chairs out for some people to sit on and on one very hot sunny Sunday afternoon one of the girls fainted and had to be carried outside.
Mr Tolday from Kimberley always used to ask everybody to “dig deep” when asking for the collection.
One day when I went to Betty’s on a Tuesday I went with Betty to feed her chickens and their old cockerel scratched my legs; so when Jimmy came home from work he killed the cockerel and I was asked to dinner the next Sunday to get my own back by eating him.
When Arthur went to Wicklewood school all the boys used to have to dig the school garden and once a week for woodwork they had to walk to Kimberley station then go by train to Wymondham then walk to Browick Road school do their woodwork lesson then walk back to Wymondham station then train to Kimberley then walk home.
Arthur is eighty years old now.