Childhood days continued

CHILDHOOD DAYS

The play of children has always held a special fascination for me. With my own childhood play experiences being so full, I guess in many ways this was inevitable.

I was born in one of my grandfathers properties on the ringwood road in newtown,poole Dorset in the spring of 1945.Then because of family circumstances I was raised by my grand-parents(Reg and Alice Rogers) from a very early age at the family small holding farm (The Manning's), situated on the edge of Lady Wimborne Estate at Canford Heath, Poole in Dorset.

The Mannings House and grounds were situated in a basin surrounded by Canford estate with its wild flowers,tumbling heather downs, gorse bushes, and the bracken of the Manning's heath.The closest neighborhood's were just a mile away at Alderney and Newtown. High in the distance were the Lodge hills of the Canford Magna Estate with its panoramic views and tall pine trees.

In recent years a great deal of the area has become better known as Tower Park, which took its name from the prominent water tower.Funnily enough the whole area is now a modern day multi-media activity and leisure park, very commercially based.(The actual tower itself and for many years a local landmark, originally based within the local Limmer and Trinidad road surfaces compound).

The local council housing estate of Trinidad, situated close to Rossmore, was itself named after the works and had no connection with a foreign tropical country.

As a small child, I attended the new Sylvan road infant school in lower Parkstone before going up the constitution hill to attend the Branksome Heath junior school situated near to seaview. When at home at the Manning's I spent my play times amongst our own farm animals, and with the many wild rabbits and amongst the numerous gypsies who frequented the area with their gayly decorated caravans. Which stretched from the Lodge Hills of Canford Magna to the local neighberhoods of Newtown and Alderney.

Apart from the many gypsy children who frequented the heath, the other few children I saw outside of school time hours usually were intruders from the three communities of the nearby and surrounding housing estates, at Alderney, West Howe and Trinidad/Rossmore.

In my early childhood at the Manning's there was no street or house electric lighting and we had to rely on candles or (tilley) oil lamps,(made in the local factory at Newtown),This was until we eventually had gas lighting and finally electricity.

In the very early years there was also no running water and the family (Grandfather,grandmother and their eight children) collected water from local natural springs in the banks on the heath.

Occasionally, I would invite school friends home( such as the Suttons), along with my cousins (Brooms/Domineys)who lived at Newtown and (Colliers)from Wimborne. All of my school friends considered me to be extremely lucky to live on a farm and to have so many animals to play amongst. Animals ranging from dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets, ducks, chickens, geese, birds, cows, pigs, ponies and goats.

There were so many new experiences for the urban children to enjoy; many of which I took for granted. Like the collecting of chickens eggs, hot from under the wings of hens.

The Feeding and scattering corn to the chickens, the mucking out of the pigs in their sties and taking the dogs and ferrets(which I carried in a pouch in my trouser pockets) out searching for rabbits. Laying fresh hay down in the cow shed as bedding, mixing meal and pigswill (which grandad bought monthly from the large Bournemouth hotels) and then cooked in the boiling hot copper house oven, mixed with meal and potatoes, ready for the pigs’ dinners. Then actually feeding the pigs, what a fabulous experience that was.

AUGUSTUS JOHN

One of my earliest childhood memories is of observing the local artist, the eccentric Augustus John,who lived at Alderney Manor were he had his own studio in the woods,which is now manor road. As a small infant I would watch him in the setting up of his easel, to paint Heather View house with its delightful brickwork,stable and roses around the door(the house belonged to Lady Wimbornes estate and was originally rented out to my grandfather).

This was just a few yards away from our own house at Manning's Heath Road which was built by grandads cousin.

Augustus John had a wild and liberal reputation and was frowned on for his womanising.He caused quite a scandal when he had a local girl pose for him in the nude.Often Augustus Johns children visited and we played games in my families brickyard.The brickyard was opposite to the house and it was here,where my grandfather Reginald Rogers worked as a brick maker.

GRANDMA ALICES TREASURE.