December / January 2003

REACH IN THE EARLY 1900s, REMEMBERED BY MR STAN WEBB.

 Mr Webb describes Reach as a good neighbourly village, perhaps it is because of the farms and small holdings have been engulfed by others, and that Reach has remained predominantly a farming community, in spite of the invasion by foreigners, commuters and weekenders.

Ditchfields and all the other modern houses were not built in Mr Webbs childhood but there were more houses in the centre of the village, there were two cottages next to Gallions, two below Mr Coles farmhouse, two on the site of St Etheldas, a school house in front of the village centre, two Almshouses at the green end of Hobs Dyke End and two more cottages at Spring Hall

Mr Webb recalls that at one time his house, once two cottages, was occupied by two families each with eleven children.

Local facilities in those days differed greatly from today, from the domestic point of view we would consider them hard times indeed, Water supply came from wells and springs, many houses had their own wells Mr Webb, The White Roses and the Gallions all had their own and some are still there, There were pumps, one on the green near the Memorial, one opposite Delph Cottages and one on the Hythe which pumped water up stream for agricultural purposes, there was also a line of springs from Spring Hall across to the Burwell Lode, a good place for watercress I understand, and the lower end of the village relied largely on those near Meadow View and Harbour House, lighting was by paraffin lamps and candles and cooking was all done by solid fuel over an open fire or in great ranges, Many of the village houses still have the remains of their bread ovens and large fire places, produce from the garden was of critical importance then and most families kept a pig for home curing.

Commercially the community was well served, the village shop was run as a Pork Butchers and General Stores, Mr Webb remembers Mr Spencer who ran it, He grew many of his vegetables on local allotments, also ran, at Fitzroy Farm, a coal yard employing a delivery man and a pony and cart, The White House was the post office, Milk supplies came from various farmers, Mr Whitehead, Mr Johnson, and Mr Wells of Ivy Cottage, Mr Becket started the milk round which Mr Cole took over later.

There were many visiting tradesmen, The baker from Swaffam Proir and Burwell twice weekly, selling bread and yeast for home baking, The ironmonger was from Cambridge weekly bringing matches, paraffin, candles, saucepans, blue squares, cleaning powders ECT, and the Soham shoe maker who came once a month to sell and repair heavy hobnail boots, these boots cost about seven or eight shillings a pair, and were often paid for in monthly installments, with care they would last two or three years, farm workers wore above their boots, laligags, strips of leather or string, fastened below the knee and so keeping trousers, out of the mud, and wet grass and, by causing a bagginess above the knee, saving a good deal of mending.

Itinerant tradesfolk regularly visited the village, including those who mended and sharpened implements.

More next time Mr Webb was Mrs Harrison’s Father we know her better as Joyce, who does much for the village

  BILL ESTALL