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Helmdon Historical Articles 50 Years in Helmdon an article by Judy Cairns |
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The house needed a great deal of work as it was old and had no damp course. I found out that it had once, like several other houses in the village, belonged to Magdalen College, Oxford. I was able to go to their archives and look it up. It had been let by the college in the 1750’s to John Adkyns and was easy to trace in their huge tomes of records as it was let together with the close, now the council allotments, as Green Close and Green Close Cottage. Rental payments were in corn not money. I also found reference to other houses like the one rented and subsequently bought in 1897 by Miss Marriott, now called Marriotts, and Stone Gables. Our cottage was sold in 1901 to Thomas Bird and the police rented it from him early in the 1900’s but eventually bought it at an auction of houses in the village when he died in 1934. My children went to the excellent village school, which was enlarged while they were there. I remember one of the pantomimes which they presented and Duncan was playing the saucy Dame. He wanted to push two balloons up the front of his jumper and was very disappointed when Mrs Nicholas, the Headteacher, wouldn’t let him. Over the years the Reading Room has become like my second home, I have spent so much time there as a member of the various organisations. The first time I went there was when my twins were tiny and I took them to a baby clinic. That was the last clinic to be held.
Young Wives, along with other village organisations, always took part in Helmdon Carnival, which was held on August Bank Holiday Monday from 1983 and ran for more than 20 years. A theme was decided on and a procession of floats paraded through the village up to the Sports Field. The HyHOs float always had a double entendre subject and they awarded themselves a potty (I think painted gold). Unfortunately after several years the procession was no longer held due to insurance difficulties. At the Sports Field there were stalls, a Flower and Produce tent, entertainment and refreshments.
Last autumn we were able to arrange for a community service group called Community Payback under the aegis of Northampton Probation Office to come three times a month to take over the maintenance. During the winter they did work in the Church and had just carried out their first outside mowing and strimming when Corvid 19 came on the scene and they could no longer drive here in close proximity in the van. We hope they will be able to return eventually but will need to ask our volunteers from the village to help with maintenance until then. In 2010 my son Duncan and his family came back from abroad and bought my house in Station Road and I moved to a smaller house in Church Street, conveniently near to the Reading Room. The warmth and kindness of Helmdon villagers has made it a wonderful place to live and this has been doubly true during the lock in period due to the virus, with people helping us older people with shopping and fetching prescriptions. I would never want live anywhere else. Thank you, Helmdon, for 50 wonderful years. Judy Cairns 2020 |
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