(Continued)
The shop at Great Thurlow was kept by Arthur Coote, helped by two ladies Miss Gussie Dowsett and Miss Page, the latter of course until recently being the organist at Great Thurlow Church. When Mr. Coote died the shop was taken on by Miss Dowsett.

When going to church at Little Bradley (this was of course before people had cars) we used to cross the meadow to Little Thurlow Church, join the road and before the river turn left across the fields to the bridge in Little Bradley and so to church. To keep the grass short in the churchyard, George Bedford, the farmer from the Hall, used to put the sheep in for a few days. They did a good job.

I have already mentioned Mrs. Pemberton Barnes ­ the house was called Mungo Lodge. Dr. Sunderland had a surgery in a small building going towards the windmill, but he was obliged to look for alternative accommodation. We had a stable and coach house and the latter was turned into two rooms for the Doctor's use. This I believe has now reverted to the owner of Lavender Cottage.

I have said father was Chaplain at the Institute at Kedington and on Tuesdays every week he would spend the day there. On his very first visit he was conducting a service of Communion, in which the congregation did not come to the altar rail but the Sacraments were taken to them. Father took the Cup to a lady whom he did not know and she promptly drank the lot, so in future she was left until last, as he knew that she would finish the contents.

In my early days all the land in Thurlow belonged to Mr. C. F. Ryder, whose son still lives and farms at Great Bradley. I remember when Stradishall aerodrome was farm land; the first bombers that few were Handley Page Hampdens.

Opposite the bakery there lived the village boot repairer. I was fascinated to go and watch him repair boots and shoes; the smell of leather and resin was unforgettable, but I cannot remember his name. At the bottom of the Street, opposite the road leading to Carlton, is the School house; the Misses Day lived there, but the school was closed before my time.

Next door to Sam Eley's cottage was the village blacksmith's shop backing on to the Square. There was also a blacksmith's shop past the entrance to the Hall where the road from Little Thurlow church joins the main road. This is now a bus shelter.

There was a butcher's shop in Little Thurlow on the road to the church on the left hand side, but this has gone these many years. There was also one at Great Thurlow run by the Pryke family. This was opposite what is now the garage. In the family were twin ladies who used to drive in a Governess trap drawn by a Shetland pony and of course all the delivery was done by horse and trap.

The Co-op from Haverhill used to come twice a week, on Tuesdays to take the order and on Fridays to return with the goods, but many people used to cycle into Haverhill.

One of the great sights was the Newmarket and Thurlow Foxhounds, going by from their kennels on the left hand side of the road past Dark Lane which leads to Little Bradley church. There was also a roundhouse at the top of this lane but this has since disappeared.