People of Blackmore

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New to Blackmore Village Website, a collection of the emails, guestbook entries
and other sources of questions or, information which has been passed to me
over the last year regarding the People of Blackmore.

This has been split into two areas
on this page is some words from people of Blackmore,

And Click Here to go to a list of requests for people finding there ancestors who once prehaps lived in Blackmore.

 

The recent History of Blackmore, as told by the people of Blackmore.

Blackmore Early 1940's

from an email converation:

I lived in Blackmore from about 1942-1947. We lived in a house right opposite the school and I can remember standing on the half landing and staring across the road and into the school playground to watch the 'big' children. I believe that our house was once a tearoom before we moved in. As a toddler I have a vivid memory of a plane crashing in the field behind, this was during the war, and I was wondering if there is any truth in my memory, or is it a figment of my imagination? You seem to be the obvious person to ask as you have an interest in old Blackmore. I have quite a few little memories of my time there. I hope you can help.

I take it that you dont know the answer to my question about the plane crash? I hope that someone in the village may know as its always been a very strong memory to me and even now, at my age, I hate the sound of planes flying at night. Yes we lived right opposite the old school, perhaps someone reading my email will also remember the old tea room as it was before we moved into it. There is no clear indication on the 1901 census form as to the name of our abode. I have worked out that it may be listed directly after Copyhold farm but I could be way out!
Do you know if any school records are kept of pupils attending Blackmore school C1944/7? I did get onto the school website but they couldnt help.
Once again many thanks for responding, I eagerly await to hear from anyone who was there and can remember the war years.

Val

 

1950- Blackmore Primary School.

reproduced from: Trevor Hornsby's Website

1950- Blackmore Primary School.

The family moved to Blackmore from Broomfield when I was 5, so I went to the infants school straight away. We had that third of a pint of milk mid morning, but memories are a bit thin I'm afraid. I do remember going to the village hall (on the corner of ongar road) periodically to do country dancing (accompanied by an old mechanical wind up gramophone with steel needles).
I seem to remember that we had folk singing from the bbc schools radio as part of class lessons. The head mistress was Mrs Mitchell I think and Miss Mahoney was one of the mistresses.: she lived in Chelmsford road as we did. The old primary school is now the Blackmore centre it appears.

The village

Life in the village I suppose was much the same as it is now but there was not much money around at the time, not many people had cars for example. We still had the village blacksmith and a bakery, Mr. Dawes. I still remember tasting those hot cross buns that he delivered to our door every year. His bread was lovely and crusty as he delivered it straight from the oven: it was still warm.
Mr. Dawes sold sweats as well and we would go there with our ration coupons to get a few.
Then there was the butcher Mr Stiff: his shop sign read 'A STIFF BUTCHER', that always amused us.
There was another lovely little sweat shop a little way up Brentwood road on the left (was it Mrs Watson?), and Mrs. Riglin near Elkins green in Chelmsford road sold them too. I remember we used to collect up glass drinks bottles to get the deposit back.