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Glemsford Local History Society is dedicated to the study and distribution of the details of Glemsford's past. Preserving Glemsford's past for future generations Glemsford Local History Society Glemsford is a village in the county of Suffolk in England. It sits on a small hill above the River Stour and the River Glem, from which it takes its name. Glemsford is an ancient village, dating back to Domesday, and before. Although it may have acquired its nickname only last century, it is possible to trace the history of the village across many more centuries through the huge variety of buildings and fieldnames. Find out more Check that you haven't missed the latest web site updates - click here . Latest Publication This latest publication by the Glemsford Local History Society, "Glemsford in the Early 1920's" is a longoverdue reprint of a book, the text of which was dictated to a schoolboy, Perry Baxter, of what was then Clare Middle School as part of a history project in December 1978. He is a grandson of Ted Hartley, whose memoriesthese are. The resulting tape was then transcribed by his father Terry, Ted’s son-in-law and subsequently published. We are delighted to have since been able to digitize the text and photos belonging to the Hartley family in order to produce this edition. The book is available at our monthly meetings and from Glemsford Library, Some titles now out of print. Please contact for details. Events Find out more - Current and Previous Chanters' Jigge 'Rejoice and be Merry November 12th 2026 Christmas Social . December 10th 2026 Sarah Doig 'Suffolk on the Home Front: The effect of WW1 on the people January 14th 2027 Gary Egerton Hidden London (So you think you know London) February 11th 2027 Ashley Cooper Sudbury in th 60s. March 11th 2027 Trustee from Sudbury Common Lands 800 Years of grazing and Land Management. April 15th 2027 NB Third Thursday Stephen Poulter To the hammer born: The History of Auctioneering. May 13th 2027 A Summer Outing Visit to the Gestingthorpe Roman villa and museum. June 10th 2027 About Us Find out more Glemsford Local History Society has been active for many years now, and is dedicated to the study and distribution of the details of Glemsford's past. We aim to encourage the better understanding of the past and present through lectures, activities, visits and research. Meetings Find out more The Society meet on the second Thursday of the month in Glemsford Primary Academy Hall at 7.30pm. We have a wide range of speakers, visits to places of local interest and other events to celebrate our life in ‘Glorious Glemsford’. Membership costs just £12 per annum. Visitors £3.00 per time. The People of Glemsford Find out more about the families of Glemsford throughout the centuries from personal accounts to sourced information. Find out more Tracing your family tree? We are not a family history society and do not hold census or similar records. You may find the information you require at the following web site - Suffolk Archives There is also a Suffolk Family History website which may be able to help with your enquiries. Our secretary will always try to answer general questions about the village, based upon her own personal knowledge and not on formal research. If unable to answer a query herself, she will pass it on to someone in the village, whom she thinks might be able to help. This of course may take some time. If you have information on particular people or properties in Glemsford, which you would be willing to have added to the website we would of course be delighted to receive it. We currently have the following requests for person identification. (Click) Display Cabinet from the Arnold & Gould horsehair factory Link to horsehair factory video on the industry page

History of Glemsford Schools Schools You are here: Home : Buildings and Streets : Schools For well over 100 years, children in Glemsford have been making their way to the village school. Despite many alterations, inside and out, the building is easy to recognise as the three schools which were built as a result of the Education Act of 1870: Infants, Boys and Girls. The story of education which has developed on Lion Road since the 1870s allows many insights into life in the village, for the school has been a focal point for generations of villagers. Articles about Glemsford School Some personal accounts, documents and facts about the Schools in Glemsford, originally compiled and wrtitten by Steve Clarke. Blazes blowing a yard Heating the School Illnesses In the 1890s Logbook Voices from the past The Infants' School Tough conditions The Schoolmistress Undervalued teachers Staffing the School During the 1800s Treats and Holidays Days off School and Health 19th century Visitors and other interruptions Eleanor Bowrey In search of a schoolmistress Back to top

A list of former shops of Glemsford, with photographs and details supplied where possible. top of page Shops You are here: Home : Buildings and Streets : Shops Below is a list of former shops of Glemsford, with photographs and details supplied where possible. Scroll through or click on a quick link below for a specific shop. Bird's Bakery W.J.Cutting Shops Reggie Underwood's Butchers Art Chinnery's Shoe Shop and Repairers Cutting’s Grocery shop Grocer's shop Jim Moss' Sweetshop Mrs Maxims Shop British Legion Hut Bullingham and Maxim’s Butchers Lee’s Haberdashery Lee's Garage Mealham's Fish Shop A.J. Long's Garage Birds Bird's Bakery This is a well-known bakery until the late 70s/early 80s and one of three in the village I recall. Mr Bird’s bread was very popular. Many people called him the Midnight Baker owing to his bread always being ready early in the morning. The bakery was run as a delivery business rather than a shop but he did make the most delicious cream horns with confectioners’ cream sitting on a bed of bright red ‘jam’! Also his bread was like none other – quite doughy with a well-baked crusty top - as it was cooked in a faggot oven, a rarity even then. W.J.Cutting Shops Mr. Cutting, and in later years his three sons, ran a number of shops in this part of the village. Cuttings were wholesalers and here ( the present day terraced housing) stood a large warehouse which stored an enormous collection of hardware goods – spades, forks, buckets bins, pots, cutlery, crockery plus smaller items needed for gardens and home maintenance. According to the older photograph I think that the hardware shop (and possibly groceries as well) was formally housed in what is now the Chinese takeaway; however I can only remember the takeaway as primarily a grocery shop – see photo dated c. 1938– where in the fifties we would go to buy all food essentials. They had a bacon slicing machine and wire cutters for cheese; they used sugar paper cones to put most dried goods in e.g. sugar, sultanas, currants etc. and they were expert at making the cones really quickly! Also I can remember the large tins of biscuits, some of them labelled ‘Broken’ which were very popular as they were much cheaper and quite exciting as you were never sure what the mix would be. Should you also need any hardware items you were able to go towards the right of the shop where a part of the counter could be raised allowing customers to go behind, turn right and walk down a little slope into an extra part where a host of hardware was available. By the late sixties/early seventies this shop dealt purely with hardware as the groceries were moved to the shop opposite the Angel. W J Cutting Reggie Butcher Reggie Underwood’s Butchers Right next door to Cutting’s and near the narrow iron grille/gate through which the rubbish blew, was the butcher’s shop, small and compact but sufficient. I understand that the iron grille was the entrance through which the cattle were driven before reaching the abattoir situated behind the shop! I remember regular visits to the shop with my mother; of course in those days people were fairly canny shoppers and were quick to complain if they were sold poor quality meat. I remember taking my baby son in his Silver Cross pram down there once or twice a week in the early seventies and just parking at the side of the road having no fear of cars; somewhat different with traffic today! I can also recall beef mince at a very reasonable price and making the most delicious cottage pies, very succulent and crispy simply because the meat was loaded with fat! I have never emulated them since, needless to say. Back to top Art Chinnery’s Shoe shop and Shoe repairers In the fifties this was a much visited shop as money was tight and shoes had to be repaired regularly. Mr.Chinnery was a talented cobbler and always came up with a mending solution. Rumour in my family was that whilst he was a life-long bachelor he had been known to have had some kind of relationship with my spinster aunt, Bessie, my dad’s oldest, and in my eyes, sternly terrifying sister! Later I would visit Art to have broken sandal straps repaired and shoes re-soled. Although he sold shoes they were very utilitarian, work boots etc. (certainly NOT high fashion), however he could be relied upon to provide children’s plimsolls for school. In later years he also ran a business of repairing and renovating second hand bicycles and many were the bargains found there. Art Chinnery Shop? Shop I think at one time this may have been Prentice’s Butchers shop but not sure. I can remember this shop as being owned and ran by Mrs. Bowers. I think she sold a variety of fancy goods ranging from children’s clothes, wool and threads to the odd crafty and general household items. Her husband ran an electrical business, thus it was also possible to obtain here electrical bits and pieces Lees Lee’s Haberdashery and later Cutting’s Grocery shop In the fifties this was a haberdashery store which my mother would visit quite regularly to buy wool, thread, underwear, stockings and the like. I recall the older Mrs. Cutting serving behind the counter and when you entered a bell above the door rang where upon she would appear from the outer regions because she and Mr. W.J. Cutting owned and lived in the large house. By the seventies the shop had been completely converted into a new self-service grocery store and here again, as I only lived just up Hunts Hill, I would bring the pram and later pushchair, safely leaving the sleeping baby outside, to do the shopping. It was much easier and quicker than trips to the supermarkets today when you think about it. On the retirement of the Cutting family the grocery business was sold and the shop ran by a number of other people until it closed. Lee’s Garage This was a very thriving garage dealing with Austin and then British Leyland until Mr. Lee retired. Part of the garage premises became a video shop, probably in the late eighties/early nineties, and did good business at that time I imagine. Joe Joe Hurndall’s Men’s Barber shop I knew Joe Hurndall well as his elder brother was married to another one of my dad’s innumerable sisters! His shop was a small wooden hut as I recall with a bench, a barber’s chair and a couple of shelves containing relevant items for sale including the inevitable condoms secreted at the back; these were a source of much speculation. I did not really visit Joe’s hut until I took my son down to have his hair cut in the seventies, it then being the fashion for little boys to have quite long hair and fringes. In later years I have received from Paul a certain amount of abuse re. his boyhood hair cut which he likens to a pudding basin! What was I thinking about etc?? On reflection the answer is that Joe was an expert in short back and sides and we young mums were trying to avoid that! I was told also that one customer requested an Elvis Presley hair- cut only to find he had been given a short back and sides! Upon complaining he was told that Elvis himself would have received exactly the same! jim moss Jim Moss’ Sweetshop In the late fifties this was a real heavenly emporium for children. Mr. Moss sold really cheap black jacks, chews (very fruity), everlasting strips and best of all, broken Smiths crisps, really fatty but delicious, for just a halfpenny a pack. In addition to this you collected Green Shield Stamps so that you could send away for a free, red, plastic record rack for all your Ricky Nelson, Buddy Holly, Elvis and Cliff 45s! (At least that’s what I did!) I was told that the young lads would visit the shop, request something for Jim to get out back then, in his absence, promptly pinch anything going! British Legion Hut + Doctor’s Surgery Not a shop but worth a mention. I was aware of the black wooden British Legion Hut being a kind of social club/drinking establishment for years but have no memory of events there other than occasional visits on days when it doubled as the doctor’s surgery. You had to go up some steps to enter the building. Inside there was a waiting room and when the doctor called you into his surgery you had to go through two doors thus to ensure privacy from those still waiting. The hut was demolished c. 1970. The present day Social Club was opened in 1968 I think and it was built on the site of a large orchard. Legion hut bullingham Bullingham and Maxim’s Butcher’s shop (right side of Hunts Hill partly on site of the Social Club): I remember this shop really well as I lived opposite and it was well used by my family. Ollie Bullingham was the father of Doris who died only recently, and Will Maxim lived in the house which is now The Briars Residential Home. There was a large metal gate which was kept shut when the shop was closed and behind it roamed an ugly looking bull terrier reminiscent of Bill Sykes’ Bullseye, and always ready to bark at passers -by in an evil kind of way. Mrs. Maxim’s shop (left hand side of The Briars): This was a sweet/cake shop long before I was born and as the picture shows sold lots of things. Mrs. Maxim was the mother of Will Maxin, the butcher. My mother told me that the very first time she had ice-cream it was from this shop – in those days ice-cream was a kind of custard confectionary. mrs maxim 28 28 Hunts Hill I lived here from c.1953 and later from 1968. Obviously Not a shop, but as the picture shows there was a small matting factory here at one time run by my great-uncle, Bert Smith. Grocers Grocer’s shop top Hunts Hill Now a hairdressers, this was formerly a Grocers and Drapers but not in my time. I can only remember it as a general stores run by Mr and Mrs Mead. It was well used and stocked fresh and tinned food, vegetables, fruit plus some other non-food items. When the Meads retired c.1980 it continued in this capacity for a number of years before becoming a hairdressers and estate agents – now back to hairdressing! A J Long A.J.Long’s Garage (right side now Hunts Hill Stores): In the fifties Mr. Long ran a garage for repairs and a coach company. It later became Pearson’s Trucks. These were big and noisy particularly when you heard them leaving very early in the morning. Often they carried perishable goods and when parked overnight the drone of their refrigerator units was not recommended for a good night’s sleep! In the mid- eighties, the garage was set on fire. At about 3am we saw a car containing a barking dog and a man running to get into it. Not many minutes later the garage was ablaze and virtually destroyed. Back to top Mealhams Mealham’s Fish shop Variously described as selling in addition to fresh and fried fish, poultry and rabbit skins, I have no memory of this although I do remember a Mrs.Mealham living there.

Previous Seasons

History of families of glemsford including war stories, anecdotes and connections. People & Memories You are here: Home: People & Memories Family Histories Find out more about the families of Glemsford throughout the centuries from personal accounts to sourced information. War Stories The Glemsford War Memorial A Young Man's War The Sudbury Lamplighter One day in May 2000 Windsor Castle connection George Cross for F.Craddock Memories of Thomas Brown Why Little Egypt? History of Morris Men Australian Connection Aspects of Life Australian Penal Colonies Jabez Copsey A Fire-Raiser of 1844 Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee 2022 Coronation of King Charles III May 6th 2023

The Tale Of Little Egypt Read below or download the file

Events - Season 2024-25 A large audience braved a very chilly January evening to hear speaker Terry O’Donoghue’s talk on ‘The English Civil War in Bury St. Edmunds and Suffolk’. A complex subject, emanating from Charles I’s adherence to the Divine Right of Kings; his idea of government was diametrically opposed to that of both Parliament and army. Charles was often in Newmarket being very keen on horse racing and it was here that Parliament asked him to sign a militia bill. His refusal to do so, plus his obstinacy on other matters, meant that the ‘die was cast’ and unrest, rebellion and finally war was inevitable. Suffolk in the 1640s boasted a prosperous, advanced economy; a thriving merchant class which, like the majority of the East, supported the Parliamentarians. In the larger towns such as Bury there were some rich families still loyal to the king, however the area saw little real action – the famous battles being elsewhere. In 1645 General Fairfax and the politically astute Puritan, Oliver Cromwell, set up the New Model Army, a strict and disciplined force which subdued any local aggression and skirmishes around Bury and Newmarket. Fairfax, a man of military action, went on to control the 1648 eleven week siege of Colchester, whilst the Earl of Manchester, another strict Puritan, proceeded to purge the ‘papist’ clergymen. Charles and the Royalists were defeated by 1646. The King became a fugitive in disguise before being taken back to London to face his January 1649 execution. Parliamentarian Puritanism did not sit kindly with the English who were to endure the banning of Christmas, maypole dancing and all kinds of fun, as well as the destruction of much beautiful religious idolatry and stained glass in Suffolk churches by the ‘butcher’ William Dowsing, whilst the hunt for witches by Matthew Hopkins went on unabated! It was not until the 1660 Restoration of King Charles II that some semblance of normality was reinstated. From - https://www.suffolkvillagesigns.co.uk/glemsford The current Glemsford sign was made by Graham Chaplin from Buxhall of painted galvanized steel in 2009 replacing the original sign at the same location. There are three buildings on the sign starting with the church of St Mary on top of the sign, this is connected by a winding road down to the old boarding school which is now the Glemsford Primary Academy. The road to the left leads to the 16th century Monks Hall. Below the school is a horse and cart representing agriculture in the area. In the centre of the sign is a group of Morris dancers, known as the Morris Dancers of Little Egypt set up in 1992. There is also a wig at the top of the post representing Arnold and Gould wig makers which were set up to process horsehair in 1907. On the other side is a guardsman helmet. A teachers mortar board and quill pen are there to represent the old college from the Middle Ages. The gap in the middle is the river Glem. The flowers at the bottom of the sign look like Wood Anemones. Another excellent turnout of 53 members and visitors who were held really spellbound by Bryan Thurlow’s dramatized presentation of the sensational, yet tragic, story of the poor village maiden, Maria Marten, and the Red Barn. We were taken to 1820’s Polstead to meet Thomas Marten, the molecatcher and father to pretty Maria, at that time working at the rectory as a child minder. She soon attracted the attentions of the wealthy Corder boys from the big hall. The eldest, Thomas gave her a child, another babe arrived from one, Peter Matthews, and it was not long before she was pregnant by the youngest, Wiliam Corder. All records show that the young squire William was a thoroughly ‘bad egg’ – a liar, a cheat, a deceiver and a habitual thief (pigs being a speciality!), to name but a few of his endearing qualities. The baby died shortly after birth and William, perceiving the situation as socially unacceptable, saw fit to dispose of the body whilst, to appease Maria, offering to marry her on the day following an evening rendezvous in the Red Barn, one of their romantic venues. The rest is history. Maria was never seen again; William, now in London, explained her disappearance with a fistful of lies. Eleven months later, after her step-mother’s prophetic dream, her bullet riddled body was discovered buried in the Red Barn. William was arrested and duly hung at Bury St. Edmunds jail in front of an enormous cheering crowd enjoying a glorious day’s experience! Ghoulish pursuits and a host of money making schemes to view the dissected corpse and skeleton followed, whilst in later years the story was to become the stuff of legend via books, plays and numerous productions of horrific melodrama. April speaker, Ashley Cooper, kept a very large audience thoroughly engaged with his entertaining talk on ‘Heroes and Villains of our Locality. Part 2’. This was further enhanced by the lively and amusing paintings of Benjamin Perkins. Following a detailed resume of Part 1 starting with the great Roman chieftain, Caractacus and the warrior queen Boudicca, down through the centuries to the martyred King Edmund, the (probably less than sainted) Archbishop Simon of Sudbury, on to the Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins, one of the most cruel villains of all, we arrived in the days of Oliver Cromwell when a Puritanical obsession reigned. This led to one, William Dowsing and his band of thugs, who systematically ravaged and defaced our churches. Medieval stained glass windows were smashed and every semblance of decorative effigies and carvings were destroyed. Moving on, John Winthrop from Edwardstone migrated to the nascent United States with other Pilgrim Fathers to help found Massachusetts. The 17 th and 18 th centuries saw discovery and identification of flora and fauna led by John Ray whose meticulous drawings of orchids are still revered. Botanists Joseph Andrews and Sudbury born Mark Catesby followed, the latter exploring in Florida, Carolina and the Bahamas. The 19 th century saw a pair of local tight-fisted misers; one, William Jennens from Acton, whose huge wealthy estate took so long to sort that only the lawyers were the beneficiaries, was said to have been the inspiration for Dickens in his darkest novel, ‘Bleak House’. Subsequently, Hardy was inspired to write ‘The Mayor of Casterbridge’ upon hearing of a local man who had sold his wife! Murderer, William order,from Polstead, he of the Red Barn fame, was another villain, whilst on the plus side, Thomas Clarkson from Wisbech was instrumental in abolishing the slave trade. Ashley concluded his talk by nominating his own 20 th century heroes, namely Fred Pawsey and Sue Ryder (Cavendish residents) and those WWII soldiers sent to Singapore only to be captured and imprisoned in the infamous Japanese camps. The relatively recent excavations at Clare Castle proved a most interesting subject for the last talk of the present season. During 2018 – 2021 speaker, Jo Caruth, worked with Suffolk Archaeology and a large number of local volunteers digging trenches in both the outer and inner baileys of the well-known Clare motte and bailey castle which was built just after the Norman Conquest. Jo itemised the finds from the earlier digs of 1951 and 2013, plus the railway construction dig of 1865 when the gold reliquary cross, the most notable find of all, was discovered. This was possibly dropped by castle visitor and later owner, Cecily Neville, mother of Kings Edward IV and Richard III, in the 15 th century. Probably the most famous resident was Elizabeth de Burgh (b.1295 – 1360) who inherited the castle and spent a great deal of money on it. Evidence from the dig, assisted by the geophysicists, showed thriving occupation, many clay ovens, a large building, kitchens, possible stables, kennels and chapels, also signs that further ramparts once existed. A good number of human remains, male, female and children, were unearthed, some from the Anglo Saxon period which supported the theory of a probable cemetery for the Saxon town. Piles of animal bones confirmed the meat-based diet of the Medieval period. More esoteric finds included beautifully decorated floor tiles, colourful pieces of stained glass, parts of an unusual comb, a 7/8 th century brooch, a very rare Saxon coin and, most strange of all, the claw of a bear; he/she must have been imported for entertainment purposes!

A child's eye view of living at Glemsford Station during the 1940s by Celia Hall Station You are here: Home : Buildings and Streets: Glemsford Station History moves on. Those of us of a certain age have to come to terms with the fact that events of our life time, that still seem like "News" or "the way things are", are already History for the younger generations. When Celia Hall offered to contribute more of her work about life on Glemsford's station during the 1940s, we were delighted to accept. A Child's Eye View by Celia Hall An Arrival I was five years old when I arrived at the station with my parents, Charles and Mary Turner, and my brother Peter, who was 15. It was an icy February day and we found that the inside of the station house was colder than outside. It took days for the one kitchen range to warm the house enough for us to take off our outdoor coats. This coldness was probably partly caused by a crack down one wall in my brother’s bedroom through which we could see daylight. Later we were told this was the result of a bomb being dropped behind the house. It was not a good start. The Signalwoman However, things began to improve for me once I could begin to explore the station and surroundings. My first surprise was to find that we had a signalwoman rather than a man. The staff at our previous station, Worstead, in Norfolk, were all male, so I was pleased to see a young woman here. She had taken the place of a man who had been called up into the army. Her name was Lily Farrance and she was a war widow, which I found terribly sad. We took to each other immediately and I spent a lot of time with her in the signal box over the next two years. Then the war ended and she had to leave to allow a man to take the job. The signal box was fascinating – bells rang, levers were pulled and I could look down on the passengers waiting on the platform and watch the tiny branch trains pull in and stop just outside. The drivers and firemen soon got to know me and Lily would hand me the tablet (giving right of way to the train on the single track) to hand to the firemen. She told me to say ‘Right o’way to Clare’ as I did so, though I had no idea what it meant and just repeated it parrot-fashion. This always caused amusement for some reason. On winter evenings, Lily cooked cheese on toast for my tea on the black stove at the end of the signal box and I enjoyed eating it at the table overlooking the platform where I could watch what was going on. The Stationmaster's Office My father’s office was not such a friendly place. If a train were late there was much bell-ringing and urgent telephone calls on a large black wind-up telephone and messages tapped out in morse code. I kept in a corner while this was happening. My father took great pride in all ‘his’ trains being punctual, constantly taking his gold watch out of his waistcoat pocket to check the incoming train times and ensure that the outgoing trains left to the second. He was formidable if anything went wrong. His clerk must have found him difficult to work for Gangers and Shunters There were, of course, other staff on the station. A group of gangers ‘lived’ beside the track in a hut made from sleepers, with a thin chimney poking out of the roof to take the smoke from their stove inside. Their job was to inspect the rails and track for faults and remedy them. They had a long distance of track to look after and to travel to the farthest points they used an ingenious type of trolley. This consisted of a wooden platform on wheels. Poles could be attached to two of the wheels and by moving these poles up and down all the wheels could be made to move. The faster they worked the poles, the faster the trolley would move. I longed to travel with them, but it was considered too dangerous. I could only watch them working close to the station. They moved along the track tapping the rails to determine by the sounds given whether anything was wrong. The shunters, who arranged the goods trucks into the required formation for a particular train, were highly skilled in the way they went about doing this. They would alter the points to enable trucks to be moved from one track to another, then the shunting engine would ‘nudge’ a truck down the track towards a second one. A shunter would stand by this truck and calculate the exact moment to lift its coupling chain and drop it over the hook on the first truck. They continued until the whole arrangement was complete. I’d watch this for hours. Mixed Freight All kinds of goods travelled to and from the station – grain, sugar beet, coal and livestock. On one occasion a pony arrived and the farmer who had come to collect it put me on its back and sent it off down the lane and over the bridge with me clutching its mane and trying not to fall off. I’d always loved horses but it was the first and last time I rode one without a saddle and bridle. Porters and Carman The porters, who had a tiny room on the platform, were kept busy all day. They opened and closed the crossing gates, carried passengers’ luggage to and from the trains and kept the coal fires going in the ticket office and waiting room. It was their job to paint the edge of the platform with the right-angle shaped brush and maintain the station’s gardens. This was deemed very important because all the stations on the line competed each year for the ‘Best-kept station’ prize. The last member of staff was the carman who drove the station lorry carrying goods to and from the station. I regularly had lifts to the village with him. Travel by Train Trips on the train were always fun in the single carriages with their leather straps to open and close the windows, landscape pictures on the walls above the seats and a mirror in which passengers would check their appearances before leaving the train. Less comfortable, but exciting, were the times I was taken onto the footplate of the goods engines working in the goods yard. The cold of the wind coming in contrasted with the intense heat from the firebox as the fireman stoked it up. I bounced around clinging to anything I could find to stop myself falling out. (No health and safety rules then.) The Community I knew a great many people because of living at the station. Besides the staff I became friendly with all the passengers and each year my father arranged for me to sell flags for the railway benevolent fund because he knew that no one would refuse to buy a flag from me! In the village I was known as the ‘stationmaster’s daughter’, which meant that I had to behave myself because my father would have been informed quickly had I not done so…. Further accounts from Celia The Yard and Orchard My perfect playground Keeping Clean Keeping amused Not as expected Heating, lighting and water Less happy times War, storms and floods by Celia Hall by Celia Hall by Celia Hall by Celia Hall

Latest Site Updates Date Details Link 09/10/2026 AGM Meeting Report on meeting, also featurin Ben Archer talking about The Suffolk Flag Link to page 07/10/2026 Daniel Scott The Tale of “Little Egypt”: A History of Glemsford Link to page 15/09/2026 Report for September meeting added. See poster. Link to page

Public Houses in Glemsford and their history Pubs You are here: Home : Buildings and Streets: Pubs This house in Egremont Street is an excellent example of a "Yeoman's House", it was built about the year 1420. It was restored earlier this century and has a wealth of old woodwork. It has an original window of the type made before glass was used which is complete with slots and shutters. For many years it was the Greyhound Inn and the old brew house at the rear still has an old wooden mechanism for the control of ventilation during the brewing process. It lost its licence in 1907 and a fine story is told of the final night at the Greyhound. Apparently a coffin complete had been obtained, and after closing time a procession carried it, and presumably the spirit of the old Inn, to the churchyard. The quantity of free beer consumed on this occasion is still the subject of comment in the village. The Black Lion, opposite the School. The Crown Inn: one of several fine hostelries in the village, it was closed in 2009 by a brewery company, but re-opened by enterprising new owners in 2011.

Archive of Glemsford Local History Society newsletters and publications Publications By Rev K Glass A short history of Glemsford St Mary's Font You are here: Home: Publications Below you will find an archive of the Glemsford History Society Publications and Newsletters. Click on descriptions below to search newsletter.pdf for full article Summer 2021 no 46 The boy who burned down a barn [part 2] Transportation by Barbara Richardson-Todd Landscape Gardening in 18th Century by Stephanie Prythergch-Hemphill The Waterworks Tower by late Gillman Game 2008 first published Spring 2021 no 45 Somerton Church 1538 Edmund Hibble of Somerton research by Linda Ronalds The Organ of St Mary's Church by Patrick Hemphill The Boy who burned down a barn [part 1] by Barbara Richardson-Todd Winter 2020 no 44 William Oliver 1804-1853 Halstead An Artist in the Garden by Jenny Wears Glemsford Telephone Exchange from 2007 by Gillman Game Autumn 2020 no 43 Charity Schools in the 20th Century by Stephanis Prythergch-Hemphill Glemsford Flood 2004 by Patrick Hemphill Henbane in Glemsford by Robin Ford Summer 2020 no 42 Trade and industry in Suffolk in 19th Century by Stephanie Prythergch-Hemphill Field names by Jenny Wears Taxes by Jenny Wears Shepherd Collis Goodchild 1878-1953 foamer and landowner Spring 2020 no 41 Village Education in 19th Century by Stephanie Prythergch-Hemphill Glemsford Schools by Jenny Wears WW1 POW Camp by Jenny Wears Summer 2019 no 40 History of the Susan Pearman Cup of Gardening Club by Richard Deeks 1994 Autumn 2018 no 39 The 15th Century House moved from Glemsford to California by Jenny Wears The Conservation of St Mary's Font by David Newell Spring 2018 no 38 Transported Burglars from Glemsford [part 2] by Jenny Wears Attempted Murder and Suicide in Glemsford [part 2] by Jenny Wears A Police presence in Glemsford Winter 2017 no 37 Transported Burglars [part 1] by Jenny Wears Riot Night December 2017 memoir of Ernest Ambrose of Long Melford Coals for Glemsford by Jenny Wears Autumn 2017 no 36 St Mary's Font by David Newell The Morris Men of Little Egypt 25 years by Neville Parry Spring 2017 no 35 The Brook St Nissan/ Romney Hut memoir by John Suttle plus notes by Rowland Hill The Manns Soap Boilers by Jenny Wears Winter 2016 no 34 The Ship A long lost Public House by Jenny Wears The Wool Cloth Industry by Jenny Wears Autumn 2016 no 33 Glemsford Urban District Council 1896-1935 Summer 2016 no 32 The Bells of St Mary's by Jenny Wears Canon Algernon Ogle Wintle Rector of Lawshall and Barrel Organs Glemsford Farms 1994 by Gillman Game Glemsford Fire Brigade Spring 2016 no 31 Peverells and George Cavendish by Jenny Wears E W Downs Engineering in Glemsford. A report on a talk by Donald Roger-Brown from 1998 The Stormport Saga of George Lane by Patrick Hemphill Report on talk by Pip Wright 2016 Alice de Bryne of Acton Winter 2015 no 30 Jocelin of Brakeland Autumn 2015 no 29 Mary Holmes School Mistress in Glemsford by Anne Edwards Glemsford Station A Victorian Home 1943- 51 by Celia Hall Summer 2015 no 28 The Welsh Miners' Strike the Glemsford Connection by Sid Watkinson Glemsford Methodist Church by Marilyn Nash Glemsford Station 1943-51 A child's eye view [part 3] by Celia Hall Spring 2015 no 27 Glemsford Station 1943-51 [part 2] by Celia Hall Autumn 2014 no 26 Woodfield Alley to Shitpot Alley. Map and changes of names Bernice Victor Goodey WW1 by Glenys Day Glemsford Station 1943-51 A childs eye view [part 1] by Celia Hall Spring 2014 no 25 The Butterwort and the Paper Mill Autumn 2014 no 24 The Silk Mill in Peril Spring 2013 no 23 Parish Council acquire telephone box Old Street Names [part 2] by Jenny Wears Vernon Bode The West Drayton Druid by Pat Currie Autumn 2012 no 22 Old Street names [part 1] by Jenny Wears Spring 2012 no 21 Abraham Slater A Glemsford Baize Maker by Jenny Wears Callis, Methold and Wimbus. A Manor within the purlieu of Glemsford by Pat Currie Autumn 2011 no 20 The Glemsford Workhouse by Jenny Wears Spring 2011 no 19 The Glemsford Crane Henry Kolle and Sons London Horsehair Manufacturers Winter 2010 no 18 A Glemsford Walking Tour Autumn 2010 no 17 Spring 2010 no 16 A Present from Glemsford Autumn 2009 no 15 Deaths of Frederick John Craddock 1886- 1943 and Albert Sterry at Flax factory Lower Rd. Lost Mills of Glemsford by Jenny Wears Autumn 2009 b Autumn 2008 no 14 The Origin of the Glemsford Station Spring 2008 no 13 The Glemsford Waterworks by Gillman Game Summer 2007 no 12 Happy Vaccy [part 2] by Jean Cook A Glemsford Family 19th Century [part 3] by Sheila Willmoth Spring 2007 no 11 Glemsford Post Office 1898-1932 by Gillman Game Happy Vaccy Evacuation to Glemsford [part 1] by Jean Cook 2007 Wolsey's Faithful Servant George Cavendish Summer 2007 Autumn 2007 Spring 2006 Autumn 2006 Childhood Memories by John Slater Spring 2005 Early 19th Century Apprentices in Glemsford by Eileen Lynch Autumn 2005 1999 Vol 2 Ed 2 Colonel Meek The Pearman Family Glemsford Wills by Eileen Lynch Skeletons 1851 Spring 1998 vol 2 Ed 1 Pub Games in Suffolk by Sid Watkinson Chequers Cottage by John Slater Spring 1998 Autumn 1995 Spring 1995

Newsletters Each Newsletter is saved in pdf format for you to view or download. 046. Summer 21 041. spring 20_final.pdf 036. Autumn 17 031. Spring 2016 final.pdf 026. Autumn 2014 021. Spring 2012 016. Spring 2010 011. Spring 2007 045. Spring 2021 040. Summer 19_final.pdf 035. Spring 2017 030. Winter 2015 025. Spring 2014 020. Autumn 2011 015. Autumn 2009 044. winter 2020 039. autumn 18_final.pdf 034. winter 16-17 029. Autumn 2015 024. Autumn 2013 019. Spring 2011 014. Autumn 2008 2007 043. Autumn 20_final.pdf 038. spring 18 033. Autumn 2016 028. Summer 2015 023. Spring 2013 018. Winter 2010 013. Spring 2008 2007 Summer 042. Summer 20 037. winter 17-18 032. Summer 027. Spring 2015 022. Autumn 2012 017. Autumn 2010 012. Summer 2007 2007 Autumn 2009 spring 2006 spring 1999a.pdf 2006 Autumn 1998a.pdf 2005 Spring 1995 Sping.pdf 1995 Autumn 2005 Autumn