Z1205/126

Male. Former Stewartby resident. Brickwork office manager. Mid Bedfordshire District Councillor. b. 06.11.1944 Side A (00 mins)Born and raised in Stewartby village. Parents lived in Forder's Villas (7 bedrooms). Moved to nearer railway line, in 1947. Father was brick worker crane driver, but died when he was 5. Villagers showed great kindness in giving, anonymously to his mother, when they were very needy. (Paternal) Grandfather was a brickworks burner. (05 mins)Grandfather was one of the first retired occupants of one of the Sir Malcolm Stewart Homes in Stewartby village. Benefits workers had through living in the subsidised housing of Stewartby village. Grandfather told him, when he was a boy, how the clay was dug, conveyed, pressed, fired, and distributed. (10 mins)Works policeman stopped children from playing on the site. London Brick Company fire service. Mother's difficulties, as single parent, with five children. Allowed to keep brickworker's house in village but with only a widow's pension, hard to pay rent and clothe and feed the children. (15 mins) Very good community spirit in village. Paternalistic provision of village cinema, Christmas parties, sports ground and swimming pool for brickworkers by Sir Ronald Stewart. (20 mins)Freedom of youngsters to play and roam in 1950s. Trainspotting. Just 200 homes in village then. Carter's Farm in village. Later their fields were used to build on to enlarge the village. (25 mins)Attended primary school in Stewartby. Passed 11+ exam to Bedford Modern School. 3 others past 11+: one boy went to Bedford School, one girl to Girls High, one other to Dame Alice School, Bedford. (32 mins)End of Side A Side B (00 mins)Managed to get free lunches at Bedford Modern School. Was good at maths. Was confident but not "cocky". Kept up his Stewartby friends. (05 mins)Travelled by train to school. Poor bus service to Stewartby at first but later improved a little. School demanded high commitment from pupils. Keen on sports. Played for Stewartby Village Cricket Club when only 13 yrs. old. Enjoyed trips to other schools from Bedford Modern for inter-school sports. (10 mins)6 years at secondary school. Decided to leave and help support mother. Became clerk at London Brick Co (LBC). Later moved to local government, first at Ampthill Rural District Council, then to a commercial company in Higham Ferrers, before returning to LBC. (15 mins)Became relief Office Manager, moving around brick factories in the region. Enjoyed meeting people. Redundancies in 1980s. Family atmosphere during Stewart family days at LBC. Hanson takeover of LBC marked change in management approach. Brick industry contracted. (20 mins)Moved from Stewartby village to Ampthill. Reflections on changes in people's lives - increased mobility, migration from home village, commuting. Disappearance of village life, through contraction of amenities and people's shopping in out-of-town supermarket. Loss of affinity with place. (25 mins)Reflections on changes in landscape. Boy-hood experience of birds-nesting along hedgerows. Clearance of hedges denuded area of wildlife. Newly developing Forest of Marston Vale helping to restore this. Following disappearance of brick works, new housing developments in Vale. Less pollution from industry. Glad that he still experiences a caring community in Ampthill. Feels fortunate. (32 mins) End of Side BEnd of Interview. Original Interview 60 mins.

24 April 2002

From: 1940 To: 2002

item

London Brick Company,
Forder & Company,
Sir Ronald Stewart,
Hanson

manager, Councillor, brick worker, Sir Malcolm Stewart Trust, community worker, Christmas, swimming, Bedford Modern School, Dame Alice Harpur School, MIGRATION, supermarkets, birds, hedging, pollution, STEWARTBY, AMPTHILL