Z1205/198

Male. Farmer. b.26.03.1939 SIDE A (00 mins)Grew up at Flying Horse Farm (a coaching inn up to 1870), Lidlington. Only child. Spent a lot of time with parents. The village was a mile away. Father was from Dublin and came over aged 17 in 1917 to his aunts at the farm. Mother was the Ridgmont cobbler's daughter. Father did a milk round and met her. His brother became an engineer and was Works Manager for Marston Valley Brick Works. (05 mins)Father spent his life in farming. Died in 1978. 92 acre dairy farm rented from the Woburn Estate. House and small amount of land round it bought later by the interviewee's family from the Estate. Barley and wheat grown only for animal feed. 35 cows supplied the milk for Ridgmont up to 1956. Milk then supplied from wholesale dairies and distributed locally including the brick canteen and the Round House, Brogborough (hostel for brick workers then). Land ploughed up and cereals grown for human consumption. (10 mins)(More about above topics) (15 mins)Weekly visits from Irish paternal grandmother (Ampthill) and boiled egg teas. (20 mins)Went to school in Stewartby by car. Left school at 16. Decided to stop on the farm. Water supply. Flying Horse Cottage, next door, still uses spring water, with high nitrate level, put through a purifier. Farm was connected to the mains water when he was about 30. (25 mins)Had 2-300 free-range on the farm as his own business when young. At the death of his father, they stopped having animals of any kind. (30 mins)Farmhouse too big for him now but reluctant to move. Family outing with uncle at the weekends. (32 mins)End of Side A Side B (00 mins)Trips to the River Thames at Marlow. Picnics on a rented boat. Local cinema in Ampthill. Weekend breaks in England with mother, after father died. Never been abroad. Mother died aged 88 in 1994. Used to being on his own. (05 mins)Uncle married his Secretary at Marston Valley Brick Company. He was based at Ridgmont and was well-liked by those under him. He went to Italy to recruit Italian men (1950s) with Mr. Hague from London Brick Company. Some of the younger men used to get down on their knees and beg for a job, they were so desperate (in the South of Italy). (10mins)Currently hiring out machinery to farmers, rather than farming. Mainly trailers, muck spreaders and wood chippers. All around England. Farmers not willing to spend the money on new machinery while farming is depressed. Cheaper for them to hire equipment for short spells. Very uncertain future for farmers. (15 mins)Biggest change in his life has been the death of his mother, whom he lived alone with for 16 years. Nice to see the Ridgmont former brick works site being used to house industrial warehousing. (19 mins)End of Side B Original Interview 50 mins.

4 February 2003

From: 1935 To: 2003

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farmer, Lidlington Flying Horse Farm, lodging houses, water supply, hens, cinema, Italians, tractors, mechanic, Dublin, LIDLINGTON, RIDGMONT, Woburn Abbey (stately home), dairy, corn, Bromborough, STEWARTBY, AMPTHILL