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(Edited from recordings made in September, 1959 by John Ruffell)
Mrs Joan Pope-Buggins: The Buggins family were well represented in Arrow for almost 300 years. Great Grandfather, Richard Buggins worked on the Ragley Estate, subsequently being buried in the Arrow Churchyard. Grandfather Joseph Buggins married Elizabeth who was nanny to the then marquis's children. Joseph Buggins family then moved to Alcester and began the business know as Alcester builders. trading in Alcester for over 100 years. This is an example of the ties between Arrow and Alcester being extremely close.
Mr Bill Smart (age 94 at time of the recording): "Father and Mother and us four lads lived in the stable yard. My mother was more or less up in the hall. We used to go up and help them in the kitchen. Later, my mother had moved into Arrow and used to walk up to the hall and do odd jobs there. when she walked back she used to pick of .sticks to light the fire, - never travelled back empty handed!
"I was in charge of the Scouts. I carried the pole with the little flag on it with an image of an owl. We were known as the owl patrol as we lived out in the country. on a Sunday. compared with how it is now, - it is all sport on a Sunday now, - we had .Sunday school in the morning ten o'clock or just turned, then about a quarter to eleven another school. They used to form up in twos or fours, and go down to Arrow church. service there, and come out, quarter past twelve or something like that. Time to have little walk round just before dinner, then lunch, and Sunday school in the afternoon at just turned two o'clock, and again about half past three. and then back at church at night
Talking about Ragley again, George Knight he was what was called Park Ranger. - he looked after the fishing rights. the lake and the boat. There used to be some big Carp in Ragley Lake and one day one of these carp was floating on the top of the lake. and we got him out. I went all the way to Alcester on my bike to Will Smith who used to take photos. We got him to take a photo of me holding this big fish'.
"I enjoyed my school days. - I would like to see them over again'. we were quite happy'. Schooling today is different to how it was when Benny TayIor was school gaffer. He used to have a little cane, - hold your hand out - and he would give you .a good swipe and you would pull your hand back!
Mr L Tolman: "My father looked after the Water Works for 35 years. They had a gas engine. - no pumps outside in those days, there was just two inside. They eventually found another spring over the railway and it came across into a tin shed in front of the waterworks. The water was then pumped up to John Fishers Orchard id up at the top. That is were the water came from for Alcester. Down by the old oak tree there was a big centre where you could turn all the water off for Alcester. My father had to go and get all the river right. (Clean it out) There was a water wheel which used to run all day, but was shut off at night. We used to go and start it with our feet. The water wheel used to pump the water to Alcester, it used to pump the water up to the top of the orchard. the water used to come from Cold Comfort, Old Park Wood . It was a small steady stream and it used to get filled with all sorts of things. and it had to be cleaned out. that was all in his works The water was as hard as iron: you couldn't get a lather on that."
Mrs Mollie Bunting: "When we moved to Kingley at the beginning of the century m~ father continued to farm Primrose Hill for some considerable period and daily rode his horse across the river, this being the quickest was. The farms on the Ragley estate were run by hard working tenant farmers, -there was no mechanisation. All the work was done by old fashioned methods. Thrashing on the box was tiring, dusty; and a. lengthy business. The ricks which were thatched by hand. were often infested with mice and rats. Boys had to walk, perhaps all day behind the plough, most farmers having at least four or five working horses. Each family' had a conveyance, perhaps, only what we called the tub or trap to take the family to market and shopping. At the beginning of the first World war, the milkmen were called up. which meant, the wives had to learn to milk. - A farmer could not on his own milk fort' or fifty cows, twice daily. This milk was delivered round Alcester and the villages. by horse and float. People just brought their jugs to the door. for the usual pinter. Many trades people called at the house for orders. grocers, greengrocers. even clothiers, and the wool merchants who wanted to buy our newly shorn fleeces, directly they came off the sheep's back Lastly of course, the very frequent rag and boneman, and to our great joy as children the barrel organ man.
Most farmers had several hundred head of poultry. - They were kept in small pens and after harvest these were moved to the stubbles, - the hens were supposed to glean their own food for perhaps a fortnight. This was considered most beneficial to the ground. but ii meant a lot of work for the tired farmer who twice daily, had to go and open and shut these pens to keep their birds free from marauders. I don't think the children today, with all their expensive toys. had half the fun we had. There were huge family parties, games not heard of now: Fox and Hounds, All Over the Farm, hide and .seek. Round the Buildings. and Paper Chases. I even remember sharing a bicycle: My sister would ride the bicycle for a hundred yards, leave it against the fence and walk on, I would collect it, rule another hundred yards, - thus we arrived at Alcester Grammar School in half the time with half the effort."'