Colin Lawrances memories of the Lawrance blacksmiths & village life
John & Hilary Roadley chatted to Colin Lawrance April 2024
Family background
The Lawrances were the local blacksmiths, farriers and wheelwrights as well. They would shrink the metal rims onto the wheels. Colin can also remember Harry shoeing the big Shire horses.
Colin’s father, Eric, was the eldest of Harry Lawrance’s three children; Ron the other son and Pamela, Colin’s aunt, born only 5 years earlier than Colin who was born in 1941. Harry’s father, Joseph John, died in 1934 and his mother Elizabeth lived at Forge Cottage by herself until she died in 1954. It is believed that Harry then bought Forge Cottage off his siblings who, apart from Vic, moved away. Thomas Victor lived with his family in the High St.
Harry’s brother Frank was ‘rich’ – he drove a Rolls Royce when he turned up to see his mother. He was married three times and had a son – Peter-John. He ran a newspaper for quite a while and after he died Franks’ third wife and Peter-John ran it.
Harry’s brother Arthur (had son Trevor who was killed in an industrial accident), had a shop and Colin went there to Stamford as a kid to stay with the family.
Harry and family lived initially at 26 Church St council houses (now numbered No 18 opposite the surgery). Colin can remember visiting his grandparents (Harry & Emily) there as a child so they can’t have moved out until 1945ish. In 1956 Harry & family were recorded living in Ditton cottage now No 7 Royston Rd.
Harry’s wife Emily was the family matriarch in those days although Harry was also strong-minded. She was a regular church goer and as was expected in those days encouraged the grandkids to do the same. Colin was on the PCC (parish church council) at one point.
Colin’s dad Eric married Joan (Pagram). She had lived with her Aunty Mable- her mother’s sister- as she was illegitimate, and that was what was done in those days. Colin was born at Mill Rd hospital in Cambridge and lived at 19 Church St. He can vaguely remember sheltering in the pantry there when the doodlebugs came over in WW2. They had a huge garden and grew a good proportion of their vegetables. The gardens went back to what was called Wisbey’s field- probably about 100 metres long.
Colin’s family moved into Forge Cottage after Harry’s mother Elizabeth’s death in 1954, when Harry inherited/bought the property. Colin can’t remember any of other Lawrances living in the village when he lived there, 1941-1966. He was about 25 when he married in 1967.
Colin’s father Eric was an engineer working at Abington Welding Research (Institute?), as did Colin, until he got into the oil industry in the 1970s. Colin worked in construction of North Sea oil platforms for BP and Chevron oil in Cromarty Firth area of North East Scotland. Then he worked overseas a lot but eventually moved back to Cambridgeshire to be nearer his aging mother.
After Harry died in 1971, (Note: Colin’s father Eric died before Harry) Ron got Ditton Cottage and Colin’s mother Joan moved into Forge Cottage, but Pamela didn’t get a property, causing a rift in the family. Pamela married John Clarke, but later divorced. She lived in Bedford.
Forge Cottage
Colin’s mum Joan inherited and lived in lived in Forge cottage until she died in 2011. When she took it over Forge Cottage was desperately in need of renovation. The proceeds from the sale of the building plots on either side of the cottage were used to fund the work. She had a garage built and bought a car. At one point Colin’s two sons painted the outside of the house and put a smiley face on the chimney, which didn’t please Joan.
Behind the forge was a cast lamppost which was used as a washing line. They didn’t have any running water when they moved in. If you turned immediately left out of the back door, towards the workshop, the pump was on that run, a bit further forward than the garage. It had a prime-hand pump. A bathroom was later put in the old lean-to which was previously a coal hole and earth closet.
When you walked into the back of the house into the kitchen there was a big range to the left and to the right you went down three steps to a pantry/cellar with an earthen floor. There were hooks on the beams where colin understood hams hung there in the past but nothing there in his lifetime.
The front room was only used at special times of the year like Christmas time and had an open coal fire. Colin can remember 20 sitting down for Christmas lunch including Aunt Mabel with kids Avril Keith & Barry.
Colin contacted the history group this year to donate a painting he had of the Forge in Harston. It had been passed down to Harry’s son Ron and then to him, Ron’s nephew.
In July 1942, Mary Greene of Harston House, produced the drawing of the village forge which stood where 6 and 6A High St are today. No 4 can just be seen to the right. In 1950 she produced an oil painting of the forge based on the drawing but much more detailed.
A letter from Mary to Harry Lawrance, the blacksmith, dated 16 Jan 1951 was found attached to the back of this painting, an extract of which reads:
I am giving you my picture of your forge which my brother always hoped you would possess. I have altered the direction of the smoke but with regard to your criticism of my putting three trees when you have only two, I can only say you must plant another as my picture refuses to let that third one go.
Colin kindly offered them to the village for permanent display. They can now be viewed in our Village Hall.
School days
Colin remembers getting the cane several times, once because he belted someone – he had been told to stand up for himself. At mid-day they had to sleep on rush mats. He remembers both Royston and Shoote as Head teachers. Royston gave the cane a lot and got the tips of your fingers which hurt a lot. Pupils were caned for taking walnuts from the head’s garden. There was a lovely old tree in the very front of the school garden, on the corner with the forge, with lots of walnuts that fell off onto the path.
They used to get a third of a pint of milk at school in small bottles. Colin would get £1 for a weekend of delivering milk with a horse & cart with dairymen working for the Hays.
Colin was at school with Michael Crow, who lived with his grandfather Frank Crow. His dad Leon lived in Bourn.
David Stocker was also part of ‘his gang’. Roger Askham, the son of the vicar, was a good pal. Other friends were Colin Valiss, Roger & Charlie Chapman, Lamans (pronounced Layman), Charlie Simpkins. David Deacon was a bit older.
He passed his eleven plus when he was 10. Only two others passed the 11 plus at same time as him- one was Jane Austin who went to the Girl’s Perse School and Charles Simkins, who like Colin went to the Boys Grammar School (now Hills Road Sixth form college). Roy, Colin’s brother went to Impington College and had to catch the bus in to Trumpington, then change. Colin’s journey was on the 108 bus from Royston to school. Pupils got up to a lot on the bus and on one occasion articles of girls’ clothing was seen dangling from the bus. After assembly the Sec School Head would often asked pupils riding on 108 bus to stay behind to sort out some misdemeanour.
Mrs Barnes, a teacher at Harston school, was his mum’s mum’s sister. She taught although she didn’t have formal qualifications. Aunt Mabel (Mrs Barnes) gave Colin extra tuition for the 11 plus.
Leisure time
On a nice summers day He could be packed off at 10am with half a loaf of bread and a lump of cheese, his swimming and fishing gear, with the expectation he would be gone for the day, although those words were not actually said.
Colin had a different cohort of friends from his brother and they would roam the village. He and his mates often went to the river where there were different swimming places. There was ‘The boys’ section – a straight part of the river, just north of the bridge in Haslingfield Road. The water was not that deep- it didn’t go over your head- perhaps up to the shoulders. You stood on shingles at the bottom. Further along was ‘The girls’ section and ‘The mens’- see map. There was also an area behind/back of the Mill where it was deep and slow. They swam, fished & climbed trees. Colin can’t remember not being able to swim, but did have a couple of lessons at sheep’s Green (Lammas Land).
Colin is still mates with his friend Howard Clutton who he would spend time with. Howard’s father was the Station Master. They would go up and play cards with the signal man who was not that busy as there weren’t that many trains then. He helped Howard saw up sleepers in the train yard for winter fuel.
Colin’s grandmother’s sister’s husband Chris Cracknell was gamekeeper for Hurrells and lived in Gamekeeper Cottage on the corner of Shelford Rd and London Rd. The gamekeeper moved to one of the cottages on Whittlesford Rd when he retired. Colin spent time with the gamekeeper, uncle Chris, who had many jobs- the main one being to protect the young game/pheasants from vermin and protect the environment. They would set lots of traps to keep down the unwanted vermin – rabbits, rats and other vermin as well as the hunt going after foxes. He used to collect edible snails in the old clunch pit below St Margaret’s Mount. He also raised pheasants and released them for shoots for Reggie Hurrell of Newton and Col Hurrell of Harston (High St). The hoi polloi would come to shoot. Sometimes Colin would be paid to act as a beater, to scare the game to fly up for the shooters. He would be paid and given beer at lunchtime.
Colin can remember scrumping apples from the Vicar’s garden and would also take grapes from the lean-to there. When Colin was later on the PCC he worked with Rev Mansfield Williams who used to be in the Three Horseshoes most nights in the early 1960s. The Rev once set up a toll outside the Coach & Horses and collected money for charity. Colin thought the Rev M-W was great, energetic, friendly, lovely and wouldn’t take no for an answer. He had Colin first in the choir, then co-opted onto the PCC.
Colin used to play tennis at Melbourn, where he met his wife Rosemary.
Neighbours
In Church St, the Chapmans lived at No 15. They had 3 children- Charlie, Roger & Jane. Mr & Mrs Haylock lived at No 17 and the Lamans at No 21. At No. 25 lived Tom & Isabel Hopkins with sons Donald & Trevor. The Bakers also lived in Church St. Sometimes, someone in Colin’s family would go to the Queen’s Head with a jug to get a takeaway jug of beer to take back to No 19.
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