Recollections of Blaisdon Hall
THOSE GREEN REMEMBERED FIELDS.
Every Blaisdon boy will remember the times when after lunch if there was no football, cricket, or possibly fruit picking arranged everyone went for a walk. There was, depending on the time available, the choice of The Big Isle or The Little Isle. Time taken? Two hours and one hour respectively.
The Little Isle meant a casual stroll down the front drive, passing on the left, Cinders Hill: a wide field sloping upwards to woodlands and The Lake. The Park was on the right as walkers headed towards the great sycamore trees marking the area known as The Lily Pond. On past the Church Field, then through the arched gateway of The Lodge, turning right into Velte House Lane. This way runs along the bottom of Blaisdon Hall Park. Continuing on past the Back Garden: the Fifteen Acre field on the left, then turn right up the Back Drive ending back again at the concrete steps that led up to the school playground. Oftentimes, the walk would be in the reverse direction.
The Big Isle led off either down the front or the Back Drive. Heading down the latter the walkers passed the Sawmill and red-oxide painted corrugated hut that was Brother Gerald Clifton's leather and footwear repair workshop. The woods sloped upwards all the way on their right to The Ridge. Soon, on their left, they came to the Monk's Walk: an artificially created avenue of tall fir trees about 50 yards in length. There, the Salesian Priests and lay-Brothers walked singly, in pairs, or as groups. They could be observed reading the Breviary, reciting The Rosary, meditating, or in conversation as they strolled up and down surrounded by the sights and sounds of nature. Soon the walking boys overlooked The Colt's Field which was set to horticulture. The end of the Drive reached, they turned right into
Velte House Lane. In Spring, both sides of the Back Drive were dense with
daffodils.
As the walkers progressed they passed the two cottages hidden in woods that bounded the Flaxley Abbey estate: Mrs. Jones (Hall Cleaner) and her husband Ivor (Council road man) lived in one of them. Then past the gated railway crossing which led to Gorlet Farm and on past Daniel's Farm and about a mile to Longhope. At The Plough pub, a right turn was taken for a stiff uphill climb to Little London: a three quarters of a mile hike to Hinder's Corner. Here, they turned right at Nelmes' Farm and headed along Blaisdon Road for a two mile stroll to Blaisdon Hall. On the way they passed Board's Farm, Stanley Corner and Stud Farm. Journey's end neared as The Lodge was reached and the walk was completed up the Front Drive to Blaisdon Hall.
On these walks the boys strung out in pairs and groups with the Priest or Lay-Brother bringing up the rear. This person in charge was usually accompanied on either side by boys who chatted with him as they went along. The noise of an approaching or following vehicle: a rare car or more usually, a passing tractor, would cause the walkers to move to the side of the road to allow safe passage.
Knowledge of the field names was learned by cross-country runners or those boys who had experience of spud-picking. Most of the fields were rotated to include potato harvesting. A useful vantage point to survey the fields was at the gate overlooking Stud Farm. With Blaisdon Church behind and in the further distance the cottage known as The Laundry along a path that led on to Nottswood Hill. The field immediately in front was known as The Tynnings. Next to it was the Post Office Field - sometimes called Goddard's after the resident Post Mistress.
In the distance, Harvey's Acre was well defined by seasonal goal posts or cricket pitches and certainly the green painted pavilion. At one time, a great wooden barn stood nearby in a half ruined state until removed in the late 1950s. The great pasture area surrounding Harvey's was called Our Lady's Field. Overlooking Harvey's was a neighboring farmer's expansive but neat square field sloping downwards to it; known as Hart's, it was next to a curved grassy contour called Rabbit Hill. From Harvey's, Blaisdon Halt (steam railway station) could be glimpsed and looking right, the eyes took in sight of Blaisdon Village, the former Blaisdon Hall walled garden known as George Key's and the red brick Home Farm. Travelling vision took in The Rectory and sight of Blaisdon Hall.
Looking over and beyond Stud Farm, next to Hart's was the field named Periwell. From the chosen vantage point but obscured by great trees was one of the largest farm acreages known as Croft Barn. This was bounded by Hart's Farm and The Forestry Commission. Invariably, a Little Isle or Big Isle walk included a visit to Stud Farm. On the right, as the walkers approached it down a sloping drive, was The Plum Orchard and on the left side The Pig Field. The farmhouse and associated buildings were set in what was called The Gully Field which led down to The Muddy Gap giving access into Croft Barn bounded on the left by a wood often called The Rookery.
Keeping to the road, Bertie Bucket's land was on the left and the Pig Field on the right until the next great expanse came into view: this was known as the Pump Field. Onward to Stanley Corner. Here, two houses with steps up to them looked towards the red brick Pump-House set alongside a side lane leading to dense woodland owned by The Forestry Commission. Pausing alongside the gates of Stanley Farm prompted a rest. On the other side of the road stood the prominent Stanley House. From its rear a series of fields sloped upwards to common land and deep ferns that fringed the lower part of Nottswood Hill. Between Stanley gates and the Salesian land boundary determined by Board's Farm, three extensive meadows reached to a forested area. The next landmark was Hinder's Corner.
These were the fields as I remember them in the 1950's. However, the layout of the land was very different for the boys at Blaisdon in the 1930's & 1940's. Small meadows sheltered by dense hedges and containing dew ponds where cattle drank were delineated by ditches. This landscape changed radically in the 1950's. The Milk Marketing Board specified that the dairy herd must have access to pumped water and pond drinking was condemned. Land improvement Grants were made available by The Ministry of Agriculture. The bulldozers moved in; the ponds were drained; the ditches were deep dredged and pipes laid. The hedges were ripped out. Extra arable land was gained and landscaped. Dissenting locals called it "prairyisation" but the large acreages suited the use of great machines like the chemical sprayer; the combine harvester among the cereal crops and the cutter blower machine in the silage.
There were economic gains surely: environmental losses too. As hedges perished, bird-life declined. The moor-hen and other water birds disappeared. Butterfly presence was diminished. High winds and stinging rain whipped mercilessly about the exposed tractor drivers. In later years the stench of slurry pervaded. The vast open spaces deterred the hares and hawks from being too visible. Today, the once cleared fields are thronged with fruit trees and sheep with lambs roam beneath the low hung and bounteous blossom. Season after season returns inevitably to those now, I suppose nameless, green remembered fields.
Tony Brady