Ullenhall in the twenties

In the early twenties, people did a lot of walking: business men walked to Danzey station to catch the eight o’clock train, often going through the fields and Mockley Wood. Farm workers went across the fields to work making a permanent footpath. From school in the village we walked to Henley every Tuesday for cookery lessons. On leaving school we had bicycles which were very useful for getting to work and we often cycled to Stratford or Redditch. Groceries were delivered once a fortnight by horse-drawn van. Bread was also delivered three times a week, the butcher rode a horse-back to collect orders for meat which were delivered a day or two later by horse and trap.

We had a blacksmith in the village, also post office, bakery and general stores.

Sunday was spent going to church in the morning and Sunday school in the afternoon. The small Sunday school children were sometimes taken to local places – Yarningale Common having games on the common and tea at a nearby tea room, also to Lickey hills.

We belonged to the GFS having our meetings at the school. After the railway was built people came out from Birmingham to Danzey station for a days outing to Mockley Wood. It was a very pleasant wood in those days, large oak trees, lots of hazelnut bushes, ferns, bracken and a carpet of bluebells in the season. They would stay for the day bringing a picnic lunch.

In the early days before the railway came, farm produce was taken into Birmingham every week by carrier cart.

The men that lived in the village and worked on the railway to Danzey every morning across the fields and through Mockley Wood.

People had large gardens and some had allotments and grew their own vegetables. One elderly woman in the village told us how they went to Stratford Mop by carrier cart when they were young. We had concerts in the school before the village hall was built.

10/2018