Houses
Within this section you will find historical photographs specifically of houses in the village. Some will be very old, others from perhaps 10 or 20 years ago. Either way, it’s interesting to see how the village and it’s houses have changed over time.
We would really value information about any of the photos including dates, names, little stories, however trivial since it all adds to the interest. Use the comment form at the bottom of the page.
Martlets
Martlets was the original post office in the village. Here is a picture of that house as the post office plus a picture from 1986.
Photographer: Unknown
Park Cottage
Photographer: Unknown
Comments
My Dad was stationed at Burderop Park’s USAF hospital during the period 1950-1954, and we stayed in Ogbourne St George for a while, in a thatched cottage some 400 years old, with plumbing run outside stone walls and through holes into the building. We moved to Aldbourne, and I can’t remember if it was there or in Ogbourne that the village pond — a magnet for tadpole-hunting boys –was modernized and made into a relatively sterile concrete water-piece. I did miss the tadpoles.
I lived in Ogbourne in the 50s and 60s and am so glad i found this site. I attended the primary school and was in Mrs Kinnear and Mrs Howes’ class before going to Marlborough Grammar School. My dad worked as a milkman at Park Farm in the days of Harry Poole and we lived in a couple of houses in the village. I mostly remember being at Park Close where on a recent visit from my current home in Queensland Australia i was amazed to discover that the wooden garage my dad built well over 45 years ago is still standing. I stayed for the night of my visit in The Inn with the Well or the Crown as it was known and loved talking to the landlady about my times as a youth in Ogboourne. So many happy memories came flooding back and even more amazingly so many of the names i remember are still in or around the village. I visited the church yard as I have done on past visits to pay respects to my childhood best friend Nick Child. We grew up together, went to school together, served at church services together, played rugby together and kept in touch until his untimely death in 1987. So good to see the pics of Ogbourne in the snow but not quite as impressive as the snow in 1962/3 which was an incredible blizzard with the village cut of for ages. Names i remember vividly from my time in Ogbourne are Tim Rose and his family Robert Dunn, Keith Hudson, Barry Venghaus, Tommy Chamberlain, Tanya and Fred Cartman, Bobby Lillywhite, the Thorn sisters, the Lovedays, the Stibbards, the Greys who owned the village shop, Heather Spreadbury, Shirley robinson (an american girl) Julie Luker, Jenny Merritt, the Parks of the Old Forge, the News who were pigeon fanatics, PCs Opie and Chapman who were friends of my Mum and Dad Eric Pat and Sarah Child, the Reeve family who emigrated to Australia as did the Strattons who used to run the service station and probably many more I can’t quite recall right now, random memories are playing tennis on the courts at the Manor, playing football on the pitch which used to be behing Park Close, walking dogs in the hills, mucking around building rafts on the OG river, watching the trains steam by, apple noggin in the Holt-Wilson,s garden, the annual village fete, cowboys and indians revolving around our imagined fort on the Roses farm, helping with the harvest, the christmas market, tanks rolling in the streets in the 50s, walking to Chiseldon Camp to see the Queen in the early 50s, World Scout Jamboree and hosting some Swedish scouts-amazed how ell they spoke English,supporting Swindon Town (still do), selling golf balls back to wayward golfers and oh so many more. Hoping to visit again soon and hope to stay a little longer this time. good luck with the site and thanks for the memories.
I, too lived in Ogbourne, Southend, while my Dad, a Chaplain was statoned at Burderop Park. We lived in the Olde Toll House. I was the only American at the Marlborough Grammar School at that time. I have memories too numerous to mention. Have returned to the area many times since those early 1950’s. In fact plan another visit in October of 2009. –Some of our ancestors came from England, Beccles area and Manningham. Again, more stories than I have room for here. Just a hello to the dear friends from Ogbourne.
I was recalled to the Army (Captain, Royal Signals) in 1956 and spent the summer of that year in the nearby camp. In October we flew from Lyneham to Malta and sailed to the invasion of Port Said on November 4th in one of the vehicle ferries from the Irish Sea (an ex-RN Landing Ship) which had been similarly pressganged. I have written my “Suez” story as Blog 9 in my website http://www.the-life-of.me
Just went there today what a beautiful place - my mother was born there and grew up in Aldbourne - Glenys Morgans - I’m half American and half British. my father was in the USAF - I have dual citizenship and Live in Swindon now after living in the USA for over 40 years - Wiltshire is a beautiful county with so many villages in it - as well as its famed Avebury stone Circle & Stone Henge & its white horses etc. Its just so beautiful to go and see where you came from .
I also was a resident at Ogbourne. St George between 1950 to 1968. please can you advise me how I can follow up a reply to your readers messages, or add to the Comments. David Grosvenor and his family were very good friends of mine, I now live near Liverpool and often visit Ogbourne and stay at (The Inn With The Well) In my early years I lived at Roseneath for around 15 years Roseneath is featured in one of your items… Robert Dunn
The fasination of village life during the late fifties and early sixties when village life were safe havens for everyone,as for Ogbourne well it had its General Store,a Butcher’s shop, Filling Station,two dairy farms right in the middle of the village only to be separated by the High Street,a railway station where endless hours spent watching the Steam Trains pulling in and out, we had a nearby Army Camp and regularly heard the march ef Foot Soldiers making their way to the station, and with all this and other things to do I became lucky to share my growing up with some great friends in David Cartman, Glyn Hamblin, Barry Looker, Bernard Darcy,Tommy Chamberlain,Barry Venghaus and many more, sadly David Cartman died several years ago after suffering a long illness,one of our favourite play areas was spending time at the Lime Kiln pit and pretending to drive the disused lorries, we had our regular Monday night Youth Club held at the Village Hall with the guidence of two girls, not to sure of their names but I think Carole Pierce and her Sister, (local policeman’s daughter’s) who kept their eyes on proceedings, at least once every year most of the villagers turned out to play either football or cricket and it would be Dads versus the Children and the Mum’s would provide sandwiches and cakes and bottles of pop and this was a full day. Like most kids we were not all little angels and me being the Little Devil of em all,,we had free range apples,pears,plums,gooseberries at our mercy around every wall and corner. Later I tackled the evening paper round for Sylvia and Fred Newman, think there wereonly about 60/70 papers but still took around one and a half hours. Just across the main road from where I lived was a gentleman named Lou Rushen and he could often be seen carrying a Yoke some 60 to 70 yards to a stand-pipe across the busy main road 4/5 times a day to fill them, needless to say they wern’t always full when he got home. two day.s a week we had permission to use both tennis courts, Holt -Wilsons on the Tues and Frosts on the Friday. Harvest-time always exciting for all of us and being allowed to ride on the tractors and combine harvesters was always a thrill then later on when it reached bailing time again all the boys would lend a hand, don’t think Health and Safety would even consider that sort of practice today although accidents are still happening today. Some other names crop up from time to time but never heard or seen them for almost 50yrs. Richard Johnson, Keith Hudson,Ann Arslett,Patricia Copplestone. Istill visit Ogourne a couple of times each year even thogh its around 40yrs since I moved up to the North of England
I’m glad a stumbled across this site, I’ve been doing some research in my family history. Henry Arthur Langley Ogbourne was my granddad’s name, i don’t know if anyone has heard of him?
I know he was in boarding school most of he’s child hood and attended Marlborough college.
My granddads father was Charles ***** Langley Ogbourne. And He’s father was Kenneth **** Langley Ogbourne.
I know one of he’s ambitions was to buy back the family home, so i would love to know which house (possibly a manor, hearing stories from when i was child.)
Any information would be appreciated - My email is balders@live.co.uk
My mother I were evacuated to Ogbourne St George in September 1939 I was almost six years of age. We lived with the Sheppard family whose house and business was very near the village school, which I attended. I have a photograph of the signboard over the Sheppard premises, which states that they were, Carpenters, Wheelwrights, Undertakers, Shoeing and General Smiths. They also kept some cows and I used to watch the cows being milked.
There was no electricity in the village at that time, but this was being installed just as we were leaving. I believe lighting was by oil lamps. I can remember going to Marlborough on the bus. We were at Ogbourne for a very short time, for although war had been declared, nothing seemed to be happening and so we returned home to London.
Leave a Comment