Bakers Gate And Pirbright Village

A Memory of Pirbright.

I was born at Bakers Gate, (which is oppsite the "research station), in 1939. I moved away in 1959. My parents continued there until they retired and went to live at 3, The Terrace in the village.

Bakers Gate was my world, until I went to school at Pirbright in 1944. There were no other children to play with, my cousin Margaret came with her grandfather sometimes, they too lived in the village.

Durng the war years I had the freedom to roam the whole property, and even when the owners returned, they were often away, leaving me free to enjoy the front gardens.

We lived in the House for a time during the war, there were two land girls, Doreen and Agnes, as there were vegetables grown to sell locally.

I used to go through the hedge to the farm, how I loved the shire horses, and I was sometimes sat on one. When I was older my friend Heather, who lived at Pullens, on the research station, and I used used play amongst the straw bales high up in the barn, until Mr Sage caught us, and sent us off. The guineapig house, now appartments, I loved looking the windows and seeing the guineapigs scampering round. We also used to roam all the commons, had camps, climbed trees. Even used to explore Brookwood Cemetery.

The gardens of the house seem to be all lawns now, no rose garden, or huge borders of flowers, top shed gone.

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