12. Social events in the village.
Not a great deal more in the way of social events went on in the village in the 1960’s than there is today. They were in the 1960’s completely different than today.
To the best of my knowledge most of the events were organised by our previous resident village vicar, the Reverend Fredrick Gower-Smith.
The biggest of these was the ‘Church Fete’. Until the late 1960’s, the fete was always held in the grounds of the vicarage. The small estate called ‘Vicarage Garden’ is obviously where the garden was. It was not so much a garden as a large patch of grass with a few trees dotted around it. In the last few years of its life, it was held in the magnificent grounds of Monkton Court Farm. It was nothing out of the ordinary, it had all the usual stalls in it ranging from coconut shy to lucky dip. There were races for us kids, most of which you can’t do today, sack race, wheelbarrow race and the three-legged race. Us elder boys even had a road race, out of the vicarage, up Willetts Hill, along the ‘Top Road’, down Millers Lane and back into the vicarage. I can also remember a marching band performing in Monkton Court’s garden.
Another function that clearly sticks in my mind was the ‘Annual Whist Drive’. This would take place in the Village Hall during the winter months. ‘Whist’ a card game for four players. The hall was full of four-sided card tables and chairs, always well supported. I knew how to play whist but was too young to join in, but two or three of us older choir boys were there to sell raffle tickets and to help with the refreshments. What you can hardly imagine today, is that by the end of the evening you could hardly see from one end of the hall to the other because of the cigarette smoke.
Other events included a ‘Christmas Fare’, in which Father Christmas made an appearance. And one or two ‘Jumble Sales’ or ‘Bring and Buy’ sales every year. Many of the stalls in these functions were manned by people selling home-made produce or their old, but still in good condition, clothes. I bought my first pair of long trousers, for a few pennies, at one of these sales, Ideal for ‘playing in’, as they stopped my legs from being stung by stinging nettles.
Most of these few functions were always well supported by the villagers, but even then, as is today, there were usually only a very few people prepared to organise events and when the vicar retired these events faded out.
On a slightly different note, something else disappeared soon after the Reverend Gower-Smith retired. This was the church choir. In my time in the choir (from the age of about 11 years old to 18 years), the choir would regularly be made up of 6 to 8 kids and 2 or 3 adults plus the vicar, very often more than was in the congregation. Unfortunately, by the mid 1970’s there was no choir.
Terry Marsh
Originally published in the Monkton News (August 2023).
12. Social events in the village.¶
Not a great deal more in the way of social events went on in the village in the 1960’s than there is today. They were in the 1960’s completely different than today.
To the best of my knowledge most of the events were organised by our previous resident village vicar, the Reverend Fredrick Gower-Smith.
The biggest of these was the ‘Church Fete’. Until the late 1960’s, the fete was always held in the grounds of the vicarage. The small estate called ‘Vicarage Garden’ is obviously where the garden was. It was not so much a garden as a large patch of grass with a few trees dotted around it. In the last few years of its life, it was held in the magnificent grounds of Monkton Court Farm. It was nothing out of the ordinary, it had all the usual stalls in it ranging from coconut shy to lucky dip. There were races for us kids, most of which you can’t do today, sack race, wheelbarrow race and the three-legged race. Us elder boys even had a road race, out of the vicarage, up Willetts Hill, along the ‘Top Road’, down Millers Lane and back into the vicarage. I can also remember a marching band performing in Monkton Court’s garden.
Another function that clearly sticks in my mind was the ‘Annual Whist Drive’. This would take place in the Village Hall during the winter months. ‘Whist’ a card game for four players. The hall was full of four-sided card tables and chairs, always well supported. I knew how to play whist but was too young to join in, but two or three of us older choir boys were there to sell raffle tickets and to help with the refreshments. What you can hardly imagine today, is that by the end of the evening you could hardly see from one end of the hall to the other because of the cigarette smoke.
Other events included a ‘Christmas Fare’, in which Father Christmas made an appearance. And one or two ‘Jumble Sales’ or ‘Bring and Buy’ sales every year. Many of the stalls in these functions were manned by people selling home-made produce or their old, but still in good condition, clothes. I bought my first pair of long trousers, for a few pennies, at one of these sales, Ideal for ‘playing in’, as they stopped my legs from being stung by stinging nettles.
Most of these few functions were always well supported by the villagers, but even then, as is today, there were usually only a very few people prepared to organise events and when the vicar retired these events faded out.
On a slightly different note, something else disappeared soon after the Reverend Gower-Smith retired. This was the church choir. In my time in the choir (from the age of about 11 years old to 18 years), the choir would regularly be made up of 6 to 8 kids and 2 or 3 adults plus the vicar, very often more than was in the congregation. Unfortunately, by the mid 1970’s there was no choir.
Terry Marsh
Originally published in the Monkton News (August 2023).