Judith recalls...

The Cedars was our family home for many years even though we only lived there properly from 1962-1968. My brother Jonathan was pre-school age when we first arrived.

After 1968 my father who; as a chemical engineer; had been Head Technologist at Stanlow, was posted abroad with Shell and the family spent the next 14 years travelling to Venezuela, the Sudan, and The Dominican Republic. My brother and I went to boarding school. However, we used to come home on leave every year and The Cedars always felt like home. To me it is synonymous with a very happy childhood. There were two sheds in the garden and a little Wendy house attached to one of them
back garden side border to the field
It had 'Garden House' painted on the door and was my little domain. I had small wicker furniture brought back from postings in India and a little toy kitchen. There were curtains at the side and back window. The piece of garden beside it were considered its lawn and flower bed. I spent many happy hours in there. We had a brown standard poodle that we had rescued in India called Spicy

My father used to work in the garden every Sunday producing an array of vegetables for Sunday lunch which we then ate while listening to 'Gardener's Question Time'. Only years later did we learn that he hated gardening as a chore that had to be done. There was a gate into the field at the back and we would go through it to walk to school in fine weather. We would also go through to play in the field and Jonathan recalls being attacked by the horse and collecting rocket sticks on November 6th. On Sundays fathers and sons would fly remote control planes which we could always hear in our garden. Upton Park was a very safe place for children to play in. I used to roller skate right around the ring although I was asked not to skate passed our neighbours house(Mrs Mason) as it used to upset her dog. Jonathan would cycle round and round pretending to be one of the Q Bike Kids. He also happily recalls other places to play such as the strictly 'out of bounds' ruin of the mill to explore and the orchard plot before the new houses were built. Getting there meant passing Mrs Lloyd's house and being given sweets. Jonathan remembers being told that the gate at the end of the avenue was only locked 'once in a blue moon' and everafter looking for when the moon was blue. Once he was rushed in Mummy's arms to the dentist's house in the Park after knocking a tooth out.

Judith