57 Plymouth Road

I was born Margaret Gwilliam  at 57 Plymouth Road, Redditch in the 1930’s.

We later moved to 112 Oakly Road, Redditch, later re-numbered to 130 Oakly Road and named “Trevone”,  and from our home we walked daily (twice as we came home for lunch) to school from the age 3 until 7, to St Stephen’s Infants, my sister also, until moving to the High School.

At the age of 7 I moved to St Luke’s School, which I'm not sure was a good move because I was at the same school that my Father taught at.

The adjoining large house on the corner of Salop Road and Oakly Road was the home of Sam Millward (Butcher and Grocer, Evesham Street) and his wife Constance and three children. Opposite our house lived Mr Clarke a well-known Fishing Tackle Manufacturer.  Also opposite the Misses Young had a sweet shop.

Two houses down from us lived Mr & Mrs Power and he was the town Registrar and had an office. A further eight houses down lived the 3 Miss Barrets, who kept the “Wimbush Cake” -  Alcester Street, which later became the Polish Club.

At the junction of Oakly Road and Ludlow Road Miss Doman kept a Grocery Shop which was opposite “Peels” Fishing Tackle shop.

Up Ludlow Road was the “Methodist Chapel” on two floors, which was used for Children’s Clubs etc. and for quite a time in the 40’s and 50’s also for St Stephen’s Boys School.  I remember school dinners, a speciality being sponge puddings, made in long cylindrical tins with hinges at the sides.

Opposite the Chapel were the office of Civil Defence Corps. and I remember Mr. and Mrs. Wensley Mrs Wensley eventually head of WRVS in Evesham in 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.

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