I was born and brought up in a village which had been home to my father's family for years. However, my mother was a 'foreigner' having been in service with a farming family who moved to a neighbouring village from the Herefordshire area where she was born. After my parents were married they settled in the village where I was born. My father was a roundsman and his customers were curious about my mother and one of them bravely asked him if it was true that he'd left her, to which he replied that he'd left her that morning! <bg> I was the first child and in due course had 3 brothers. We all went to the village school. I left when I was 14, but my brothers went on to higher education. There was a very good bus service between Ashford and Tunbridge Wells. From the village, a return ticket to Cranbrook cost 9d and to Tenterden, 11d. We didn't often go beyond them. Trains ran from Cranbrook station to London pre Beeching. There was a coach service to London, but I think it was only once a day and needed to be booked. The village had a church, a school (C.of E). Vicarage, 2 pubs, a working man's club, (to which my father belonged) a bicycle cum hardware shop, a butcher, an excellent grocery, provisions, bakery,and drapery shop. a blacksmith, a cobbler who was deaf and dumb, a tobacconist and sweet shop, garage for petrol, vehicle repairs,accumulators and the like. The was a small village hall where the Womens Club, Guides and Brownies met, and a scout hut. On the outskirts of the village were 2 dairy farms and the milk was delivered and measured into the housewives jugs. Pre pasteurising and TT testing. The blacksmith, cobbler, garage and sweet shop, plus the dairy farms have now gone. We had a beautiful Green and a recreation field with a tennis court. May 15th was Fair day with livestock bought and sold. My Grandfather used to sell his bullocks there having walked them a couple of miles from the farm. At one time there was a funfair as well. Jean Oz