Peter Hill was born in 1934 in Hartlebury. After leaving school in Stourport in 1949 he worked in farming at Charleton, just beyond Hartlebury, before joining the Army in 1951. After 3 years in the Army he left and joined the Merchant Navy working for the P&O line for another 3 years. He moved to Yarhampton (between Great Witley and Stourport) when he married Shirley Gresley, from Great Witley, in 1960. He worked for Worth’s Carpets in Stourport (on the site where the new Tesco stands) for over 40 years on an Axminster loom.
Peter tells stories of life in the Great Witley Choral Society presenting Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, the scope of the activities of Great Witley Womens’ Institute (where his wife was the Treasurer for many years) and his bell-ringing activities in churches in the surrounding area which earned him free passage on the Highley ferry! Peter tells of the strength of the community in Great Witley in the past and worries whether the village now has a similar strength and spirit. Now long since retired and, sadly, a widower, he has a zest for life and still performs as Father Christmas at events in local villages and pursues his hobby of tapestry. He has lived in the same house ever since his marriage.
Peters recording (20 mins 5 secs):
Start | Topic | Period |
00:32 | Coming to Great Witley from Hartlebury | 1960s |
01:00 | Meeting wife while blackcurrant picking | 1950s |
01:50 | Joining Great Witley Choral Society; performing in Gilbert & Sullivan operettas at old Abberley Village Hall | 1960s-1970s |
05:00 | Dr Johnson’s surgery in Great Witley | 1960s-80s |
05:25 | Fundraising for Great Witley school | 1970s |
05:50 | Moving to Yarhampton after getting married; birth of daughter | 1960s |
06:27 | Village life in Great Witley | 1960s-70s |
06:52 | Great Witley Womens’ Institute | 1960s-70s |
07:35 | Working at Worth’s Carpet factory in Stourport | 1960s-2000 |
08:30 | Bell ringing in Hartlebury, Shrawley, Bewdley and Highley | 1960s-80s |
09:20 | Wedding at Astley Church (choir led by Pam Martin) | 1960 |
10:35 | Visiting Brinton’s Carpet factory in Kidderminster | 1970s |
11:13 | Fairs at Great Witley school | 1970s-80s |
11:57 | Daughter playing at the old police station and court in Great Witley | 1970s |
12:42 | Involvement with Great Witley school over the years | 1970s-80s |
13:23 | Performing as Father Christmas | 1980s-present |
14:15 | Changes in Great Witley village life over the years | 1960s-present |
15:15 | Father working as a boy at Abberley Hall; fire fighting | 1910s |
16:58 | Witley Court Fire | 1930s |
17:20 | Father working as a waggoner at Witley Court | 1930s |
18:10 | Coal deliveries to Witley Court from Lenchford | 1920s |
18:30 | Crowds of local people at Witley Court to their first aeroplane fly past | 1920s |
Leave a Reply