Hi All,

Does anyone remember when The Orchards wasn't a posh cul-de-sac,but
an actual Orchard?
The Orchard was acually split into two sections and split by a high
hedge, which did have a couple of spaces to sqeeze through.
The first section had all Apple trees in it with the exception of the
holy grail (Plum Tree) and the second section was scatted with Pear
Trees.
I'm not sure who owed the Orchards but the fruit was left to drop and
rot.
Apart from being a great den of a child in the seventies there was
food on tap. There was also a Pigstye that was usually empty and made
a great viewing point to watch the trains go by. The only other
distraction was an old jobsworth guy who would occasionally walk into
the Orchards from his house on Little Church Lane to inform you he
was reporting you to the owners for eating the fruit that was clearly
left to drop from the trees.

Also at the top of Little Church Lane lived Mrs Firth who had her
granson regularly visit her for weeks at a time and he would join in
the fun. One particular year stands out as she organised a massive
bonfire in the Pear Orchard on November the 5th and put on a lovely
spread in her house. Of course that was in a time when most family's
had their own bonfires.

Every time I pass The Orchards I'm taken back to the early to mid
seventies when it was filled with tree's.