Sheila Tree’s Story
In 1935 Sheila Hudson, as she was known back then, moved into Cornwallis Road with her parents at the age of three. She attended Donnington Infant and Junior School and had the freedom of the park and the surrounding area in which to play unsupervised. After a full day in the classroom, a run in the park offered an opportunity to wind down and have fun with friends.
One of her favourite games in the park was when they played in the brook. ‘I loved the adventure of the playing in the water”. Sheila and her friends would build dams and jump back and forth from one bank to the other, not always making it across at the widest part and splashing in the muddy water. A mis-jump here or there would end with one or other child getting a ‘booty’ when a foot hit the bed of the brook and the water was just a little too deep, and cold water would splash in over the edge of your shoe, wetting the sock. Sometimes they ended up falling in the brook, wetting and muddying their clothes.
Sheila’s mother didn’t have a washing machine. Washing took up a large part of her week. In Florence Park houses, with their large stone sinks and hot water from the back boiler the job was less cumbersome than for most and housewives could take pride in a line of washing blowing in the wind or drying by the fire in winter.
But nonetheless when Sheila returned home dripping wet, her mother was furious!! Clothes which could have lasted days would now need to be washed and look at those shoes! Soaked through! How could they possibly dry in time for school tomorrow?
Yet nothing could drag young Sheila away from the delights that the Boundary Brook had to offer. Not even the wrath of her mother. Or could it…?
One day, Sheila’s mum reached the end of her tether when Sheila returned home yet again, soaked to the skin, muddy and with her school shoes caked in the stuff.
“That’s it!” her mother cried in anger as Sheila dripped muddy water on the quarry-tiled floor “I’ve written a letter to the headmaster Mr. Hart, it’s locked away in the drawer” she yelled pointing. “If you EVER come home again, wet and muddy to the core, I’ll send it to him directly – do you understand young lady?” Sheila slunk away, to change into clean dry clothes and sulked in her room. The threat was enough to keep her away from the Brook…well, perhaps for a couple of weeks…
As Sheila grew older, the pull of the Brook waned, passing her 11+ exam meant she headed away from Florence Park for her secondary Education to the Central Girls’ School in Oxford’s city centre. Sheila was bought her first bicycle and she rode to school every day with no need to come back through the park.
Sheila grew up in the austere days of rationing and some things were still restricted when she married her sweetheart, Maurice Tree from Eynsham, in 1953. But she didn’t move away; from her first home in Cornwallis Road, she moved in around the corner into Campbell Road and had a family of her own. Sheila’s children also had the freedom to play in the park and surrounding lanes.
Of course, Sheila’s children were also drawn to the fascinations of the brook and of course, while they were playing, they’d fall in, wetting and muddying their clothes and shoes. The children couldn’t face their mother’s wrath, so would run round to her mother’s house. Granny, who’d clearly mellowed in her old age, would change them without a fuss, and send them home in a fresh set of clothes to their mum!!
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One of her favourite games in the park was when they played in the brook. ‘I loved the adventure of the playing in the water”. Sheila and her friends would build dams and jump back and forth from one bank to the other, not always making it across at the widest part and splashing in the muddy water. A mis-jump here or there would end with one or other child getting a ‘booty’ when a foot hit the bed of the brook and the water was just a little too deep, and cold water would splash in over the edge of your shoe, wetting the sock. Sometimes they ended up falling in the brook, wetting and muddying their clothes.
Sheila’s mother didn’t have a washing machine. Washing took up a large part of her week. In Florence Park houses, with their large stone sinks and hot water from the back boiler the job was less cumbersome than for most and housewives could take pride in a line of washing blowing in the wind or drying by the fire in winter.
But nonetheless when Sheila returned home dripping wet, her mother was furious!! Clothes which could have lasted days would now need to be washed and look at those shoes! Soaked through! How could they possibly dry in time for school tomorrow?
Yet nothing could drag young Sheila away from the delights that the Boundary Brook had to offer. Not even the wrath of her mother. Or could it…?
One day, Sheila’s mum reached the end of her tether when Sheila returned home yet again, soaked to the skin, muddy and with her school shoes caked in the stuff.
“That’s it!” her mother cried in anger as Sheila dripped muddy water on the quarry-tiled floor “I’ve written a letter to the headmaster Mr. Hart, it’s locked away in the drawer” she yelled pointing. “If you EVER come home again, wet and muddy to the core, I’ll send it to him directly – do you understand young lady?” Sheila slunk away, to change into clean dry clothes and sulked in her room. The threat was enough to keep her away from the Brook…well, perhaps for a couple of weeks…
As Sheila grew older, the pull of the Brook waned, passing her 11+ exam meant she headed away from Florence Park for her secondary Education to the Central Girls’ School in Oxford’s city centre. Sheila was bought her first bicycle and she rode to school every day with no need to come back through the park.
Sheila grew up in the austere days of rationing and some things were still restricted when she married her sweetheart, Maurice Tree from Eynsham, in 1953. But she didn’t move away; from her first home in Cornwallis Road, she moved in around the corner into Campbell Road and had a family of her own. Sheila’s children also had the freedom to play in the park and surrounding lanes.
Of course, Sheila’s children were also drawn to the fascinations of the brook and of course, while they were playing, they’d fall in, wetting and muddying their clothes and shoes. The children couldn’t face their mother’s wrath, so would run round to her mother’s house. Granny, who’d clearly mellowed in her old age, would change them without a fuss, and send them home in a fresh set of clothes to their mum!!
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