The Haywards moved into 6 Church Cottages in 1948 when Bert started work in Nuneham Park for the University of Oxford. Margaret, the eldest daughter, immediately found work as a typist at Pressed Steel Company, Cowley. Ivy was Bert's wife and the other children were Doreen, Roy, Eileen and Pam - Colin was born the following year at Church Cottages. The children all attended Nuneham School (now a private house), and were taught by Mrs Swift. They joined the Church choir when Rev. M.Kingsford was the vicar.
At that time Mrs Dean kept the Post Office and shop; Brewers ran the garage; Mr.Good was the baker and Mr.Almond the farmer bought the milk round the houses in milk churns. The village Bobby was P.C. Vaughan and the Polly family lived at the Lodge, with the noisy peacocks. The Air Ministry's Photographic Unit was in the Mansion and both the R.A.F. and Army were stationed in the Park. Locals were able to go to the Camp dances and cinema.
To commemorate Queen Elizabeth's Coronation in 1953, Bert was involved in setting up a children's playground near Church Cottages. Sadly this seems to have disappeared. When Bert changed his job the family had to leave Church Cottages and moved to No: 26 and then later to No: 39.
One by one as the Hayward family left school, they went to work at Pressed Steel doing vaious jobs that no longer exist in the 21st century. Doreen, Eileen, Pam and Colin were all married at Nuneham Church; Margaret married at Marsh Baldon and Roy at Watlington, they all left the village.
Ivy died in 1964 and Bert remarried to Dorothy. He retired but continued to do handyman jobs around the village. He died in 1983. Dorothy left Nuneham to live in Headington in 1986. She died in 2011. |
