Although Michael only lived in Cawston up the age of 19, he has used his vivid memory to put together numerous pieces about the history of our village and social changes in Cawston during the 20th. century.  He lived at the old Ratcatchers Row at Eastgate for eight years before moving to Sygate.  He remembers the people and neighbourhood well and from his own experience includes many amusing anecdotes about the villagers of the past.

Michael also writes about families in Cawston and draws on the memories of others to tell us about life in the late Victorian Age and the Medieval settlement of Alvington.             To contact Michael by e-mail please Click Here

               Related Link:- Mills/Sygate History

The former black mill stood to the right of the remaining mill as you looked at it from the road.  I never saw this mill but am familiar with the plot of land where it once stood.  When we moved to Sygate the land around where this mill once stood was being used to grow vegetables that appeared to thrive in the soil. The plot of land directly behind the surviving ruins of the white mill was also being used to grow vegetables.  The hedge around the property seemed to grow higher and higher every year, but the large area of grass separating the two plots of land always remained the same.  It was an ideal area to hang out the washing to dry, for children to play games and for parking.  ( Photo:- Michael collecting potatoes in the early 1060s where the mill once stood)

The four mill cottages were built in 1853.  In  the 1950s and 1960s they provided homes for four families. The cottage at number 4 was originally constructed with two rooms downstairs and two bedrooms upstairs.
The smaller room had a built-in larder near the narrow winding staircase that lead upstairs.  At the top of the staircase you entered the smaller bedroom.  Downstairs, there was an open fireplace in each room as well as two built-in wall cupboards.  When we moved there in the 1950s an additional room downstairs had already been constructed and this served as a spacious kitchen.  From the kitchen window a cement path took you directly to the mill and separated houses number 3 and 4.

From my bedroom window at the rear side of the house I had a magnificent view of the ruins of the old mill that still stood at the top of our garden.  I could also see the 15^th century tower of Salle church over the fields.

The old mill remained in a demolished state for as long as I can remember in the 1950s-1970s.  There was nothing but rubble inside it.  On entering the mill you could look up and see the old wooden floor boards on the first and second floor which were both full of large holes. 

There was always plenty of natural light in the mill that came through the top and the open windows. It was an eerie place in the late evenings, especially in the winters when the daylight hours were short.  The hedge at the top of our garden was only a few yards from the mill.  As a child I would never go near the mill after dark for fear of the idea that there may be ghosts or wild animals inside it.  From my bedroom window I could often hear unusual noises that I believed came from the old mill.  Maybe this was my imagination or maybe it was the sound of birds that used to live there.  I always imagined the mill to be the perfect setting for a film about ghosts that appear in the dark and then suddenly disappeared again. 

The mill was an ideal home for spiders. Gigantic cobwebs filled with small insects could be seen in every corner of the mill.  The spiders got very fat on the insects and were often quite frightening.  From year to year it appeared that the number of spiders increased and spread all over the garden to the house.

Common Norfolk birds used to build nests in parts of the mill knowing that it was too dangerous for humans to climb up.  In the late spring the baby birds could be heard squeaking for food and often a small dead baby bird would be found on the rubble in the mill or outside on the grass. At night bats could be seen flying to and fro and using the mill as a landmark. 

The mill was also a home for mice and rats.  I saw them there frequently and once had a frightening experience.  One night our cat caught a rat, entered my bedroom by the small top window and woke me up by crunching the bones under my bed.  The linoleum floor was covered in blood and big bones that the cat could not digest. As a 8 year old child this was nothing less than a nightmare.  

After the signal box at Cawston railway station was pulled down the old mill had the honour of displaying the black and white “Cawston” railway sign that had been used at the station for many decades. The sign on the mill was visible from a long distance and added to the historical significance.

I knew Mr. Bamber Stackwood, former owner of the mills, who lived at 1, Mill Cottages until his death in 1967, as well as his wife Rosie who died a few years earlier.  They were delightful people and always had time for a friendly chat and a cup of drink. After the death of Rosie I spent many evenings with Bamber who was a passionate player of draughts. Although I was young at the time he would never let me win. I was also never sad to loose as the challenge and the social contact was more important for me.

It was from Bamber who told me about the other (black) mill that was sold and demolished in 1955.  He enjoyed telling me how the horses used to pull cart loads of grain for milling from Cawston railway station to the mills. I remember Bamber telling me about the day the wheel broke off the cart loaded with grain just before it arrived at the mill.  In those days it was purely a manual job repairing the wheel, getting the grain on the cart again and attending to the horse.                                       Mr Bamber Stackwood

The mill as it stood in the 1950s will always remain as a vivid picture in my mind. I saw it every day
for many years when I opened the curtains of my bedroom window.
                                                                                                       
Michael Yaxley June 2006                                                                     Related Link:-Mills/Sygate-History
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In the 1950s and 1960s agriculture was a very important industry in Cawston providing a vital source of income for the majority of the parishioners.  Fruit picking and bean picking was the main job for school children during the summer holidays.  In those days not much attention was attached to the minimum age for child workers.  You just went to the farm, worked there and received your money at the end of each day. 
 
As early as late May the strawberries in the field along the Booton Road behind St. Agnes’ church started to ripen.  Strawberry picking only lasted a few weeks but it was an opportunity to have an evening adventure and to leave with a satisfied stomach.

Early July saw the start of the gooseberry picking season.  This job was left primarily to the women who always wore thick rubber gloves and long sleeve tops.  And then there were the red and blackcurrants.  Red currants were not in abundance.  The blackcurrant season lasted for several weeks in July and August.  When we had finished picking the blackcurrants in the fields at Cawston we cycling to the fruit picking farms at Aylsham.  We took our drinks and food in our shoulder bags and on the way enjoying the scenery of our rich agricultural environment. 

We often picked fruit for eight to ten hours a day when the weather was fine with a short break for lunch.  It was surprising how you can work up a thirst and appetite when working on the land.  Some of us would take an old cushion so that we could kneel down to pick the currants on the lower branches of the bushes.  Our hands, arms, even our legs were often scarred from the branches and we were stained deep black from the juice. 

Broad bean and green bean picking was also popular in the 1950s and 1960s.  We would pick the beans, fill our sacks as quickly as we could, take them to the supervisor at the tractor where we received a token in exchange that could be later redeemed for tax-free cash at the end of each day.

The summers in 1950s and 1960s were usually hot and women had scarves wrapped over their heads to protect them from the sun.  It was at times physically demanding for the body, especially when it rained or there was a strong wind. 

There were also piecework jobs in the autumn school holidays.  At Beerhouse Farm we used to cut the top of carrots, put them in large sacks that were then sent to the manufacturers for canning.

At times the fruit and bean picking and carrot topping jobs were quite dull but they often had a positive social aspect with a good working atmosphere.  Fruit and bean picking was an outdoor outing that provided fun and gave us the opportunity to earn pocket money.  As for the taste of the fruit and beans we all knew in those days that nothing could beat the sweet freshness of newly picked berries and beans.

Michael Yaxley June 2006                                                             Related Link:- John Rogers Photos & History