When I was a schoolboy in the 1930s, together with my parents we lived at No.1
on 'The Cross Hill' as it was then always called. It is now called 'The Cross'.
We lived there for a few years and there could not have been a better house or
window to look out of than that as it looked right up Main Street. We could see
everything that was going on. Everybody used to stand on an evening or at weekend
at the Gascoigne Arms or round the maypole. Saturday night was a special night,
especially when the public houses turned out.
My father had a habit of going to bed early every night and of course when he went to bed everyone in the house had to go to bed and it was before the pubs turned out.
On Saturday night quite a lot had had a good evening out and they were in a very
hilarious mood. It was nothing fresh for my father to open the bedroom window and he
would have to shout to them to be quiet. I would look out of the window and there would
be four or five of them at various stages up the maypole.
I cannot remember all the names but there were two or three of the Birch family who were able to do that. They did not need any ladders as they could push each other up so far and then they would climb it. My father would have to remonstrate with them weekend after weekend on a Saturday night. When the pubs turned out there was entertainment in plenty.