This autobiographical novel is not only the true story of a child's
upbringing by his grandparents in the 1920s, but is also a story of the
villagers of Wootton on the Isle of Wight.
Through Charles Lansley's meticulous research related to the manuscript
written by his late father Peter Lansley, most of the characters have
been identified along with their places of residence, memorials and
other places of interest. We learn about the local milkman, the butcher,
the shoemaker and other trades persons who made up the community,
including Peter's nursery teacher at Hillgrove House. But also, through
his grandfather's love, we gain a child's understanding of God, the
afterlife and the cemetery at Mount Joy, Carisbrooke. We join Peter at
Christmas time for stir up Sunday, sips of Guinness and many amusing
misunderstandings as well as various misadventures with his girlfriend
Victoria in the grounds of Fernhill House and at Wootton Creek. There
are also visits to Ashey races and muses on the Dairyman's Daughter at
Arreton and on Tennyson's Maud at Wootton.
Through the stories and anecdotes we gain a greater understanding of
what family and village life was like in the 1920s when the steam train
ran supreme, when there was no electricity or telephone, where the house
was lit by an oil lamp and candles, where the 'range' was used for
cooking and when it was safe for a five year old to walk into the
village alone.
This book is a delight to read both as a story and as a description of
life on the Island. It should appeal to both those who want a good read
and those who want to find out a bit more about the local and social
history of the Isle of Wight.
