Wednesday, February 10, 2010

The Arable Foreman Bill Holland.

Arable Foreman's House # 31.
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From my earliest recollections in the 1930's Bill Holland was the Arable Foreman at White Place Farm. His wife was a very quiet little person and always dressed somewhat like Queen Victoria and always in black or dark brown dresses. Besides being very good at his job, both he and his son Ernie worked on the farm. Ernie was the estate mechanical engineer, more about Ernie to follow in another Blog.
Besides being very good at his job of getting all the cultivations completed on time, Bill was very well respected by everyone, both on the farm and in the village. He was a champion grower of the most exotic dahalias. Always walking away from the local Cookham Flower Show in Mill Lane with quite a lot of silverware. Even Lady Nancy Astor would make a special trip down to see his garden when it was in full bloom. Of course other members of staff were also keen gardeners in their own right and enjoyed the Flower Show competition. It was after the war when Bill retired and his son got married and moved into a house in the Walled-in Garden on Sutton Road. Where he and his wife moved to I never found out.

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