Tea Party Reveals Ilmington Memories

Fish paste sandwiches, blancmange, jelly and jam tarts were on the menu at Ilmington’s 1950’s tea party as the village got a head start on its plans for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

Children from Ilmington School quizzed the older generation about life sixty years’ ago- and were fascinated by tales of National Service, beehive hairdos, winkle pickers and the freedom of playing in the countryside all day long.

Class 4 write up their reports

Preparing for the party- which marked the beginning of The Fifties, Ilmington Remembers project- involved a series of workshops at the school in which the children learnt about interviewing techniques, as well as a basic outline of life in the Fifties from Project Director Colin Edwards and his team.

 

Read the children’s reports on the Tea Party and what impressed them most about Fifties life:

Ilmington Wednesday Club

Members of the Ilmington Wednesday Club have played a major part in the collation of oral histories for the project. Being of the generation who remember the 1950s as schoolchildren, teenagers and young marrieds, they have provided a rich source of information for the work with Ilmington School and as inspiration for the Jubilee play.

Many of the village's retired population are Friends of the school, each with a particular child who remains their 'buddy' throughout their schooldays. Gifts and notes are given and received at Harvest and Christmas time and the Friends are always invited to the school's Christmas production.

The Wednesday Club event poster:

Pictures by Stephen Wright & Wendy Nelson