Widford, Essex

Writtle Football Club

I was the first manager of Writtle Football Club and was a member of the club from 1966/67 until I left to come to Australia in 2000. I have many happy memories of my years at the club and remember great stalwarts of the club such as Ken Poole, Alfie Brown, Geoff Baker, Tom Farr and Gwen Farr, Fred Butcher and his wife Joan, who used to wash the kit and would have it washed and on the line before we made our way home from Paradise Road on Saturdays.
Now the club continues under the guidance of  Eric Gallacher as chairman, whom I signed for the club in 1969. It is good to notice that the club is still going strong under Eric's guidance, along with the many other willing volunteers.
We have 2 excellent paintings of Writtle village by Ken Willett in our sitting room, one presented by the football club and one by the sports and social club. We have many happy memories of Writtle and many of the residents.
Ray and Marlene Dixon

Mid 70s

Hi, we moved to Galleywood in the mid 70s and my mum Valerie went to work in the White Bear but unfortunately don't have any photos of it in the 70s.

William Leech, Gun Maker 1796-1948, still trading

William Leech moved from St Martins in the Field, London to 20 Duke Street,  Chelmsford in 1794. There he started up his gun maker's shop. Later he moved to 3 &4 Tindale Street, Chelmesford. Percy Leech, the last family gun maker, trading under W Leech & Sons, sold the business about 1948. The new owners continued to trade from the shop in Tindale Street until 1984. W Leech & Son still continue to trade up to this date from other premises.

The Leech family owned land across the road what they called the gardens, in which they had a range to test the guns that that they made. Also in the gardens was a shed in which they made up the cartridges for the guns.

The Leech family helped to form the Methodist Church in Chelmsford. They, along with other members of the Methodist  Church, held services in their homes, before going on to rent a cottage in Springfield to hold their meetings.

Bootmakers Shop

My great-grandfather was the bootmaker who worked from the shop in Moulsham Street in the late 1890s. His name was Leonard Orrin and he married Annie Caple in 1901. I believe the shop was owned by his father and mother, Thomas and Eliza. They lived at 123 Moulsham Street, Chelmsford.
He and Annie went on to have 11 children, one of whom was my grandmother.