Bratton residents are being invited to share their stories as part of a village oral history project.
Run by Bratton History Association (BHA) , the project began in 2022 and aims to record the everyday lives of villagers. So far, 21 residents have taken part, producing about 100 hours of recordings.
BHA committee member Bob Pearce said he hopes to continue recording more conversations and make the material available for future generations. He has already written articles using information gathered from the project, including accounts of the winter of 1963 and memories of Miss Page, a former headteacher at Bratton Primary School.
“In Africa they have a proverb that says, ‘When an old person dies their library burns to the ground’. What is not shared will be lost to future generations,” said Bob.
“We can list the dates, styles and features of buildings, but by speaking with people we are invited inside to get a glimpse of the lives lived in them.
“The conversations are not a search for the extraordinary. What is of interest is the ‘ordinariness’ of the details of how day-to-day lives were once lived in an era when people lived without electricity, mains water, indoor toilets, cars, telephones and televisions.”
The BHA is encouraging people to get in touch and nominate family members, friends and neighbours with a story to tell.
“Through the generosity of these shared memories, future generations will find that even a simple stroll about the village will come to life with a thousand whispered tales from a time beyond the horizon of living memory.”
“Maybe the project will encourage children to ask their grandparents what life was like in their youth, and a multitude of mutually enjoyable conversations can begin.”
Bob’s articles can be accessed at https://www.brattonhistory.co.uk/researchtools.htm
To get involved with the project, contact Bob at Oralhistoryproject@outlook.com
Pictured: Children playing on Lower Road, which residents have reported they used as a playground due to low traffic
