ALVELEY VILLAGE
SHROPSHIRE, ENGLAND

Alveley was a small friendly mining community during the 1960's, where everyone knew one another - and the majority of people were related to one another.

Many families were quite poor by today's standards and very few homes had "mod-con's" - some homes had no water or electricity, but everyone was very contented.

During the late 1960's Alveley went through quite a revolution- the colliery closed and many of the older dwellings demolished to make way for new modern development. This was greeted as a mixed blessing by many.

There were very few shops- the two main one's being the sub-post office (Picture Taken in 1964) run by Jim Stephenson (who all the children knew as "Uncle Jim") and The Village Shop run by Violet Wilmott and Ada Evans-This shop was a child's paradise of sweets and confectionery- a bag full for sixpence!!!,

There was also a Butcher's Shop between "The Bell Inn" and Centre Place, where most ladies queued on a Saturday morning to buy their Sunday joint. The butcher also sold bread- brown bread which was cheaper then white.

Milk was delivered door-to-door by the Co-op Milkman. The Post was delivered on foot each morning by Ethel France, who often stopped for a chat on her way round- she had lived in Alveley all her life and knew everyone.

The majority of Alveley children attended the primary school on Oak Bank where Mr Morgans was the headmaster. The school was quite a religiously orientated. Morning assembly with hymns and prayers and a lesson from the Bible- Grace was said at lunchtime and more prays at the end of the school day at 3.45pm. Other teachers included Mrs Downes, Mrs Fleming and Mrs Richards.

St Mary's Church was well attended on a Sunday Morning - everyone in their Sunday best. My father took me from a very young age. After Church many of the men gathered in "The Shoes" for a pint before Sunday Dinner.

Some homes still had no television, and many tuned in to the radio on a Sunday afternoon, we often listened to "requests for relatives in Australia" while we were eating our Sunday Dinner.

Pictured opposite is the 1st Alveley Brownie pack after a church parade around 1971/72 (I'm the one highlighted)