Cherry Rogers remembers courting in the 1950s …
The thing to do in Brandon in the late fifties and early sixties (same in most places I think) was to go to a café or coffee bar. In Brandon it was the ‘New England’ at the bottom of London Road, next to Alf Cunningham’s garage. Or the real “in” place was the Pine Vista on the Mundford Road, next to “Bish” Beckhams garage. Teenagers went to play music on the juke box, meet friends and drink a coke. All very innocent, but I wasn’t allowed to go in. My mum thought it was a den of iniquity. So I went to Mrs Sharp’s café in Bury St Edmunds instead. Pat Lister and I would go on the bus and meet up with people in the café. My mum didn’t say anything about going in Bury, I don’t suppose it dawned on her, nor did she say anything about standing outside the Pine Vista. So I actually never quite disobeyed orders when I lurked about outside behind the garage, until whoever I was meeting saw I was there.
I remember mum, with nana in tow, striding down over the bridge to find me when I should have been at the fair. I saw them coming from the station, so I whipped round the back of the station and over the bridge. When I saw them flash down the Mundford road I whipped back to the Ram meadow.
Two boys from Bury used to bike over to see me and Pat and like many people, we walked up the Mundford or Weeting road and round Peppers Hill. The big problem was PC Fox from Weeting. He appeared as if by magic at the mere hint of a courting couple. His bike must have had radar, been jet propelled and had a silencer. Many a tender moment has been spoiled by “Foxy”. I reckon he was more effective than the pill!
I hope some people can relate to the story of PC Fox.