A walk Down Memory Lane

The September meeting of the South Dorset Group of the Somerset and Dorset Family History Society had Sue Virgin to take them through “A walk down memory lane”.

Sue is the founder, and very much the driving force, of the Upwey and Broadwey History Group. The group's main aim is to record the villages within living memory. They collect the material and share it with past and present residents at regular open days. Until the 1970’s Upwey was a self sufficient village with the main shopping centre at Elwell Street. They had several grocers, a post office, butcher, two bakers, blacksmith, dressmaker, barber, market garden and nursery, garage and petrol station along with four pubs of which three are still open. There were also 3 police houses and an office. The biggest tourist attraction was the Upwey Wishing Well which provided employment for the ladies who helped with the cream teas in several tea rooms situated near the well. In the 1970’s as the proprietors of these stores retired or passed away the shops became residential, although many of them had already been so as some shops were only in the front rooms of the houses. This left the residents of Upwey more than a mile to go to Broadwey for their shopping. The Big Affair was held for many years after the war to raise money to build the Upwey and Broadwey Memorial Hall which was built in 1957 to honour the villagers who gave their lives in the war.

Broadwey had a grocery store, haberdashery, iron monger, post office, The Co-Op, butchers and the Railway Station Hotel, only the post office is still trading.

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