People

Villagers’ Stories


“Ah yes, I remember it well!”

Elmswell as it used to be, as recollected by villagers

The Group has a project to record interviews (on Minidisc) with folk who remember Elmswell from days gone by (35 years or more ago). I (Norman) would be glad to hear from anyone who would like to help with such interviewing, or to be interviewed.

Caveat: please remember that the interview write-ups are not essays or considered research, but merely attempt to transcribe what was said on the occasion. Free conversations do not follow the most logical path, and though I have reordered the material somewhat, in retrospect many more questions could have been put. Sometimes there are contradictions between things said by the same person or by others. Sometimes there were conditions (poor hearing, or background noise, or tiredness) which limited the conversation in some way. But when all’s said and done, we are very grateful for the insight the interviewees have given us, to village life that can never return.