View source for Tenants at No 27

[[The Square|Back to the Square]]

Sometime early in the last Century, Mr. And Mrs. Woodward lived at No. 27
	
By 1947, old Frankie Cockbill lived there. He was a little man with an unfortunate disability – a hump on his back, though no-one seems to know how his disability came about. He walked with a pronounced limp, and was bent with crooked shoulders, and liked and respected by everyone in the village. He was a quiet man, always doffing his trilby to any lady he met in the street.
	
His wife, Gertrude, quiet like her husband, was taller than him. She was an ardent supporter of the Mothers Union and W.I., and regularly attended evensong. One evening, during winter, on coming home after the service she came into hard contact with a parked car that she wasn’t expecting! The Square was always pitch dark at night-time, for there were no lights outside the houses as there are now. She was hurt bad enough for the incident to be reported to the Police. During that week, the Police came into The Square and told all the car owners that, from now on, all their cars must have parking lights on after dark. Although this caused a lot of grumbling by the car owners in The Square, everyone understood the necessity of taking this precaution.
	
The Cockbill’s were tenants, but by the time they died, the actual owners of the cottage were Ernie Coldicott and Alfred Rolls. Alfred and Rita Rolls lived at the cottages at Milcot Sewerage where Alf was manager. Once No. 27 was emptied, their son John moved in with his new bride, Norah. Two children arrived, Debbie and Kevin. John also worked at the Milcot Sewerage plant, but was often off work as he suffered from migraines. It was after they moved, leaving Clifford to make a life at Tredington, that he had a terrible brain haemorrhage leaving him paralysed. Their children were teenagers then, and life was a struggle for them. John was the only wage earner and the only one who could drive. Norah courageously learnt to drive and past her test. It was years before John could walk again, but only with sticks. Norah is still driving him and often bringing him to Clifford Churchyard where so many of their family are buried.