Harold as a boy outside the shop where he was born

Harold Simons, one of four boys, his brother Harry, Herbert and Archibald, was born in 1920 at the shop facing the Dog and Gun. His parents were Harry and Charlotte, Harry was the son of Jane Knight from Kilby, and William Simons from Shearsby. Apart from the shop where Harold was born, there was a Blacksmith’s; Baker’s, Post Office and Wheelwright. He attended the local school where Miss Sturman was the infant teacher. Her father was a shotgun enthusiast and the local boys used to set rabbit skins up in the fields on sticks, pretending they were real rabbits. A Mrs Rawsthorne was the head mistress; there were only two pupils in standard 2 and 28 in total in the whole school. The school had paraffin lights and a stove in the middle of the room to heat it.

When Harold was a boy he would help to milk the cows on the local farms, then the Manor house next to the Church was only a cowshed not a home. One of the farmers was Percy Lee who would let them play cricket in one of his fields. The cows from the farms would come through the village to be taken to Kilby Spinney. The boys also used to open the gates on the road to Fleckney to earn a few pence. In the 1930’s a Johnny Watkins ran the local Cricket Team. He would also cut your hair and kill your pigs; a man of many talents.

The area on the Main Street where Pump House is now situated was then cattle shed, a paddock and allotments. The Black Swan pub just sold beer in those days as it didn’t have a spirits licence. Mrs Clark who lived there played the piano and gave lessons to people; a Jack Loomes occupied Clare House at that time.

There was a house and also a pump in the now car park of the Dog and Gun where the Gambles lived. A Mrs Gamble had the only motorcar in the village, Mr Gamble was a signalman and Mrs Gamble was a schoolteacher at Newton Harcourt.

Harold remembered one family at Newton Harcourt had 22 children. The girl guides used to meet at Newton Harcourt in those days, and come to Kilby to dance round the Maypole on May Day.

The local baker had a horse called Polly who was kept in a field in the village, but if you didn’t tempt her with something to eat she wouldn’t come over to see you. She also had passion for roses so if anyone had any in their garden as they did their rounds, they would soon be inside Polly’s tummy.

George Brunskill was the organ player in the church for the local Vicar a Mr Ransome who lived at the Vicarage. As there weren’t any streetlights he would walk around with a torch, which he would shine into your face to see who you were.

A group photogrpahy outside KIlby Church

At the top of the village there is an alleyway in front of the cottages that face Rose Cottage, where you turn left onto Wistow road. At the end of the alleyway was a reading room, which consisted of a wooden hut where the men used to meet. There also used to be two cottages at the back of the Post Office where a Jack Vernon, horse trainer lived. One day one of the horses kicked out when they were trying to attach it to the cart and managed to get to Arnesby before being caught. As you turn right to Fleckney at the end of the village, in one of the cottages to your left lived Laurence Neal who apparently used to play his Harmonica in the coalhouse.

Dr Barnley was the Doctor for Kilby, operating his surgery at Bushloe End. If the Midwife was needed someone had to cycle to Newton Harcourt to fetch her and she would arrive on her bike. A Mr Jervis would deliver fish and chips from Wigston, and Snutch Buses ran through Kilby. If you wanted to go into Leicester you would have to get on the horse and cart that delivered parcels to the Blue Boar Inn in Highcross Street Leicester. Some of the villagers walked quite a way to work in those days. A Mr and Mrs Wallace used to walk to the Snowdrop Laundry in Canal Street Wigston and back every day, whilst Hilda Looms worked in Fleckney.

We would like to say a big thank you to Harold for given us a glimpse of life in Kilby in the early 1900’s.