Hi Doggy,
I appreciate that I am replying to an old post but get this, My nan and her sister were Sybil and Freda Williamson, Sybil was later to marry Joseph Harold Speed (my grandad) the Williamson's had the mere and the cottage with the water mill where Auntie Bub lived, now I am not sure if this was my mums auntie bub or my nan's to be honest but I spent most of my time down there on the mere and in the water mill cottage around 1969 until the boats were taken of the water years later, I also think that they owned the cottage/Farm up on the hill to the right of the mere which had swing boats at the rear of the cottage where I worked for a few pence a day at one point, my job was taking the money for a few minutes of fun, I think it was two new pence per ride after decimalisation! They also owned a big old house further up the road, past the mere and turn first left, the back garden of which had a private path leading back down to the watermill. Auntie Bub put me to work in the shop for a short while, this was situated just through the gates to the mill and immediately on the right, selling ice cream and sweets, I didn't get paid but I could have an ice cream whenever I wanted one, and as we seemed to have longer better summers then it was worth every penny. My Nan (Sybil) interestingly enough was born in the upstairs bedroom of the seven stars pub in Thornton Hough which her father also owned or ran at some point. Can't remember much else to be fair other than not having to pay for rowing boats and the putt putt motor boats that old man Williamson used to preside over.
