The South Dorset Ridgeway Heritage Project is running a project that it calls "Ridgeway Voices", whose objective is to record reminiscences of those who have lived near the Ridgeway for a long time. The aim is partly to capture memories of times gone by (Oral History), and partly for the sake of recording the cadence of Dorset voices (Ridgeway Voices).
Members of the Sutton Poyntz History Group have received training in the use of the recording equipment, and have conducted a number of interviews with people with long memories of Sutton Poyntz. The recordings are being sent on to the Ridgeway Heritage Project team, who are looking for notable short extracts and short stories. We are keeping copies of the recordings, and intent to write a summary of the memories, as a contribution to the handing down of heritage.
This is still work in progress, but here are a few interesting clips from some of the early interviews:
-
David Saunders (farmer at Northdown Farm)
- Memories of first tractor (1 minute 30 seconds)
- WW1 horse (30 seconds)
-
Mary Goode
- Hide & Seek, and apple scrumping (1 minute)
- Incendiary bombs (1 minute 50 seconds)
- Watching the mill workers (1 minute 20 seconds)
-
Sue Wintle
- Keeping a B&B (1 minute 40 seconds)
- Memories of plumbing arrangements (1 minute 30 seconds)
- Bonfire night (1 minute)
- Deliveries by horse and cart (1 minute 15 seconds)
- Keeping pigs (1 minute 50 seconds)
