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Historical Photographs Henry Sanders

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Editorial by Les Harris I am originally from Hinckley but my mother was a Sapcote girl and we returned there, from Hinckley, in 1958 after my dad died. My Mothers parents were Sapcote people, My Granddad was the last Blacksmith in sapcote his shop was the white house on the cross roads it had the big rock on the corner. I think the road was called Church Road, well it led to the church and the Red Lion Pub. I did not go to the Primary School. I attended St. Mary's In Hinckley, then Hinckley Grammar. My cousin Raymond Chapman still lives in the village he went to the Sapcote School. My Grandad (Picture Shown) was Henry Sanders he was born in Sharnford 30-1-1871 and died in Sapcote 11-06-1932 he was married to Charlotte (nee Smith) after he retired from the Blacksmith shop, they lived at 20 Sharnford Road, the old Calver Hill cottages.

I remember visiting Grandma when I was about 9 and they used to have the toilets at the bottom of the garden and the Violet cart used to come at night to empty them. Both my grand parents and some of their children are buried in Sapcote church yard, near the wall. I left the village when I was married in 1968 to live in Lutterworth, then in 1971 with my family, Sue and two sons Richard and Martin we emigrated to Perth Western Australia. I must have loved the village life because last year we moved to a village just out of Perth and I love it, my best memories are of my youth in Sapcote. I wish all the luck with your project I look forward to seeing more of it Best regards Les Harris I am Leslie's older sister, living in Sydney.  My Grandfather Henry Sanders was in the Royal Horse Artillery, served in India and Punjab. After his marriage in London they were posted to Ireland - Dundalk, Kilkenny and Kildare returning to England in 1913, and returning to Sapcote in 1916.   They lived at the crossroads, and the mounting stone is still there, outside what was the Blacksmith's shop. (Practically covered by tarmac these days)   My grandmother told me that when he had pneumonia the crossroads were strewn with straw to quieten the traffic.  In those days one had to wait for the "crisis".  Thank goodness for antibiotics...   Later they moved to 7 Culver Hill, (later 26 Sharnford Rd) when he worked for the Quarries. The quarry was behind the Culver Hill cottages across one field. I think the cottages belonged to the quarry, they are faced with stone. I remember we used to get blackberries in the quarry.   My godmother Beryl Hincks (nee Messanger) also lived in the village all her life.  I can remember visiting her mother in a house in Church St that had an entry big enough for a carriage to go through. I can remember going with my grandmother to get the milk with an enamel milk can.  That would be over 60 years ago.  My aunts took me for long walks around the countryside.  We went down to the Fosse Way to see the gypsies in their horse drawn vans, also down Donkey Lane and over the fields to Sharnford or down to the brook.  I can remember going out to pick sloes in the hedgerows, and burdock for Dandelion and Burdock wine.  I still have my grandmother's recipe for Dandelion wine. Fond memories of Sapcote Beryl