TAKE a trip down memory lane to the village of Lower Bockhampton, and life in the picturesque setting of Thomas Hardy's childhood.

One teacher's walk along the river and down the pretty Lower Bockhampton path led to a job at Hardy's first school and a lifetime of memories.

Marjorie G C Pride was a teacher at Stinsford and Bockhampton School school in the 1930s, and lived in the village for 35 years with her husband Alfred.

Their son Derek Pride contacted Looking Back to tell us about his mother's fond memories of the area. Before Marjorie passed away in 1984, she wrote a short history of the village.

The pamphlet includes wonderful pictures and postcards given to Marjorie by Philip Cosgrove.

In the short history, Marjorie recalled walking to an interview for her position of assistant teacher at the school.

Marjorie wrote: “I walked down Church Lane, and then along Bockhampton path to the village.

"It was a lovely Autumn day. The path, where in days gone by, Mr Hardy had walked so many times, was so pleasant to walk along.

“The Autumn tints were in the hedges, Autumn leaves, rose hips, haws and spindle berries in shades of red and brown.

“I saw a lovely kingfisher by the little stream of water which runs by the side of the path.”

The big tree by the school was called Greenwood tree, thought to be from Hardy's Under The Greenwood Tree.

Marjorie said the bank clerk in the village would call her Fancy Day, a character from the novel, because Marjorie came from the school where Fancy Day was supposed to have lived.

The headmistress of the school was Carrie Elizabeth Askew, who Marjorie said was a ‘pretty, ladylike person in those days’ and ‘neatly dressed’. The two women went on to become great friends.

On a cold Winter's day the school was heated by tortoise stoves, one in each room.

Marjorie wrote: “On some days, the stove did not burn very well, the room was full of smoke. Miss Askew would throw open the front door and she would say ‘we have a choice of two things, be frozen with cold or choked with smoke’.

"She had chilblains on her fingers and I had them on my feet.”

Children attending the school came from surrounding hamlets and would bring their dinners to school to eat at their desks.

Miss Askew would bring tins of sweetened condensed milk and cocoa on winter days so the children could have hot cocoa.

Marjorie recalls the children would collect conkers from a ‘magnificent chestnut tree’ near Yalbury Cottage Tearooms, and have great fun.

For water, Marjorie wrote: “Every morning I went to school early and drew buckets of water from the well so that the children could wash their hands.

"In the old days the village pump was used. Yokes were used to carry two buckets at a time.”

Marjorie and Miss Askew both left the school in 1935, but Marjorie returned to the village in 1940 when she married Alfred.

Marjorie recalled as the years went by, the number of pupils and teachers in the school decreased, until only a headmistress remained. The school closed in January 1961.

She recalled the school had more children before 1930 because there were larger families.

Marjorie wrote: “The families are smaller these days, and of course the old people stayed in the houses for so many years.”

Marjorie's son Derek, grew up in the village and attended the school.

Derek said: “It’s such a wonderful place and beautiful countryside. I had a really lovely childhood.”

Derek said people spent time fishing and bird nesting in the village.

He said: “It was those days you could wonder around in Thorcombe woods and all down the river. No computers, no television – you made your own fun.”