9. Ken's final thoughts on the area

Ken and his wife moved away for a while, but returned to Salisbury after a few years and now live in Belle Vue Road, not far from where Ken started out.

“It’s still a very nice communities friendly area…. but the only thing I think that spoils it is all the cars.

You know, in the old days, in the summer you all have your front doors open and if it was hot you would sit out on the step, started talking to somebody over the road, you’d wander up, and go in their house and have a cup of tea and then you’d be in somebody’s who you didn’t know, whose house everybody was in. But everybody then, they’re all looking after one another.

Get rid of the cars ‘cos the streets haven’t changed much really apart from where the ring road’s gone in. I think it’s sad we haven’t got all these little shops. Now there’s not one here at all, you know. You think of all the little shops we used to have around this area.

It’s still a good town. I think it’s one of the best places. It’s funny though.. going back to school days… there’s a group of about twenty of us, we still all meet up occasionally. All the lot of us moved away in the late Sixties, early Seventies. Everyone’s back now. And we went as far away as Manchester, Kingston. We went to… Petersfield, Kent, Yorkshire, Wales. We’re all back. Yes. It’s got that draw. Lovely town”.

Ken was interviewed in April 2010 for the oral history part of the Milford Street Bridge Project by Emily Cooper, one of the Project volunteers. A copy of the full transcript, along with those of other interviewees, may be seen by request at Salisbury Museum.