The fifth and final part of Badger's recollections of life as an Arbury teenager in the 1980s. The views expressed at the end of the article are Badger's own. Some may be seen as controversial. Amongst the twelve Arbury Archivists there are those who don't agree, those who agree and those who are undecided! I'm not sure why I decided to make my announcement after 'EastEnders'. Maybe it was all the shouting that went on in the show that got me in the mood for probable aggro, maybe it was new gay characters called Colin and Barry, who struck me as a major progression and gave me a bit of hope. Anyway I said: 'Mum, Dad, it's time to talk - I'm gay,' or something like that. Mum and Dad sat and gawped at me, then Dad thought it was a joke and Mum began to cry and the evening turned into a nightmare. It all seemed a heck of a mess. Mum was saying, 'We'll get through this, there are people you can see...' She thought I could be 'therapie...

  Debs and Andy, intrepid Arbury Archivists, set off for an Arbury day out on 16 September, 2022. Here's Debs in Arbury Town Park, Campkin Road, admiring the view of Colonel Bennett's Manor Farmhouse garden trees across the road. Campkin Road. The site across the road once contained the Manor Farmhouse and the view was then more like the picture below. A tree by the front of the farmhouse had been earmarked for saving at the time of the North Arbury development in 1960, but sadly died. The small island at the top of the alley leading to the garages marks the spot. Manor Farmhouse in the 1930s. Looking across part of the old Arbury Meadows, now containing Nicholson Way, Hanson Court, Walker Court and much more. Andy was thrilled to use the Arbury exploration to demonstrate his tremendous skill as a lousy photographer.  Much of the area of North Arbury and Arbury/Orchard Park was once known as the Arbury/Harborough Meadows, furlongs and corner. King's Hedges had nothing to do...

So, back to our examination of artefacts from the Arbury Estate and the Manor, Hall and Arbury Camp Farms of years ago. First up this week is Andy's old fifth year Manor School tie. 'All the boys had to wear ties,' says Andy. 'This was a nice option for the last year, a bit more adult and stylish. What did the Manor School badge contain? Andy: 'The badge wasn't to do with Manor Farm, from where the school got its name, but the crown represented the Royal Manor of Chesterton, William the Conqueror had taken a right royal fancy to the Manor of Chesterton, the axe was some sort of indication of Arbury's Roman links - I think it was part of the insignia carried around by Roman magistrates or something. The torches were the torches of learning, and the scroll was again related to the Royal Manor of Chesterton - the charter.' Not even space for a cow or a bull, just a teensy weensy reminder of the farm? Oh well... The second item is a postcard sent to Andy...

Arbury Road in the 1980s. Badger's memories of life as a gay Chesterton and Manor School pupil and South Arbury teenager in the 1980s continue... You know how 'straight' kids get crushes and puppy love? It was the same with me. There had been 1 boy who was quite what I called 'macho', but with beautiful, sensitive eyes, I really, really liked him while I was at Manor. I saw him once walking his family's dog on Arbury Town Park on a non-school day, and that was it, I was always hanging about there then. Usually, he was nowhere to be seen, but sometimes he showed up with the dog and we used to have a chat. He was a year below me at school, so I didn't see much of him there. I had all the puppy love symptoms, I couldn't stop thinking about him, yet when he came in sight I had to control all that and say, ''Wotcha, mate, alright?' and keep my voice as deep and even as possible. All that was worth it just to see him. In retrospect, nothing he said...

From Chesterton to Manor... Badger's memories of life as a gay teenager in Arbury in the 1980s continue... Once in the shed with my books, I started to think properly. My Mum worked as a cleaner until 12.00 and was usually home by about 12.20. And then she'd do the housework and watch TV. Our living room window was big and overlooked the back garden. The kitchen window and back door were beside the passage way to the front of the house. We had a rickety little old gate there. How could I get out of the shed and round to the front door as if I'd just got back from school without being seen? Also I'd have to take care not to make a noise with the gate. I decided I'd just have to watch the back windows and hope Mum went to the loo or had a bath or something. Sometimes she went to see a friend round the corner. I was still shaken up by the morning's events at school and decided not to worry until I had to. It felt good to be tucked away in the shed, safe. The first ...

Part 2 of Badger's recollections of life in Arbury and at Chesterton Community College as a gay teenager in the 1980s.  Readers of a sensitive disposition please exercise caution as some of the memories recounted here are distressing. I never settled in at Chesterton School. I hated it and I wasn't doing PE and going in the showers with the other boys. I would have found it acutely embarrassing. I couldn't have done it. The PE master gave up on me in the end, because it was always 'I forgot my kit, Sir,' and 'I don't feel well, Sir.' He was quite decent really because I looked like a 'sensitive little flower', blond hair and blue eyes, and I think he had an idea of why I was so resistant. Personalities quickly emerged in my form, and the outstanding ones were negative. There were 3 boys, a nasty little dude who'd clearly modelled himself on Sid Vicious, and two goons who sort of 'minded' him, and a girl who liked to stir up trouble. I...

Part of Badger's walk to school: "Goodbye, World! I hope I see you again!" Warning - caution advised - some readers may find what is to follow overly distressing. If you are of a sensitive or nervous disposition, please consider before reading. Badger is a regular writer to the Arbury Cambridge Blog , and recently contacted us with his recollections of life as an Arbury teenager and a Chesterton Community College pupil in the 1980s. Badger is gay and prefers to remain anonymous: 'I know things are pretty good now, but it's a habit I find hard to break!' He's written this for us. I lived on South Arbury in one of those nice little terraced places... it was all right... I went to Arbury School and I was happy, I suppose. But from the age of about I suppose 9, I knew I was different. I was going off sci-fi on TV and getting into soap operas, this was in the days before the trendy youth soaps like 'Brookside' and 'Neighbours', and I'd never...

It all sounds a bit much - us asking members of the community to step forward to help organise next year's Arbury Carnival. Why don't we do it? Well, we have  raised over £1,000 for the Carnival this year, via our whip round (thanks again to all contributors!), but the fact is we have very little time to do more. We are not as young as we once were, there are numerous family and health issues to contend with, and one of our Arbury Archivists has recently been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. The Carnival is a very important event. Arbury community campaigns and fund raising gained the Nun's Way Field and the legendary Arbury Adventure Playground, the Arbury Town Park and the Arbury Community Centre, and Arbury community spirit led to the 'Arbury 1980' project and the 1981 Arbury is where we live! book. It was this same community spirit which started the Arbury Carnival, initially a one-off for the Queen's Silver Jubilee, in 1977. The Carnival takes away barriers ...

A question from Tina: Where was King's Hedges originally and how does it differ from King's Hedges Ward? And please can you tell me what is all this about King's Hedges Ward really being Arbury? Hi, Tina! Thanks for getting in touch. We think the maps above and below will explain the historic King's Hedges and its position on the Arbury map. It was a farm of fifty eight acres and now the City and County Council's electoral ward has swept over historic Arbury land - and the original North Arbury Estate, and parts of East Chesterton. The same map as featured at the top of the article, but with some pre-Manor Farm field names. We have indicated the Arbury field names. The 1840 Chesterton Enclosures map uses the 'Harborough' version of the name, but a newspaper from 1839 references the 'Arbury Meadows', showing that both names were current and interchangeable, with Arbury always used in the local press reports we have found so far. The fields at Manor Fa...

We've had one very interesting find this week.  Council houses in Cambridge were being sold to tenants long before 1980, and this one was originally sold around the late 1960s. When we moved into Cunningham Close on South Arbury in 1971, the house was already owner occupied. The house was sold again in 1982 - for what now seems an amazing £23,950. It was originally a two bedroomed house, a third bedroom being provided via a partition, and the owner had recently installed central heating - not in great evidence on the Arbury in those days. Now, if only we could find a Tardis...