Ivy Lodge, Haddenham

History of Ivy Lodge

Mabel Demaine described ‘The Lodge’, Dr Fairweather’s home, as the HQ of the Red Cross in the village during World War II. It was also the centre for organising the evacuees. Mrs Fairweather did a lot of the work and the house was full of equipment such as blankets, gas masks and stretchers. (Reflections of a Country Woman)

Charles Wright refers to the time he spent working as a gardener at Ivy Lodge in his autobiography, My Life Story: “left and went again to Ivy Lodge as a gardener with Mr Ireland who rented the place. I was with him for seven years till he went away. After he left I stayed on with Dr Howe and his successor Dr Fairweather where I am today.” ‘Today’ seems to be about 1938 according to a margin note on the text.

Charles Wright’s Autobiography as Oral History
Charles Wright’s My Life Story provides a first-hand account of the experiences of a Fenland resident whose life spanned the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Written in his own words, the memoir records aspects of everyday life that are often only partially represented in census returns, directories, newspapers and official documents.

Born in Wilburton, Wright describes a childhood shaped by rural employment, family circumstances and village life. His account traces a series of occupations, including farm labourer, gardener, coachman, milkman and fruit grower. Through these experiences he documents patterns of employment within Cambridgeshire and beyond, including periods spent in Huntingdonshire, Barnet and London before his eventual settlement in Haddenham.

The autobiography contains numerous observations on working conditions, wages, housing, transport and social relationships. Wright recalls moving between employers, seeking opportunities for advancement and adapting to changing circumstances. His descriptions of service in large households, agricultural work and market gardening provide evidence of occupations that were common in the period but are often documented only through official records.

Alongside these accounts of work, Wright records events within his family, including marriage, bereavement, illness and the death of a son during the First World War. These passages illustrate how personal experiences intersected with wider historical events and social conditions. His account of caring for his first wife during a prolonged illness also provides insight into domestic life and family responsibilities in the absence of modern welfare provision.

The memoir reflects Wright’s own perspectives on religion, education, work and society. Throughout the narrative he comments on the communities in which he lived and worked, offering observations on both rural and urban life. As a personal narrative, the autobiography shows how one individual understood and interpreted the changes that occurred during his lifetime.

For historians of Haddenham, Wilburton and the wider Fenland region, My Life Story provides evidence of local life, employment and family experience from the late Victorian period through to the decades following the First World War.