Jean Hook

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Summary

Based on an interview recorded on 23 May 2007. It reflects the interviewee’s life and memories at that time.

Jean Hook was born in Hereford in the early 1930s, but her roots and heart lie firmly in Fownhope. Her father, a gardener, RAF serviceman, and later a water bailiff, lived at Stony Row, and Jean spent much of her childhood there, eventually living with her grandmother, Julie Pocknell. Their small home had a black-leaded grate, a pump for water, and no electricity at first—life was simple and community-centred.

Jean attended Fownhope School before winning a scholarship to Ross Grammar and later moving to Hereford High School. She fondly recalls teachers like Miss Attenborough and Miss Harwood, and friendships formed on the school bus. After leaving school at 16, she worked at Ravenhill’s Garage for over 20 years, starting on the switchboard and later in the accounts office.

She married John Hook in 1962 at Fownhope Church. John, a talented mechanic, worked at Godsell’s Garage and later repaired farm machinery across the area. Together they lived at Caplor Rise and raised daughters Joanne and Tracy, who also attended Fownhope School.

Jean shares a rich picture of village life—shops at West End and Casserby, decorated bicycles for sports days, local characters like Wilf Grundy and “Tipperary,” and dances in Little Birch. She remembers Watkins’ Fair, Sunday school in the chapel, and milk delivered by horse and cart.

She worked seasonally after her children were born—picking apples, strawberries, rhubarb, and potatoes, often with other village women. She recalls the rhythm of rural life, from collecting coal to travelling by bus, and remembers vividly the shift to faster traffic and mobile phones on her once-quiet lane.

Jean’s memories are a beautiful evocation of village life in the mid-20th century—tightly knit, hardworking, and full of local character.