Blacksmith Cottage
In the 1980’s David Hosen purchased Blacksmith Cottage and converted the outbuilding, an old ‘smithy, into Octopus Recording Studio.
According to a later press report he had a bit of a shock when he realised the amount of work that needed doing to the 200-year-old property.
However ‘just about everybody on the local council came to vet and generally approve the new venture. Essentially what Dave managed to do was take what had been a local eyesore and restore it to its original condition, and on those grounds planning permission was not really too much of a problem. ‘
The converted barn was well insulated and with few neighbours to observe the comings and goings perhaps this helps explain why few local people remember the existence of the studio, despite the bright pink Octopus that was reportedly painted on the outside wall.
Inside the walls had space for ‘acts which have used the studio to pin up their own particular piece’ and also for ‘copies of ‘standard’ reject letters from major record companies so that the budding stars can get some idea of the kind of people they are going to have to deal with’!
The Hosen’s and their engineer Tony Phillips put together a compilation album entitled ‘So you think we’re all farmers’ as a tribute to some of the bands that had recorded in Saxham Street What happened to Bandaxis, Bulk Erasers and the Stray Trolleys, Nodding Dogs, Rich Gypsy or Dead Students and the Outpatient?
Apparently, Nik Kershaw and Jim Wilde also spent time in the studio!
Sadly today there is nothing to remind people that the studio ever existed and there is even confusion as to whether it was opposite Oak Tree Farm or further along Saxham Street opposite The Driftway (there had also been a ‘smithy here.)
Listed in Kellys 1891 & 1896 – Blacksmith in Saxham Street – Horace and James Hart.
This extract is from a transcription of an oral recording of Jack Carter’s memories of living in Stowupland (Jack was born in 1912).
Jack was asked if he ever learned to ride a horse?
“No. Well, not to ride a horse. Because we had the farm horses and massive things they were, some of them they’d weight pretty well a tan, and I used to be, we used to have to take these horses to Mentos from to the Blacksmiths, and I used to be given a lift on for one of the old horses, and they’d tie another one to it, and they’d say, “There you are, boy, take them to the Blacksmiths,” and I used to have to ride one horse with my legs out straight, I couldn’t get round the horse, that was too big, and take it over to Mentos (sic Mendlesham?) to have a job.
Well, I used to take these two horses to a blacksmith in Menzham, whose name was Hart. They were two brothers, and they were now known as Bun and Belle. Bun was a little short man who made all the shoes, and Belle was a big man who put the shoes on the horse. But when I got them there, they used to take me off the horse and say, “All right, boy, you can go down the road and see Mrs. Now Mrs. Stannard was the daughter of one of the men who had worked here. He died actually, although his sons worked here. Mrs. Stannard was one of the daughters. So I used to want to say Fanny Stannard. Now, what’s a Fanny?
Now it was Alice. Alice. Alice Stannard. And then I went and saw Alice and she’d give me a ban. So every time I took her back I took a horse to the blacksmith. I knew I was going to get a bam if Alice was at home. I was surprised. I drove up to the door and I never did a bam. I was right there for about an hour and then I could go back and collect the two horses and bring them home again. The horses were fairly quiet then. Oh yes, yes.Well, there was no traffic. There was no traffic. I was only about nine. There was no traffic about at all, you see.”
(Extract from record held at Suffolk Record office: L401_1_210_004m.
see other Blacksmiths and related trades.
