LEONARD (Len) REED (1943-2016) WAS A FOUNDER MEMBER OF THIS HISTORY GROUP

The Reed name can be found in Woodnewton Parish records dating back to 1740, and there was a descendant of the original family in the village until 2016.

Len was born in 1943 at Manor Cottage, which is next to where the school stood in Main Street.  He was the only child of Harold and Mary Saunders who were married in 1942.  He started school on 10th September 1947, at Woodnewton Primary School and left in July 1953.  His first teacher was Miss Black, and later on he was taught by a Mrs Florence Hughes.  Aged 11 years, Len made the daily trip to Nassington School on his bike; his teacher was George Wasse.  On Mondays of each week, Len journeyed to Kings Cliffe for Woodwork Classes.  On leaving school at 15 years old he was  apprenticed to R P Dann of Oundle as a trainee Carpenter and Joiner.   His first pay was calculated at a  rate of  7 pence per hour in today’s currency.

In the early days Len worked for R P Dann and Co on the Duke of Gloucester’s Barnwell Manor Estate for a 10 year period ending in 1968.  Much of this work was on listed buildings, which meant precise restoration craftsmanship on doors and windows to replicate the original workmanship and detail.   Latterly, Len joined the Clerk of Works Department at Oundle School where his skills were employed for 34 years as a carpenter and joiner until his retirement in 2003.

In 1976, Len moved with his parents from Manor Cottage to the bungalows in Orchard Crescent.  His interest in flowers and horticulture was nourished when he started showing at village fetes and shows.  In 1969 he visited the Corby Dahlia show, was caught by the Dahlia bug and decided from then on he would specialize in cultivating the flower.  In August, Len’s allotment was at its best and it was well worth a visit, just to lean on the fence to look at the magnificent floral display.  A picture of Len standing amongst the dahlias makes the point.

Len joined the Dahlia society in 1970 and soon after started exhibiting at shows run by the National Dahlia Society sections at Corby, Oakham, Northampton, Peterborough, Kettering, Burton Latimer, March, Finedon, Glinton and Easton on the Hill.  His  enthusiasm for competition led to ‘160 best in Show Awards’ in over 43 years of competing against the  best exhibitors in the East Anglian region. On most days in summer, he could be found exerting himself, with remarkable energy and enthusiasm on his immaculate allotment. Suffice it is to say, Len set av ery high standard on how an allotment should look.  With the onset of health issues, Len still managed to continue to support the Nassington Show and generously donate flowers to St Mary’s Church for Harvest Festival services and other floral events.

Outside the front of Len’s house, every year there would be a magnificent display of hanging baskets and Begonia pots; the colours were stunning

This is based on an inerview beween Len and Grant McLeod  for the village newsletter in 2013.

2018