John Townsend is well known in the Cotswold area. Born in a small hamlet on the side of Crickley Hill above Cheltenham, visitors to steam and vintage rallies across the UK will remember his trade stand with his distinctive yellow Luton van. Now aged 84, John has set down his memories of growing up in a hamlet of only six cottages on Cold Slad Lane.
“Born just before World War II, my memories of that time include a barrage balloon rising up every day in front of our house, based in a field next to Bentham Church. When my mother took me to town for the Thursday shop day we would go to lunch at The British Restaurant where you could have a meal for a few pence.”
John recalls that his house had mains electricity so he never knew the age of oil lamps, unlike his wife Ann who had to wait until she was 12. Rabbit was a staple died for many and John was responsible for feeding his family from a young age, armed with a small gun and the help of his lurcher Spot.
For us, one of the details that really stood out from John’s memoir was how he has been able to paint a fascinating picture of life in a tiny Cotswold hamlet in the 40s and 50s. There are a lot of details which are unique to him, such as the characters who lived nearby and the poverty of families who were living off the land. It is, in many ways, a glimpse of a way of life which might belong in the medieval period.
The title of the book comes from John’s time at Cheltenham Grammar School for Boys.
“Mr Parr taught French wearing a mortarboard and black gown, and he took an instant dislike to me and my broad Gloucestershire accent. He called me a country bumpkin. Later that year I was reading French from a book, in as broad an accent as I could say, and Mr Parr was jumping up and down with his arms waving his gown like a demented bat, calling me everything under the sun. He never asked me to read from a book again. At the end of the year French exam I got two marks out of a hundred and for the rest of my time at the school everybody called me two percent Townsend.”
The name stuck.
Leaving school as soon as he could, John found work on local farms, before undertaking National Service as an army dog handler in Cyprus. His first job after his return to the UK was as a self-employed labourer, and his first client was Les Davis at the famous Air Balloon Inn at the summit of Crickley Hill near Birdlip (now closed and set for demolition), where he built the steps and pillars up to the lawn area.
But John’s real passion was antiques. Very swiftly, he gained a reputation worldwide for 1920s furniture, dealing with international collectors, and also clearing houses across Gloucestershire, reaching as far as Bristol, Bath, Oxfordshire and South Wales. Long before we published his memoir, our paths were connected – we bought some railway memorabilia from him at a local steam rally, recognisible because of his distinctive yellow van!
For John, writing down his memories has been an opportunity to look back on a unique period of Cotswold history.
“I suppose people think things were better when they were young, I certainly do. I don’t regret anything that I have done. Walking out of school, doing National Service, marrying Ann and deciding to be an antiques dealer was the best thing ever.”
Two Percent Townsend is released on 7 September in paperback and ebook available from your usual bookshop, online retailers and our bookshop at 2 The Waterloo, Cirencester.
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