A year-long community effort is bringing a collection of extraordinary scrapbooks of Geddington’s past back to life – and soon to be shared online for everyone to explore.
For the past year, a small but determined team of volunteers has been working to bring a slice of Geddington’s history back to life. Thanks to the efforts of local stalwart June Brown, who lovingly compiled over 20 scrapbooks filled with newspaper clippings spanning from 1977 to the mid-90s, we now have a remarkable record of village life – everything from weddings and obituaries to major events and the antics of our much-loved community groups.
June Brown’s Scrapbooks
June Brown (Obituary) was a much-loved figure in Geddington, known for her warmth, community spirit, and unwavering dedication to village life. Over the decades, she became something of a local historian, meticulously compiling more than 20 scrapbooks filled with newspaper clippings, photos, and memorabilia that captured the everyday moments and major milestones of the community.
June was always busy and, whether volunteering at village events, chatting with neighbours, or preserving Geddington’s stories one article at a time, her passion for the community shone through in everything she did.
Paul Hopkins, who was June’s nephew, wrote in her obituary,
“June and her sister Flo were a formidable force within the village, forever raising money for local causes. The Village Hall, Macmillan Nurses, the Newsletter and others often benefitted from their fundraising.”
The scrapbooks mostly feature cuttings from the Evening Telegraph (now the Northants Telegraph). They capture moments both momentous and mundane: the discovery of a 1,000-year-old skeleton beneath the church floor, the unveiling of the granite war memorial on Grafton Road, and even the time Mrs. Ellwood won a professional spring clean for her house in Bright Trees! Regular updates on Mr. Tonsley and his bees also feature prominently – his bushy moustache was nearly as famous as his beekeeping.
Some stories are more bittersweet. A particularly moving series of articles follow the disappearance of local pensioner George Coles, who went missing after heading out to buy a cigarette lighter. After a search that gripped the village, he was found “lying as if asleep” under a hedge in a field near Broughton. It’s a reminder of the power of local news – not just to inform, but to bring a community together in both hope and sorrow.
There are also stories of change – like the closure of The Pot Shop, a much-loved village business run by Helen Spencer and where June herself worked as an assistant. For many years it was a familiar and welcoming place, and its loss marked the end of an era for many in Geddington.
The Scrapbook Digitisation Project
With the help of Octagon Creative, these scrapbooks have now been fully scanned and preserved. A huge thank you must go to volunteer Lily-Ann, who dedicated hours to carefully photographing each page using a specialist camera rig. The process was slow because each page contained so many fascinating stories!
The next step is making these fascinating records available online for everyone to explore. Soon, you’ll be able to browse them on Geddington.net, reliving decades of village news and nostalgia. The collection will become part of the website’s History section that already includes a photo archive project and the Parish Roll of Honour.
This project has been a true labour of love, and we hope it brings as much joy to you as it has to us. If you remember any of these stories (or even feature in them!), we’d love to hear from you. Geddington’s past is rich, quirky, and well worth preserving – just as June always intended.
Stay tuned for the official launch, and in the meantime, enjoy this sneak peek at some of the clippings and the work behind the scenes!
