Barrie Bushell
Barrie Bushell was born in North Norfolk, but moved to Burwell in 1962, working at Marshall of Cambridge as an aircraft engineer. He talks about his childhood in Norfolk, agriculture, life in Burwell, helping out at Burwell Museum, building an astronomical observatory in his back garden, and his family’s passion for clocks and clockmaking.
| Time | Topics described |
| 00:00:00 | Tape Introduction |
| 00:00:18 | Barrie introduction |
| 00:01:08 | Harvest time as a child in North Norfolk |
| 00:01:36 | The smell of harvest |
| 00:02:09 | Helping at harvest as an older boy – Start of detailed description of harvest |
| 00:03:30 | Working the horses |
| 00:04:28 | Horse driven elevator in the fields |
| 00:04:40 | Father – an agricultural contractor – museum tractor |
| 00:06:35 | Family responsible for inventing threshing drum |
| 00:07:48 | Rats and weasels inhabit stacks |
| 00:08:22 | Types of corn and chaff |
| 00:09:40 | Great changes due to war and the building of aerodromes |
| 00:12:00 | Introduction of combine harvesters after war |
| 00:13:24 | Loading sugar beet as a youngster |
| 00:15:48 | Seed merchants, corn halls, brewer buyers |
| 00:16:30 | Measuring barley quality |
| 00:17:20 | Old mechanical vs new electronic |
| 00:17:50 | Seeing crashed aircraft as a child |
| 00:20:18 | First gun and getting paid for rabbits |
| 00:21:22 | Becoming an aircraft engineer |
| 00:22:57 | Moving to Burwell in 1962 (married 1957) |
| 00:26:25 | Burwell football club – members in the 1960’s |
| 00:27:10 | Burwell tennis club |
| 00:28:20 | Burwell shops in the 1960’s |
| 00:30:25 | Talking to Mr Neil who used to run Burwell Mill |
| 00:31:25 | Made sundial in Museum for Paul Hawes as memorial to his wife |
| 00:31:35 | Made stocks for Museum |
| 00:32:00 | Part time work harvesting barley around Burwell |
| 00:33:11 | Recollections of the Driver family of Burwell |
| 00:35:00 | Memories of father stacking in fields |
| 00:36:04 | Burwell Museum vehicles, buses |
| 00:39:00 | Burwell traders |
| 00:40:00 | Working at Marshals |
| 00:41:10 | Mobile shops |
| 00:43:52 | Buying white mice by mail order |
| 00:45:55 | Gamekeepers |
| 00:46:20 | Local guy testing aircraft over Burwell |
| 00:47:30 | “World was kinder in 50’s and 60’s” |
| 00:48:32 | Story behind the astronomical observatory in back garden |
| 00:50:10 | Grinding telescope mirror |
| 00:52:18 | Building observatory |
| 00:55:00 | Family history of making clocks and continuing hobby |
| 00:57:10 | Burwell clock makers club |
| 01:00:44 | Great Great Grandfather made traction engines and horse driven machines |
| 01:03:23 | Renovating bungalow in Burwell |
| 01:07:02 | Acquiring a good lathe, using contacts in Burwell choir |