Title:
HALCYON DAYS OF COD LIVER OIL: AN ORAL HISTORY OF GREAT WALTHAM IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Level: Category
Sound Archive
Level: Fonds
HALCYON DAYS OF COD LIVER OIL: AN ORAL HISTORY OF GREAT WALTHAM IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Scope and Content:
Oral history recordings and transcripts with Great Waltham residents created for a book with the same name. Most interviews cover common themes such as schooling and other childhood experiences, local shops, housing conditions, the Second World War, and significant local families including the Tufnells at Langley Hall and the Dannatts. These are reflected in the thematic structure of the book.

Ms Cowlin wrote the following about the background to the project:

'I and my three girls moved into Franklyns in Great Waltham in 1973, to be joined by Bob in 1978. Franklyns is the house opposite The Beehive, in the churchyard. In the next 20 years I observed many elderly local people cycling or walking around the village, and wanted to learn more about their lives, before they died and it was too late to ask.

In January 2002, doctors decided to remove one of my kidneys with only a week or so’s notice, and I had two months sick leave. This was the ideal opportunity to make recordings of people who were either born in the village, or lived there for many years. There was just time to buy some basic recording equipment before the operation.

Not being able to drive, as soon as I could, I walked to about 40 people’s houses and spent an hour or so asking questions, and then walked back home to the Glebe House. Luckily my office typing pool was short of work and worried about being made redundant, so were happy to transcribe the tapes, without charging anything.

The next three years, I picked out the best bits and put them into some order, which resulted in the privately-printed book, Halcyon Days of Cod Liver Oil, the title being one of Rosemary Pitts’ memorable sayings.'
Dates of Creation:
2001-2005
Creator Name:
Anne Cowlin
Archivist Note:
Catalogued by SJM, March 2016
Custodial History:
These interviews were conducted with Great Waltham residents by Anne Cowlin between 2001 and 2005. Cowlin published a book based on the material, "Halcyon Days of Cod Liver Oil: An oral history of Great Waltham in the twentieth century", in 2005.
Acquisition Source:
The original sound recordings, transcripts, and a copy of the publication were deposited at the Essex Sound and Video Archive in 2007.
System Arrangement:
Numbered according to the interviewer's numbering system.
Copyright:
Copyright Essex Sound and Video Archive unless otherwise specified
Physical Characteristics:
Originally recorded on Philips Executive mini-cassettes
Publication Notes:
Anne Cowlin, "Halcyon Days of Cod Liver Oil: An oral history of Great Waltham in the twentieth century" (Suffolk: Assington, 2005)

Key terms

TypeKey termsDescription
Place Names Great Waltham An oral history of Great Waltham in the twentieth century