A WOMAN who has written a book about her experiences growing up in a post-war prefab on the Pinehurst Circle has donated copies of her book to the Local Studies collection of Swindon Central Library.

Angela Parkinson, a retired literacy tutor who moved to Swindon aged two in 1946, lived for eight years at number 55 with her parents and a growing number of sisters.

The author, who now lives in Uphill in Somerset with her husband David, a retired Anglican priest, published her work two years ago.

“I was rather reticent, thinking no one else would be interested,” said Angela, who has three sons and five grandchildren. “The rest of the family who it was written for, loved it. Then I thought ‘I don’t know maybe someone would be interested in reading it.’

She added: “I got such a welcome from the Local Studies. I’ve been really overwhelmed by the interest in my book. It’s very gratifying. Slightly overwhelming but very very nice.”

Angela plans to publish more copies for anyone interested in buying it.

She said: “Pinehurst was such a friendly place.

“Our time at The Circle was quite special.

“It was a happy time and there were lots of kind neighbours and friends,” she added. “Everyone post-war was very supportive and looked out for each other.”

Angela’s parents Elsie and Arthur Gough grew up in Swindon and originally met at the Salvation Army in Chapel Street, before moving to Brislington in Bristol temporarily, where Arthur worked in a munitions factory during the war.

During Angela’s time in the two-bedroom dwelling her family grew from just her parents, herself and her older sister Glenys, to include three more ‘Gough Girls’ – Julie, Carole and Lisa. Her mother was pregnant with Sharon, the sixth daughter when the family moved away.

“But I didn’t notice any overcrowding,” said Angela, who attended Pinehurst Infants’ and Junior schools to which a whole chapter of the book is dedicated.

“The prefab was lovely in summer. It’s was light, there was lots of windows, and a garden at the back and front. There were seven of us and that was not too unusual in those days. People did make do,” she said.

The prefabs were not well insulated, and Glenys and Angela would watch the frost form on the inside pane of their bedroom window, projected onto the opposite wall on moonlit nights.

“We used to have such fun with our games. Glen and I would sit on the end of our bed pretending we were princess Margaret and the queen on our horses,” said Angela.

“We discovered we could throw clothes up to the ceiling, and because there was Artex, the clothes would stick and then fall down slowly.

“We would also lie in bed at night listening to the sound of the speedway at Blunsdon,” she added.

With their sixth daughter on the way, Angela’s parents moved to a house on Pinehurst Road in 1954 and then Ferndale Road, which became the family home for 43 years.

Angela added: “I didn’t really intend to write a book. It just started as a collection of memories.

“I’ve realised partly through this experience, how folk, particularly as they get older, feel a lot of nostalgia, and love to hear about people who have shared their younger days, and the places they have known. I’m sure this gives credence to their memories, and adds to the sense of pride in an area.”