Godmanchster film premier to raise money for roof fund

Published: 2:46 PM September 16, 2012 Updated: 4:23 PM November 1, 2020

A FILM premier will be taking place in Godmanchester, helping to raise money for St Mary’s Church’s roof fund.

The Celebration of Autumn event is being organised by the town’s Porch Museum and will take place at the church on Saturday, Septemebr 22, starting at 7.30pm.

The film, Godmanchester memories from 1916, includes an interview with resident Vera Arnold about her time as a parlour maid at Offord Hill House as well as archive photographs.

The 96-year-old – the town’s oldest resident – will also be at the event.

A spokesman for the museum said: “The film contains wonderful old photographs of the town and events, circa about 1906 onwards, from private collections.

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“Vera’s account of life in the 20s and 30s include those when she was in service as house parlour maid at Offord Hill House during the early 1930s. She was invited by the present owners to return after 70 years, to take tea and wander the rooms where she worked during that time.

“Her life span has seen extraordinary changes in the town, one being the arrival of cars, and another, importantly for citizens here, the arrival of a cure for TB which afflicted so many people in the area. Three of Vera’s family, her father, and two brothers died, having been resident at Papworth Hospital, which was famous in pre-war years for its approach to the disease.”