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It is now 5 years since the inauguration of Hillam Historians. We decided to celebrate by focusing on the agricultural roots of our village and, in so doing, incorporate one of our major achievements, last year’s renovation of the village pump. We invited Alan Jackson, the current owner of Wallis and Steevens no 2489 Victoria, a 6 nhp traction engine complete with threshing machine, to visit us.
Victoria started life on 12th July 1900, bought new by a Devon farmer. Between 1922 and 1935 she worked on farms in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire until completely worn out. Then she was left in the contractor’s yard. She was rescued for preservation by Richard Rockliff of Stillingfleet who started renovation work, and subsequently acquired by Alan Jackson in 1974. A huge amount of renovation work was still to be done. Despite considerable ongoing mechanical repairs and refurbishment and a catalogue of trials and tribulations along the way, culminating in major boiler work in 1992, Victoria arrived home and was in steam on her 100th birthday.
Such machines would have been in regular use from about 100 years ago to the middle of last century, mainly for threshing. They travelled from farm to farm from harvest time to spring, threshing the corn each farm had grown, reaped and stacked during the previous year. Threshing would usually take two to four days, depending on the size of the crop. As well as the threshing contractor’s driver and mate, up to a dozen farm labourers would also be involved. The village pump was the main water source for these thirsty machines.
Threshing and similar machines are part and parcel of the life experience of many older villagers and ex-villagers. Indeed, merely seeing pictures of the engine has already sparked much debate and reminiscence.
We hope that villagers and former villagers enjoyed a trip down memory lane on the afternoon of Sunday 29th July when Victoria was on show in the village Square.
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