“A bit of work does nobody any harm”

says Mr William Beer, of Crosslands, Clovelly, and he ought to know for at more than 80 he and his wife, who celebrated their diamond wedding on Monday, still do quite a lot.

Mr Beer was still at school when he began to work for the Hamlyn family – then owners of Clovelly Court – bird scaring. His father was keeper. Young Billy went to work in the gardens and in time the girl who was to be his bride came down from Derbyshire to work in the household laundry.

On the death of Mr Hamlyn, Mr Beer senior, suffering from rheumatism, moved to Crosslands to farm. Ultimately his son took over, 35 years ago.

When they lived at Dyke Green and Mr Beer was in charge of the glasshouses at the Court he frequently walked from his home to the Court to attend to ventilation as many as fives times a Sunday.

Mr and Mrs Beer have one daughter – Mrs Kathleen Stoneman, of Home Farm, Bucks Cross – two grandchildren, Mrs Vera Glover of Merton, and Mr Vivian Stoneman, of Dyke Green, and a great-granddaughter, 13 year old Rita Glover. 

Mrs Beer has one sister – she baked the cake seen in the picture.

Gazette article dated 24 January 1964