Life on the Estate
See here for memories of people who have lived on Fitzharry’s estate over the years.
In the first decades of the estate, all of the families who lived here were tenants of the UK Atomic Energy Authority. The UKAEA published a handbook for the estates linked to Harwell.
Over the years FMERA has organised many estate events – see here for pictures of a few of them.
“A wonderful place for children ..”
Houses on Fitzharry’s were initially allocated by the Atomic Energy Authority using a formula which combined rank with the size of an employee’s family. As a result the estate was home to several hundred children, who contributed to its vibrant atmosphere. Jenny Pulley (nee Wiggins) and her family were amongst the first to move into the estate, and she has shared these photographs of her and her friends. You can read Jenny’s memories here. If you can help identify the children in the photos below, or if you have other photos of life on the estate to share publicly, do get in touch using the Contact Us page.
The photograph was taken on the corner of Kingston Close, and the semi-derelict Manor is visible behind. Jenny has supplied the following names:
From left: Jean Anderson, Jenny Pulley, Elizabeth Anderson, Cherry Busbridge & ,sitting, Ursula Anderson. Margaret? Boadle & her sister in the background.
This shot was taken on the steps of Fitzharris Manor, and Jenny has supplied the following names:
Back row from left: Wendy Thewlis, Jean Anderson, Jenny Pulley, Mary Chapman, Natalie? Lister. Elizabeth (Buffy) Anderson.
Middle Row: Hector (Thewlis’ dog), ? Snowdon, Margaret? Boadle, ? Boadle (hidden), Dicky Pulley, Malcom Anderson.
Bottom row: Margaret Thewlis, ? Snowdon, Ken Pulley, ? Lister.
Spies and defectors
Bruno Pontecorvo was a key figure at Harwell: born in Italy, he had played a significant role in the development of the atomic bomb. In 1951 he and his family left their home in Letcombe Avenue – and never returned. Find out more in the article by Frank Close on Abingdon Town Council’s website.
Klaus Emil Julius Fuchs was the atomic spy credited with one of the greatest acts of treachery in British history, whose espionage led to the Russians building their own version of the A-bomb and changing the course of the cold war.
After the war he lived in the Harwell prefabs and then across the road from our estate at Lacey’s Court in Bath Street. He was head of physics at the Atomic Energy Establishment and mixed socially and professionally with many of our residents.
Read more about him here in the MI5 files!
Harwell and the AERE on film
The new research centre at Harwell attracted national interest, and appeared in several newsreels and short documentaries:
Didcot Atom Village
A 1947 newsreel from British Pathé emphasised the contrast between the new centre and its rural surroundings.
Atomic Energy Researched in Harwell
A year later the cameras are allowed a little further into the site for another newsreel.
Atoms at Work
A short documentary from 1952 shows some of the work going on at Harwell. You can see it here on the BFI Viewer (but note that the Viewer doesn’t work on some browsers, including Firefox).