The following article written in 1984 is reproduced by kind permission of Yvonne Gilbert.
Pensilva almost 40 years ago - Fool's Corner
Do you know where it was? It will date you. Marsh's Garage occupied the former wet-suit factory; the modern showrooms and garage didn't exist. Instead there was a field. Its stone hedge stretched along the main road from the Church boundary to the bungalow entrance. Beautiful beech trees grew on it. Fool's Corner was the part of this which viewed Higher Road, Church Hill, and Princess Road.
In the long Summer evenings the men used to gather there to discuss any news. They were always delighted when groups of girls passed by. There would be whistles, cat-calls and ribald comments. I wonder how young men indicate their admiration for a young lady today? I remember one whistling after a friend when she was eighteen. She said she walked on air for the rest of the day!
Sometimes a young man would detach himself from the group and join one of the young ladies. This was a declaration of very serious intentions. The older men would call advice, and the younger ones cheer. The couple would walk off both blushing and bashful, hurrying around School Road corner.
I remember passing Fool's Corner on a Sunday evening on the way home from Chapel Anniversary. There was a big group of us, but a pretty young lady with us never forgot it. She was wearing high heels, nylons and a silk dress with a full skirt. A breeze whipped off her hat. She bent down to retrieve it, only to have her skirt blown up revealing frilly underwear and suspenders. Years later she told me she still blushed with embarrassment, when she remembered the men's delighted reaction.
My father tells me that Dr. Smale owned the field and his horse lived in it. Her name was Doxie!