Iris came from a very old established village family, there were Jaggards in Wood Ditton in the 16th century. She grew up in School Cottages, the row of four thatched cottages that burnt down in 1942. Her father, Arthur Jaggard, worked as a painter/decorator and smallholder and was known affectionately by everyone as 'Art'. Her mother's brother, Alf Plume, had been landlord of the Marquis of Granby pub, which stood opposite the present Darley Stud entrance, on the border of Little Ditton and Ditton Green.
By 1942 Alf had received his call-up papers and it was decided that Art and family would run the pub for the duration of the war. The family had moved into the Granby just before their old cottage was destroyed by fire and Iris with her two younger brothers, Les and Harold, found themselves having to assist their parents as best they could in running a wartime pub. Iris recalls the rewards and the difficulties. There were the village characters, such as the local roadman who used to knock on the door at eight in the morning and insist on a pint of beer before starting work. Another regular used to sit on his favourite bench by the fire in cold weather and and 'mull' his beer by immersing a red-hot poker. Highlights were the visits from soldiers and airmen from nearby camps and airfields, sing-songs around the piano and dances in the adjoining British Legion hut, all very exciting for a teenager. On the debit side they had to contend with the blackout as well as wartime shortages which sometimes meant running out of beer and having to try and scrounge a barrel from another pub. Her mums's health was failing during the latter part of the war and more work was falling on Iris.
During this time some of Ivor's mates persuaded him to cycle over to the Granby to see that "nice girl", the landlord's daughter. A friend had already tried to take Iris out but had got nowhere and as he put it: "Don't start getting any ideas Ivor, Art will never let her go". Well, Ivor had better luck than his friend and Art had to let her go. In any case her uncle eventually returned from the war and wanted the pub back. Relieved of the responsibility of helping her parents the couple were married in 1946.

Post-war married life for a young couple was never easy and Ivor had to find employment where he could, including working on local farms. Before long he had had enough of being at the farmer's beck and call and the couple decided to get back into the business in which he had worked with his father. In 1952 they applied for a street trader's licence and re-started the market stall on Tuesdays and Saturdays, combined with a vegetable round with a van they had bought.
By 1961 their family had increased to two sons and two daughters and they were outgrowing various short term accommodations in Newmarket, Soham and Saxon Street. In the mid-seventies the opportunity came to buy a plot of land on which the old School Cottages had once stood. With much local and family help they built their present bungalow and named it 'Open Views'. They continued with their stall when the market moved to the Rookery Centre in the nineteen seventies and became well known Newmarket figures until Ivor retired through ill-health in 1986.

Ivor is well known as a lay preacher at the Saxon Street Methodist Church and other churches where he speaks. He also makes regular contributions to the 'Link, Parishes in Partnership' magazine. He was brought up as a strict baptist but the turning point in his life came when he and his brother-in-law attended a Billy Graham revivalist meeting in London in 1954. It made a big impression and he later became involved with Sunday School meetings and by 1960 was persuaded to deliver sermons. His simple view of religion is that it should be a relationship between the person and God. He feels that there is a tendency today to try to strip bare all of life's big mysteries and demand answers to every question, some of which cannot be answered. He would like to see more inter-denominational co-operation among the churches, but is sceptical about it ever being achieved.
He has largely overcome the health problems that caused him to retire and maintains quite a large mixed garden of flowers, shrubs and vegetables. His latest accomplishment is to go online with his own P.C.and he now has e-mail communication with friends and family.

Iris is a long-term member of the Women's Institute and enjoys indoor bowls at the Ellesmere Centre. They both get great pleasure from their seven grandchildren, some of whom live locally. Son Gary and family live in St. Helier Jersey and this gives the parents a good reason to visit the island several times a year. Until a few years ago Ivor used to wave-surf from the beach but now finds the water a little too cold.

Ivor and Iris are pictured above standing outside 'Open Views'.

Other Village Personalities
No 2 - Freda Swann
No 3 - Jack & Doris Scrivener
No 4 - Beryl Woollard
No 5 - Sepp and Daphne Krombacher
No 8 - Roy & Jill Steggles
No 9 - Derrick & Veronica Aspland
No 10 - The Revd. Ann Gurner

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