Holbrook village green

Home to both the village hall and quoits club, the Holbrook village green sits almost slap bang in the centre of the village. With the COOP supermarket, Methodist Hall, Swan public house and an independent butcher all nearby, this area of the village is the central hub of village life. 

What interests me sonically about the the present day village green is its flagpole, upon which the union flag is raised and lowered daily (like many other villages across the country). Even the gentlest breath of wind can cause the rope to clang and vibrate against the hollow metal pole. On a breezy day in August 2024, I set up my recording equipment in the late morning and sat back to listen. There was a palpable hum of activity as people came to run errands or shop. And, as always, a pigeon could be heard cooing away.

Whilst I was recording, the sound of the dustbin lorry approaching could be heard. This sound is one of the regular sounds of any community and the hissing and clanking of the heavy lorry can often jar your focus from whatever task you are currently doing, to run out and check that your bin is ready for collection (as missing it would mean a lengthy period of time until they would return).

I love the sounds of a bin collection: the hissing of air brakes, pneumatic lifting, the drones of an emptied wheely bin wheels on concrete, the slamming of lids and occasional shouts from the workers, and (if you are lucky) the beeping warning sound of the vehicle reversing.

(Holbrook is a small village located 6 miles from the town of Ipswich, England.)

Recorded by Matthew Shenton.

IMAGE: Ovingham Village Green by Andrew Curtis, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons