The "Legend of the Shapwick Monster" is a subject which Villagers would not prefer to talk about - but, if asked, will talk for hours about the horrible visitation of days long ago.
Certainly, the children of the Village in the fifties and sixties, like all before, were made well aware of the tale.
The story goes that in days of old, a fishmonger wheeling his cart through the lanes between Wimborne and Blandford, passed through Shapwick, and a large live crab fell to the ground. The fishmonger went on his way unaware of the escapee.
Now, the Villagers chanced upon the crab, but, as none had ever seen such as creature afore, they were not sure what it was. So they called upon the Village Elder, who announced that it was a "monster". What became of the crab, no-one knows, but when the story got out, the Villagers of Shapwick were looked upon by nearby folk as a bit simple and daft. And so the stigma remains - at least that's what some like to think.
The monster is remembered by the name of the nearby "Crab Farm", which has a celebrated wind-vane showing the crab and villagers.
Whatever you think it is quite a silly story but it may just be true...
Football
Shapwick's football team played in a buttercup field called "Champion" (locally shortened to "Champ") out across the meadows. In the fifties and sixties, the team strip was a wonderful yellow and maroon quartered shirt with light blue shorts - quite a colourful sight.
I never managed to wear that famous strip - when I was old enough to play, a new red and black vertical striped shirt with black shorts was in use.
The manager in the sixties, when my Dad played centre forward, and, later, I played right wing, was a local man, Sid Marsh, who lived opposite the village pub, the "Anchor Inn".
A match on Saturday drew spectators from the Village. One day, a young lad called Charlie Clarke, all of three years old, wandered across "Hawkpit" to "Champ", in a pair of wellies at least 3 sizes too big and stood by the goal to watch the game. In came a shot, missing the post by a foot or two, and hit little Charlie full square, knocking him clean out of his wellies which stood unmoved on the grass. Charlie was OK - a tough little so-and-so he was.
I cannot recall all the names of the good and great of the team but recall Gordie Chalk an excellent defender, well known for his sliding tackles, and who always carried a clean white hankie in his hand whilst on the field. The one-time goalie, Brian Hazell (I think), was knee high to a grasshopper, but could leap like a cat, and many a time was man of the match.
The "Groundsman" was a chap known to all as "Ochie" - haven't a clue how to spell that, or what his real name was. He lived in a thatched cottage next to the Pub and worked at Crab Farm. On home match days, he would walk across the field to a little iron hut in the corner of "Champ", and empty a gallon of creosote into the line-marking machine. Then he spent an hour lining-out the pitch with the black-brown liquid - no white markings for Shapwick!
Shapwick's football team played in the lower Dorset League divisions and rarely enjoyed success but it was another example of how a small community came together for entertainment.
School
"School" was a large building near the Church where until just after the Second World War the village kids were schooled from infant to teenager.
After WW2 the children of Shapwick were transported each day to the four schools in Wimborne aboard a small blue coach operated by a Billy Budden of Pamphill, and "School" became a focal point for village activities, such as dances, bingo, skittles, Parish Council meetings and so on.
It was possible for small children to squeeze through a tiny gap at the rear of the building and gain access to the skittle alley and the rest of the building. Malice was not the idea - it was just somewhere to go, you know, "William Brown style". Vandalism was a distinct no-no - for one thing it would have spoilt future "trips" and for another, it simply was not on the agenda in those days.
A huge painting of Queen Elizabeth II hung on the wall of "School" along with other plaques and boards naming the great and good of Shapwick. A small stage provided the venue for the village beat group, The Krabs, who played quite a few gigs in the mid sixties.
