My Family - continued - page 3

The place was a natural playground for us and we needed not much else to entertain ourselves during the middle and late 1950's. During the summer months I remember the American airmen from Burtonwood Air Base riding their motorbikes across the Bongs, riding down "The Spoon" and jumping across the brook (River Lug - is that where Lugsdale came from I wonder?).

We increased the family size with the births of John, Cathy, and Jacquie. Not sure which one it was but I vividly remember going to the hospital to see mum after the birth and we were not allowed into the hospital. So the younger kids would stand outside the ward window and wave to Mum through it.......not ideal but I remember it being an exciting time.

The move to Barnes Road opened up new and exciting opportunities for us kids, making new friends, new places to play, new games to play with the abundance of things to do on The Bongs. Most kids of the area, whatever age group, had things to do. Jumping the brook, climbing in the quarry, swimming in the "lake" in the quarry and swinging from the rope across the lake. Hiding in the "long grass" (maybe not that long but when you are little....), chasing the trains up the railway line for coal, camping out in the summer and the local "fights" using stones from the railway lines (and they hurt when they hit you - usually drawing blood as they were quite sharp edged). There was rivalry and friendship between the street gangs which was an interesting mix looking back and there were usually one or another sporting event taking place there, especially at the top end behind Bancroft Road as the ground was flat and well grassed.

Next Page >>>

Barnes Road kids at play in the 1950’s

Vivid memories of growing up in the street, Simmies Pub, the local watering hole, The Telephone Exchange at the bottom of the street where we would sit on the steps to talk (still there despite the many changes around Simms Cross), the Cinder field where we would play (and get grazes on our legs, knees and elbows when we fell over)- this is the site of the Magistrates Courts, Police Station and Kingsway Leisure Centre. On Sunday when the dads were in the pub and the weather was kind, the Sunday dinner would be on the go and the mums would get the skipping ropes out (wagon ropes that is) and, stretched across the width of the street and in a line down the street, all the kids would be skipping while the grown ups turned the ropes. Pheysey's Newsagents, Knox's Toffee shop and Bradburn's Jewellers & Watchmakers, Burkes Butchers, Abrahamsons store and all the other "local shops" that served the community well before the advent of Supermarkets. A personal service where the shopkeeper knew all their customers.......happy days, poor, but content with our lot......... Then it was decided to demolish the “unfit housing” and move us all to new houses.......

The move to Barnes Road - 1954 (ish)

Those wonderful memories of the Simms Cross community ended for us in the middle fifties when the "new estates" started to re-house the old communities from the old two-up/two-downs..........we moved to Barnes Road into a FOUR bedroom house which was huge by comparison. We had a garden (back AND front) and a huge playing ground known as the Bongs....... a miniature river to jump across (the River Lug according to Dad-- the effluent outfall from Peter Spence chemical works in reality), a quarry, a field of tall grass and one of fairy grass, hills for sliding down in summer and winter, a railway line (where we could collect coal for the fire), lots of room for camping out in summer and playing football on.

<< Previous page