| Phil Rudkin |
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My Sister is over here from France this week, and I was showing her some of the old areas that I used to play in. As we drove up Kings Road, we stopped outside the Bluecoat school. My Sister Joan recognised the site of the Fane School (now Christchurch). I told her about the spinney that we boys from Essex Road, Alexander Terrace and Kings Road used to play in regularly. Next to the spinney were a few Pigstys, in small bricked units (which was the normal in the 40s and 50s). We would always have a look over the wall at the pigs, and would often see Mr. Butcher coming along with the 'Pig Swill' to do the feeding. I think some of the pigs belonged to him (perhaps all did). The Pigstys would have been approx where the small super market is now. One of the games we played in those far of days in the spinney, was 'Pirates'. We turned up with sticks (as swords), and dustbin lids (as shields). There were a few sore fingers when the sticks struck. Also, probably some of our parents lost their dustbin lids.
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| Patrick |
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I remember the pig sties at the north-west corner of the Spinney. My old man had one and I had to look after the pigs. Another holder was Mr.Vellam who was also a butcher in town. Does anyone recall why the Spinney was cut down. I worked abroad for several years and was surprised (and a bit sad) to see it had gone when I came back. Was it Dutch Elm disease?
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| Lynn |
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Hi, Phil, Love it, I remember the spinney, but never used to play pirates, whatever that was. You have asked me constantly to contribute to this site, and now I know why you did. Woo hoo. Love it. Will keep in touch more regularly. Lynn (Eluned)
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| syd |
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Like Phil, we used to play in the spinney, I can remember a Mr Storry / Storrie walking down Essex Road with old wooden shoulder yokes on with a full bucket of swill either side.
Not nice, but when we got a bit bored we used to run the whole length of the sties on the corrugated roof in our hob nail boots, didn't the pigs squeal, then off the end and up the field and into the top of Worcester Crescent Trying to look as innocent as choir boys
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| Clem Walden |
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Hi Phil, the old spinney and the pigsties could tell many stories. I well remember running across the steel corregated roofs of the old pigsties and climbing down the end tree to avoid capture "having sent the poor pigs wild" ended up one day with a pitch fork up my rear end by a man we all would call "Old man 99" no idea what his name was but he did keep pigs and would chase us from time to time. Would have to say back then us Toethorpe Square/Alexander Rd/Kings road boys always considered the Spinney was ours.
Pirates/Animals and hunters/cowboys and indians/tarzan/ were all games we would play. We also would leave traps for those from other areas by tying a rope between the bases of two trees on the various mud pathways that ran throughout the spinney undergrowth. Wonder if any of the Essex road boys ever got caught out with our traps?
The old spinney was at one time the Corporation Coppice the Northfields area of Stamford holds much history and I understand this is being researched with a view to placing a history interpretation board within the area. Mr Skells once told me the old spinney was at one time a burial ground? I have no idea if this was true or just a tale to prevent us playing there "he did tell us off a few times when he visted the spinney". I have an old map that shows the Corporation Coppice dated 1885 the Fane school/Tolethorpe Sq/Essex rd/ and many other areas are of course just shown as fields.
Interesting to note though on this map Hope Villa/Northfields House/Ebenezer House/West View Terrece, plus allotments are all evident, and marked as the Northfields Area.
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| Phil Rudkin |
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Hello Syd, The forum is working well! Geoff has contacted me through his wife Joan, to say that I had got it slightly wrong about the ownership of the pigs. Remember that I said the pigs belonged to Mr. Butcher. Well, Geoff tells me that they belonged to Mr. Harrison. However, Mr. Butcher and Mr Harrison were close friends, and often fed the pigs together. They were seen coming to feed the pigs with the old wooden shoulder yokes, full of swill either side. Patrick also says that Mr. Vellam (who was a butcher) also had one of the pigs. So, it seems that there were a few owners. This is a good discussion. Thanks everyone.
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| Phil Rudkin |
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Patrick, I was interested in your comment about another owner of the pigs, who was the butcher Mr. Vellam. I now know from Geoff that some of the pigs belonged to Mr. Harrison, not his friend Mr. Butcher, although they often fed them together. You mention your Dad, as I don't know your surname, is it Harrison?
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| Phil Rudkin |
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Hello Lynn, wow! Africa on Gateway Memories, lovely to hear from you. You will have some good stories to tell I am sure. Think of some memories and get a new subject started. Before you do, just have a look at the contents table, and open up the section: Warehouse Station, Fur and Feather Club, Stamford, Rabbits: And read about Chris and myself putting the two Dutch Rabbits together to mate. xxxxx
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| Clem Walden |
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Hi Lynn (Eluned) welcome to the site, I feel sure you must have lots of memories you can share with us all. Hope you are keeping well I drove down the Essex road and round Worcester Cresent the other day and tried to remember all those that once lived in the area:- Alfi Thrift came to mind and I thought about how he would pretend to be the "coal man" I met Barbara Tunicliff about six moths ago "she has a ski-run & hotel in Aspin USA her brother Brian has recently moved back to Stamford I play golf with him sometimes. Do you remember Chistine & Jannet Payne and their brother Jeff I wonder where they are now? anyway please to see you visiting this great forum and look forward to your future postings.
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| Patrick |
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Hi Phil
Sorry, I`m not a Harrison and the name doesn`t ring a bell at all. What does come back - we lived at the end of Kings Road near Alexandra Road - was my old man in the garden hearing the pigs squealing and saying `Listen to those pigs fighting, they`ll never get fat`. Little did he guess that it was Clem and Syd with their hob nailed boots clattering over the roof. Just as well - he was a copper!
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