DJ360
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Posts posted by DJ360
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I had a wander round Bulwell a couple of weeks ago. First time I've just set out to look around the place since the planners knocked it about. They pushed 'Bulwell High Road' through as some sort of by-pass to allow for pedestrianisation of main street. They completely farked the bottom end of Hempshill Lane so that it now doesn't reach Main St/Cinderhill Rd any more., etc, etc. I remember Bulwell before Seller's Wood, Crabtree etc. Lovely little town with its own character. I think a surprising amount of the character remains, but the way the Leen has been largely turned into a ditch behind a series of car parks for Tesco etc., really isn't very inspiring. Commercial Road, such as it is now, could be any row of low grade shops in any town in the country.The library opposite the 360 Club was a lovely building. Looks very sad now.
Progress eh?
Col
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Shirelles and Chiffons were both terrific girl groups who got a bit overshadowed by Motown
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Many thanks to all who have responded!
Who'd have thought that a simple query about a slightly 'iffy' shop, would generate so much histoorical and anecdotal stuff!
Col
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Don't want to upset anybody with my views.
But I believe that Elvis was getting a bit of a hard time once because his singing wasn't up to scratch. (Let's be honest folks.. after about 1960 it rarely was...)
But anyway.. Elvis apparently retorted. " If you wanted to hear a singer, you should have gone to the Roy Orbison gig."
Respect!
Col
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Well thank you people!
TBH, my musical knowledge is pretty limited. Don't ask me about rock bands post 1970, or Punk, or New Wave, (though I don't dimiss them.)
I just have an interest in certain music and its origins.
I was in the Cavern (Liverpool) a couple of years ago drinking with Dave Pickering and Tony Coburn, who is the 'Mc Cartney', of the Cavern Club Beatles, and also a very nice bloke. Tony was surprised to hear that 'It's All Over Now', was not a Stones original.
It's not. It was by the Valentinos, who were pretty much the Womack family.
That set me out on a quest to find who did what and when.
I'd have thought that 'The Last Time', by the Stones, might finally represent one of their own.. but no. It was based on a Gospel song, popularised by the Staple Singers.
Most, if not all, of the big UK 'beat' singles, were originally US songs, and mostly by black artists.
I put together a couple of discs to illustrate the point.
But only last night I found that. 'Make It Easy On Yourself', which I thought was pure Walker Bros., was originally by Jerry Butler. ('For Your Precious Love'/Impressions'. Etc.)
Here: .https://youtu.be/eKERP-GocsI
Nothing new under the Sun..
Col
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My favorite christmas song (as im sure its the favorite of alot of people..) Is the pogues - fairy tale of new york.
Me & the OH sang it on kareoke a couple of SUMMERS back in sunny spain, no idea why we sang a christmas song.. after a few drinks, it seemed like a good idea so the song holds afew good memories
..Im currently listening to a playlist of them i made on my itunes, whilest doing the housework and entertaining my 15 week old daughter
Hate it. I'm a nice bloke but I just hate it.
Did I say I hate it?
I Do.
Col
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Not read the thread, but the Phil Spector Christmas album takes some beating.
As does 'White Christmas' ( Bing version)
Will somebody PURRRLEEAASSEE ban all future playings of that Godawful Slade song? .... Please?...
Pretty please?
Col
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Meh!!
I can remember every worthwhile hit from 1949 to Date.
Obviosly.. I define what is worthwhile.............
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But those links above are annoying.
On other sites I just need to post the 'share code', or the share code pruned and with [YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE] tags around it.
How do I get vids 'inline' here?
Col
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Absolutely.
We need musical geniuses.
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If I've done the posting right, here are two seminal moments in music.
Firstly, possibly one of the earliest 'Doo Wop' hits, from the Riveleers in 1953. Kathy Young in the US. and Billy Fury in the UK, did 'white' versions' around 1960.
Joni Mitchell re-defining the whole folk genre. She is so far ahead of her fellow artists on stage . And I've been in love with her since...
Col
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Firstly, really enjoying 'Jools' tonight. Ricki Lee Jones is still pretty cool!
Among the first songs I recall hearing was 'Little Things Mean a Lot', by Kitty Kallen. I was about 4. Still love it. Her earlier 'swing' output with the Harry James Orch. was ace too.
Throughout the 50s I was fed a diet of such 'pop' as the BBC deigned to play on the 'Light Programme'. I had little access to Radio Luxemburg or the wider music scene.
Buddy Holly died on my 10th birthday.. which sort of locked us together. These days I think Holly is underappreciated. His guitar playing and song writing were both years ahead of their time.
Very early 60s in desperation I got my hands on a wind up portable 78 player and any 78s I could get my hands on. This was, in retrospect, a 'good thing', because I was forced to listen to all sorts of stuff that many of my contemporaries weren't aware of. So I got into 30s jazz, 40s swing, early rock and roll, some classical and even Hawaiian style stuff.
We acquired a 'Dansette Major' record player around 1962. My first single was 'Wanna Be Your Man' by the Stones. First LP was 'R&B At The Marquee' by Alexis Korner's Blues Inc, Next. The Duke in Harlem, by Duke Ellington. Third, The Ray Charles Story, Vols 1 and 2. I still have them all and they all play through, though are showing their age.
Through the High Pavement Jazz Record Club, I was also hearing Brubeck, Miles Davis and lots of other groovy stuff.
I followed the whole Merseybeat and British 'Beat Group' thing, but kept hearing snatches of other stuff in the background which were only revealed fully the first time a friend dragged me down to the Beachcomber and I was hit with a whole new world of stuff. I discovered Stax/Atlantic/Motown and all the other labels which were pushing out the magic stuff that later formed the basis of 'Northern Soul'.
At the same time I was also catching the likes of the original Fleetwood Mac, Jethro Tull, Cream, Hendrix and many others as they started their careers with gigs at the likes of The Beachcomber and the three boat clubs by the Trent.
My love of folk music wasn't started by the likes of Dylan and Baez, though I love both dearly. It started with listening to the legendary BBC 'Radio Ballads', put together by Ewan McColl. (Who I now regard as something of a folk music fascist..) Later I 'got into' Bert Jansch and John Renbourn, and their collaboration with Jaqui McShee et.al in Pentangle.
A year or so later I was DJ ing at the 360 Club, Bulwell, the Carlton Hotel and many other places as part of the 'Magic Roundabout Disc Show'. We had some brilliant times. Dave Pickering, who was a leading light in that whole thing, along with Dave Cartwright and Tony Hay, remain friends after all these years. I regularly meet Dave Pickering at Liverpool Lime Street and we always end up in the Cavern.. getting drunk with assorted members of the Cavern Club Beatles. or other local luminaries. 'Still crazy after all these years..'.
)I still can't live without music. I love digging ever deeper into the roots of soul, into Doo Wop, into jazz etc.etc. It's as if I'm trying to catch all the stuff I missed because my Mum thought that food, clothes and getting us through school, were more important investments than record players and stuff. She was right of course.
I even did a bit of singing at the 'Traveller's Rest' Folk Club in St Helens throughout the 70s, I resolutely resisted sticking my finger in my ear, though I had, and retain.. a beard. Sadly, I could never master the guitar. I can get a tune out of a whistle, but that's about my limit.
These days, I'm relaxed about music. You don't need to be 'cool', or 'in', when you're approaching 70. You listen to what you like. I'm listening to everything from Coleman Hawkins, to Roy Orbison, to Hank Williams, to Joni Mitchell, to Lana Del Ray, to Thea Gilmore... etc.,etc.
It's all good.
Col
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Fascinating stuff folks! I was in Southwark St only on Monday but I didn't really notice any changes because I've probably only been down there about twice in the last 40 or so years and most of it seems different. Last Monday was Mum's funeral and we had a bit of a wake in the Park Tavern.
Incidentally never even noticed Nursery Lane. That's a new one on me. Must have a look next time I'm home.
Benjamin. The 'gaming' machine was indeed like a big dial but I don't recall how it was played.
One thing I always remember about that whole area, and also some similar areas, especially in Summer, was an all pervading smell of creosote which came from railway sleepers, sleepers used as fences etc. You don't get that now.
Col
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Not sure I've got the exact spelling there...
Nellies was a legendary shop in the 1950's I only went in a couple of times and I'm guessing it would be about 1957 or thereabouts. I went in with some of the bigger lads from Bestwood Est.
The shop was famous for selling fireworks out of season (you can buy them anytime now.. you couldn't back then) Also had some sort of gambling machine on one wall. And sold 'loose' cigs and a couple of matches.
Thing is I can't remember exactly where it was. I'm pretty sure somewhere on the Basford side of Arnold Rd and beyond the Heathfield pub. The only place I can think it might have been would be on the corner of Barlock Rd opposite the Park Tavern.
Anybody else able to add to this?
Col
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P.S. Cliff-Ton. The second map you posted is later than the first because it has an additional row of houses on Hucknall Rd, just below the footpath to Ha'penny Bridge.
But I think both must be pre 1935, because I have a 'Crown Copyright' map dated 1935 showing Paton Rd.
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Benjamin. Are you saying they actually moved the old Ha'penny Bridge to a new site?
I don't remember the bridge prior to Paton Rd. Don't know when Paton and Orville were built, but I'm guessing just pre WW2. I do remember the allotments and cottages though. That was one of our routes when heading to Osborne's Hairdressers at the bottom of Park Lane. Going further on to Northern Baths, we would take the old path next to the railway that took you alongside Basford Northern Station and brought you out by an old WW2 Pill Box at Northern Bridge.
I also often sat on my bike on Ha'penny Bridge, watching the trains. the York-Bournmouth-York was another regular.
If you can find it, there's an excellent book by Malcolm Castledene called 'Railways North of Nottingham' ('In the latter days of steam'), You need Part Two..(Book Law Publications. 2004. ISBN 1 901945 33 2) which has great shots of all the railways in the area, including a couple of Ha'penny Bridge.
In fact their website is here: http://www.booklaw.co.uk/shop/index.php I've just called them and they still stock both Vol 1 and Vol 2. I've now ordered Vol. 1. to complete my set. They are also down to £9.99 each, from a cover price of £19.99 each.
Col
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Drifting slightly from the Bestwood topic, I was given a book last week Radford Colliery the Bread and Herring pit.
The book almost looks home made, there is lots of pictures but they all seem to be poor photocopies. If it did'nt have a proper bar coded price ticket on the back I would have said it was self done.
One of the articles is about a struggling miner, who was given a brand new house at Aspley.
116 wendover drive
rent 6s.6d per week
rates and water charges 2s.8d per week
tenancy starting 4th may 1931
That might have been a lot of money then as they soon got behind with the rent and had to move out
Interesting that those sums add up to 9s and 2d... which is exactly what my Dad always told me he got for his first week's wages as a lad at Bestwood.Pit. That would be around 1934/5.
Col
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I saw Rod with the Jeff Beck Band at the Beachcomber. More than once as I recall. Excellent blues/R&B singer back thenl. I also love his version of Handbags and Gladrags, which was closely copied by some bunch of spotty kids a few years ago. Rod's version knocked Chris Farlowe's version into a cocked hat.
Also liked his work with the Faces, but the last album purchase was Smiler. I didn't go for the Leopard Skin leggings look. (Well... only in private....
)Col
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Flippin' 'eck Benj! More coincidences by the minute... My Mum worked at that place. She was a cook in the kitchens. I remember going to some works Christmas 'Do' there around 1964.
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No, It's definitely Paton Rd, which is crossed at right angles by Orville Rd. Th streets beyond came after the railway.
Col
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Right, prepare for a long read! I've spent some time studying the photo in #25 and I'm ready to try to make some sense of it. It's difficult because the foreshortening effect has flattened out all of the hills, but here goes.
Firstly, I think this pic must be pre-1935, as I have a 1935 map which shows the route of Andover Rd and Gainsford Crs., but they're not on the pic.
1. In the very bottom of the pic near the right corner, the pavilion for the playing fields of Nottm High School can just be seen. Immediately above it is 'Tring Vale', the bottom end of Heathfield Estate. Moving left brings you to the bottom of Staplehurst Drive. My Mum's sister lived near the top of that at No. 5 for decades until she passed a couple of years ago. Heathfield is very new as there are no trees visible at all. In the 50's and 60s I was always fascinated by a 'Monkey Puzzle' tree which grew in the front of the house that sits on the corner of Staplehurst and Heathfield. Wonder if it's still there.
2. City Hospital. When I was little you could see over the wall of City Hospital if you were on the top deck of a bus. Somebody kept pigs in the area around that white building that's visible at the Arnold Rd end of the hospital site.
3. Just below the Junction of Arnold/Hucknall Rds, you can see the former LNER 'Derbyshire and Staffordshire' railway which came up from Bulwell and Basford ( AKA Basford Northern) station, (left to right in the pic) . It dived under Arnold Rd between the Heathfield pub and Sunrise Ave, then under Hucknall Rd before joining with the Leen Valley Line, which came up the right side of Hucknall Rd (as viewed) from Bestwood Colliery via Rigleys and then on beyond City Hospital and on to Daybrook.
4. Following Hucknall Rd north (i.e. upwards on pic) just beyond the houses on the left the old Basford Hospital is visible, but I can't see the small cluster of houses (Paton Road?) through which 'Ha'penny Bridge was accessed, which led over the Great Central Line to a footpath down to Park Lane. Andover Road now runs along the inside of that curve of Hucknall Rd, with a footpath replacing the old Leen Valley line.
5. So where is Marble Arch? I'd put it close to the apex of the bend in Hucknall Rd, where a field boundary with a couple of small trees along it meets the railway. The arch is now gone of couse, but the gap in the embankment is still there by where the shops used to be on Andover.
6. Which brings us to the position of the crossing at over the Leen Valley Railway at the junction of Southglade Rd with Andover. Where the Gala Bingo is now. If you follow Hucknall Rd up from where I think Marble Arch was, you can just make out the bridge over the Great Central leading to St Alban's Rd/Kersall Drive, on the left. A little further round the bend is another field boundary running left to right. It has no trees on it and it is pretty much opposite the top of Bulwell Common, where the NCV Garage would later be built. (Now being demolished).
Also if you look at the railway embankment up from that field boundary, you can see it gets higher, because the field to the right has a hollow in it. That's the first of the two fields opposite Southglade. The boundary hedge with the next field was opposite No's 46/48 Southglade but it's easy to forget that prior to the fields being used for landfill in the 60's they sloped away down from Southglade and then up again towards the current 'Ridgeway'. So Southglade basically faced two fields.
If you follow the 'Southglade Hedge' along a third field to the right, you come to a cluster of trees and buildings. That was Jarve Goddard's Farm and was more or less opposite where Eastglade Rd/Morrel Bank are now.
If you start again at the railway and follow two Southglade fields to the right, you see a hedge running north, with four or five trees on it. That is where Southglade Sports Centre now stands. A little further along Southglade a short, thick dark line runs south. That is pretty much Padstow Road and the boundary running to the right from its top is where the old path to Padstow School and St Matthews Church ran. Also visible there is the 'Spinney' which was between the top of the old WW2 POW camp, and the Padstow School grounds.
Finally, if you look again at the hedge running to Jarve's Farm from the bottom of Southglade, just below it is a thin dark line. I believe that is where there was a slight ridge which separated Jarve's meadow from the steeper bank leading up to the 'camp'. I recall that when Jarve held a couple of pig roasts around the time of the Coronation of Liz II, there were little stalls backing up to that little ridge. My brother reckons bits of that ridge are still discernible there despite the building of housing etc.
Coming back to Hucknall Rd, it is possible to see Rigleys works and the Golf Club buildings opposite, as well as Bulwell Common station. Later, Rigleys would have whole rows of sidings running south towards Southglade, filled with railway wagons awaiting whatever attention.
Fascinating stuff.
Col
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Benjamin. Re: #28, yep. I remember most of those names. I think it was JUlie Oldfield who showed me and my late sister Pam how to make Ginger Beer. Terrific stuff. We had to keep putting the corks back every morning because they blew out during the night. Sorry to hear about Alfie. He was a character.
Col
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Yep well that worked but not straightforward as you said. I right clicked, then had to click 'Save' in bottom right, then right click on next image which came up then come here, then I had to refresh this page before I could get a 'paste' option. I have saimilar probs on another board that uses this software. I have no probs on others.
Right, I'm going to try again.
This time it worked and I did nowt different! That's my Grandad Driver Jack Whyman of the Royal Field Artillery aged 17. Pic is dated June 21st 1915. He won the MM later.
Col
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Things you don't see anymore
in Owt' Abaaht Nowt !
Posted
Gas pokers?
GAS POKERS!!???
Well actually I do remember them.. My Auntie Marion who lived on Ruff's Est. in Hucknall had one. But I always thought they were a bit pointless and a waste of gas. It's dead easy to start a coal fire with a few sticks, but it's also not dificult with a few bits of rolled and twisted newspaper.
All of which brings me onto a few observations and memories about coal fires.
LONG POST ALERT!!!
I remember going into neighbours houses and wondering how they survived the winter with a few bits of coal smouldering in a flat fire at the bottom of the grate. It wasn't until my Dad, a miner, pointed out that we got our coal essentially free, that I understood that many people simply couldn't afford to burn coal like we did. In fact a few times a year, as the 'Concessionary Coal' wagon turned up with our regular delivery, my Dad would drop the delivery blokes a couple of quid and ask them to take half the load to my Grandad's house.
The only time we were without coal was in the evil winter of '63. There was no shortage of the stuff but the transport system was so frozen up that it couldn't be moved about. Us kids were out on the fields to the north of Bestwood estate, finding anything that would burn and bringing it home.
Even when we had plenty of coal and a roaring fire, the rest of the house would be freezing.
Sometimes as we all sat round a great glowing fire on a cold evening, we'd hear the water in the back boiler behind the grate start to boil. Tremendous racket, the cure for which was to shoot into the kitchen and run off a few gallons of scalding water to calm things down a bit. What a waste!
We used to have our chimney swept a couple of times a year. A chap called Mr Burgin used to come up on his bike, with his rods and brush strapped to the crossbar.
He had a big canvas shroud type thing which he used to NAIL to the wooden bit of the fire surround to prevent all the soot falling into the living room. Then we'd go outside to look for the brush popping out of the chimney. When he'd done the soot was always piled in a corner of the garden to 'weather', before being sprinkled around Dad's rose bushes.
Chimney fires were quite a common sight. Caused AIUI, by either not having the chimney regularly swept, or by having too many smoky, poorly burning fires, which would deposit lots of sooty, tarry stuff in the chimney which would eventually catch fire. You couldn't miss it. Thick yellowish acrid smoke would pour out of the chimney and be visible for miles. Often the Fire Brigade had to be called and the result could be a very big mess in the living room. I only recall it happening once at our house. My Dad just got an old sack soaked in water and shoved it up the chimney. The steam generated put the fire out. At least thats how I remember it.
Occasionally, the fire would be a bit sluggish, or maybe we'd let the fire get too low and then put too much coal on at once. Result, little hot air going up the chimney, so the fire could just go out. To get it to 'draw' properly, we'd hold a newspaper over the hearth opening so that air was forced under the fire and up the chimney, getting it going again. Naturally, the paper usually ended up catching fire, and even as quite small kids, we got quite adept at swiftly screwing the paper up and shoving it onto the fire.
At Christmas, we'd write out our very optimistic list of requests for Santa and then let the draught of the fire take them up the chimney, where Santa would magically find them.
One sound remains in my mind associated with Sundays. Sunday tea would always include tinned Salmon, or maybe Crab. Dad would always throw the empty tin onto the fire to 'burn it out', so that the smell of fish would disappear and not attract cats when it was put in the bin. The tin would 'crackle' very distinctively until all traces of fish were gone.
Just about the only thing in the bin was coal ash. Practically everything else went on the fire. Peelings, old packaging etc.was all burned. My Grandma though disapproved of putting any food onto the fire. 'Feeding the Devil', she called it.
Our council house on Bestwood Estate had a small wooden hatch halfway down the side wall.. The Coalmen would bring their hundredweight sacks of coal to the hatch and sort of back up to it to tip the coal into the coal hole. From the inside of the house, a door in the kitchen gave access to the coal hole. Most people soon stopped keeping coal there though and kept it in the small outhouse instead. Rumours of coal being kept in the bath are, I suspect, largely unfounded.
All changed when the houses were refurbished. Central heating was fitted and the coal fires went.
As a school leaver around 1965- 67, I worked at the Coal Board Laboratories at Cinderhill. I soon learned there that there is a lot more to coal than meets the eye.
But that's another story.
Col