Rachel Hawker

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Posts posted by Rachel Hawker

  1. Ooooh spooked now ! Thanks for all the comments it's so interesting to hear different perspectives - thanks for the links too Trevor & Cliff, very interesting.

    I thought I'd ask about it as I was helping my friend delivering brochures on Valley Road a few years ago & that house for some reason gave me a bad feeling when I walked up the path & posted a brochure - never had that before or since, probably nothing but wanted to hear if anyone else had any stories or history on the house so thank you everyone !

  2. Anyone heard about a house with supposed poltergeist (!) on Valley Road Sherwood???

    It's a detached house on the same side & just before The Fox Pub (going towards Arnold). It was owned by Sketchleys for years & years from the 30's or 40's ish - then in more recent years rented out but apparently no tenants stayed for too long due to the haunting ! I am not a great believer in that type of thing myself but l love local history & stories & wondered if anyone else had heard about this house?

  3. Thanks fch782c, Piggy & Babs - that's really interesting. I was fascinated with the building as a child, I thought a Princess lived there ! fch782c if you get any more info or images from your brother please do post them as I would love to hear more. Does anyone know if Seely lived there when it was build, before it was used for evacuees? I have read a thread from about 1850 when Seely wanted to build a family house high on the hill behind Ramsdale Farm (near the golf club) so I assume this was that house he discussed in the mid 19th century. Thanks again everyone this is really interesting.

    If you go to the following site: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/33643 there is an image of Abbey House before demolition, the green some has been removed from the top though.

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  4. Does anyone know anything at all about the old Ramsdale 'Special' School that could be seen high up on the hill (seen from the Ollerton Rd) behind Ramsdale Golf Club? It was off the top of George's Hill & had a green dome on the top but was demolished about 10 years ago & turned into Calverton Hill Residential Care Centre. I know a bit about the later use of the building in the 50's-70's, as a school for the handicapped/ special needs etc, & it was previously used in the war as a temporary home for evacuees but I am particularly interested in the building of the house (for one of the Seelys I think) around 1900.

    I have trawled the internet but found only one picture taken when it was derelict in the 90's - any pictures, stories or anyone that can point me in the right direction for more info?

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  5. Hi Limey - yes I loved it around there but as you say I bet most teenagers in Redhill & Arnold have ever bothered venturing that way, to busy on their laptops etc ! Good to hear you enjoyed it there as a kid too, did you know my Grandfather at all or any of the Hawkers?

    I would love to hear from anyone who knew them & the business in the 1940-60's so if anyone did please get in touch it would be lovely to hear anything at all.

  6. Hi Michael - no that's my aunt waving in the pic, she lived opposite with my mum & grandparents. I think the photo was taken around 1966 when she was a teenager. I was born in the mid 70's & the garage was sold by then but we still had the land at the side of the house opposite & we used to play there as kids. We often went over to the 'abandoned road' as we called it then & ride our bikes there & then over to the old derelict pumping station. My family eventually sold the land in the very early 90's & that is my last link to the place :(. I have a photo that shows the whole frontage of the garage so will post that too.

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  7. Hi micktome Administartor,

    Yes I 'googled' Hawkers garage leapool & was surprised to find a link here. Am so pleased people remember the Hawkers & I am very proud to be one of the family. 'Hurley House' was sold way back in the late 60's early 70's I think but we kept the land at the side until the family sold it to the Highways in the 90's....I miss that place :(

    I have quite a few images of the old garage & Leapool island but am having problems uploading to this site (grrrr) but watch this space !

  8. Hi,

    My name is Rachel & I posted on here a couple of months ago regarding Leapool Island. My Grandfather was Peter Hawker (one of the Hawker & Sons) from the privately owned garage at Leapool. My great grandfather started the business way back in the 1940's I think & also built the house directly opposite which was then called 'Hurley House' named after my great Grandmother Eliza Hurley. The family sold the business in the late 60's but kept Hurley House for a few years after that. I have found quite a few images of the old garage, Leapool Island before the renovations etc. post-5108-0-79895300-1369739452_thumb.jp

  9. That's right, Den. the garage was called Hawkers and had that name for some decades. The cafe became a Little Chef for many years and fairly recently the empty building has been turned into an Indian restaurant of all things.

    The old privately owned garage has been a petrol station for many years also.

    The little old road became a bit of a 'lovers lane' until it was barricaded to vehicles. It's still possible to walk up there. Feels a little bit strange and eerie actually.

    Down off the roundabout on the A60 Mansfield Road has seen a change as well. The old Bestwood Pumping Station (many wrongly believe it to be to be Papplewick Pumping Station) is now a restaurant, bar and health club called Lakeside. It's very nice and uses the old cooling pond outside as an attractive feature

    lakeside_470_470x326.jpg

    LAKESIDE

    My Grandpa was Peter Hawker & it was his father that started the garage business Hawker & Sons in the 1940's I think. My Grandpa worked at the garage with his Father & brothers. My Great Grandfather also built the house opposite 'Hurley House' originally named after his wife (my Great Grandmother) Eliza Hurley. I doubt it's called that now but my Mum lived there in the 1950's-60's & remembers playing at the garage & stealing cigarettes when she was 15! The house & garage were sold in the 60's but my family kept the land next to the house (next to the roundabout) until the 90's, I used to play there in the 80's 7 there was an old air raid shelter my Grandfather built in WW2 that the family filled in to keep us safe. My Mum has some old pictures of Leapool & Hawker & Sons garage from the 50's, will try to put them on.

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