Smiffy49 590 Posted January 19, 2014 Report Share Posted January 19, 2014 One of my earliest Clifton memories was an "earthquake" in the playground at Swansdowne Infant School about 1955? This might sound dramatic, but to a 5 year old this was the only explanantion! The ground shook and rumbled for what seemed ages and everyone in the playground stopped, frozen to the spot as if the teacher's whistle had blown. A few seconds later the spell was broken and the rumbling sound was replaced with the usual excited chatter that school children everywhere make. Never did find out what it was?? Other brief recollections of this school are safety glass on the dark wooden fire doors, you know, the type with a very fine wire insert. Large red fire reels and conical fire extinguishers in the corridors. The feel of warm tarmac on a hot summers day. A selection of full size cardboard red indian tepees and canoes in an outside play area. A variety of galvanised climbing frames and a sand pit in the playground. A weekly "nature walk" to collect all sorts of plants and bugs. Dust floating in the shafts of sunlight streaming through classroom windows. Spelling tests ! Later, not sure when, we all moved to Brinkhill Primary School somewhere near Varney Road shops. I remember this being quite a large place and next to it was another school, (up a kind of grassy bank) but we were banned from going into that area of the site. for some reason? Brinkhill had larger classrooms and an assembly hall easily converted into a gym / sports area. You know, coconuts mats, ropes to swing on and netting to fall out of etc. School milk / orange was supplied to everyone. A teacher I remember was Miss Wright, she had one blue eye and one brown eye... Next came Fairham, circa 1961 - 1966 I think, Fleming House (Blue & Grey) Mr Hind, House Master. Mr Thom, Head Master. I could write for ever about my time at Fairham, perhaps the subject of a another post in the future? More to follow when times allows....... 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,435 Posted January 19, 2014 Report Share Posted January 19, 2014 Later, not sure when, we all moved to Brinkhill Primary School somewhere near Varney Road shops. I remember this being quite a large place and next to it was another school, (up a kind of grassy bank) but we were banned from going into that area of the site. for some reason? The other school was Greencroft Infants and Juniors. I know because I was there. First half of the 1960s. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
... 1,411 Posted January 19, 2014 Report Share Posted January 19, 2014 Smiffy49 am i right in thinking that in 1955 clifton was or had just been constructed ,i was born in 1954 and am sure my dad said he was or had delivered gravel to constuction at clifton around the time i was born.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
poohbear 1,360 Posted January 19, 2014 Report Share Posted January 19, 2014 That earthquake was Feb.11th 1957...and was repeated by one slightly less violent in 1958. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Commo 1,292 Posted January 19, 2014 Report Share Posted January 19, 2014 I believe construction of the Estate started in 1950 with the first houses tenanted in 1951/52. The Estate construction went on for some years and was at the time the largest in Europe. (PS; Pooh, like all the new images) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
... 1,411 Posted January 19, 2014 Report Share Posted January 19, 2014 Thanks Commo the picture i found of my dad in front of the lorries looked like they where from that time early 1950s, Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Smiffy49 590 Posted January 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2014 Hello again, thanks for your posts on this. Earthquake is confirmed as 1957, thanks for that too. I would have been 7 so fits with Swansdowne School period. I think we moved into Clifton when it was first being built (early 50's?) not sure I will ask my Father he is 90 but still sharp as a pin. I might try and get him to join, he does have a laptop and is conversant with email etc etc. Our first house was on Colleymore Leys Lane, a vivid memory was nearly being knocked down by the ice cream van on my bike. I was 6 at the time and we used to follow the van all over the place until he "gave in" and distributed free ice creams to all who had kept up. We said our thanks and got ready to set off, unfortunately he had not observed my little form move ahead in front but a collision was avoided. He never let us follow again............. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
... 1,411 Posted January 19, 2014 Report Share Posted January 19, 2014 Am i right in saying he was not a Mr Softy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bilboro-lad 294 Posted January 19, 2014 Report Share Posted January 19, 2014 Nature walks should be on the curriculum today. We used to go on them and the interest in nature has never left me. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Michael Booth 7,364 Posted January 19, 2014 Report Share Posted January 19, 2014 There used to be a section in the Nottingham Post regarding nature walks (they possibly still do). There was a map to go with the info. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Riddo 47 Posted January 19, 2014 Report Share Posted January 19, 2014 Some memories jolted by these posts. My family moved to Clifton in the very early days. I have photos (1952) of our house there on Rivergreen (No.8) and there are no privet hedges to be seen! We moved from my grandma's house in Ridding Terrace (Wellington Street - house still standing!). One of the biggest complaints from new residents was the lack of facilities, and my mum used to talk about buying groceries from a mobile shop. Others here have mentioned the long roundabout bus trip to get into the city before Clifton Bridge opened. Also, the rent was higher than in St Anns. All this led to us moving back to St Anns (Vicarage St) and giving up a bathroom & hot water on tap for an outside loo and a gasmiser over the kitchen sink, so things in Clifton must have been pretty desperate for my parents. I have no memories of that though, being only 2 years old! I also remember the earthquake, one of my strongest memories of my childhood. I was with my sister and mum in a greengrocers on Woodborough Rd, near the bottom of Harlaxton St. I can clearly remember oranges falling off the display and onto the floor of the shop. Later that year (1957) we moved back to Clifton (Letcombe Rd) and I went to Greencroft Juniors and (Smiffy49 #1) we were banned from Brinkhill over the grassy bank! I later went to Fairham ('61-66) in Britten House - Thommy was Headmaster at that time, but it's Fred Riddell (Elliot) who always springs to mind when I think back - what a nasty B...... he was. Like Smiffy49 I could write loads more about Fairham Comp days! Clifton estate continued to expand southwards for years and years, and even parts of old Clifton Village (orchards, fields, cows) eventually went under the concrete of a Teacher Training College (now part of Nott'm Trent Uni) and Footballers luxury (for the time) pads. Luckily there are still some of the original village houses left (thatched roofs) and St Marys church is always worth a look. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,435 Posted January 19, 2014 Report Share Posted January 19, 2014 Riddo and Smiffy49 I presume you have read (or are working your way through) all the threads here http://nottstalgia.com/forums/index.php?showforum=48 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Riddo 47 Posted January 19, 2014 Report Share Posted January 19, 2014 Thanks Cliff Ton. Are you directing us there to see that it's all been covered before, or to find even more to write about? There's loads to get involved with if it's the latter! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,435 Posted January 19, 2014 Report Share Posted January 19, 2014 Probably both! Pointing you in the direction of things which might jog your memory, which in turn might make you think of something which hasn't been mentioned previously. And being an ex-Clifton person (Woodbridge Avenue) I'm more than slightly interested in anything connected to the area. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Riddo 47 Posted January 19, 2014 Report Share Posted January 19, 2014 If you're ex Woodbridge, you were round the corner from me on Letcombe. But more importantly, you were closer to the lovely Georgina Taylor!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,435 Posted January 19, 2014 Report Share Posted January 19, 2014 Round the corner from Letcombe was Woodsford Grove; we were Woodbridge Avenue which was/is slightly further away (but not much). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Riddo 47 Posted January 19, 2014 Report Share Posted January 19, 2014 Sorry, you're right. So you missed out on Georgina, but did you know Rob Underwood who lived near the junction of Woodbridge and Rivergreen, or the Warburtons & Johnsons at the Brinkhill Crescent end? How about the Ginns just round the corner on Brinkhill? Rob got me started on collecting those car stickers that advertised a "Tiger in your tank" for one of the petrol companies (Shell?) and the Groudhogs that promoted a certain car tyre (can't remember which). We used to go onto Silverdale at night, find a suitable car and rip the stickers off! Don't see the point now, but at the time it was a bit of a craze for us. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Trevor S 2,003 Posted January 19, 2014 Report Share Posted January 19, 2014 'Tiger in your tank' was the Esso advertising campaign in the 60s - Put a Tiger in your Tank - and even extended to plush imitation tiger tails about 9-10 inches long that you could fasten to your fuel cap, bumper or aerial. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
VWGolf 21 Posted March 29, 2014 Report Share Posted March 29, 2014 I remember Georgina Taylor - she was in my sister's year at Greencroft schoo. Blonde and pretty. I wonder what she is doing now. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,435 Posted March 30, 2014 Report Share Posted March 30, 2014 If you're ex Woodbridge, you were round the corner from me on Letcombe. But more importantly, you were closer to the lovely Georgina Taylor!! I remember Georgina Taylor - she was in my sister's year at Greencroft schoo. Blonde and pretty. I wonder what she is doing now. I seem to have been the only person on Clifton who didn't know Georgina Taylor. I've just looked at Friends Reunited on the Greencroft Primary School page, and on the home page there's a thread titled "where are you all?" Georgina gets a mention, and a reply says that she lives in North Ollerton (at least in 2010). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Riddo 47 Posted April 3, 2014 Report Share Posted April 3, 2014 #19 & #20. VWG - I was in Georgina's class all through my junior years at Greencroft. She once held my hand across the desk in Mr Bailey's class! A few years later she used to come round to our house to perm my mum's hair - cue huge embarrassment & blushes on my part. I think she then opened (or at least worked in) a hairdressers on Varney Rd. Yonks & yonks later ('90s), I bumped into her in the Greyhound pub in Arnold, where she was the landlady. Next I heard she was "mine host" at The World's End in Lowdham, but not seen or heard of her since then. Cliff Ton - don't worry yourself, her boyfriend Grenville was a boxer - so no-one else got close (or cared to). We just used to dream we might. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
VWGolf 21 Posted May 15, 2014 Report Share Posted May 15, 2014 Riddo -you may have known my sister, Diana, in the same class? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Riddo 47 Posted May 22, 2014 Report Share Posted May 22, 2014 Could be I do - there were two Dianas if I remember right, one was Carsley but I can't remember the other, although I think she lived on Woodbridge Ave? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,435 Posted May 22, 2014 Report Share Posted May 22, 2014 Could be I do - there were two Dianas if I remember right, one was Carsley but I can't remember the other, although I think she lived on Woodbridge Ave? We were on Woodbridge Avenue, but that name doesn't ring a bell with me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Smiffy49 590 Posted May 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2014 No one got close..... Would that be Grenville Norris by chance? Smiffy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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