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Hello,   Thank you for your reply Benjamin, and thank you for the welcome DJ. Both are really appreciated.   I spoke to my Aunt, Mum’s sister, this morning and she maintains that t

I'm back Mandie,,,so much to tell you don't know where to start  lol,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,yes indeed Leybourne drive i'm sure was finished just before the war,,,i recall the remnants of an ''Air raid shelte

I moved onto Southglade Rd. (No. 40) around 1951/2, when I was barely 3. Prevously we lived at 76 Glaisdale Drive, Bilboro. Back then, there was no Beckhampton, no Rise Park, or Top Valley, or Bestw

Hi Ben just read this article from the evening post on line, link below, great to read positive things about the old estate and the school Henry Whipple. A quote from the current Head Mistress brings back memories of the then Head Master Mr Deakins and other teachers , and of course fellow inmates of that time , to you it must bring back memories of your first loves, after all it was an Infants and Junior School. lol

 

 

https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/bestwood-primary-school-now-rated-3083699

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Thanks for that trogg,,nice to see the old school getting good comments,,i loved my time there,,,went back a few years ago,,and was pleased to see the buildings all still there,,evoking great memories of teachers and fellow pupils,,head master mr deakin was not my favourite,,and yes Jill i remember the lovely girls from my class,, Sandra Woodcock,,lesley Norris,,Anita Weston,,Marian Perry,,Carol Williams,,Valerie Keetch,,josephine Downing,,jean Duriez,,Valerie Biddulph,,Julie Hatfield,,joan Wardle,,Christine Stafford,,Margaret Bowley,,Sue Sadler,,  oh yes and a couple of lads,, lol

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The old Estate has had its problems and bad press over too many years , even though its over half a century since I left it gives me satisfaction to see good news items about the place and I try to defend it when I can. It was the place where I grew up and had a great influence on the person I became and of as you said the great memories it revives.

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Will always defend Bestwood estate (old) trogg,,even during its turbulent times i was still going there to see my Dad,,and i knew most of the families involved,,it got completly out of control for a time,,but i never had a problem with them,,in fact the opposite,, daft as it sounds some of the fraternity used to deliberately stop there cars in the middlle of the road and have a conversation,,just to show their contempt for authority,,

Teviot was blocked this way one day when i was driving down there,,i pipped my hooter and when they. saw it was me,,said sorry and moved,,don't really know why i was treated this way,,probably because my family were old bestwood and well thought of,,

Always spoke my mind to em,,but there was only so far i could go,,

When i bump into some of them nowadays I'm still treated with respect,,mind you many are still in Prison or worse,,

Funny old world,,

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Sadly, I never had any affinity to any one area, as I'd moved around fairly regularly. Sutton in Ashfield till I was 3. Garnet St, off Alfred St South till 9. Bridlington St on the border of Radford / Hyson Green till 13. Truro Cres in Bobbers Mill till 17, then Wollaton until I fled the nest, and even then, most of my spare time was spent in town. 

Good memories of them all really !

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For years I've been thinking I'd like to visit Henry Whipple again. It's 60 years this year since I left.  Thing is you can't really just walk into a school these days, so I think I'd need to write and ask for an opportunity to have a look around. Good to see that the school is re-building its reputation.  That said, I have no idea what sort of 'rep' it had when I was there.  I too had my 'run ins' with Mr Deakin.. though to be fair he did put me forward for High Pavement, along with more than a few other lads from Bestwood Est.

 

It seems to me that the time Bestwood and many similar Estates were built.. mostly  'between the wars', the idea of the 'sink estate' didn''t exist, and the building was just a recognition of the dire need for housing nationwide.  The result was that a real mixed bag of people ended up on the likes of Bestwood. Some were 'quayte refayned'.. not to say 'stuck up'..  the odd Hyacinth Bucket types.. some were as rough as a ' Badger's Bum' and most were somewhere in between.  I really don't remember much trouble though and as I recall most people rubbed along well enough.

 

In the scheme of things though.. the Original and Genuine Bestwood Estate was comparatively small, and geographically isolated. It was surrounded by farmland to the north and east, and pretty much isolated on the south and west by a combination of the High Pavement playing fields, Arnold Road, the former Leen Valley railway line etc.  Since the old days, Bestwood has been opened up a bit by the continuation of roads to Bestwood Park (Eastglade) and the opening of a glorified 'rat run' from Hucknall Road onto Southglade Road via Gala Way and Forum Rd.    On the rare occasions I get to the Gala Bingo, I enjoy telling the bar staff that I used to play cricket in the same spot where they now pull pints.  It confuses the hell out of them!!  :)

 

I loved it.  I always felt comfortable there and had a brilliant childhood roaming the fields, farms, railways and beyond.

 

I wasn't in Bestwood when the 'dark times' occurred, so can't speak with any authority about individuals or gangs.  But I'm pretty convinced that Bestwood's bad times were really no worse than those occuring in pockets all over the country. Just a nice convenient place for the gutter press to home in on.  I think the timing is significant.. but I'd have to flip into the 'politics' thread to say more.

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Col, I often use the so called rat run, as do many others, as it allegedly alleviates congestion at the Arnold Rd traffic lights. Personally, I don't believe it, so it must be Bestwood Pk residents using it.

I only use it to go to the convenience store in the old Deerstalker building. 

If you do make a visit soon, have a look at the old 360 Club building. I walked passed the other day, and it's been cleaned up beautifully, and renovation work done. At the back its been all paved, and single story extensions built. It's now probably flats / apartments, but looks very presentable.

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Col i got to look round the old school, because i was interviewing long term unemployed there,,and the lady in charge of the scheme escorted me round,,it was exactly the same as the day i left in the mid 50s,,,,being a right softie it fetched tears to my eyes,,

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Col if you ever arrange a visit to Whipple would you mind if I also come as I have never been in the place since I left aged 11, I wonder what memories it would bring back.

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You would be very welcome Mick.

I'll see if I can get in touch with them and ask how best to go about it.

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Irene Howlet,,Mary Radford,,Colleena Mee,,Hilary Miller,,Caroline Shepherd,,Joyce Greensmith,,Carol Oldham,,Christine Hickling,,Irene Crowle,,Maureen Rea,,Carol Stambridge,,Diane Wilson,,Marilyn Baxter,,Ann Draper,, 

Some my class, others a year older or younger,,

Had to mention these,,in case they thought I'd forgot them,, lol

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1 hour ago, FLY2 said:

Col, I often use the so called rat run, as do many others, as it allegedly alleviates congestion at the Arnold Rd traffic lights. Personally, I don't believe it, so it must be Bestwood Pk residents using it.

I only use it to go to the convenience store in the old Deerstalker building. 

If you do make a visit soon, have a look at the old 360 Club building. I walked passed the other day, and it's been cleaned up beautifully, and renovation work done. At the back its been all paved, and single story extensions built. It's now probably flats / apartments, but looks very presentable.

 

When it was built, the Council claimed it was to allow access for people from Bestwood Estate to work on the industrial estate.  Never heard such a load of cobblers in my life.  It would have been just as easy to put in access from 'The Ridgeway'. As it happens, the house directly in front of you as you emerge from Forum Rd, is where I was raised from about 1951 until I left home.  My Mum was still there until about 2008/9 and traffic inceased massively on Southglade when Forum Rd was built.  Whoever has that house now seems to be letting the garden grow..

 

Also, Forum Road slopes down onto Southglade Rd., which shows just how much the landscape was changed by the refuse tipping which the Council also seemed to think was 'OK', because it was 'only' Bestwood Est.  Before the tipping, the land sloped downwards from Southglade Road, actually mirroring the corresponding dip in Hucknall Road and Bulwell Common, which still exists.

 

Mal Redman (Nottingham Way Back When) was a regular young dancer at the 360 when we ran the discos there.  He put up some pictures a couple of years ago when the 360 was in the proces of conversion.  I will have to look at the finished article when I can..

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  • 1 month later...

Hello,

 

Apologies if I’m not doing this correctly, but I was searching online for information about Bestwood Estate, and Leybourne Drive in particular, when this thread popped up.

 

I’ve just read it from the beginning, and to be fair it’s probably been the most productive part of my day so far. I’m not sure if anyone will be able to help me, but the information I was looking for is basically when Leybourne Drive was built. My grandparents were married in Jan 1943 and on their marriage certificate my grandmothers address is Leybourne Drive, and that was their marital home. My mum was born April 1944 at Leybourne Drive, but all the information I can find says that only Andover Road, Gainsford Crescent and Landcroft Crescent were completed pre-war. The 1939 Register has people living on Leybourne Drive, but only up to number 77 and my grandparents lived at 100. I know the house exists as I remember visiting it, but I’ve no idea if they were the first tenants.

 

My grandparents moved away about 1974/75 to Top Valley.

 

Thank you for the thread, it brought back many memories of going down to the shops at Marble Arch with my grandma, and visiting my other grandparents who lived on Orville Road.

 

Take care,

Mandie

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Mandie your Mum was born very close to me,,both in time and address,,i was born at 118 Leybourne on 4/3/45,,number 100 was not far away 9 doors,,i'll probably know of them,,,names i'm thinking at the moment are Shepherd and Alcock,,,if its not them i'll probably remember if you name them.

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Welcome to Nottstalgia MandieOS.

 

If you're happy to give your mum's name here, then benjamin1945 will probably tell you a lot about her :)

 

If you don't want to put it online, send him a Private Message which only he will see. To do that, click on his name in one of his posts, then click on 'Message'.

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Hi, 

 

Thank you for the welcome.

My Mum was Carol Hinsley, her Mum and Dad were George, known as Steve, and Elizabeth, known as Betty. Mum had two younger sisters.

Unfortunately Mum died in 98 so I am unable to ask her if she remembers you.

Take care,

Mandie

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Sorry Carol Hinsley doesn't ring a bell Mandie,,,,odd really i reckon i knew most families on that part of Bestwood estate.

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Welcome Mandie.

For what it's worth, Gainsford Crescent showed up on some maps as early as 1935, but not sure if any of it was built yet.

 

I moved from Bilborough to Southglade road around 1951/2 and was told that the footings were down pre war, but it was not completed until after WW2. 

On the other hand, Andover Road definiteley had houses with SP still painted on their front wall, to indicate that a 'Stirrup Pump' was kept there for firefighting due to air raids. Proof it was built pre 1945.

I honestly don't know about Leybourne, except that my late sister lived there and my Brother in Law still does, very close to the former 28 bus terminus.

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Hello,

 

Thank you for your reply Benjamin, and thank you for the welcome DJ. Both are really appreciated.

 

I spoke to my Aunt, Mum’s sister, this morning and she maintains that the majority of Leybourne was finished just before the war and her family moved there in 1940. I was hoping to discover if the family had been the first tenants and she says they were. I realise this prompts the question why didn’t I just ask her in the first place, but she hasn’t been very well and I don’t like to keep bothering her.

 

I was telling her about this thread and reading some of the posts to her, which prompted a lot of “oh, I remember them”. I had seen your reply, Benjamin, that you didn’t remember Mum or her family and she said when she was growing up there was a H******  family living at 118. I don’t know if this is your family and I’m not sure if you have published your full name on the board, so I’ve asterisked just in case. I’m assuming it probably wouldn’t be your family as my Aunt would be a bit younger than yourself and I think I read you moved to another part of the estate when you were still small. 

 

My Aunt says the Alcocks were at 104 and the Shepherds at 94. When I was reading her some of the names you had posted in your replies to other people, my Aunt said she knew Irene Howlet and Mary Radford. She said that Irene was born on exactly the same day as Mum and the midwife was going between the two houses, and that Irene and Mum were in the same class all the way through school.  I remembered that there was a post about a school photo earlier and that Irene’s name was included. I read the names to my Aunt and she said it sounded like Mum’s class, so I did some digging through Mum’s old papers and found one of her school reports. It’s from the Padstow Secondary Modern School, Name Carol Hinsley, Form 2b, (the photo is of 2a?), Date of Report Jan 1957, Form Teacher D Parkinson, Head Master W Bond. So I think Mum was probably in the year ahead of you. I have a school photo in which Mum looks about 11 or 12, I haven’t scanned it yet but I’ll try and get it sorted and work out how to post it to see if you know anyone. Mum’s Sunday name was Carolyn, but she was known as Carol.

 

I’m trying to encourage my Aunt to register, but she doesn’t really like technology. These are some of her responses to the few posts I read to her, and this is fairly random so please forgive me:

 

The Brittons (Britains?) lived next door - Jack and Alice with their children, June, Joyce and Donald

She remembers big Alma very well, and you absolutely didn’t mess with her if she was in a mood

Granny Boot lived more or less opposite where you were born, Benjamin

The Leonardis also had a daughter and they lived on Raymede not Leybourne because their house backed directly onto Grandma & Grandad’s 

I’m sure she’ll be happy to discuss that last one with you if I can persuade her to join, something about hockey sticks...

 

Apologies for the length of this post. I have an entire sheet of notes from our hour long chat this morning.

Thank you again for the welcomes and responses,

 

Take care, 

Mandie

Oh, and Billinge DJ? We’re nearly neighbours!

 

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You have made my day Mandie,,what a brilliant post,,in the five years ive been on the forum ive had a few great posts from people from my past and yours is up there with em,,

I'm on my phone at moment,,but will switch to computer in a while,,as i have so much to answer you on,,,

Benjamin,,

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Hi Jill,

 

I’m afraid I have very little knowledge of Leybourne other than visiting my grandparents. My mum and her sisters were all born there and it was my Aunts responses I posted, but I’ll send her a text and ask her if she remembers a Dickson family.

 

Take care,

Mandie

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