On Any Given Sunday.

[Limey 242]

Drove past the old Annesley Colliery last week - everything has now been demolished except for one unremarkable brick building. New homes are already being erected on the site. A pair of headgear wheels are mounted on a frame at, what will be, the entrance to the development! What a terrible shame to see all that history bulldozed away - would it have been so hard to leave the original pithead intact instead of erecting a facsimile to remember the old miners by?

[firbeck 859]

Drove past the old Annesley Colliery last week - everything has now been demolished except for one unremarkable brick building. New homes are already being erected on the site.

Without looking it up, I was under the impression that the site was due to be Listed and preserved and that the developers illegally knocked down the mine buildings and were in deep trouble. Clearly a deal was struck at the Masonic Lodge over a funny handshake and money put into certain local authority individuals bank accounts.

Annesley was one of our sunday morning trips on the tandem. Wollaton, Bullwell, Hucknall then along the road past Annesley Hall Park, looking out for the herds of deer, then down through the mining village, zig zagging across the various railway crossings to end up at the engine sheds. Dad would have a friendly word with the shed foreman and we would be in. Once, it was a different foreman, he refused to let us in, the old man had a row and called him a miserable barsteward, he strode in anyway, daring the bloke to fetch the police, he never did. Then it would be down the lane to Newstead Abbey for a cup of tea and a snack, returning home via Mansfield Road, Valley Road, back home in time for sunday dinner at 2:00, before our next adventure in the afternoon.

[piggy and babs 544]

Did that walk through Colwick Woods many a time Beeffy,when we lived in Netherfield it would be up to the crossing at Colwick Vale and back home via the road. When we lived in Carlton the same rout as you would have taken but the extra walk up cavo on the way back.

Also did the Netherfield TO Stoke Bardolf route often too. My elder brother Ray used to have a portable batery operated record player that he would often take down there in the summer mum would make us all a picknic and of we would go all loaded up with bags stop on the grass out side the ferry boat have our picknic swimm in the river and dace to the hits if the day other people would bring there records too so we had a better solection of music the older ones going into the pub to get a drink, if we younger ones were lucky we may have been brought a bottle of pop . I did not like fizzy pop much still dont never liked coke but did like Portello anyone remember this it was a kids version of port and lemon. Remember when this firt came out Netherfield railway club had a special night to promote it raffles tombolas and food and other things going on some of the prizes were bottles of the pop but by vouchers wone quite a few think some of them were fixed but dad did not have to buy us pop for weeks after this. If it was really hot we would only go as far as radcliffe bend learned to swim in the river here. But both my dad and my brother were good swimmers we also had a big black and white newfoundland dog who would always swim at the side of me if i got into trouble in the middle just grabbed his collar and he would pull me to the other side

[Owdtite 2]

My Sunday usually consisted of catching the no 44 trolleybus at Bulwell Lido and going to the Old St Anns to visit my many relatives with my Mum and Dad, most of my Dad's family lived there still and werent moved out till much later. It used to fascinate me as to why every street up there had pigeons on them, where did they nest and where did they come from ?...I was always glad to get back to our prefab in Bulwell, it was like a little Palace to us!!

!!

[Beefsteak 305]

I had a school aquaintance drowned whilst swimming down there . I only ever swam the Trent once , scared the living daylights out of me on the way back when I cramped up, this was near Trent Concrete when I'd got bored with fishing one hot summer afternoon, I was 19 at the time and very fit , god knows how I would have gone on at any other time !!!

[Ashley 288]

Swam across Trent many times, at Forest Ground, Wilford, Clifton (only narrow channel) Beeston, Gunthorpe and Radcliffe, dare say I still could (but not going to) as the Radcliffe one only about 5 years ago, (then as now knackered if walking to bus stop though!) Thing about swimming a river is not to aim for the other side but go with the flow and if tired or cramped not to panic but lie back, you'll come out eventually! Alot try for straight across and when they realise not getting there either panic or exhaust themselves trying for that target

[Liz24 1]

Our house had bread and butter with tinned fruit and Carnation too. When we got married, my hubby and I insisted we eat the fruit and cream, sans bread and butter. We felt quite daring, LOL. I don't know who started that idea, most likely to fill up the kids who had hollow legs.

I went to sunday school as a nipper, took my sixpence I do believe and got a picture stamp to lick and stick in a book. When the page was full, if I remember rightly, it formed a whole picture. I wish I'd kept my book for posterity.

I was lucky as a kid in that my dad had to have a vehicle for his work, which meant we could get around quite a bit on weekends. When I'd given up on Sunday school, Sunday mornings were spent getting out from under mam's feet while she cooked the joint. Dad was a great believer in 'visiting' and so we went all over Nottm for him to visit relatives, his old school chums, old work mates etc, for a natter. Sometimes in the autumn we'd go nutting, either in Broxtowe Woods for cob nuts, or further afield for chestnuts. Some days we'd go in Bulwell woods and walk through till we could see Hucknall aerodrome, and look at the planes. I once picked a bunch of what I thought were pretty white flowers and in passing some kids afterwards and hearing them laugh at me, wondered what I'd got. They turned out to be stinking nannies, a kind of garlic plant I think. After lunch, mam would like a ride out, so we'd go to Matlock, Crich, or just ride round the countryside. For a full day out we'd go to Skeggy. Sometimes we'd do the airshows with eldest brother in tow [he worked at RR, plane mad!] and go to the Canadian shows at Langar, or the USAF shows at Mildenhall or another one that has gone right now, and I'm sure someone will fill in the gaps. Most of these trips out were in a Commer Cob van with no side windows or seats in the back. Elf and Safety would have a field day.

Re: Fruit, Carnation and bread and butter. It was standard at teatime when I was a child. I couldn't stand the combination of the two and was told if I didn't eat the bread and butter then I couldn't have the fruit and carnation. I eventually ate the bread first (and hated it) in order to have the rest. My family used to dip their bread in the juice and milk - disgusting to me and I still heave at the thought now - 60 odd years later!!

[Guest]

We were lucky,as my Dad had a car( only one other on street)- if he wasn't coaching at some fencing event,we would take off to Wooley Park,Chatsworth or up the Scout,if I was serving evening mass..window shopping would be the order of the day...venture up the Castle and into that shed like cafe on Maid Marion Way.Simple things like the fancy clock that hung above a shop,some geezer givin' us a sermon in the square were great to see,behave and you might get an ounce of mint imperials from Watmoughs..or zip the trap completely and a glass of Blackthorn at the Trip might be in the offering!

Back for a huge salad with cold cuts and loads from BPS deli!!

Fluff Freeman or Tom Brown would be on the wireless..then 'sing something sinful' Sunday with Ma and Pa wasn't that bad when I reflect.

[OrphanAnnie 296]

We lived in Burton until I was 13, once a month on Sunday we would catch the Bartons bus from Swadlincote to Long Eaton to visit my grandma and assorted aunts and uncles. I think it was the Midland Red service from Burton to Swadlincote? Grandma always dosed us with either a Beechams pill or a tiny piece of Exlax, to keep us regular I should think but I always thought she was a bit mean with the chocolate and once ate the whole block (which was the size of a box of matches). I never did it again!!

We always had bread and butter with our tinned fruit for tea, my aunt still does to this day.

We had Two Way Family Favourites on the radio at dinner time, I think the Clitheroe Kid was after, and maybe Charlie Chester? No daytime TV then, though it was Sunday Night at the London Palladium in the evening.

[MargieH 7,607]

We were fortunate that my dad had a car even in the mid forties. He worked for the Ministry of Food and needed transport for his work, I think. This meant that we were able to have trips out on summer Sundays to places like Dovedale, Matlock Bath, Newstead Abbey, Chatsworth and occasionally Skegness. After about 1950, we went to Worksop most Sundays to visit my Grandma who was in a Nursing Home called Ashley Grove. Sometimes, if it was good weather, we'd stop off near Ollerton on the way, where we had a picnic and I could have a run around in the bracken with our dog. Sounds a bit boring now, but I was only 7 or 8 and I thought it was fun!

[Guest]

The day of rest for me as a kid was often very busy.

Up early with a bowl of Nabisco cereal,if I hadn't wet the bed- i was in reasonably good sorts. A bit of stewpot on Sunday then off to mass at the Cathedral on Derby rd.

Across St.Albans Terrace,past the YWCA,up South Sherwood St,quick goz to see what is on at the Gaumont- glance across to see Watmoughs isn't open yet( one of the few that did on a Sunday).

Up Woolo behind the big Co-Op dog a left down Derby St.and into a hushed world of early mass!

Canon Thornhill was a bugger for good timing,late at your peril!

Light the candles check the alter and serving plates, key for the tabernacle etc..same characters every week- Little Glove Man/Mince Tall/Plastic Coat Lady/Inky With His Eye/Piss Funk.

We didn't know there names,so labelled them as thus; after snuffing the candles the journey home varied. Nudge the glass booth at GNCS and topple the cartons of wine gums,chat to the newspaper lady on Parliament st,ice cream sucker from Watmoughs, if my Mum,who sometimes came was in fine fettle- half a cider and a bag of crisps in the Trip.

Sunday lunch was a grand affair,and roast parsnips at my request... always recall The Typewriter Song on the wireless.

After the pots we would go window shopping in Steeples, Pearson's and Poysers. If the concertina gate was open we would stroll up the bottom end of West End Arcade and look in Browns.Up the Castle meant the wooden shed on Maid Marion Way that doubled as a cafe on the way home...or the Wimpy Bar.

Most shops were closed,shuttered or obscured with yellow film; tea time was Fluff Freeman/Tom Brown coupled with fantastic salads from BPS: Russian Salad,cream cheese,hams and salamis, but hated that water cress!

Sing Something Simple would follow the tin bath- then bed!

My ultimate dread was ahead- school!!

[benjamin1945 16,166]

Sundays as a Ten year old in mid 50s meant

Football at 10 oclock on Bulwell Common

Sunday Dinner 1pm

Sunday school in the old Church Hall............only occasionally

Best clothes and trip to Grandma's for Sunday Tea

Sunday night was house full of relatives for card games,.....Queens,Pontoon,Solo and ku-kan were the favourites.........and lots of laughter

It was also Bath-night for me,......ready for Henry Whipple school on Monday

Oh nearly forgot the sound of Church Bells on and off all day

Then to bed,listening to coal trucks and trains.....shunting,clanging and Whistling.......never to be forgotten days and nights..............

[MargieH 7,607]

My Grandma was in a Nursing Home in Worksop when I was little, so we visited her every other Sunday. In the summer we stopped off near Ollerton (I think it was) and my brother and I played in the bracken with our dog after having a picnic. I used to get a bit bored at the Nursing Home after a while so I used to explore the gardens there which had lots of little paths. I can't remember what happened on the Sundays in between.

[Ashley 288]

All ways hated Sunday's

[benjamin1945 16,166]

Later years as a teenager Sundays were still good...........if i'd been lucky on a sat. night i'd find my way home early Sunday morning to Mams breakfast and a few hours sleep........then a date,if it was summer in Bulwell it was often Bulwell Hall Park wearing my latest Cliff Richard shirt,..........or if it was a girl from further afield like Carlton,Clifton or the Meadows it would be Trent Bridge and a drink in town Sunday nights was couples night in Town always much quieter,

The Bodega,White Horse,The Bell,and the Nelson top of Hockley to feed the Juke-box were among my favourites,.....a kiss goodnight at a bus stop,then home for Mams special Sunday supper,............ahh to do it all again...........