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When I moved to Hucknall in the 70s there was no by-pass, there was a small zoo which Sunday afternoons my two boys and myself would visit. No Robin Hood Line or Trams. Still had Rolls Royce Test beds, allso Hucknall Miners Wellfare, Nabbs lane and first house's were being built, Nabb Inn was no-where to be seen, but enough of this nostalgia!!! just a minute though when we went to live in Hucknall, it was in the pipe line that Hucknall would join up with Bulwell NEVER SAID THE FOLKS !!!! but it has. This is a long way round my post but just putting member's in the picture. Now my two son's still live in Hucknall, master and I moved about 10/15 years ago, went to visit son's   V  Annesley Bypass and saw lots of buildings being put up. Any way looked in the local rag  and found out 800 house's are being built along with new school's doctors sergery ect ect. Came home V Watnall road now, nolonger a straight rd but,  a road with two island's. I did not reconise it.  It was on the card's that the High Street was to be paved over, in the 70s this was already late as it should have being done 5/10 years earlier.

Linby and Pappelwick were villages the way it's going they too will become part of Hucknall.

The Tram has a lot to answer for.

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New life near the inner bye pass in Mucky Huckna this morning, what with the sun and seeing these so close to the Town centre made my day that little bit brighter.  

I’ve been to Hucknall Aerodrome twice in my life.  The second visit was Chulla’s ‘ham tea’ .......a day  I shall forever remember as many of us gave the good man a lovely send-off. The only other

Look at it this way BK, if some of those who think they are so clever had to do things that you have done in life would they still think they were clever. I have known people who were fine in their th

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When we go back to visit son's in Hucknall we find it hard to belive how many houses have been built,  roads go in all directions. Allso factories gone!

Rolls Royce !Gone Dowtys !Gone  Bainswear !Gone Viyeila !Gone and many more.

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Wait until Gedling have dumped a load more on the doorstep and it will be even worse. Facilities will soon be overwhelmed as all that are built are houses, not infrastructure.

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Many years ago, (1991) I was paying a visit to Nottingham  with a couple of friends from Kent. He remarked that he had never seen a colliery, so I said I would show him some headstock etc. First place we went to,,,Hucknall, nowt but a Fine Fare, so went up Watnall Rd to visit Hucknall no.1, all gone, Carried on to Moor Green but still no luck. We finished up traipsing all over Nottinghamshire but not a pit anywhere. (So I drew him a picture).

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47 minutes ago, Beekay said:

I was paying a visit to Nottingham  with a couple of friends from Kent. He remarked that he had never seen a colliery

Beekay,

I don't know why the had not seen one, Kent had its own coalfield with four substantial collieries, the last one Betteshanger closed in 1989. It was famous for being the only pit to go on strike during WWII.

You could have taken them to Pleasley near Mansfield, you can still see the headstocks there. They have a museum and you can see the winding engines, it has a nice cafe and there are some lovely walks in the area. 

(Betteshanger Colliery Image from Northern Mine Research Society)

http://www.nmrs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/betteshanger.jpg

 

 

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Ho Oz., yes I know about the Kent coalfield. I've xrayed the miners there, at Betteshanger, Snowdown and Tilmanstone collieries.

First time was in 1978 then 1982 and 1986.

I used to work for NCB medical services, as an xray technician and I drove the mobile xray unit.

We did go up to Pleasley because I knew about the steam winders. I've been inside the winding house when it was still working, (we were xraying there at the time). Been to all pits at one time or another plus Cornish tin mines, China clay quarries etc.

We did a lot of private work, but that's another story.

PS. The guy had never seen the Kent pits as he had no reason to visit that area. I've had some smashing dinners at Tilmanstone.

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Never been a clever bloke like you Mr.Mayfield. Not smart enough to be a draughtsman or accountant or auditor. I suppose on reflection, I've had a varied life. Didn't mean to bore you though, sorry.

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I hate the word 'clever'.  To me, it smacks of craftiness, slyness and stealth.

 

You've had a very varied life, Beekay. You've been around, seen much and learnt a lot. That can't be boring. You should be proud of it.

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Why thank you little sis. A most encouraging response. I've tried to do my best, wherever I was. I don't think I've ever envied anybody who had a better job than me. Sometimes thought, "that looks interesting, wouldn't mind a crack at that". Had some interesting jobs and some funny experiences. Wouldn't change my life, even if I could. It's the same when we had two disabled sons, don't regret one minute.

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A few things i remember about Huckna, many years ago was the Masons Arms,Black Pad,Annie Holgate school Huckna,Station,Bulwell Springs(tadpoling and catching newts) all the different aircraft i saw at Rolls Royce, the air displays and a flight over Nottm. in Douglas Dakota for ten bob, great times.

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Back in my flying days a trip to Hucknall airfield was a regular jaunt. It was just 15 minutes from takeoff from Tollerton to a landing at Hucknall. The main paved runway was in use back then but there was also a grass transverse runway to use if the wind was in the appropriate direction. The grass runway terminated near to the clubhouse which was used by the Merlin flying club, a facility for Rolls Royce employees. I think the clubhouse was accessible by road somewhere adjacent to Blenheim Lane, Bulwell.
 

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Look at it this way BK, if some of those who think they are so clever had to do things that you have done in life would they still think they were clever. I have known people who were fine in their theoretical knowledge but were useless when it came to being practical. Someone once tried a bit of oneupmanship with a friend of mine by sneering he went to university. Without batting an eyelid my friend responded "so did Burgess and Mclean but look how much use they were". Total silence followed. My grandfather was a down to earth type and one of his expressions was " if you are content you are the richest man in the world". It wasn't until I got a bit older that I realised the wisdom of his words. Simply do your best at whatever you do, enjoy what you do as best you can and don't try to be something you are not.

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Hucknall Aerodrome always holds memories from childhood. Standing in the backyard on Nuthall Road waving to to the many types of aircraft eg, Mosquitos flying low on their approach over Saxby's chimney's to land. Of hearing the roar of jet engine tests and thinking of what the noise must have been like in Hucknall.

 

All the days were sunny then before cars cluttered the roads and front gardens were of grass not hardcore for car parking. Ted Breffit's garage, the remains of Newcastle pit, the mineral railway that crossed Melbourne Road, Aspley library and the wide pavements and busy bustling shops that fronted Nuthall Road. No Kebab shops and fast food outlets then with roller shuttered fronts.  The old miner's cottages on Basford Road (ex High Street) were cherished homes to many hardworking families and the popular Newcastle Arms all had character well since lost forever. Pleasant times of Nottingham suburban life.

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As a kid, everytime a plane from Rolls Royce came over our house we'd go outside and watch it. We were an aircraft family and would go to airshows at Hucknall, Langar (Canadian) and the U.S bases too. Old habits die hard, hubby, myself and kids moved to Surrey in 77, now we are on the flight path for LHR, again I would go out and watch the planes come over the house,  including Concord twice daily. Nowadays I live near Luke AFB and watch the F16 and F35's come over.

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Some folks buy scanners so that they are able to listen to the pilots conversations with control tower. Was on Gatwick viewing roof and the guy next to me had one. It was fascinating eavesdropping. I asked him if the plane we were listening to was the one approaching, he said no, it was the one behind that !

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Excellent recollection Apha. My memories parallel yours exactly and my early teen years, late 1950s, were tied up with aircraft in general. A school pal of mine and I (Ellis school) would regularly cycle to Hucknall and, in the woods to the south of the runway, photo the incoming planes. I've got Vulcan, Elizabethan, Canberra, P1 all taken on a box brownie so the quality is poor especially when panning planes doing 100 mph.

I remember Nuthall rd exactly as you describe it, with Lee and Goodjohn who was my go-to for dinky toys, he had shelves full. Aspley library,  a favourite haunt at school lunchbreak.

A couple of J94s shunting on melbourne Park.

Getting up and doing my paper round at 7am I sometimes heard the noise from Hucknall if the wind was favourable and at early evening I'd hear the Vulcan in the distance, open my bedroom window (it faced Hucknall from Bobbers Mill) and hear and see it, medium altitude, west to east on its last circuit before end of flying for the day.

Thanks for the memory jog.

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I remember flying out of Hucknall airfield with a friend in his old Auster. Overhead Nottingham the engine started to misfire and we looked for somewhere to do an emergency landing. The golf course at Wollaton looked a possibility but as we reached 200 feet, preparing to land, the engine picked up and thankfully we made it back home to Tollerton!

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I flew into Hucknall once and met up with a fly-in of autogiros. I’d never seen any before nor since. There must have been about ten of them. Similar to helicopters they had a rotor blade but the motive power came from the engine driven propellor on the front like a conventional aircraft. It was fascinating to watch them take off, not immediately vertically, but after a very short run up.

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Willow,

 

I also attended Ellis School and left around 1959. There's memories of the saddle tank shunters at Newcastle sidings and the lines of empty wagons on the old Western Boulevard spur ready for return to Babbington.

 

Now, Lee and Goodjohn, did they also sell electrical parts and equipment?

 

Pinkett's newsagents, George Jones the barber, Bennet's sweet shop, the garage next to the paint shop, Co-op corner, Bert Sheffield butcher, Wardles Stores and Post Office, Harris's cycles, to name a few, White's ice cream shop among many others.

 

All the teachers and Walter P. Hadrill, Head Master at Ellis School, all in my memory as if yesterday.

 

 

 

 

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