Harry Wheatcroft and Gedling


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Hello. New member here.

Grew up in Gedling, lived at Hardys Drive (the rose grower, Harry Wheatcrofts family home). Also lived in Balloon Wood flats and also the 'gate house' on Llanberis Grove.

Happy to reminisce about the 70s and 80s of those areas. (Also lived in Bilborough).

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I have always wanted to come back to Gedling, and though I would be very happy in the Hardys Drive house, I would not want the shared courtyard, which our neighbours had to use via the entry to get to

Hello. New member here. Grew up in Gedling, lived at Hardys Drive (the rose grower, Harry Wheatcrofts family home). Also lived in Balloon Wood flats and also the 'gate house' on Llanberis Grove.

Col, my Dad was a rose grower too, taking cuttings from the local rose fields, worried that he’d get nicked for doing it.  Very law-abiding was my Dad.  We had clay soil ‘up Arnold’, it was rubbish fo

Hello Martin, Welcome to NS. I lived in the house next to the Wheatcroft family home. We lived at no 3 Hardys Drive. We lived there from about 1950 until about 1958/9, can't be more exact, the memory is not to good these days. I also have fond memories of those days, many years ago.I have an old photo of Hardys Drive in my computer, copied from another site, but not sure if it is ok to use someone elses photos. I will find out.

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I had been left Nottingham for around 13yrs by then. We did an exchange late 50s with a family up on 'Concrete Canyon.' Phoenix Estate', as No3 only had two bedrooms and a boxroom accessed through one of the main bedrooms, by this time there were two girls and two boys, approaching teens and privacy was much needed. No bathroom, just the tin bath, when we grew to big to fit in the sink.Lol.:biggrin:

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Sometime around 1968 ish, I went with a couple of mates to a 'barbeque' at Harry Wheatcroft's rose growing place.  Can't remember exactly where it was except 'somewhere outside Nottm.'  I recall there was a piano smashing contest which was rather unevenly matched because one team had a standard old upright to smash, whilst the other team had an old 'player' piano with all of its machanical gubbins still in place.

 

Harry Wheatcroft on Wikipaedia:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Wheatcroft

 

 

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At Clifton in the 60s, we lived a few doors away from a lady who acted as a child minder to the Wheatcroft children. For that reason, even at the age of 8 or 9, I became aware of Harry Wheatcroft as a man with a massive moustache who grew roses.

 

I remember seeing him arriving in his car to bring/collect the kids in question. 

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I can remember going to a similar barbecue around that time and there was certainly a piano smashing contest. I think it was somewhere of the Radcliffe Rd. near to Radcliffe on Trent. Piano smashing was popular back then which was pretty stupid because a lot of repairable instruments were taken out of circulation for ever

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My Dad used to like growing roses and he often had Wheatcroft's catalogue. I remember Dad growing 'Peace' and 'Ena Harkness'.  Don't remember any of the other names, but it's possible one rambler is still growing in the back garden of our old house.  I've never taken to the new breeds of rose and still prefer classic HT blooms.

At the moment I'm looking for a medium sized climber with strong yellow flowers of a HT type.  It needs to be pretty shade tolerant as it will live in a corner between West and North facing fences.

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Col, my Dad was a rose grower too, taking cuttings from the local rose fields, worried that he’d get nicked for doing it.  Very law-abiding was my Dad.  We had clay soil ‘up Arnold’, it was rubbish for growing most plants and veg but roses thrived on our garden.   He grew lots of rose bushes for us and planted them out in a large dedicated bed at a house we lived in years ago in Herts but the deer from nearby Ashridge Forest used to come into the garden and they destroyed every single rose bush.  We ended up filling this flower bed up every year with marigolds (which I dislike really) because the deer never touched them.  

My Dad’s favourite rose was Wendy Cussons, I think it was bred by Gregory’s, another well-known local grower. Actually I think Ena Harkness was a Gregory’s rose but may be wrong.   

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Interesting stuff Lizzie.  I don't have any roses at present but have been considering getting some again.  I think that roses, like conifers.. are due for a comeback...  :)

 

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Always loved conifers Col, especially dwarf varieties. However, until recently, some grew to over 15ft  !

I keep recent purchases in pots to restrict their growth.

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I didn’t realise ode ‘arry lived for a time in Gedling, my father thought he lived in a big house on a hill overlooking his rose fields, Edwalton way I assume.  I did go there when Dad was pinching ‘buds’ to keep a look out!  

Harry opened our school summer fair in Gedling in about 1965, remember it well, the afternoon incorporated  Sports Day and I was Victrix Ludorum :rolleyes:

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Sports Champion eh ? Well done Lizzie !

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I thought it meant she was drunk...  :)

 

But seriously.. Well done Lizzie!!

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A victim of laudanum ?

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Thread Drift ! How very dare you ? A stickler for rules and online etiquette here !

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Yep.. Me too..

 

So where did you get the booze Lizzie?  :laugh:

 

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1 hour ago, LizzieM said:

my father thought he lived in a big house on a hill overlooking his rose fields

He did Lizzie and it was said that what is now the Nottingham Knight Pub was once one of his houses..

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