Bulwell

[Jill Sparrow 10,307]

You have to keep it clean and wholesome for Nottinghamshire Bygones, young Trogg!

[Oztalgian 3,298]

12 hours ago, Jill Sparrow said:

Redfern's were a Bulwell soft drinks company.

Jill, Redfern's soft drinks, that brought back some long forgotten memories of long hot summer days passing round a bottle of pop and all having a swig and no we did not die because of it. A bottle of Redfern's or Sunecta pop was a rare treat it was usually "corporation pop"

[DJ360 6,730]

On 8/17/2023 at 10:35 AM, Jill Sparrow said:

Alan Gilliver came to Nottingham at the beginning of the Second World War when his father's workplace changed from Loughborough station to Bulwell Common station. His family lived at number 2  Moorbridge Cottages, with his father's parents and Alan went to school on Bulwell Hall Estate, Lawton Drive. He remembered the headmaster dying and being replaced by a Mr Hadrill. Alan had a good relationship with one of the teachers whose name was Mrs Hodgson but not so with Mrs Williams, who delighted in administering the leather strap on occasion.  He had a good 11 plus examination pass and went on to Henry Mellish Grammar School.

 

The whole read is fascinating Jill, but that last paragraph in particular rings so many bells with me. 

I spent much of my youth around Bulwell Common Station, either on the adjacent common, or on the sandstone levels of the station cutting, trainspotting, climbing about etc... and investigating what the sign on the fence next to the former NCV garage described as a 'Dangerous Disused Well'. That same well was to hold up the building of the new store, Aldi?, some 50 years later, as it was (re) 'discovered'.  If only they'd asked the Bestwood Lads...

I had a relative on my Dad's side who lived in Moorbridge Cottages, but he passed away sometime in the early 60s and I have no personal memory of him. Few now realise that the original 'Moorbridge', crossed the Leen and Midland Railway via a narrow road just to the left of Moorbridge Cottages, as viewed from Bestwood Rd.  The bridge from the Bestwood Road side remained in place until quite recently, when the remaining 'pier' next to the railway line seems to have been removed.    

The more observant will note the way the houses on Hucknall Lane opposite that point are set back, presumably to allow for traffic which never materialised.  The houses closer to Boowul where the 'new' Moorbridge descends to Hucknall lane are not set back, hence the pinch point which now exists as  much increased traffic tries to sort itself out on a small two lane roundabout.  I think I've reported previously how my Mum's younger brother Jack got quite upset about the change from the old to the new brige and was heard, presumably dreaming and shouting in his sleep. "Put that bleddy bridge back!"

My Mum lived her early years in Nut Yard, Bobber's Mill, close to where my Grandfather and Great Grandfather both worked the Bobber's Mill Railway crossing, but moved to No4. Grindon Crescent, Bulwell Hall sometime around 1929. She also went to school in nearby Lawton Drive.  That was Springfield School, which I think my still be open?

[DJ360 6,730]

10 hours ago, Oztalgian said:

Jill, Redfern's soft drinks, that brought back some long forgotten memories of long hot summer days passing round a bottle of pop and all having a swig and no we did not die because of it. A bottle of Redfern's or Sunecta pop was a rare treat it was usually "corporation pop"

 

I don't recall 'Sunecta' at all, but do recall Redferns.  When I was at Henry Whipple Primary, on Bestwood Estate, we used to play football in  competition for the 'Redfern Cup', which I assume was donated by the soft drinks co.  I say 'we', but I mean our school team. I was a pretty hopeless footballer, but recall carrying our school's massive rosette on a pole and cheering from the sidelines. I bet our own Ben played in that competition..

We won the cup at least a couple of times in finals which were played on the sports field on St Alban's Road.  I recall imagining that the Redfern Cup would be decorated with red, enamelled versions of the red fern logo which featured on the pop bottle labels, and being a bit disappointed that it turned out to be a pretty bog standard silver trophy. I wonder what happened to it. Is it still played for?

[benjamin1945 16,162]

Some people on Face-book were recently slagging Bulwell off.......with out being 'Specific''.............I must say i went into a bit of a long 'Monalogue'' in defence of Bulwell........

ITs  shops.......its free parking.......its lovely old Buildings....its great transport facilities Train..Tram and bus stations........the fact it has a Market 4 days a week...and always fairly busy.......the lovely river Leen that twyns its way thru it...going under an old bridge thats ..nearly 100 years old......not forgetting the grand old 'St Mary's church'' that overlooks it all and where i was Christened in 1950......and suggested that if and when Wilko's finally closes the large building that fairly well dominates around the old market place...could be turned into a large in door Market....bit like 'Central Market used to be in Nottingham.....

         I went on a bit more about its people and their friendlieness.....anyway did my bit in Bulwells defence........then pressed the wrong thing and lost it all....and ive no intention of repeating myself........

[Cliff Ton 10,468]

26 minutes ago, DJ360 said:

Few now realise that the original 'Moorbridge', crossed the Leen and Midland Railway via a narrow road just to the left of Moorbridge Cottages, as viewed from Bestwood Rd.  The bridge from the Bestwood Road side remained in place until quite recently, when the remaining 'pier' next to the railway line seems to have been removed.    

 

The old OS map from the 1930s shows a 'new' bridge in dotted lines, which is presumably the one which is there now.

 

[DJ360 6,730]

That's brilliant Kev, although I looked at the link to the bigger map before you posted the image and could also see pretty much all of the 'original and best' Bestwood Estate..also in dotted outline, by 'zooming in'.  That map contains so much detail of long gone stuff..  fascinating.  You can clearly see what I mean about the houses being set back.

Also some seemingly long forgotten place names such as 'Potter's Hollow' and 'Soldier's Hill' on Boowul Common. I never heard either used..

Any chance you could re-post the bigger map?

 

Also, some map codes puxling me. F.P. is clearly footpath and F.B, footbridge, but what are S.P., B.P. and M.P.? They seem to be related to railway lines. 'Signal Post'?..

[DJ360 6,730]

20 minutes ago, benjamin1945 said:

an old bridge thats ..nearly 100 years old..

 

Which bridge Ben?

I think the stone bridge next to the Bogs must be older than that?  The new Moorbridge was opened in the 1940s I think, but am open to correction, so that's at least 75 years old. And I read in a railway book that the Highbury Road Bridge over the railway and the Leen, next to Bulwell Market Station, was thought to be the 'original, from the 1840s.'.

[benjamin1945 16,162]

Its got the date when it was built on it Col...........i'll look it up next time i'm in Bulwell

 

I do pop in now and again........

[Stuart.C 491]

The old Moorbridge,

 

The bit that was left of the old Moorbridge, photo dated 1972.

 

 

 

The new bridge almost complete April 1940

 

 

 

New bridge completed

 

 

[DJ360 6,730]

Fab pics Stuart.

[benjamin1945 16,162]

We used to go looking for Frogs and Newts in the Pond at Moorbridge...which we always knew it as ''Jelly-lake''

Still got the Scar on my Ankle from when i was about eight.....trying to stop some big lads'' shooting the 'Frogs'    was shot by an 'Air Pistol''.......

[Stuart.C 491]

I try and collect any local, to me, pictures of interest.

 

Here's one I've posted before when they were knocking down the stone piers that were supporting part of the old bridge,

 

Really zoomed in shot from Britain from above

 

 

 

 

 

[Jill Sparrow 10,307]

Continuing on the subject of Redfern soft drinks, in one of the Bygones (October 2004) was a letter from Pat Deacon, nee Redfern, which gives some history of the popular beverages of our childhoods.

 

Although I was born in Bulwell, at Nurse Robinson's Nursing Home in Highbury Vale in 1936, I lived most of my childhood on the Aspley estate where I attended the William Crane schools. However, I visited Bulwell regularly as my grandfather, Arthur Henry Redfern, had a mineral water business there.

 

My grandparents' home was a bay-windowed house at 178 Highbury Vale between Hayward's butchers shop and Albert Horry's soft furnishing shop. The business, which was started in the early 1900s by my grandfather, continued to run until the late 1960s.

 

My father, Leslie Redfern, manufactured a large variety of mineral waters, lemonade, orangeade, grapefruit, limeade and dandelion and burdock, to name but a few. I can remember, as a child, visiting my grandparents and going up into the factory, which was behind the house, and choosing a bottle of pop to drink. In later years, my own children thought it was wonderful to go into a pop factory and choose their own bottle.

 

 It was a small family business. My father was the mixer and blender and my two uncles, Arthur and Ivan, were the salesmen: delivering mainly to small corner shops, clubs and pubs around the Bulwell area.

 

 In my later years, I remember also looking forward to Saturday nights at the Embassy Ballroom and dancing to Stan Holt and his New Blue Ramblers. Happy days and nights.

[loppylugs 8,429]

I remember a soft drink line called, Redgate.   Wondering if there's a connection there.

[Jill Sparrow 10,307]

I think they were two different products, Loopy. I remember the Redgate bottles.

[MargieH 7,600]

Ben, I expect you called it jelly lake because it would be full of frogspawn in the spring?

Good on you for trying to stop bigger boys harming the frogs x

[loppylugs 8,429]

Loopy, indeed! 

[benjamin1945 16,162]

Thankyou Margie............i could never harm another living thing........and yes that was the reason we called the Pond/Lake......Jelly........you are very 'Perceptive'' my dear.......

[Jill Sparrow 10,307]

16 minutes ago, loppylugs said:

Loopy, indeed! 

I've corrected it once and it reverted to Loppy again!! Mea culpa, Loppy!

[Beekay 5,153]

Do the same as me Jill. Turn your predictive text off. !

Your servant ma'am.

[Oztalgian 3,298]

13 hours ago, DJ360 said:

I don't recall 'Sunecta' at all,

Sunecta and Mandora were brand names of Mansfield's R.L.Jones soft drinks makers who were purchased by Mansfield Brewery in 1977 and they sold it to A.G.Barr in 1988. For a while they made Irn Bru in Mansfield from coal not girders.

Sunecta Mixed Fruit drink was my all-time favorite.

[benjamin1945 16,162]

On 8/27/2023 at 12:18 PM, benjamin1945 said:

Its got the date when it was built on it Col...........i'll look it up next time i'm in Bulwell

 

I do pop in now and again........

1833 Col.......Amazing ...a few folk have crossed it then...in nearly 200  years.....

[Cliff Ton 10,468]

On 8/27/2023 at 1:35 PM, Jill Sparrow said:

My grandparents' home was a bay-windowed house at 178 Highbury Vale between Hayward's butchers shop and Albert Horry's soft furnishing shop. The business, which was started in the early 1900s by my grandfather, continued to run until the late 1960s.

 

Also named Ebenezer Cottages - 1890.     https://goo.gl/maps/CoD8dSt5s92xknQZ6

[Jill Sparrow 10,307]

How nice that it's still there. A bit of history.