poohbear 1,360 Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 My Mum worked in the top floor of this building at Mansfield Rd/Forest Rd in the early thirties.She was around 17 and was repairing typewriters for 17/6d a week...17/- went straight to her Mother and the other 6d got her in the Palais on a Saturday where she was lucky to meet my Dad who with £3/10s a week was able to give her a good time...I've never been in there but can imagine her looking out the windows...probably the same sashes that were in then. Does anyone have info on these buildings...Who built them...Architect etc. It's amazing the crap councils over the years haven't flogged 'em off for a tesco express by now. Bit of history there...probably built when Sherwood Street was still fields of waving corn and there were still 13 windmills along Forest Road...Can you imagine that?...fields of corn right down to Shakespeare Street only a hundred odd years ago. She was a looker then was my Mum.... 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
loppylugs 8,429 Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Just out of curiosity. Do you happen to remember the name of the typewriter company? My late wife had a schoolfriend who's dad owned what she described as a "Business machine company" in that immediate area. Just wondering if it might be the same outfit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Maybe the forerunner to Petite Typewriters from new Basford? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ashley 288 Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 Or Barlock, think I'm right in saying their later factory was on Arnold Rd with a then new road named after that company? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
poohbear 1,360 Posted September 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 I think it was a branch of a Leicester firm...Underwoods comes to mind but I may be wrong. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 859 Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 Lovely picture of your mum Poohbear, eat your heart out Mary Pickford. Rather than what you say, I think that your dad was lucky to meet her, is she still with us. I gather that the junction between Forest Road and Mansfield Road was called Gallows Corner and is where all the public hangings took place, presumably they hoicked the deceased off to Rock Cemetery across the road. On the other side is St Andrews Church, of all the old churches, graveyards, rectories and other wierd buildings I had to survey when I worked for the Southwell Diocesian Architects, St Andrews was the creepiest, it's the only place that I went to survey that really made me nervous, I couldn't wait to get out of there. By coincidence, my father used to live on Mansfield Road and belonged to the St Andrews based Boys Brigade, where he learnt to play the trombone in their brass band. It is indeed a lovely building and looks in fairly good condition, there is a partial photo of it on 'Picture the Past' taken in 1906, so I reckon it was built around the turn of the 19th/20th Century, can't find out anything else about it I'm afraid, pity it wasn't in Lenton, I was researching my sons new abode last week and they have some good historical info about that area. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
poohbear 1,360 Posted September 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 She died three years ago and was thrilled to have made it to the millenium...stood at her bedroom window for ages watching the fireworks.Bedridden for the last few years unfortunately...but was still grafting part time into her eighties. She didn't talk much about her childhood and it took a lot to get her to talk about the early years.She said they were very poor and she had a lot of bad memories unfortunately. She was born off Colwick road in a slum (long gone) She told me as a kid she played in the then derelict windmill that has now been done up.Used to go with her pals down Colwick Hall Estate where they were always being chased off by the gamekeepers. One of her favourite stories was of her Dad returning from the Great War having been gassed...he believed all the crap about 'a land fit for heroes' and decided to get something in return for his stint at the front. She recalled how he decided to build one of them new fangled bungalows...so with three daughters and his horse and trap picked a plot in Colwick Woods and built the foundations. He was most upset when some little bloke in a bowler hat turned up and told him that you needed to own the land to build on it... He just picked a spot he liked and started building...bit like the early settlers in America. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
poohbear 1,360 Posted September 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 My Mother told me she used to play with friends on these steps on Sneinton Hermitage when she was about 5 or 6...I take it there was a railway bridge at this point years ago.No traffic as such for parents to worry about in those days. I've stood on these steps and it's a strange feeling that your own parent played there as a little girl nearly 100 years ago.It makes you realise we will all be just a memory one day....sad. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 859 Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 Lovely story Poohbear, I got quite upset, our previous generations lived through a lot, grand parents and our folks, we moan and winge about the changing world, but it's nothing compared to what they went through. Heres a picture of my grandparents and mum and dad at Mablethorpe in the 1930's: My poor grandad suffered bad health as a result of working in terrible conditions at Raleigh, but in the end,I think he died of a broken heart after grandma passed away. My mum is 93 and has been a cause for concern recently, however, I spoke to her yesterday and she had her mates round and couldn't be bothered to talk to me, they were off to the pub for a meal and a drink, she amazes me sometimes. Here she is with us last Christmas:- I'm sure she'll be here next December too. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lynmee 38 Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 Hi Poohbear The steps lead to Lees Hill St I lived not far from there on St Stephens Road from 1942 to 1954 and used those steps regularly.Opposite the steps was where one of the pownall family lived Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ashley 288 Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 Not only a railway bridge but on the higher (still there) land a railway station, though it was a goods only terminus Quote Link to post Share on other sites
poohbear 1,360 Posted September 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2009 Yep...There it is 1880s 1910 Already gone in 1975 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
loppylugs 8,429 Posted September 19, 2009 Report Share Posted September 19, 2009 That is sooo interesting! I hadn't quite realized where you were talking about until you posted that old photo that shows the police station on the right hand side in Sneinton. It looks so different now. I assume that bridge carried the old suburban railway. I remember passing that so often on the Trent bus from Netherfield into Huntingdon street when I was about six or seven years old. Funny how one picture can suddenly trigger a lot of almost forgotten memories. Thanks. Dave Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ashley 288 Posted September 19, 2009 Report Share Posted September 19, 2009 Actually it was a bridge for The London North Western Railway who had a goods only station/depot on land between Sneinton Hermatige and Lees Hill Street along with cattle pens and sidings, To get to such The LNWR trains had to come via The Great Northern Lines leaving such the other side of Meadow Lane which it crossed via another wide bridge, for those who remember it was the 2nd one after going over the railway crossing. The underground (still there) warehouse was used in BR days for food storage because of it's cool constant temp. after closure it was for many years a surplus catering company Quote Link to post Share on other sites
poohbear 1,360 Posted September 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2009 The underground (still there) warehouse was used in BR days for food storage because of it's cool constant temp. after closure it was for many years a surplus catering company I called in there for some gear a few years back....part of the Pownalls heirachy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
poohbear 1,360 Posted September 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2009 If these are the caves of the Hermitage in the 1890s...where are they hidden from sight now? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ashley 288 Posted September 19, 2009 Report Share Posted September 19, 2009 If that IS a 1890's photo not sure, was going to say behind that wall? but that was there before then, there is however a plaque there re the cave dwellers (sorry can't recall it's details) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bamber 128 Posted September 20, 2009 Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 Most of the hermitage caves were destroyed during the construction of the railway goods depot. Some are believed to survive behind the huge Bulwell sandstone wall. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
poohbear 1,360 Posted September 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 Shame...I bet some were a thousand years old if not more. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ashley 288 Posted September 20, 2009 Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 Here is a photo taken 1975 of the road entrance to the underground storage, the actual station/depot closed in the 1960's as I recall to the right was a steeply inclined road up to the track level, can't say I've seen a sandstone "wall", there is a sort of sandstone dug out cliff face and those blue brick walls though Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ashley 288 Posted September 20, 2009 Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 Eventually !! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
littlebro 234 Posted September 20, 2009 Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 Some caves can be seen adjacent to the yellow dot. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ashley 288 Posted September 20, 2009 Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 Hmm, I dropped a clanger with my "2nd bridge over Meadow Lane after the level crossing" it was the 3rd in later years after the GCR/GNR junction branch that led to weekday cross was added in the late 1890's and not on the earlier map I was looking at. I recall such as it was a narrow bridge, the other 2 being almost tunnels. That high level branch had started way before Meadow Lane and was on a viaduct all the way, virtually opposite the entrance to the LNWR depot there was a road through an arch in the viaduct (seen on the map) one foggy bonfire night post closure in the 1980's I liberated a maroon enamel sign from the wall there, I believe it said "Manvers Street Goods Yard" Quote Link to post Share on other sites
poohbear 1,360 Posted September 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2009 H one foggy bonfire night post closure in the 1980's I liberated a maroon enamel sign from the wall there, I believe it said "Manvers Street Goods Yard" 'Liberated' isn't that we did for the Iraqis Dunno much about railways, but boy on that map the Victorian rail layers were busy little buggers weren't they? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ashley 288 Posted September 21, 2009 Report Share Posted September 21, 2009 They were indeed, and there was loads more the other side of arkwright street, as late as 1939 there were over half a million working for the railways Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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