Cromwell lock tragedy


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Cromwelllock002.jpg

Cromwell lock memorial to the 10 part time soldiers (sappers) who drowned on exercise "Trent Chase" 28 September 1975, the place is eerily quiet, didn't even hear any birds singing and the water going over the weir seemed quiet as well,

Rog

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I remember the incedent vividly as I had just had my one and only visit to Cromwell lock fishing with my dad. It doesn't seem 35 years back.

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  • 1 month later...
On 24/04/2010 at 8:29 PM, .... said:

Does anyone remember a not-dissimilar accident at Hazelford Weir?

I’ve lived with a couple of miles of Hazleford Weir since 1962. I don’t have a recollection of any serious incidents. Back in the 60’s there was no footbridge across to the island. The only means of access to the house was by a boat and a stretched out rope from bank to bank where you had to pull yourself across.

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17 minutes ago, philmayfield said:

I’ve lived with a couple of miles of Hazleford Weir since 1962.

You live in a beautiful part of Nottinghamshire, I like to think it would have been where we would have lived had we stayed in Notts. Bleasby, Fiskerton, Morton and the like.

As kids we used to swim across to the island and later on regularly spent a few hours in the beer garden of the Star and Garter. When did they build the footbridge?

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1 minute ago, Oztalgian said:

You live in a beautiful part of Nottinghamshire, I like to think it would have been where we would have lived had we stayed in Notts. Bleasby, Fiskerton, Morton and the like.

As kids we used to swim across to the island and later on regularly spent a few hours in the beer garden of the Star and Garter. When did they build the footbridge?

I think the footbridge was built in the 70's. The river is much cleaner now than when you used to swim there. You must have been very brave! The Star and Garter has closed. It's now a care home primarily for dementia patients. There used to be a model railway running round the garden which you may remember. I've spent many an evening in there when it was a pub. The only pubs in the area are the Bromley at Fiskerton, the Moon at Morton and the Waggon at Bleasby. The Coach and the Red Lion at Thurgarton are no more.

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5 minutes ago, philmayfield said:

The only pubs in the area are the Bromley at Fiskerton, the Moon at Morton and the Waggon at Bleasby. The Coach and the Red Lion at Thurgarton are no more.

You were right Phil we often got a taste of the oil that was on top of the river.

If I remember correctly the Bromley Arms was a Kimberly house, the Moon was a Free House and the Waggon was a Mansfield pub.

Pity about the Coach and the Red Lion, alas many of the pubs I once frequented are now long gone. I regularly used to ride along the back road from Epperstone through Gonalston to Thurgaton and on to Bleasby but for the life of me I cannot remember the model railway.

Just looked on Google earth and can see the footbridge downstream of the weir, not where I would have expected it to be but logical to give free passage for river traffic.

 

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Certainly was Phil, what I dreaded was the fishing hooks discarded by fishermen sometimes I thought a deliberate act. There was bad blood between fishermen & power boat users. Mind you the ale in the Hazleford Ferry wasn't the best either ! Could have been that.

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  • 3 months later...
On 10/2/2017 at 0:11 PM, philmayfield said:

 The Coach and the Red Lion at Thurgarton are no more.

The Coach has been gone for a few years; it's now been re-developed into housing. I'm saddened but not really surprised to hear that the Red Lion has closed, it was part of my life for many years. My mother and father both worked there part-time, mum as cleaner and dad as gardener and Saturday night glass collector and pot washer. I too earned a few bob there, both casual as a scholl kid and later as a full time barman after I came out of the Army. I can truthfully say that I've been going in there since 1963, as Mum used to take me with her before I went to school, we only lived across the road.

 

The Lion never was the "village" pub in my day, that was the Coach and Horses; Haydn Brownson was the landlord of the Lion from the early 1960's until about 1984, and was one of the pioneers of the pub/restaurant which we take for granted today. Most of his clientele were the better off working class folk and small businessmen of Nottingham, "Friday night nillionaires " we used to call them, I particularly remember a Mr. Taylor and his wife as regular diners, they ran a shoe shop in West Bridgford. The restaurant could accommodate about 40 people, it was quite cramped by modern standards and the menu was basically what you'd expect at a Berni inn; prawn cocktail, steak and black forest gateau. It was usually booked solid Friday and Saturday nights though, as this sort of thing was still a novelty, but as tastes became more sophisticated and other pubs got into the eating trade, it slacked off a bit and Haydn wisely got out whilst the going was good. He was always a bit of a rogue, I regularly caught him topping up the Bells and Grouse bottles with cheap house whisky, and the old-fashioned "Jewish piano" till never had a roll in it! I also recall the staff's amusement when Haydn's mother-in-law, a formidable old girl known to us all as "Nan", pulled him up in front of a bar-ful of customers because her gin and tonic didn't taste right; Haydn could fool his less sohisticated customers by topping up with cheap crap but he didn't fool her!

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I’ve lived in the area for over 55 years but have only been into the, now closed, Red Lion a very few times. It was not really a “drinker’s” pub; that was the Coach and Horses on the other side of the road. A select bunch of us used to meet there early doors for a few beers on the way from home from work, but that was over 20 years ago. Very sad to see it gone though as we had some good times there as we “wound down” after a day’s work. Our other option was The Waggon at Bleasby, which still exists, or the Star and Garter at Hazleford which is now a care home. As for later evening pubs it was The Moon at Morton or the Crown at Rolleston from where I was carried after my stag night; having to face my wedding the following day! The Crown is now an Indian Restaurant God help us! Now it’s just a Diet Coke at the Old Coach House in Southwell on a Monday night. Beer gives me gout!

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The Coach & Horses was help in its demise by Geoff the landlord in the 90s. He left the Travellers Rest on Mapperley top, had a lot of work done on the Coach and tried to turn it into a posh eating house, last time I called it was less than half full on a Saturday night.

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14 hours ago, philmayfield said:

I’ve lived in the area for over 55 years but have only been into the, now closed, Red Lion a very few times. It was not really a “drinker’s” pub; that was the Coach and Horses on the other side of the road. A select bunch of us used to meet there early doors for a few beers on the way from home from work, but that was over 20 years ago. Very sad to see it gone though as we had some good times there as we “wound down” after a day’s work. Our other option was The Waggon at Bleasby, which still exists, or the Star and Garter at Hazleford which is now a care home. As for later evening pubs it was The Moon at Morton or the Crown at Rolleston from where I was carried after my stag night; having to face my wedding the following day! The Crown is now an Indian Restaurant God help us! Now it’s just a Diet Coke at the Old Coach House in Southwell on a Monday night. Beer gives me gout!

 

 

We may have met then Phil, I was about then. Do you remember Ernie who used to be the landlord at the Coach, notorious for having to be surgically removed from his stool behind the bar if you wanted serving? If you went in the Waggon you may well have met my late uncle, Ron Winn, who contributed quite generously over the years towards the pub's upkeep!

 

You're right about Geoff Sale. It was never the same after he knocked the place about, ruined what atmosphere it ever had; which quite frankly wasn't much.

 

The Moon was always a good pub; being a real ale man I preferred the Marquis at Hoveringham, worked there for a while too both for Barbara and her successor Barry.

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Sad to hear that the Lion has gone, Mrs C and I would occasionally drive down for lunch in the summer before a stroll around Clumber on the way home. We always thought of it as a "cosy" pub with it's seperate rooms, and having somewhat unsophisticated palates, enjoyed the fare.

The Marquis was one of our stomping grounds in the late 60`s, good juke box if you could get in on a Saturday night. Once just couldn't get through the doors so had a couple of pints in the rather rustic Reindeer over the way.

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In reply to Scriv, yes I remember Ernie Garton well. He used to sit on his stool behind the bar, trying to pretend he wasn’t smoking! I remember Ron Winn and his father, they both used to work at H.H. Cook on Crocus St. a convenient train ride from Bleasby station. He was a stalwart at The Waggon and always went home with a small bottle of Scotch to sustain him on the journey. Your Aunt, Dot, is remarkable for her age and gets around pretty well - assisted by her large family. I never went in The Marquis but rather in the Reindeer across the road where two old ladies served the beer from enamel jugs, drawn from the barrel. The Moon was my local for many years. On a Friday and Saturday night we regulars shuffled around after the bell was rung until all the strangers had left. The doors were locked and the serious fun began. The landlady produced plates of sandwiches and we caroused into the early hours! That’s when the money was made.

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A good few years back I visited a pub in Southwell and I just cannot remember the name, an old pub right at the side off the road going down hill out of town, one thing I do remember it was the first time I had seen Tumbler tomatoes grown in hanging baskets which were on the front of the pub.

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20 hours ago, Scriv said:

 

The Moon was always a good pub; being a real ale man I preferred the Marquis at Hoveringham, worked there for a while too both for Barbara and her successor Barry.

 

We used to go in the Marquis a fair bit,I remember Barbara  and then Barry.

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5 hours ago, NewBasfordlad said:

A good few years back I visited a pub in Southwell and I just cannot remember the name, an old pub right at the side off the road going down hill out of town, one thing I do remember it was the first time I had seen Tumbler tomatoes grown in hanging baskets which were on the front of the pub.

Bramley Apple, Hearty Good Fellow, Old Coach House (was the White Lion)?

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11 hours ago, philmayfield said:

Your Aunt, Dot, is remarkable for her age and gets around pretty well - assisted by her large family. 

She is indeed, I get updates from friends in Thurgarton. I'm in touch with Richard  but haven't heard from the rest since just after my Dad died. 

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