Post by Dennis on Oct 26, 2006 21:26:05 GMT -5
The Prefab by Dennis Partington 67 Bikside. Lived there from 1947 to 1963
A great idea but always cold. A fenced garden where we grew grass and vegetables. My Dad planted private hedge which gave us a huge screen within a few years. We had a little dog a terrier, Peter, he was a little stinker but popular where people wanted mice or rats killed. His favorite habit was to escape the garden and go find cow shit to roll in. How many kids he nipped I will never remember. I lived at 67 Birkside, the avenue had several Prefabs on each side I think eight. There where loads of children. At the top of the avenue was Besford Road then a rough field triangular in shape where we used to build our November 5th bonfire. Across the next road Lineside, was the shops, Proudfoots the sweet and newspaper shop. And then what I remember as the clinic. We held the Coronation Party under the shops overhang cause it rained that day.
Deaths
There where two deaths I remember, the first on was a kid who died in the sand tunnels. The sand tunnels where dug into the bank which was just to the left where Hedgefield road came out on to Childwall Valley road. The bank was at the side of the filed and was all sand the kids dug tunnels into the bank (early 1950s). Needless to say tragedy struck and one died.
The second death was a boy drowning in a deep pond/pit that was on the field immediately opposite the Lea Park side of Wambo lane. The pond was not that big but apparently deep and surrounded by big trees
Ponds
These had an attraction for me. There was a pond on the field where the Horses Rest was at the back of St Stephens Church. Now Lea Park. The track entrance leading down to the pond was at the bend in BelleVale road where the sign post was about 50 yards pasted the church. It was a medium size pond with an island in it. We used to fish there. Jacksons pond was a big pond with an island. It was on the corner of Well Lane and the railway embankment. We used to get there by walling west along the edge of the embankment on the south side. It was all fields along the way. On the other side of the embankment (the prefab side) where Cockshead Road is today was another farm pond complete with an old old farm house and barn. This pond was spring fed. There was big hollow tree on the dirt road leading to the farm that had been struck by lightening and we used to stand inside the hollow trunk. There where other ponds scattered about, up Naylors Road, and the road that went from the Bridge in to Halewood. We used to visit them all meandering along foot paths that do not exist today. So much for progress.
Wambo Lane with Irwins the grocers shop and the Jam Factory. These where at the east end of the lane. At the west end there was the corporation yard, some small attached houses, a big secluded house and a set of stables and a storage building. The corporation yard was where we went to report problems with our prefabs and the city stored building materials in the yard. The storage building was where we sold jam jars for recycling and bought paraffin oil. Later the stables became little stores a greengrocers (MacDonalds), a chandlers and the third store? Cutting through the entry at the side got you into the Charlewood section of the Prefabs. There was a piece of wasteland there with dugout complete with roofs and chimneys that the local brats had built. This piece of land later became the Scouts hut where we build a concrete prefab building.
Belle Vale CP School. My first and only primary school. It was a good school well run by the headmaster (Mr. Trevor?), no violence, no corporal punishments, it was part of the community. We had football and marbles in the play yard. I did not do well at school I was in and out of hospital and never seemed to catch up. Mr. Heady the teacher to remember, very popular. They had a small fish tank in the schools main entrance and my Dad filled it with carp, they where there for years. Sunday the school hall was taken over by the Methodist Sunday school. I went I guess to get me out from underfoot. They also ran a bus outing in the summer (usually Helsby) and if I had enough attendance I got to go.
The railway, a major attraction, bombing the trains, getting hosed down by the engine driver, climbing inside the steel bridge structure and waiting for the next train to thunder passed, inches from your face, don’t move or panic. Hanging off the bridges handrails while the train passed, another risky pastime. Once the trains stopped going east out of Gateacre station we used the tracks as a foot path the go as far as Childwall valley. Because of the embankment we made great rope swings off the trees growing on the steep sides. Swinging out and up very high. The railway police used to come and burn down the ropes. I guess they were very dangerous.
Gorsey Copp Manison were we went to steal apples, over the wall and in and out with a pullover stuffed with apples. That stopped when a man shot at us with a shotgun.
In the autumn we collected conkers. We knew where every tree within miles was. I used to collect enough to be able to sell them at school. Conkers as a very competitive sport, we tried all sorts of ideas to toughen up conkers.
The local Scout troop was started and run by Ray Kirkham (a hero). I joined as soon as I was old enough. We met once a week for scouts in the local school (Joseph Williams) and it was a very active evening with games and badge work. We met at weekends to do outdoor stuff. Ray Kirkham was very involved and was always dreaming up things to keep us involved and busy. In those days we did not consider how risky some of the things we did might have been. We acquired a trek cart, a shaft and tee bar a box and two spoked wagon wheels. We used to go hurling round Gateacre sliding this wagon all over the place, with steel shod rims it made a right racket. We used the cart for camping, collecting stuff for rummage sales and to haul our scout stuff around. We had a sort of hut/den up in Gateacre village at the back of the Presbyterian Church, just round the corner from Caves Nursery. Mr. Cave was very supportive of us scouts and let us use his land for doing projects. He also taught a few of us to shoot rifles. Camping and getting away was a big attraction, we used to go for weekends to Tawd Vale, sometimes up to the Mold area. A few of use went to Gilford London to enter scout competions. The biggest summer camp wad Loch Lowmond, a big adventure. We went in a furniture truck and trekked all our gear in to the campsite, while there we built rafts, an aerial runway, walked everywhere and climbed Ben Lowmond.
The building of Lea Park and Cockshead Estates. We went from being a quite civilized village community to gang warfare on the streets. The town invaded and took over the community, it never recovered. I guess that was the beginning of the end. People started to move out, better houses, better jobs. The community was changing and everybody was that much older.
A great idea but always cold. A fenced garden where we grew grass and vegetables. My Dad planted private hedge which gave us a huge screen within a few years. We had a little dog a terrier, Peter, he was a little stinker but popular where people wanted mice or rats killed. His favorite habit was to escape the garden and go find cow shit to roll in. How many kids he nipped I will never remember. I lived at 67 Birkside, the avenue had several Prefabs on each side I think eight. There where loads of children. At the top of the avenue was Besford Road then a rough field triangular in shape where we used to build our November 5th bonfire. Across the next road Lineside, was the shops, Proudfoots the sweet and newspaper shop. And then what I remember as the clinic. We held the Coronation Party under the shops overhang cause it rained that day.
Deaths
There where two deaths I remember, the first on was a kid who died in the sand tunnels. The sand tunnels where dug into the bank which was just to the left where Hedgefield road came out on to Childwall Valley road. The bank was at the side of the filed and was all sand the kids dug tunnels into the bank (early 1950s). Needless to say tragedy struck and one died.
The second death was a boy drowning in a deep pond/pit that was on the field immediately opposite the Lea Park side of Wambo lane. The pond was not that big but apparently deep and surrounded by big trees
Ponds
These had an attraction for me. There was a pond on the field where the Horses Rest was at the back of St Stephens Church. Now Lea Park. The track entrance leading down to the pond was at the bend in BelleVale road where the sign post was about 50 yards pasted the church. It was a medium size pond with an island in it. We used to fish there. Jacksons pond was a big pond with an island. It was on the corner of Well Lane and the railway embankment. We used to get there by walling west along the edge of the embankment on the south side. It was all fields along the way. On the other side of the embankment (the prefab side) where Cockshead Road is today was another farm pond complete with an old old farm house and barn. This pond was spring fed. There was big hollow tree on the dirt road leading to the farm that had been struck by lightening and we used to stand inside the hollow trunk. There where other ponds scattered about, up Naylors Road, and the road that went from the Bridge in to Halewood. We used to visit them all meandering along foot paths that do not exist today. So much for progress.
Wambo Lane with Irwins the grocers shop and the Jam Factory. These where at the east end of the lane. At the west end there was the corporation yard, some small attached houses, a big secluded house and a set of stables and a storage building. The corporation yard was where we went to report problems with our prefabs and the city stored building materials in the yard. The storage building was where we sold jam jars for recycling and bought paraffin oil. Later the stables became little stores a greengrocers (MacDonalds), a chandlers and the third store? Cutting through the entry at the side got you into the Charlewood section of the Prefabs. There was a piece of wasteland there with dugout complete with roofs and chimneys that the local brats had built. This piece of land later became the Scouts hut where we build a concrete prefab building.
Belle Vale CP School. My first and only primary school. It was a good school well run by the headmaster (Mr. Trevor?), no violence, no corporal punishments, it was part of the community. We had football and marbles in the play yard. I did not do well at school I was in and out of hospital and never seemed to catch up. Mr. Heady the teacher to remember, very popular. They had a small fish tank in the schools main entrance and my Dad filled it with carp, they where there for years. Sunday the school hall was taken over by the Methodist Sunday school. I went I guess to get me out from underfoot. They also ran a bus outing in the summer (usually Helsby) and if I had enough attendance I got to go.
The railway, a major attraction, bombing the trains, getting hosed down by the engine driver, climbing inside the steel bridge structure and waiting for the next train to thunder passed, inches from your face, don’t move or panic. Hanging off the bridges handrails while the train passed, another risky pastime. Once the trains stopped going east out of Gateacre station we used the tracks as a foot path the go as far as Childwall valley. Because of the embankment we made great rope swings off the trees growing on the steep sides. Swinging out and up very high. The railway police used to come and burn down the ropes. I guess they were very dangerous.
Gorsey Copp Manison were we went to steal apples, over the wall and in and out with a pullover stuffed with apples. That stopped when a man shot at us with a shotgun.
In the autumn we collected conkers. We knew where every tree within miles was. I used to collect enough to be able to sell them at school. Conkers as a very competitive sport, we tried all sorts of ideas to toughen up conkers.
The local Scout troop was started and run by Ray Kirkham (a hero). I joined as soon as I was old enough. We met once a week for scouts in the local school (Joseph Williams) and it was a very active evening with games and badge work. We met at weekends to do outdoor stuff. Ray Kirkham was very involved and was always dreaming up things to keep us involved and busy. In those days we did not consider how risky some of the things we did might have been. We acquired a trek cart, a shaft and tee bar a box and two spoked wagon wheels. We used to go hurling round Gateacre sliding this wagon all over the place, with steel shod rims it made a right racket. We used the cart for camping, collecting stuff for rummage sales and to haul our scout stuff around. We had a sort of hut/den up in Gateacre village at the back of the Presbyterian Church, just round the corner from Caves Nursery. Mr. Cave was very supportive of us scouts and let us use his land for doing projects. He also taught a few of us to shoot rifles. Camping and getting away was a big attraction, we used to go for weekends to Tawd Vale, sometimes up to the Mold area. A few of use went to Gilford London to enter scout competions. The biggest summer camp wad Loch Lowmond, a big adventure. We went in a furniture truck and trekked all our gear in to the campsite, while there we built rafts, an aerial runway, walked everywhere and climbed Ben Lowmond.
The building of Lea Park and Cockshead Estates. We went from being a quite civilized village community to gang warfare on the streets. The town invaded and took over the community, it never recovered. I guess that was the beginning of the end. People started to move out, better houses, better jobs. The community was changing and everybody was that much older.