Out of the wilderness

5LFKDUG 3HDUVRQ OUT OF T H E W I L D E R N E S S

OUT OF THE WILDERNESS A Personal biographical Journal incorporating the social history of The Claddagh Village (Ireland, County Galway); Marlpool, Shipley & Cotmanhay (In Derbyshire); St Anne’s Well & St Anne’s (In Nottingham); John Russell Hind, Thomas William Bush and William Sadler Frank’s (Nottinghamshire astronomers of yesteryear).

By 5LFKDUG 3HDUVRQ

Copyright Š Richard Pearson 2007 Chapter 9 Š Stephen Best 2004 This book is copyright under the Berne Convention, and may not be reproduced digitally, photocopying or other wise, stored in any database or retrieval system, or on the Internet, without the permission of the copyright owner.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Contents ------------------------------------------------------------------------------Chapter 1

Humble Beginnings

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Chapter 2

Work, Rest & Play

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Chapter 3

Childhood Reminiscences

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Chapter 4

Monsal Head, Whitby & Shipley Wood

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Chapter 5

1985 I came to Nottingham

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Chapter 6

Our Adorable Pest

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Chapter 7

New St Ann’s Blighted by Crime

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Chapter 8

Old St Anne’s

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Chapter 9

Victoria Park & Rest Garden

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Chapter 10

The Stonebridge Park Estate

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Chapter 11

Thomas William Bush

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------------------------------------------------------------------------------APPENDIX Ilkeston News Stories 1979-1981

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Ilkeston News Stories 1982-1983

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FORWARD My christian name is Fleckney, and I changed my name by deedpoll in 2007.

Approaching the age of 50 I felt that the time was now right to write an autobiography of my experiences up until the present time, and I had a lot of fun in doing so. It was very pleasing to hear from all those people I presented draft printed copies of Out of the Wilderness, and enjoyed reading it, along with the amusing reminiscences. I have a keen interest in local history, so this book will interest locals of Ilkeston in Derbyshire, The Claddagh in Ireland, and St. Ann’s in Nottinghamshire. I have brought all the text up to date, and added a further two chapters to make Wilderness of interest to those who have a curiosity in local history. Since this book first appeared I have since moved from the Stonebridge Park Estate to Bellevue Court, my cat Scraggy died on 12 June 2007, and has been replaced by Sky (born 17 June), and Mrs Maureen Graham has died aged 69.

I would like to acknowledge and thank the following people, and organisations, for their valuable help while writing, and researching Out of the Wilderness: Lorraine Crofts, Barry Crofts, Michelle Brown, June Gaskell, Andrew Gaskell, Jessica Gaskell, Angelina Gaskell, Ray Gale, Jon Collins, Dave Liversidge, St Ann’s Library, Nottingham Local Studies Library (Cat Smith), Nottingham Archives, Nottingham University, Stonebridge Park Steering Group, Adrian Cartilage, Ben Chilvers, Beryl Whitehead, Graham Knott, Richard Przybylko, Zbyszek luczynski, Revd Jim Neill, Nottingham Evening Post (Michael Greenwell), BBC Radio Nottingham (Gemma Hibbard), Wadham College Oxford (Prof. Alan Chapman), Sir Patrick Moore, Newark Local Studies Library, Nottingham City Council, and anyone else I may have inadvertently missed out, thank you all.

Richard Pearson, September 2007

CHAPTER ONE HUMBLE BEGININGS The name "Fleckney" (and alternative spellings of "Flecknie,” "Fleckineye" and "Flechenie") may be Saxon or Scandinavian in origin. Although it seems the name Fleckney existed before the Norman Conquests as the preNorman, spelling of the Leicester village of the same name appears in the Doomsday Book of 1086.

The Fleckney motto that was adopted is that of Lord King, Earl Lovelace, and the last Lord of the Manor, which translates, as "Labour is its own reward.”

My mother’s name is Bridget Christine Fleckney, while her Christian name proper is King, which I know to be Irish with its origin in the Claddagh village, county Galway, were she was born Bridget King in 1930. My father was born Charles Fleckney in 1923, and on my father’s side the origin of my Fleckney Christian name appears to be the Bedford area of the UK. I do not remember by grandparents on my father’s side all that well, although I have seen one interesting photograph of my dad’s farther on the back lawn of the Rose & Crown pub in Church Street, opposite Cotmanhay church.

He was in his mid fifties, the lawn was much overgrown, and my granddad with his male companion, had long handle scythes cutting the grass. He was posing to the camera in black waistcoat, rolled up shirtsleeves, sporting a flat cap on his head, the weather being fine and sunny.

I had an Uncle Walter living in Woodside Crescent, who had a son named David Stapleton. Dad and I use to visit Uncle Walter often, who was a keen gardener, and being given tomatoes & vegetables for the Sunday dinner. David had a large train set laid out in the upstairs back bedroom, that he played with quite often. Later on, he married his partner, and then went to live with her and two children in a new house on the Cotmanhay Farm Estate. He died at a young age in his thirties, due to a heart attack I believe, although not before writing a Cowboy Western manuscript. I do not know whether this was later published in some form, although it was quite a shock to hear the news of David’s sudden death.

My Grandmother, dad’s mum, lived in an upstairs two bedroom flat in Beauvale Drive above an elderly blind man named ‘Steven’ during her later years.

She use to look after me while my mum was working, and I came home from

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Cotmanhay Infants School, so this must have been about the year 1962; as for her age she would have been about 76 at this time.

Before retirement, she worked as a cleaner at Ilkeston General Hospital. This was built in 1893-4 on the southeast corner of Shipley Common, on land donated by Edward Miller Mundy, of Shipley Hall. The Ceremonial opening by Lord Belper was on Wednesday 28 February 1894. It had an operating theatre, sick room, and about four wards.

One of these was the Nightingale Ward, and it was here in one of the beds that my mother died of Cancer in the spring of 1986, she was 56 years old. After replacement by the new Community Hospital in 1988, the old hospital was reopened as the Apricot Nursing Home, which still exists today.

I have fond memories of my grandmother who once lived with my uncle in a three-bedroom house at 43 Coppice Avenue, which they occupied up until my grandfather died around the year 1963. I will describe this house in some detail, just as the council originally laid it out.

It is a fine house with a really large back garden, extending down to a big playing field, that stretched all the way to the children’s’ playground at the bottom of Langley Avenue.

The house had a coal-room opposite the back door, and a gas meter on a shelf high up on the kitchen wall, just inside the back door. The back kitchen was spacious, and had a large round free standing gas water boiler tub next to the sink, and two small gas taps coming out of the outside wall, one of which was used for the gas cooker. There was a separate bathroom & toilet, with the cistern and hanging chain up on the wall next to the bathroom window. Access to the bathroom was by way of a strange two-door cubbyhole, come airlock. You opened one door to enter the cubbyhole, and then the bathroom door itself was on the right. In the early days, all of our kitchen walls were painted green in colour.

From the kitchen there was a single door leading into the living room, with a further door immediately on the left, which was the pantry under the stairs used to

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store food. Inside the pantry was a concrete slab held two foot (60 centimetres) off the floor; one presumes it was used to keep butter and meats cold.

The living room had a wooden picture rail around the upper walls, and a fireplace or range with a built in oven and door, the whole surrounded by a mantlepiece. This was on the side of the connecting wall with the house next door. To the right of the fireplace was a further cubbyhole hidden from view by a long drape curtain, with a single upper shelf. On the left of the fireplace, were a lower cupboard that housed the electric meter and fuse box, while an upper cupboard with three shelves contained dinner plates, cups, and bowls. These were all put to good use, since the dinner table was situated in front of the main window.

In the late 1970s, my father and I stripped off the wallpaper while redecorating, which revealed that the living room had once been painted: lower halfbrown and top half green. On the walls of the living room was the outline of a Welch dresser, and a grandfather wall clock; my grandparents did not move these out of they way, they just painted round them after running low on paint.

It was a three-bedroom house with a flight of stairs up to a small square landing, then left up a further flight of four steps to the top landing; a coat rail being just inside the front door at the bottom of the stairs.

The front bedroom was on the left, which had a reasonable size cubbyhole behind a door in the bottom right corner, and a small fireplace in the room. The bedroom was large enough to have a double bed, dressing table & wardrobe, and a bucket under the bed for use during the night, because there was no upstairs toilet.

The tank-room was facing the top of the stairs, which became my room for many years, while a spare room was on the right both with views over looking the garden.

Outside in the large garden was a big wooden shed 10 by 8 feet (three x four metres) in size, covered in ash-felt painted with black tar that contained many old fashioned tools collected by my uncle over the years.

My grandmother was very imaginative when it came to ladies shoes, rather than go out and buy a new pair to keep up with the fashion, she would gloss paint them a different colour; sometimes cream, or plain black.

She was not a person to visit the doctor often if she felt ill, since my grandmother always looked after her self best she could, although this eventually lead to her downfall. My grandma had no more than an in-growing toenail that cut into her skin, and went septic. She still did not go to her doctor, and after showing the painful problem to my mother, Bridie stayed off work and arranged for a visit by the practitioner. The GP diagnosed gangrene and arranged hospitalisation by ambulance.

Further complications meant that grandma had her leg amputated below the right knee. She was unable to return home to her upstairs flat because of her disability, so she went into the newly built Hazelwood old people’s home in Cotmanhay, where I visited her many times. Sadly, grandma had to have her other leg amputated below the knee, and she died soon afterwards in the Home after giving up on life.

Mother had a brother, Martin King, who was married to Hilda, living in Marlpool near Heanor (Derbyshire), on East Street off Sunningdale Avenue. The area is quite old dating back before 1870; it was built to house miners working at the

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nearby Heanor Pit. My Uncle Martin had been a miner at the pit for many years before accepting early retirement through ill health.

In many ways, the Victorian terrace house owned by uncle Martin & Aunty Hilda, is reminiscent of how the old Nottingham area of St Ann’s use to be before slum clearance around 1970, right down to the lavatory and the coalhouse being in the back yard, rather than in the house itself. I shall have more to say about the Nottingham inner city area of St Ann's in a later chapter.

The front of the house had its door opening out onto the main street, inside which was the front parlour, the best room kept for special occasions and receiving guests. Uncle Martin had an upright piano, two-seat settee in front of the open fire, which had a plain mantle-piece. A glass cabinet was situated on the far side of the room, and the floor was carpeted, which was a luxury in the early days.

From the parlour, there was a doorway leading into the back room. While passing through this doorway, on the right was the pantry and cellar situated under the main stairs. There were four steps of brick leading down into the pantry itself.

The back room was the one frequently used by the household; it had a fine fireplace, three-piece suite, and large solid oak dining table and chairs up against the back wall. The kitchen and scullery were next in line from the back room, accessed down a single step through the doorway. The upstairs of the house was through a closed door to the right of the fireplace, and the stairs were rather steep, turning to the right up the first four steps, and then climbing up to the main landing itself.

The building was a two-bedroom house, with the primary bedroom on the left situated above the parlour, and the secondary bedroom above the back room, where the main water tank was located.

I remember the house as it was from the age of seven (1965), when I would go along with my mother quite regularly. During weekday evening’s, Uncle Martin, Hilda and mother, would go along to the nearby Marlpool club for a social game of bingo. I got use to travelling to Marlpool, which was a twenty-minute walk (five-minute bus journey) up Heanor Road from Church Street, Cotmanhay.

Marlpool is named after the "marl pool," a large pool of water situated next to the former All Saints' Church on Ilkeston Road, which was left after the extraction of "marl,” a mixture of clay and carbonate of lime, used in agriculture. The old All Saints Church on Ilkeston Road burned down on Christmas Eve 1949. The Church caretaker at the time was Joe Bartlam, and Mr Vic Hallam owned the wood yard next to the Church, who’s Business became a household name throughout the region.

MY IRISH DECENT You may know that originally, the Claddagh ring was a marriage ring, and symbol of a person's status combined. Many people visiting Galway on the west coast of Ireland buy the Claddagh Ring. It is a gold or silver ring with two hands enclosing a heart, surmounted by a crown. The Claddagh people used it as a marriage ring. It is said that when worn on the right hand, if the heart is turned outwards, it shows that the heart is not engaged; when worn on the left hand, with the heart turned inwards, it means that she is promised to another. Claddagh people also had their own marriage customs; they rarely married anyone from outside the village.

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The Claddagh thatch cottages were being pulled down and replaced when Mum was born. Her new home is at 17 Claddagh Quay, which is a two-bedroom house.

My mother was a fifteen year-old girl at the end of the Second World War, and probably 21 when she arrived in England during the massive house-rebuilding program of the 1950s.

At this point, I will describe village life in the days of the Claddagh, because I have always found this subject fascinating.

In the Claddagh village at various festive times, bonfires would be lit, and an old custom was for a young man to throw a lighted stick from the fire in the direction of a girl he fancied. If she liked him she would throw it back, and marriage usually took place shortly afterwards.

My grandmother on mother’s side of the family, was Biddeen King, who lived in the Claddagh village all of her life. She watched as the thatch cottages were reduced to rubble in 1927, to be replaced by houses on the same site as it is today. I visited my grandmother at 17 Claddagh Quay many times during the mid 1960s, and seventies, until she passed away at the age of 86, so I have many memories of this place.

There are practically no historical records detailing the Claddagh village except that the Dominicans came to the Claddagh in 1488. The present church is the fourth church, which was built by them. It is a beautiful cut-stone granite building with stained glass windows. Healy made one and it depicts Our Lady giving the rosary to St. Dominic. Our Lady's Altar has a mosaic depicting a church on the hill, a boat, and a young Claddagh man and woman watching in prayer. The statue on the altar is centuries old. It was possibly in the original church, which was built on this site in 1669. It is a baroque wooden statue, with a silver crown. When the Dominicans were expelled from Galway in 1698, the statue was hidden in the grounds. When the Dominicans returned later on, the statue was returned to them and placed in the new church that they built here.

When I was last in the Claddagh in the 1980s, in the grounds of the Claddagh church was a shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary, made of boulders and stones. It is said that this is the location the wooden Dominican statue was buried. In the times since, the statue was returned to its rightful place inside the church. Another local story tells us that the Virgin Mary was seen in a holy vision to five local women.

Today this shrine is a holy place for Christian worshippers visiting the Claddagh.

In olden times, the Claddagh was a village of white washed thatched cottages, in which lived fisher folk, the men fished in Galway Bay, and the women sold the fish to the residents of Galway. There were 329 cottages in the village in 1855 at the time of Griffiths Valuation. The lesser’s were Henry Grattan, Lord Dunsandle, Whaley and others. The Whaley estate was sold in 1852. We know that

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the women wore a red petticoat and a red body gown; on the head was a blue and red cotton handkerchief or muslin cap trimmed with lace. The people elected a King who settled all disputes. It is this local tradition that I believe to be the origin of mother’s Christian name. Perhaps my grandfather was once elected King of the Claddagh at some time.

My grandmother, Biddeen, has always been a fisher woman, and her husband (my mother’s dad) went out to sea fishing for cod, mackerel and herrings, until he lost his life in a sudden storm, which blew up before he and his companions had time to return to the safety of the Claddagh Quay.

The Claddagh folk built up customs to ensure good luck for their fishermen husbands before they set off. For example, if the fisherman saw a red haired woman before they went out fishing; that was enough to keep the entire fleet at home. It was also considered very unlucky for the first visitor to your home on New Years Day to be a woman!

The historian Hardiman wrote, "So great is their aversion to a fox, hare or rabbit, that they never so much as mention their name themselves, nor can they endure to hear them named by others. If a fisherman of the Claddagh happens to see one of these animals, or to hear its name mentioned, he would not on that day venture to sea; and the cause of this strange superstition, they neither know themselves, nor can anyone else account for".

The fishermen would not name a four legged animal, but would instead use the unusual term “cold iron.” They would not play music on board their sailing vessels, although anything that had passed through fire was regarded as blessed.

My grandmother had to make a living for herself, as she was then bringing up a family of four children (mum included), who by this time had been given the nickname of 'Gusheen.' Bridie never did get on well with the village geese, those geese were a little tribal. They use to gather in the area known as 'The Green Grass' or 'the Big Grass'. When their individual owners called or whistled, the geese would return home.

In the 19th century, one of the most important events in the history of Galway was the coming of the railways. Before then the main transport to Dublin was

by Bianconi car. O'Loughlins in Eyre Square was its agents. The way to the capital was by car, through Oranmore to Ballinasloe. The passengers then went by canal through Shannon harbour to the capital, a journey that took almost 26 hours. The Galway Dublin railway project was first mentioned in the early 1830s, with a proposed branch line to Loughrea. It would be a further two decades before Galway got its railway in the early 1920s. The railway brought tourism to Galway and customers for

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the fisher-women of the Claddagh village; today that same journey takes about half a day.

My grandmother, and a number of her friends, would venture down to the 'Strand' at low tide, raking the sands for cockles, razor fish, and the local red seaweed called Dillisk. The women also picked winkles, mussels & whelks, a local tradition that continued into the 60s, and I joined them on a number of occasions.

We would return home to Biddeen's two-bedroom house, which stood in the front row of the Claddagh Quay, where she would make an outdoor fire with turf brickets, put a large pot on the flames, and then we cooked all the shellfish. In the afternoon, my grandmother and I would carry a big sack of shellfish to the railway station in Eyre Square, where we sat and sold all of our fare to tourists, a Claddagh tradition Biddeen continued for more than 47 years.

One of the highlights of the Claddagh village is the annual blessing of the Bay. This takes place in mid August on the Sunday nearest the feast of the Assumption. The herring season begins at about this time. A Dominican priest gives the blessing from a fishing boat. The fishing boats and pleasure craft set sail from Ballyknow Quay of the Galway docks, and proceed as far as Mutton Island. Hymns are sung and the Rosary is recited. I have taken part in this colourful celebration on two occasions in my younger years.

Standing at the end of the Claddagh pier, if you look out to sea, in the middle of the Bay is Mutton Island, showing the remains of a lighthouse. Originally, there was a castle on the island, which was mentioned in a manuscript of the early 16th century.

The island rises from sea level on the eastern side to a height of 110 feet (33.53 m). Mutton Island has a long history. In 548 AD, St. Senan constructed a church there. In the 1700s, the island was home to wine and tobacco smugglers.

Inhabited until 1948, Mutton Island contains the ruins of two cottages and an oratory, as well as a graveyard and several walled fields.

The nearby mainland and the island itself are steeped in history and folklore and it is believed that the "Children of Lir" spent their last 300 years on this island, now buried in the neighbouring locality. This is the reason why the “Children of Lir" is a symbol for the island's nearest town.

The island has been inhabited since pre-history, exhibited by traces of potato plots, a well, and most amazingly, a curious Pagan or Early Christian 6 foot tombstone with hieroglyphic inscriptions standing in absolute pristine condition, despite centuries of Atlantic weather conditions.

Up until the turn of the last century, the island had inhabitants, but they left at the beginning of the 20th century and the island is now uninhabited. To this day, their lifestyle can be easily identified by the remaining ruins of a cluster of old stone houses on the centre of the Island. There are six derelict houses and on the inside of one of the houses, there is still a doorway leading from the living room to what they called “the upper room", the bedroom. In its day, mothers gave birth to future islanders.

Standing at the doorway, one can see the high cliffs of Achill lying fifteen miles south across the sea. To the east, a boat is required to cross to the mainland, Blacksod Bay, near Belmullet. To the north, the view is a vast panorama commencing at the lighthouse on Eagle Island and then as one's eye moves eastwards, the hills of Erris stretching down to Ballycroy and continuing on to Achill Sound and Achill Island

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itself with its two peaks surveying all, two hundred and seventy degrees of sheer grandeur.

The island holds an important breeding population of Grey Seal and is of orthinological interest for its colonies of breeding seabirds such as Great Black Backed Gull, Cormorant, and Storm Petrel. Seal Islands are also considered an excellent wintering ground for internationally important numbers of Barnacle Geese.

The narrow strait between the two islands is called Leamabradaun, meaning ''passageway of the Salmon.’’ Clear proof of this fact is the constant presence of a group of seals, which inhabit the rocks surrounding the two islands.

Back at the Claddagh village, the building of a series of new houses in French Ville & Beatty town in 1925, made the thatched cottages in the Claddagh look humble and a bit dilapidated. In 1927, as the Urban Council was debating the erection of further ex-servicemen's houses, necessitating the demolition of the old gun battery beside the former coastguard station at Fairhill, its engineer, Billy Binns was already drawing up plans for a new housing scheme for the Claddagh. The main reason for this was a lack of modern sanitation, and water supplies, which made the Claddagh an unhealthy area within the meaning of the various health acts of the time.

Of the 250 buildings surveyed in the Claddagh, 51 were classed as "poor,” 69 as "bad" and 106 as "very bad” under normal housing conditions. On 9 July 1927, Dr Michael McDonough declared the Claddagh an unhealthy area. The Society of Vincent De Paul endorsed this, and much debate ensued. People were nervous of "the exorbitant rent of five shillings a week,” and many were against change.

As my mother reached the age of two (1932), 93 new houses had been built at a total cost of £34,000. McNally's builders knocked the Old Claddagh down and built the new. Some of the old buildings were made with mud walls, and were easy to demolish. Occasionally, some disgruntled locales would throw stones at McNally's men as they were working taking down the thatch. Tom Connolly was the supervisor, and he and his men often found hand grenades and pistols hidden in the old thatch since the British/Irish troubles. These were all handed over to the Garda (police).

In the 1920s, the British Prime Minister Lord George sent some scrupulous forces to Ireland to fight in the troubles on the British side, the first of these were called 'The Black & Tans,' who were supposed to be recruits to the Royal Irish Constabulary. They clashed frequently with the IRA (Irish Republican Army), and caused consternation among the residents of the Claddagh, where some Black & Tans occasionally stayed the night in the cottages their; this brought with it the fear of beatings or the murder of Claddagh folk, if they were found out by the IRA. The Black & Tans are the subject of the 2006 film 'The Wind That Shakes the Barley.' In 1920s Ireland, the film portrays the 'Black And Tan' squads from Britain that go on the rampage, hunting down and crushing the volunteer guerrilla armies, which have formed to spearhead the country's bid for independence. Young doctor Damien witnesses the murder of a local boy at the hands of the Tans, and vows to take a stand. He takes the oath of the Irish Republican Army and joins his inspirational older brother Teddy in the long and violent struggle for freedom. When the British and the Irish agree a peace treaty to end the bloodshed, the siblings unexpectedly find themselves on opposite sides.

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I have often heard stories being told by elderly Claddagh women, sitting huddled together in front of the range in the living room of the modern houses. The ‘range’ was a cast iron enclosed fireplace positioned next to the wall, with a built in oven on the left, and fire grate on the right. On top of the range was a series of four hot plates, with circular cast iron disks that could be removed to allow the kettle or cooking pots access to the heat of the fire below. The chimney was a cast iron black pipe taking the smoke and fumes outside. Most of the time turf (grass roots dug out from Irish bogs or marshes, and then dried) was burnt on the fire in the range, or bedroom fireplace along with coal.

The old Claddagh women wear the Galway Shawl, a large black heavy cotton blanket, folded in the middle to form a triangle, and draped over their shoulders. They talked about the good and bad times of days gone by; the King and Queens of their former village, and the good friends they once knew that had since passed away. They rarely smoked cigarettes, and instead took a pinch of snuff up both nostrils, which was sold by the ounce out of a big tin usually from the off-licence of the local pub.

As I sat their listening to these Claddagh women, they would occasionally speak in their native Gaelic tongue. Some words I can still remember today are "Ishcababa" meaning whisky (The Water of Life), "Doris" meaning: 'door,' and even "gone-fuckle-allah" meaning 'without a word.' Sadly today, there is no-one left who once lived in the Claddagh village, or grew up in the Claddagh of Galway, and it is only the Claddagh Ring that keeps this Irish village alive in our thoughts today, and of course, the ballad that accompanies it.

COTMANHAY FARM ESTATE This leads to the question of when my parents met, and came to live on the street known as Coppice Avenue in Ilkeston. The original name for this area of Ilkeston was Skevington after Skevington’s Farm, whose owners Sam & John Bentley owned much of the land up to Hassock Lane, the original name of Heanor Road. The farm was demolished in 1950 to build the Cotmanhay Farm housing estate. Coppice Avenue was built on the site of a small area of land known as a “cops” and part of the local area known as Woodside, which itself provided the name of the Woodside Club in Church Street.

Coppicing is a traditional method of woodland management, by which young tree stems are cut down to a low level, or sometimes right down to the ground. In subsequent growth years, many new shoots will emerge, and after a number of years the cycle begins again and the coppiced tree or stool is ready to be harvested again.

Typically, coppice woodland is harvested in sections, on a rotation.

Cotmanhay and Shipley parish church opened in 1948; The Rose & Crown pub opposite; Peacock Inn (named after Peacock Colliery nearby). Church Street &

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Vicarage Street was in place at this period. With the advancement of time, Bennerley School opened in the autumn of 1892; Ilkeston Hospital built 1893-4 opened 28 Feb. 1894; shops at the junction of Church Street/Heanor Road were built 1879-1899, and Sigee's Nursery moved to 137 Church Street in 1927. Orchard and Allotments run down the south side of Church Street along its entire length; in addition there were a small number houses.

My farther was born in 1923 (approximately), and from conversation we had over the years, I know that he was aged 14 (1937) when he first went to work at the nearby Stanton Iron works. I found an interesting historic reference to this business

by Ilkeston & District Local History Society on their web site: “The true origins of the Stanton Ironworks go back to 1846 when a Chesterfield man, Benjamin Smith and his son Josiah, brought three blast-furnaces into production alongside the banks of the Nut brook Canal.

“Between 1865 and 1867, Benjamin Smith's original three furnaces were replaced with five new furnaces, this site becoming known as the Old Works.

Smith's furnaces produced about 20 tons of pig iron per day, but the company soon experienced financial difficulties, and there followed a series of take-overs during the middle of the 19th century. During this period, the business was taken over by the Crompton family. This family owned the company for over eighty years, re-naming the works: The Stanton Iron Company. The Franco-Prussian War of 1870 created a huge demand for iron, and the works expanded rapidly with the construction of new furnaces and foundries (the New Works), alongside the Erewash Canal, in the early 1870s. By the early 20th century, the business was named The Stanton Ironworks Company Ltd. “The company was eventually taken over by Stewarts & Lloyds Ltd and then merged with the Staveley Iron & Chemical Company Ltd in 1960 to form Stanton & Staveley.”

However, World War-II (1939-1945) brought a change of jobs; between the ages of 16 – 22, my father became a miner for a time at one of the local collieries, before retuning to Stanton Iron Works when the war ended.

The three bedrooms Coppice Avenue houses had all been built by this time, and this is where my father and grandparents lived. My father met Bridie King, my mother, sometime in 1956-7, and was married, possibly in Cotmanhay Church (after mum became pregnant with me).

The reception was held at The Peacock Inn nearby. We then had to find somewhere to live as a family, and were fortunate to be able to rent a new two-

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bedroom home at 69 Beauvale Drive, which was an upper level flat, whose livingroom window over looked farmland.

One day when mum and grandma were out socialising together in the taproom of a town pub, grandma made the suggestion that my pregnant mother should contemplate terminating her pregnancy, especially since mum had doubts about getting married; whether she was doing the right thing or not?

I was born at Nottingham City Hospital a little after midnight on 8 February 1958, weighing in at almost ten ponds. Oddly enough, Fleckney Community Centre, at the end of School Street in the Leicestershire village of that name, was opened in 1958!

A few days later, a friend drove mum, dad and I home to Beauvale Drive, where I was cared for and groomed to face the world. All of our relatives came to visit bearing gifts, while the radio was always on. My earliest recollection was the 1961 Ronnie Hilton song ‘Hay Look Me Over,’ being played very often.

Ronnie Hilton (Real Name: Adrian Hill) seems to be almost forgotten by today's music industry but he was one of Britain's most popular singers of the 1950s.

He was born in Hull, Yorkshire, on 26 January 1926 and started singing professionally under his adopted name during 1954 after leaving his safe job in a Leeds engineering factory. A true Yorkshire man, Ronnie Hilton always remained loyal to his roots, especially to Leeds United.

I really don’t remember the first five years of my life, except for one unfortunate occasion when I poured the whole box of washing powder all over the living room floor, and began playing with it as if it were seaside sand.

Within 40 months granddad passed away leaving my grandma living alone in a large three bedroom house, with my parents and I living in a more comfortable two bedroom flat, best suited for a single person. Things were talked through and the council contacted to authorise an exchange. Therefore, my parents and I first moved into 43 Coppice Avenue in 1962. I had the best days of my life living their, right up until 1978 when Erewash Borough Council began a modernisation scheme. It was then that we moved into 17 Coppice Avenue, supposedly as a short-term measure before moving back again to our first house.

However, the modernisation of number 43 was time consuming, and sadly, my parents decided to stay at our second home.

IN THE GARDEN Seventeen Coppice Avenue had a small garden at the rear with a lawn down the right-hand side, along the low partition hedge separating us from our new neighbours; the view from the back bedrooms over looks Woodside farm. We now had a large

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concrete garage & drive, and a small front garden at the side of it. Just outside the back door was a nice old apple tree, and between this and the garage wall was a rotten old shed, which was the first to be disposed of.

As I grew up at 43 Coppice Avenue, I was keen to watch and learn my father gardening, digging the ground, trenching, turning the soil forwards all the way to the bottom of our rather large garden. A well-cultivated row of runner beans across the top, followed by cabbages, then rows of potatoes to the bottom of the grounds. We still had granddad’s big black shed that contained his old tools. Just outside the back door was a small patch of ground 9 by 6 feet (three metres by two), of loose soil ideal for planting salad crops. Dad constructed a simple fence across the top to partition it, and made it safe for me not to fall over onto the slanting land.

Much of the upper half of our garden had a lot of coal slack loose on the surface, to a depth of half a foot (15 cm). A long narrow footpath runs down the south (right) side of number 43, dividing our home from that of a Mrs. Webster next door.

This existed as a footpath through Skevington’s farm before the Cotmanhay estate was built so it is very old.

Our house was one-half of two joined properties, with a Mrs. Waterfield being our immediate next-door neighbour. Her garden was almost entirely one large concrete driveway, with a garage used by another neighbour further along the road.

Eventually in our garden, dad decided to dismantle the old black shed on a rather hot summer’s day, that seemed to take hours, slowed by the large number of house spiders that seemed to come out of every joint and hole. Once down, and the tools stored away, this old timber hut burned well on a neat pyre, giving off lots of black sooty smoke as the ash-felt burned away.

Once this old shack was gone, dad set to work laying the base for a new shed higher up the garden, which arrived in sections. In time, a wire carrying the electric light cable was installed, and the new shed was filled with all manner of tools and oddments from my granddad’s hut. It was also the home for dad’s faithful red & cream bicycle that he used every morning to peddle into work, and home again when he clocked off, come rain, snow, or sunshine.

Bath time for me was a white plastic bathtub filled with soapy warm water placed on the kitchen sink, and occasionally my ‘wash’ was in the kitchen sink!

As I grew too big for my bathtub, it became my plaything, one day a boat sailing over the high seas, an aeroplane high in the sky, or motorcar. A wooden clothes horse bent into an ‘A’ frame, and covered with an old blanket, became my out of doors tent. In the living room, I would tuck the edges of a white blanket into all of the sideboard draws, as well as a strategically placed armchair, and settled down in the bottom of my ocean of storms.

At Christmas time, I was spoilt with many presents, a big red fire engine with a long extendable ladder, up which a clockwork firefighter would climb. A magic lantern to show colour cartoon strips onto my bedroom wall. Mum managed to find a magical Irish lepricorn, a tin clockwork man with green trousers, red jacket, and pointed green hat that walked forward, arms moving too and fro, and flashing coloured eyes. Standing six inches (15 centimetres) tall, it was unique among my many toys. I had a chocolate vending machine, Lego bricks, and the usual games compendium of Ludo, Snakes & Ladders and tiddle-le-winks. A big red push along

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scooter, and one year a big surprise awaited me when mum & dad presented me with a train set all of my own. My father specially made a table to lay the tracks on, and I played for hours running the engine along with its carriages, backwards & forward, in or out of the stations.

These first Christmases were just amazing; the local Ilkeston Lions charity had Santa Clause dressed in red robe edged in white fur, black Wellingtons, white fluffy beard and red felt floppy hat, sitting inside a realistic sledge. The whole sledge, edged with colourful fairy lights, was pulled through the area’s streets by car to the sound of Christmas carols. The idea was to raise money for Ilkeston charities by collecting donations from locals, with volunteers walking along side Santa’s sledge, and shaking buckets that already contained cash. Every local child ran to the front windows of their home to look out on this very special Yule Tide sight. This happened during the nights before Christmas, every year up until my 8th birthday. Following snowfall, the effect was true Charles Dickens in both style and pleasure.

On the right, Santa feeding the Claddagh swans Garlands — Christmas decorations – were made of coloured tissue type paper in various shapes. These were hung up across the ceiling along with two large paper bells; I was able to make paper loop chains made from strips of gummed paper. We had a small Christmas tree of green bristles, and the branches had hard red berries at their tips to cover the wire ends. Originally, our tree would be lit up using small candles that sat in holders on the end of the green branches; however, fairy lights later replaced the candles.

True snowfall happened at just the right time before Christmas Eve. The skies would become overcast and darken, and the glow from the many yellow sodium streetlights would illuminate the heavens. All being quite calm, with no wind or breeze, flakes of snow would begin to fall towards the ground, slowly at first. Then the snowflakes got bigger and soon there was a blizzard of snow that settled, covering the ground & hedgerows in a blanket of white cotton. Overnight every scene was white over with snow.

On the TV there were government service announcements warning of the likelihood of frozen and burst pipes. “Turn off the power,” because water and electric don’t mix, then call out a registered plumber to fix the problem. The situation was “preventable by lagging pipes and the boiler” to keep out the cold, and “learn where to find your stop cock” so you can turn off the water in an emergency!

Christmas morning always found TV presenter Leslie [Douglas Sargent] Crowther (1933-1996) in some hospital ward handing out presents to hospitalised children, greeting and chatting to them, then introducing a Walt Disney cartoon or clip from a favourite comedy film. To me Leslie Crowther was Mr. Christmas, and not just

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a presenter of the children’s crackerjack programme along side Peter Glaze. Perhaps the fact Leslie was born in Nottingham was my attraction towards his talented performance, however, he was a wonderful TV presenter all the same.

There was only one incident that stayed with me in flashbacks over the years, because it was very upsetting to me.

I had an uncle named Bill Slater, mum’s brother, living at Carlyle in Scotland, who was a fairground traveller. His stall consisted of a row of head & shoulder brightly coloured clowns with open mouths. These turned from side to side, and people would pay for a set of tennis balls to put into the clown mouths as their heads turned; the ball would then role out of the bottom, and down into a segmented tray, each segment being numbered. The idea was to score points to gain prizes.

Uncle Bill brought his wife, and two young sons, down from Scotland on an unexpected visit, arriving Christmas Eve. I must have been about six years-old at the time. After Mum, Dad and I greeted them and the sleeping arrangements had been agreed, I went to bed early.

About 6 30 a.m. the noise of voices, kiddies shouting in bursts of excitement from down stairs; It was Christmas day morning. I got up and went down to collect my own presents, and I could not open the living-room door! I knocked to be let in, and dad came out telling me to go back to bed! I protested that it was Christmas morning and everyone else were opening his or her presents. I started crying becoming inconsolable, and then dad picked me up and carried me back up stairs. Being young, I could not understand what I had done wrong to be treated in this way by my own father on Christmas morning. My Uncle Bill and family left later that morning at about 9 a.m. Only then was I allowed into the living room to open my own presents, yet it was not the same; my Christmas was truly spoilt that year.

Most evenings my parents enjoyed going out to the local Woodside Club in Church Street, a very popular venue for bingo and light entertainment, and the building was always full with people coming from as far as Marlpool & Heanor on the northern boarder of the Cotmanhay Farm estate. When there was no bingo, we ventured to other nearby pubs for a change of scene: The Peacock & Rose and Crown I have already mentioned, others were The Brick & Tile, and Braille’s, the former on top of the Heanor Road hill opposite the post office, and the latter halfway down Heanor Road towards the beginning of Bath Street, Ilkeston.

The original Brick & Tile pub was built before 1877. It was situated on the east side of Heanor Road. It was closed on Thursday 9 June 1966, when a new pub of the same name was constructed. Mr. R L Shipstone, chairperson and managing

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director of Shipstone’s brewery, officially opened the new pub on Thursday the 9th of June 1966. The architect was R Cooper and the builders D E Clegg of Ilkeston. In late 1986 it was renamed 'The Mallard' and referred to locally as 'the Mucky Duck'.

While Charlie (dad) enjoyed a quiet pint of beer standing at the bar chatting to others either side of him, Bridie (mother) was much more extrovert, chatting away and continued to make many new friends; she always found something to talk about.

This was the difference between a Derbyshire man, and an Irish colleen, yet they made the perfect couple.

The old pub since demolished was situated on the site of the present Post Office, the new pub, now called the Mallard, was built on the opposite side of Heanor Road.

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CHAPTER TWO WORK REST & PLAY Dad was rather careful with his hard earned wages, he never did show my mother his wage packet or slip each Friday evening, he would just hand over the ‘housekeeping’ money with a glint of expression in his eyes, as if to say “Here, you should be grateful to me for that.” Mother was grateful; it was hard for her to look after me, keep the house clean & tidy, make the beds, then have our tea on the table in time for my father when he got home from work. Bridie also carefully prepared Charlie’s ‘snap’ — sandwiches – and filled two containers with granular sugar and tealeaves, so dad could have a ‘brew’ with his work mates during brake-time.

The daily routine was timed with precision. First, the alarm clock went off at 6 a.m. and after five minutes Charlie was up and getting dressed. I would hear him speak briefly with mother before he opened the bedroom door and walked downstairs into the living room. Dad had time for a quick snack for breakfast along with a cup of tea, and then he would put on his blue work overalls, black pit-boots, thick overcoat, and then get his old faithful bike out of the garden shed; on went the bicycle clips and off he went. He was not seen again until about 5 30 p.m. when he arrived for his tea.

This procedure went on every weekday while we lived at 43 Coppice Avenue, until his early retirement in 1985. Charlie worked at Stanton for 48 years with only a few days off due to the occasional sickness; so Charlie really enjoyed his job as a crane operator at Stanton iron works.

My dad was a crane operator, his daily job was to lift heavy black steel pipes up off the ground or railway trucks, then lower them down into position onto transporter lorries, assisted by his work mates; It was a job of skill, judgement and precision. A job he did with great care every weekday, and there was only ever one serious accident during his employment, that really upset him and caused a period of depression.

He was operating his crane on a fine summer morning, and there was no sign of anything being wrong with the pipe securing mechanism or crane cable. He lifted a black steel pipe off a railway wagon, then over and above the back of the waiting lorry transporter. He began to lower the pipe into position, when there was an unexpected loud noise, and the pipe fell suddenly, hitting the lorry before rolling off the side onto the leg of a member of the ground crew. It was nothing but an

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unfortunate accident, as determined later by the Health & Safety directorate, while sadly, later the man had to have his leg amputated.

I still remember the period of time that my father was off work due to the shock of the incident, and Health & Safety officers who asked many questions visiting him at home. As the horrific flash back of the accident came back into his mind’s eye, my father became quite upset while answering some of these painful questions. I still don’t know to this day whether the person who lost his leg was one of my father’s colleagues, however, his reaction to the incident tells me that he was a long time friend.

Shopping at the local Co-operative store with Bridget was quite memorable.

My mother was a member of the Co-op dividend scheme, and was given a personal ‘share number [16075].’ Each time we shopped at a Co-op store we had to tell the casher our share-number who wrote it down in a special blue-carbon paper booklet, tore off a small oblong receipt, and presented it to us. We stuck these carefully in our share booklet; if you were given an orange 40-point share-stamp, you had spent a small fortune on shopping in the Co-op on that occasion. Twice a year we went to the Co-op theatre at Ilkeston market place, where we queued with others for our ‘Dividend-payout,’ it was often worth up to £3, a lot of money in the mid 1960s.

The local Co-op was located on Church Street directly opposite the Coppice Avenue road junction. It was a long oblong building fronting the main road, with a distinctive triangular roof. As we entered through the front door, many of the products were on long wooden shelves along the perimeter walls. Just inside, opposite the main door, was a wooden potato shoot/distributor. Potatoes were poured in the top, and the wooden shoot was angled at 40 degrees and tapered. You weighed the potatoes that you needed to buy on a nearby hanging weighing scale, and then poured the spuds into the top of the shoot; they then rolled down into your shopping bag.

If you wanted to buy tea, medical remedies, sugar, cigarettes, and certain other products, these were on shelves behind the main counter, and you simply had to ask for them when you paid for you’re shopping at the till.

In these days, it was Brook-bond tea in oblong bags that had an orange perforated stamp on the front of the packet. Thinking back now, I remember the postman knocking at our front door, and saying there were three-pence to pay for the letter in his hand. Mum paid it of course, and soon smiled when she noticed the orange Brook-bond stamp stuck in one corner it was from my grandma!

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Brook-bond tea has a distinctive original smell, not like today’s teabags, and my grandmother knew how to read our fortune by reading the tealeaves after we drank our fill. The wet leafs formed the shapes of animals, the sun, moon or people around the inside of the cup, and combined with a vivid imagination this proved fascinating to listen to.

One of the bottles of medical remedies was a cream coloured liquid solution that had a very fishy taste, and it was very pleasant, rather like cod-liver oil in a French cream dressing. I do not know what it was meant to cure, but it tasted wonderful, and this memory remains with me today.

The old Co-op was closed down in 1984, and then reopened for a short time as a drama school, before being purchased and renovated by Jehovah’s Witnesses to become a Kingdom Hall and place of worship.

One strange incident happened to me as a small child of around 7-years-old, and living at 43 Coppice Avenue. It was about 9 a.m. one week day morning, while I was resting in my parent’s double bed in the front bedroom. Outside the skies were overcast and the weather fine; I do not remember it raining as such.

I became aware of a tennis ball sized globe of light, orange in colour, hovering in open space about three feet (a metre) above the floor, centred in the doorframe. This object slowly bounced along the bedroom floor with little hops, and then at the midway point, one much bigger bounce sent it onto the dressing table at the bottom of the bed.

I remember feeling anxious, although not at all frightened by what I was seeing. The globe then hopped onto the double bed, made small jumps towards me, and stopped hovering about two feet (60 cm) distant for a moment. There was no noise from the object, and its orange glow lit up the bedclothes, however, it did not scorch the material.

The luminous object then hopped back the way it came, with a jump off my bed onto the floor, landing at the mid point of the room as before. It finally slowly hopped out of the bedroom door, where it disappeared out of sight. The object’s illumination lit up the walls of the landing, until that too faded away.

Most people would describe the phenomena as ‘Ball Lightning,’ others that it was some kind spiritual ghost visitation. What ever it was, I can remember the event vividly, because I was wide-awake and certainly not dreaming.

STARGAZING I have always had a fascination with astronomy & spaceflight from a very early age, and during my lifetime, I have witnessed one long road of continual discoveries, nearly all of which were explained simply by Sir Patrick Moore on the monthly BBC Sky at Night programme. During my early childhood the first space rockets were being launched into orbit around the earth, and soon there were people up their too.

Looking back and reminiscencing, I find it of great interest to consider what us humans achieved using the primitive technology available at that time.

The Sky at Night was first broadcast on the evening of 26 April 1957, the subject being the Moon, and the bright comet Arend-Roland, which was easily seen

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with the naked eye. The programme has kept going ever since, covering a period of half a century. The 50th Anniversary programme was broadcast on 1 April 2007; it featured Sir Patrick Moore as a time traveller. First going back in time to have a conversation with him self, then forward in time to the year 2050 when we first make contact with an alien race living somewhere in the local Universe.

The first artificial satellite to orbit the earth was Sputnik-one launched by Russia on 4 October 1957, followed by the first American satellite Explorer-one on 31 January 1958, both before my birth.

As I approached my first birthday, the Moon was targeted by Russia who launched Luna-1 on 2 January 1959, which passed the moon on 4 January at 3,700 miles (5,950 kilometres). Luna-2 launched on 12 September 1959 reached the Moon, crash landing in the area known as Mare Imbrium on 13 September; and Luna-3 launched on 4 October 1959 sent back the very first photographs of the far side of the Moon, which is not visible from earth.

A little after my second birthday, America launched the first weather satellite, Tiros-one on 1 April 1960.

The Russians then turned their attention to the planet Venus, the second planet in order of distance from the sun, the inner world being Mercury. Venus to all intents and purposes is the earth’s twin in size. It has a thick white atmosphere of Carbon Dioxide hiding the planet’s surface from view. In the spring of 1961, it was a brilliant magnitude –4 star like point visible for thirty minutes in the eastern sky before sunrise.

Sadly none of the spacecraft were a success, the first launched four days before my 4th birthday on 4 February 1961, was stranded in earth orbit. Launched on 12 February 1961, Venera-one dually arrived at Venus on 4 May and flew past the planet at a distance of 21,650 miles (34,835 kilometres); however, it failed to return any useful information.

1961 was a remarkable year for another reason, on 12 April, Russia launched Vostok-1, and cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. He was not allowed to operate the controls because the effects of weightlessness had only been tested on dogs so far, and scientists were concerned about how space would have affected his ability to work. Ground crews instead controlled the mission, and an override key was provided in case of emergency. Gagarin's mission lasted one hour, 48 minutes, and ended with a landing in Kazakhstan, approximately 26 kilometres southwest of Engels. Yuri completed one Earth orbit, and did so 25 days prior to the first U.S. suborbital manned flight by Alan Shepard.

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On 5 May, a former Navy test pilot named Alan Shepard became the first American in space. Inside his tiny Mercury spacecraft, which he named Freedom-7, Shepard rode a Redstone booster on a 15-minute suborbital flight.

Russia then launched Vostok-2 on 6 August sending Gherman Titov into orbit for the longest ever period in space for any human: 1 day, 1 hour, 18 minutes, before landing safely in the Soviet Saratov region, and so the cold war American/Russian space race began.

In 1962, John Glen became the first American to orbit the earth. The first British built satellite Aerial-1 was launched by America; the US satellite Telstar placed in earth orbit transmitted the first television images across the Atlantic Ocean; the first successful space probe to visit Venus was Mariner-2. In 1963, the Russian Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space.

At the age of six, and living at 43 Coppice Avenue, the view from my bedroom window was a scene of beauty throughout the hours of darkness. In the absence of any nearby bright street lights, and overlooking a large playing field stretching as far as the eye can see, the Sun, Moon, Planets and constellations rose above the eastern horizon to my left, reached their highest point in the sky in front of my window, and then set over to my right.

Throughout any one night, when I was meant to be in my bed sleeping, I could watch this celestial scenery unfolding before my eyes; it grabbed my attention, and I have been keen to learn more ever since.

SCHOOL TIME Cotmanhay Infant & Junior School lies at the bottom of Skevington Lane opposite the children’s play park. In 1962, this was a new building just a decade old, laid out at ground level separated into two areas, the infant school being the lower block. The main entrance is off Beauvale Drive where open lawns are laid out in all their green splendour. Inside the front doors, the school’s dinner hall was on the right, main offices on the left, followed by the infants’ main assembly hall, also on the left. The photograph here shows the junior school.

After walking into the building, and up a small flight of stairs, the infant school is along a corridor to the left where there were a number of classrooms. I began to go to this school at the age of five in 1962, moving into the juniors in 1964.

We received free milk, and I found schooling here enjoyable. Painting objects, houses and animals, using wooden bocks, and making plaster scene animals, and odd shaped animals at that!

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We all took turns on changing the weather panel, which was an A4 size wooden board on the wall, just inside the classroom door, that had little pegs to hang words and images on that best described the outside weather. Day ‘Thursday’, ‘4’, Month ‘February;’ below this perhaps an Image depicting a dark rain cloud was hung, or a bright yellow sun with a smiley face!

I remember Margaret Draper, Patrick Henshaw, John Williams, and Stephen Brock being in my class at the time. Playtime was announced by the ringing of the school hand bell, which gave us twenty minutes of outdoor fresh air, time to make friends, build relationships, and to suss people out. If it was raining heavy, we remained in doors out of the cold.

Radio programmes provided some of the lessons, in these early infant days, the whole school was wired with special radio plugs and dials in each classroom, and each room had a wooden loudspeaker box that was simply plugged into a wall socket. The main radio being in the head teacher’s-room and this had to be tuned to the radio station required for tuition. The whole setup was new technology at the time, and of course, colour television lay a decade in the future (1972). We had a large black & white TV on a tall aluminium stand with wheels, allowing it to be moved from room to room.

What I found most enjoyable were the morning assemblies in the main hall, during which we sang hymns, said morning Prayers, and listened to the head teacher addressing us on important events or topics. This also happened in junior school on the upper level.

I have always had a poor memory as well as the ability to be forgetful, and this often happened at dinnertime. I was given dinner money from my mother, Bridie, and paid this to my teacher at the beginning of the week. However, I was so carried away as the bell went for lunch; I followed the rest of the children out through the main doors, and then walked all the way home! I should have walked into the canteen for school dinner, followed by the usual spotted dick & custard, or bread & butter pudding. This forgetfulness has stayed with me even today, and has always been a problem for me, holding me back from a good education due to dyslexia.

The encyclopaedia says that about 10% of the population have some form of dyslexia. Four percent are severely dyslexic, including some 375,000 schoolchildren. Dyslexia causes difficulties in learning to read, write, and spell. Shortterm memory, mathematics, concentration, personal organisation, and sequencing are affected. Dyslexia is biological in origin and tends to run in families, but environmental factors also contribute to it. Dyslexia affects all kinds of people regardless of intelligence, race, or social class. Skilled specialist teaching and the use of compensatory strategies can largely overcome the effects of dyslexia. The earlier the intervention the better the outcome, however, back in my infancy, little was known about dyslexia, it was unrecognised by teachers, and therefore for me it grew into a handicap.

Today, my spelling is not too good because I have letter blindness; sometimes this would be the letter ‘T’ for example. I may write one or two pages of text missing out the letter ‘T’ from each paragraph on the pages. On other days, it can be a digit, and even both a digit and a letter! Whatever it was, I have trouble in spelling, although I have improved much today; my spell checker on my computer is

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therefore a valuable tool. My writing is reasonably good and ledge able, yet I have always preferred the use of a typewriter, and later a computer word processor, which gives my work a more polished appearance, rather than my writing slanting at an angle down the page!

There was one occasion when a boy in my class almost choked to death in front of me during one dinnertime. Outside the skies were dark & overcast with a thunderstorm raging, bringing rain lashing against the windows. We were unable to go out doors for our twenty-minute break-time, so we went for our usual half-pint of milk and sat back at our desks. The milk tops were silver aluminium foil that lay flat across the bottle top, then tucked under the lip of the bottle all the way around. One of my friends, John Beardsley, put his mouth over the bottle top and began taking the foil lid off with his teeth. He coughed suddenly and the foil went into the back of his throat, he soon began chocking. I went over to try to help John, and then teacher assessed what was wrong, taking us both into a side room where we attempted to remove the obstruction. He began to go faint, then limp, almost passing out. In one last final effort, teacher put her arms round the boy’s middle, and pressed hard in a sudden movement on his tummy. The foil then dislodged just enough for my teacher to get the foil bottle top out with her fingers. My friend was badly shaken, yet John was very much alive; we were all thankful that nothing bad happened to him.

Still on the subject of milk, the foil tops in the mid 1960s were of different colours according to the level of cream they contained, from silver-top, gold-top, and redtop, while pasteurised milk had a hard aluminium cap like a beer bottle.

All this was possible because of the Co-op’s own Dairy in upper Derby Road, near Oakwell Drive, that my class visited on a day trip. It was most interesting to watch the processes leading to the bottling of the milk, and in these times, the Coop had its own fleet of milk floats covering much of the town of Ilkeston for early morning deliveries.

In Cotmanhay we still had an elderly milkman I know as George, who had a horse & cart and covered canopy over his milk wagon. He paraded around the local streets delivering fresh milk, orange juice, and occasional loaf of bread. I use to sit on the back of this cart and helped deliver the milk around Coppice Avenue. Behind, once George’s cart had passed, a few residents came out with a shovel & dust bucket to collect the horse dropping, because it was good for their rhubarb & roses.

On one occasion after delivering milk from George’s cart, it made me late for school. I was given a hard slap on my backside in front of a class of juniors because of it.

Left: a Coop Dairy Milk cart pulled by the horse Christie at Acocks Green, Birmingham (Acknowledgment to John Gilbert)

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In the days that followed, I suffered a lot of abuse, and name-calling at playtime which haunted me somewhat, and played on my mind ever since. It lead to me ‘capping off’ school (not going to school without my parents knowledge), the term ‘capping off’ today is given the modern phrase of ‘playing truant’, however, the terms mean the same thing.

I also remember a knife & scissors sharpener tradesman walking around our neighbourhood, with an odd-looking small cart, that appeared to be half a bicycle. He shouted as he went along: “Bring out your knife’s to sharpen, hedge clippers or scissors, only five-bob a go. Knifes & scissors sharpened here and now.” When someone appeared with a set of carvers, he would set up his small grinding wheel, which was operated by the man sitting on the bicycle saddle peddling away. The bike chain went around the grinder axial turning the grinding wheel, it was fascinating to stand and watch.

The window cleaner was always on the go, and the coalmen with their coal lorry would call on all of the Coppice Avenue tenants every two weeks. The coalman would first knock at the back door of our house to ask Bridie if she wanted any coal.

Mother, after answering the door said “yes,” questioned the price per sack-full, and would then ask for about five bags. “Have you got any slack on the wagon today?”

Bridie would ask the coalman, before three strong men delivered the sacks of coal.

‘Slack’ was small bits of loose black coal shale, the leftovers on the coal wagon. Once the coal fire was lit, it would stay in hot and warm by using the coalslack, which was sometimes wetted with water, and shovelled onto the fire.

These coalmen worked to the same routine so as not to injure them. They wore a thick leather apron across their backs & upper shoulders, blue dirty overalls and pit boots. Each man would turn their back to the side of the coal wagon, while another up on the back of the lorry would manoeuvre a big sack of coal, and lean it onto the first man’s back, who would grab the rope handle with his left hand, carefully balancing the coal-sack on his back & shoulders, then he would walk away briskly down the entry, and tip the sack of coal into our coal house. The whole delivery did not take long to achieve.

If we built the fire up too much, we would set the chimney on fire, and the fire brigade had to be called for. When this happened to us at 43 Coppice Avenue, often we did not know that our chimney was a blaze until a passer-by would knock at the front door, to inform us that a lot of red sparks (along with dense smoke) was coming out of the chimney. When this happened, dad would shove a soaked wet sack up the lower chimney to cut off the flew-draft. When the fire brigade arrived, they used a big spade to shovel up the fire and take it outside into the front garden, where they turned a water hose onto it. Then came the messy part everyone who had a chimney-fire hated the most; a fireman would use ladders to climb onto the roof, and then squirt

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water down the chimney from a hosepipe. The water would flood out into the living room, and it was then a salvage operation by my parents to save carpets from stain damage, and clean up the watery mess. Some tenants were more fortunate, because they had coloured lino laid over the living room floor.

To ovoid the problem altogether, we would use an oblong firework called ‘Fiery-jack,’ that gave off white smoke, supposedly to reduce the level of black carbon soot in the chimney. Twice a year we had a chimney sweep call, with brushes and a set of cane poles, which screwed together into a long rod to do his work. A large dirty old blanket would be placed over the mantle piece and fire-grate to stop the downward flow of soot into the living room. The sweeping brush & cane rods were introduced through a central hole in the cloth.

Smokeless zones are a British response to urban air pollution, a part of a city where the combustion of a smoke-producing coal is prohibited. Human health was becoming seriously endangered by the proliferation of dirty fuels, with breathing ailments becoming widespread.

Both increasing population and decline in wood supply led to greater use of coal, and meant that by the late 19th century Public Health Acts had various clauses that attempted to reduce smoke.

Before my birth, thick fogs exacerbated Derbyshire’s population-induced smoke problems. The fog mixed with the smoke to create smog. In Britain during December 1952, a four day smog during a cold snap (i.e., more coal was being burnt) led to between 4,000 and 4,700 deaths over and above the expected number. Most people who died were already suffering from some sort of illness such as bronchitis.

The first smokeless zones were created under the city of London (Various Powers) Act of 1946. The Great Smog of 1952 led to the Clean Air Act (1956), which gave the power to create smokeless zones to other local authorities, including Derbyshire county Council.

During the 1960s, smog became a big problem during 5 November bonfire night parties, when all manner of fireworks were let off. The smokeless zones not only reduced the amount of smoke, but also reduced sulphur dioxide emissions. People switched to electricity, gas, or low sulphur oils for heating. By 1987, 90% of Ilkeston was covered by smokeless zones. Not surprisingly, the number and intensity of smog has declined with the drop in coal's importance as a fuel.

During my preteens, there were few carpet shops around, since carpets were a luxury at the time due to their excessive cost, while there were quite a few Lino shops with Lino-salesmen.

I remember we all paid for items in pounds ‘£’, shillings ‘s’, and pennies ‘d’.

We had pound & ten-shilling notes, the half-crown, shilling, sixpence, three-penny bit, and halfpenny. Decimalisation was not until 1972, and I found it odd that while being taught maths in Bennerley school, adding up the old coinage was still being taught to us two months before ‘D-day,’ decimalisation-day. By the time decimalisation was introduced, I did not have the foggiest idea how to work out the true cost of items in our local shops.

I know one thing; I always paid the Midland General Bus conductor sixpence fare to take me from the bus terminus at Beauvale Drive, all the way round to Cotmanhay Junior & Infant school every day. I also got a penny back on a brown-ale

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bottle when I took the empties back to the corner off-licence. It was a good thing to climb over the back beer-off wall, ‘borrow’ some empty bottles from a crate, then take them back into the shop through the front door; it was all extra sweets money to us kids.

There was a ‘one-arm-bandit’ (mechanical) slot machine in the Woodside Club that accepted sixpences, and another electrical slot machine that accepted old pennies. The odds of winning were good, and when they paid out, especially in old pennies, you heard a great noise like you had won a real fortune; the weight of the coins was hefty too. Once when dad brought home his winnings, I spent a happy hour piling the old pennies into piles of thirty, the equivalent of a silver half-crown [Twelve old pence made a shilling; two shillings & sixpence was half-crown, and twenty shillings in a pound-note].

As the years went by, I arrived at Cotmanhay Junior School aged seven (1964), which is situated within the same grounds of Cotmanhay School. Along the top corridor leading into the main hall, there was an abstract wall painted cream, that had interlinking coloured geometric shapes, orange squares, green or red circles, blue or green triangles, each being filled with colour. Then on the main walls were a number of world maps of plastic, in which mountain ranges were impressed or raised in 3D relief. The main corridor linking the juniors from the infants’ school, was exceptional, and joined in two places. This corridor had a great many windows, and the walls had framed paintings of scenery, people, or animals, again in an abstract style.

I had my new school uniform on, including a brown duffle coat that had wooden pegs down the front, used as buttons, and a hood. Then there was the colourful elasticised ‘snake-belt,’ the front silver aluminium clasp joined together with a twisting motion of both hands; black trousers, white school shirt, and occasionally a single coloured jumper to keep warm.

In the first month, the school bully, who always asked me to give him my dinner money, or sweets, picked me on in the playground. One morning just before the end of break time, he punched me hard in the stomach, and I was seriously winded. I slumped to the ground unable to breath, while there was no one else around, having already gone indoors. I thought a battle at that time, telling myself, forcing myself to breath, and it is true to say that had I lost the battle, I would have lost my life as well. Fortunately, I survived to live through this incident.

It was about this time I became more aware of my looks and appearance. I had two prominent front teeth that stuck out a little from under my top lip. My dentist wanted me to wear a brace to train my teeth inwards, and I decided against it due to problematic name-calling.

In Ilkeston, Ball & Pink’s was my dentist situated just off the market square.

Teeth extractions in the 1960s were carried out using gas anaesthetic, which had a strange rubbery sweet smell before we drifted off to sleep. Time stood still, although you may have been under for twenty minutes or so. Fortunately, this way of things was slowly replaced by anaesthetic injections, allowing one to remain awake throughout.

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Left: this is an old dentist Chair like the one I sat in and given gas to remove a tooth In addition, on the middle finger of my right hand there was a prominent white lump that my doctor called a ganglion.

The ganglion cyst (also known as a wrist cyst, Bible cyst, or dorsal tendon cyst) is the most common soft tissue mass of the hand. It is a fluid filled sac, which can be felt below the skin, and mine was on the top joint of my right index finger. Because of the ganglion, I had some difficulty holding my pen or drawing pencils.

I had a bright spark of a teacher who wanted me to lay my hand, palm upwards on his desk so that he could slam a heavy book down onto my ganglion to get rid of it! Fortunately, he did not get the chance because I went into Harlow Wood hospital near Mansfield, to have an operation to have the lump surgically removed.

This orthopaedic hospital was quite some distance away for my parents to visit me, although they managed. They bought me a play doe set to keep my mind occupied.

Harlow Wood closed and split in April 1995. Nottingham patients came to the Queen’s Medical Centre, except patients with bad shoulders, which were housed separately at the City Hospital.

I can remember Watch with Mother on the TV, particularly Andy Pandy, Lulu & Big Ted, and the Wooden Tops of course, and Jean Morton with Tingha and Tucker the two little (Koala) bears.

Jean Morton came to Ilkeston Co-op Theatre, a big auditorium inside the Coop at the market place, and put on a series of shows with Tingha & Tucker. I was one of those in the audience. It had the bears playing and singing with Uncle Bulgaria (another bear), and going “Over the rickety bridge, over the rickety bridge, bumpy bump, over the rickety bridge…” Soon Jean Morton was asking some children to go up onto the stage to sing along with the bears, and of course, I was one of the lucky ones! In my brown duffle coat, black trousers, and snake belt, I made my way to the stage. Along with the other children, we sang the rickety bridge song and Tingha & Tucker’s signature chant through once. “You were very good,” said Aunty Jean. “Yes said Tucker,” “I enjoyed that,” said Tingha.” After a round of applause, we were all presented with sweets, and then retuned to our seats.

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Jean Morton, a continuity announcer on ATV, was sent the two koala stuffed toys in 1962 and took them on screen; they proved to be a big success.

Before long puppets were made to replace the original toys, and The Tingha and Tucker Club was formed. The club itself attracted about 750,000 members until the Post Office and ATV could not cope with the volume of mail and had to close it. Thousands of children attended meetings of the club, where the secret sign would be exchanged.

Above photograph: “Woomerang, Boomerang, Look over there, It's Tingha and Tucker, The two little bears.”

The programme varied in length between ten and twenty minutes, and through its heyday was on every weekday at the beginning of afternoon children’s' programmes, with a special Sunday edition called 'The Tree House Family' where Jean Morton read bible stories to the puppets. Although conceived as a local programme, through much of its life it was also carried by a small number of varying ITV regions.

Lew Grade killed off the Tingha and Tucker Club when he bought the rights to Rupert Bear in 1970.

I also remember meeting TV’s Lenny the lion with Terry Hall the ventriloquist at an Ilkeston DonkeyDerby gala. Lenny the lion was ‘the King of the Jungle who couldn't roll his 'R's and who had wide eyes.

Lenny had a habit of putting his paw to his head and sighing, "Don't embawass me." Terry Hall, 80, died on 11 April 2007 after a long illness.

I looked forward to going into town (Ilkeston) shopping with Bridie, mother, walking around the shops, and seeing the colourful window displays. I remember one window had a small crowd gathered outside, and I pushed my way through to see what the people were looking at. It was a women’s clothes shop, and in the window area, a woman was bending down adjusting her stockings, with her skirt risen up. Mum grabbed my arm and pulled me away; “you don’t want to be looking at things like that at your age,” she said.

The principal road was Bath Street, a steep hill running from the market place, curving round, then down hill to the bottom outside the Rutland Hotel. Busses ran a frequent service to and from Nottingham, up and down Bath Street. The Rutland Hotel is memorable venue, because a few weeks before Christmas, a big Toy Fair was held in the main hall, all the toys out of their boxes and on show. Some toys we were allowed to touch and try out, and I remember it as ‘Ilkeston’s Aladdin’s Cave.

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Mother and I always stopped at Lions Tea Rooms at the bottom of Bath Street, where we went into a back room full of tables for tea and cake.

For a haircut, we went to the row of old Victorian buildings opposite Rutland Hotel, a few of which were shops, one being Lez's Hair Salon. Once we walked through the front door, we were met by Lez who took us through to the back room.

The room had green wooden boards coming up from the floor, and quarter way up the sidewalls. Above this, the walls were painted cream to the ceiling.

There was one big hydraulic chair with black leather back and arm pieces, like the one shown here.

It was in front of a large aged mirror on the wall, with tarnished bronzed edges around the sides.

There were the usual gent’s toiletries around the room on shelves, and coat rail on the wall behind, along with a row of chairs. Over on my right was a thick dark brown leather strap hanging from a hook in the wall. Above that was another shelf with various size cutthroat razors. An electric cord dangled down from the ceiling, with a light bulb inside a right-angled adaptor, which would normally house a second bulb or electric gadget; the electric sockets in the room were of the old round pin type. This was father’s hairdresser too, who was a regular visitor.

Holy Trinity church was at the bottom of Bath Street around the next corner that eventually led into Cotmanhay Road. There was a bus stop in front of the low boundary wall. The wall being of blackened sandstone blocks, and what was left of a privet hedge stretching over the top.

I well remember, sitting on this wall while mother and I waited for our bus back home. My lower back soon felt ticklish, so I got down and gave it a scratch, and soon felt my back on fire with a rash of pain. I cried out just as our bus arrived, and Bridie grabbed my arm to take me onboard. I have never felt such unbearable pain in all my life since then as we travelled home. I had sat on top of a red ant’s nest that was situated in the church wall, and there were hundreds of them all over the bottom of my back, and in my pants…

I quite enjoyed being at junior school, there was a lot to do and learn with emphasise on History, English or Maths. My interest was anything to do with Space, and this continued to gained momentum. The Russian & US space programme was continuing with moderate success, their results in the media spotlight and on The Sky at Night.

I was now spending some time star-gazing out of my bedroom window before settling down to sleep, and was asking my parents to buy me a telescope.

Bridie did her best and presented me with an orange two tube plastic instrument, with plastic lenses that was no better than the ‘first’ telescope used by Galileo back in 1610. However, it was sufficient to see my first Luna phases, seas, and craters on the moon, along with wide field star-clusters. My first astronomy book was ‘A New Way to

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See the Stars’ by H. A. Ray, and mother bought me the Hamlyn paperback book ‘Astronomy’ by Ian Nicholson, first published in 1970.

One night of the year, my friends and I looked forward to was Bonfire Night, 5 November, which held an old-fashioned attraction for us during the mid 1960s.

In November 1605 a small group of young men (Thomas Bates; Robert Winter; Christopher Wright; John Wright; Thomas Percy; Robert Catesby; Thomas Winter), including Guy Fawkes, attempted to assassinate the King of England and Scotland, and all the nobles, bishops, and members of the House of Commons. The plan involved hiding 36 barrels of gunpowder under the House of Lords, to be detonated at the time of the State Opening of Parliament. Four centuries later, this event is still commemorated by bonfires and fireworks.

During the 1960s we could put anything on the bonfire to burn, a three-piece suite, lino or old wood, and if the pyre was damp, dad would pour some paraffin onto it to make it blaze into life. During the days leading up to bonfire night, we kids were busy collecting wood, old mattresses and stuff from local tenants to built up our pyres.

Then I would help mother to find old clothes, trousers, shirt, and jumper to make my Guy-Fawkes. It was a serious business to get it looking just right, so I could put him in the wheel barrow, and walk round the locality asking for a ‘penny-for-the-guy’ to pay for our fireworks. I liked the rockets, jumping jacks, bangers, and Catherine wheels.

Another night I remember was Halloween on 31 October. At the midnight witching-hour mother told me that if I were to look into the mirror with the lights off while combing my hair, I would see the person I would eventually marry. I could not see anything though, and then Bridie would break two eggs into a saucer, again telling me that I may see the face of the person I would eventually marry, as the clear egg congealed. I could not see anything in there either. However, there may be something in this sorcery, since I never did get married and I remain a bachelor!

Yet I think this was to do with mother’s Irish up-bringing, the land famous for ‘lepricorns,’ the ‘the Glonk’ (a four legged creature half dog & half leopard), that looked small and quite in a dark lane as it walked towards you; but grew suddenly to immense proportions when only a couple of yards away from your body!), and of course, a few people have actually heard ‘the cry of the Banshee.’

We put apples floating in a bowl of water, and with our hands behind our back we attempted to get each apple out using our mouths & teeth, ‘Diving for apples,’ we called it.

My school friends and I also made ‘winter warmers,’ from a large empty soup tin we pierced with holes. We attached a thick wire handle to hold it, and then made a small fire inside the tin with bits of wood, coal, and white firelighter. We would then walk around the streets with our winter warmers, occasionally swinging them around to bring the fire back to life.

Our favourite place to hang out was in the middle of the Cotmanhay Farm estate, known as Donner Crescent, which was built in 1951. However, by the mid

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1960s it was already in decline, although most of the shops were still in use. It is a long Crescent shaped building with about eight shops below, and a central pedestrian underpass. The upper level was a series of maisonettes that the shopkeepers lived in. There was a Fish & Chip shop, where I use to work cutting chips, and preparing battered fish until late. Walking to and from Cotmanhay junior school, I often called into the paper shop here to buy ounces of coloured rainbow sherbet, and sherbet fountains with its stick of black lickerish used like a straw, to suck sherbet through its hollow middle.

Donner Crescent with its row of shops, and maisonette homes above. The second photograph shows the crescent about to be demolished in 2006.

In June 2006, Erewash MP Liz Blackman started the chain of events that saw the end of the flats and shops.

The complex was opened with great fanfare.

However, where was once a thriving shopping area with a newsagent, chip shop and hairdressers, became derelict and unused.

Despite the efforts of the owners, Three Valleys Housing, Erewash Borough Council and voluntary agencies, the area is a prime location for anti-social behaviour, fly tipping, and litter problems. It has also become a gathering point for young people in the area and the housing association regularly received complaints from people living nearby.

Because of the location and ongoing problems, the flats above the shops were unpopular and proved impossible to let so the decision was taken to demolish the complex.

Liz Blackman said, "Donner Crescent has been a blight on the landscape for far too long, spoiling the environment for the local community. I am so pleased it is being demolished."

The land at Cotmanhay changed little until I entered junior school. I had ventured on to the land of Cotmanhay farm a number of times, so I know that it was marshy & boggy in places, because it was situated on a flood plain. Its bottom (northeastern) boarder runs along the length of the Erewash Canal from Trent Lock Warf, the small humped bridge over the canal next to The Bridge Inn pub. This was a large old building built on the site of a first generation building that existed here in 1850. The farmland then extended up to the main signal box and railway crossing at Shipley Boat. At this time, Cotmanhay Farm was being demolished to make way for more houses extending down to the canal itself.

I well remember many people talking about the marsh farmland, which they said was not suitable for building properties on, because the foundations would be

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unstable causing subsidence. Although the council dismissed this criticism at the time, it later proved to be a significant problem, and the council was forced to pay out a lot of compensation to residents, as well as repairing a number of buildings.

The land opposite Cotmanhay Infant School, bottom of Langley Avenue, was also wet marshland. This is situated below the children’s park, and today (2006) it has a concrete mountain bike track meandering around the site.

When I was about 10 (1968), fishing nets, small coloured nets attached to a garden cane, were all the rage, and being sold by most local shops. With my jam jar, and string tied around the top glass lip for a handle, I went with my friends fishing for sticklebacks under the humped bridge at the Bridge Inn. My mother spent some time in the pub itself; occasionally coming out side to see what I was up to! It was very memorable to me.

In 1877, a tramway had a terminus at this small humped bridge, the tracks leading down towards the railway, before veering left, running along side the railway line, then under the line itself through a small tunnel (Thunder Bridge) to Guilt Brook.

Although the tram route (a hardened soiled footpath) can be followed easily, the tramline did not survive; I do not remember ever seeing it.

In time, I went with two friends, Stuart Uren & Alan Brock, with towels and swimming trunks to the small contributory known as Nut Brook canal. This was nothing but a knee-high stream of water that had a lot of duckweed floating on the surface. We managed our paddling, and dipped into the water a few times. We then set off home, following the route of the old tramline, through a bridge under the main railway line that we named “Thunder Bridge,� because this was the noise we heard as a train passed overhead.

Back at Cotmanhay School, the highlight of the year was always Sports Day, an annual event that takes place in the summer before the big 6week holidays. It took place on the wide lawns in front of the school facing Cotmanhay Road, and our parents came to watch.

We worked hard training for the relay race, running, three-legged race, and high jumping. We were all in separate teams according the class we were in, and the prizes were bronze cups and certificates.

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CHAPTER THREE CHILDHOOD REMINICENCES In Junior school I failed my 11Plus exam, which I found mindboggling to say the least, so I knew I was on my way to Bennerley a short distance along Cotmanhay Road, following in my father’s footsteps.

I attended Bennerley School for the first time in the summer of 1969. It was originally Cotmanhay Road Infants when the top block fronting Cotmanhay Road was opened in the autumn of 1892. The school expanded with new buildings being added across the large site, after the school survived the Second World War. Bennerley Avenue runs down hill from the Cotmanhay Road junction, and when I arrived, the school buildings had been separated into blocks.

Beginning with ‘T’ block (the original infant school) fronting Cotmanhay Road with its distinctive clock tower. This block still housed a classroom run by Geography teacher Mr. Nottingham, and had been renovated at some stage to include a large swimming pool with changing rooms. During Halloween, the steps leading up to, and including the clock tower, are opened to raise school funds. The original main entrance to ‘T’ block was still round the back through the playground, where many sandbags were once placed against the walls and steps of the building during wartime Britain.

‘C’ block is the next one down, which has two entrance doors, originally segregating boys & girls, although by 1969 only one was in use. Inside there are four large classrooms, one at each corner of the building, Geography & English being the main subjects taught. Outside in the playground opposite ‘C’ block do six steel columns of support hold up a large wooden roofed building. During my time at Bennerley Secondary school, this building had its sides bricked in, and was converted into a large garage to house the school minibus.

In my day there was a sports teacher at Bennerley named Mr. Pigrame, who had the bright idea of driving the mini bus down an embankment onto the playing field and around the field itself, something which did not do the van's gear box any good!

He was disciplined and made to pay for the damage to the vehicle.

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We had to walk out of the playground of ‘C’ block, down Bennerley Avenue to gain access to ‘B’ block next in line on the left. The entrance here is through a central doorway with classrooms stretching either side. Through the doorway, you entered the large cloakroom, directly ahead again is the main school canteen. ‘B’ block is a good name for this building because it best describes its layout. The classrooms were used to teach History, Maths, Algebra, and Music. One of these classrooms doubled to teach artwork, such as painting & pottery. There is one small room situated above the cloakroom, with access by a narrow green painted stairwell, occupied in my days at Bennerley by the school nurse.

Directly across the road from ‘B’ block, is the heart of the school itself, a modern building housing the main hall, Head teacher’s offices, toilets, and classrooms, called ‘A’ block? The Science block was along the main corridor to the left, while another attached block housed the gymnasium. Woodwork, Mettle work, Biology, Physics, and Chemistry being the subjects taught.

Bennerley Secondary is a big school and opened to provide adult educational classes during weekday evenings. The school has a huge playfield surrounding the lower blocks that stretch down and along the Erewash Canal. The leading edge of the Bennerley viaduct is located in the lower right of the main field.

Bennerley Viaduct opened in 1878 to carry the Great Northern Railway across the Erewash Valley between Walworth and Ilkeston, enroot from Basford (Nottingham) to Derby and Uttoxeter; therefore, Bennerley School opened 14 years after the viaduct. Although the railway is now closed, this impressive listed cast iron structure remains; it is 1,440 feet long and up to 60 feet high.

During my time at Bennerley School, during summer evenings my friends and me climbed up inside the iron viaduct, and walked the length of the wooden planks inside. It was an awesome sight looking down onto the railway beneath, especially when a speeding passenger train went through the junction below.

Bennerley Colliery lies on the opposite side of the Erewash Canal from my school vantage point.

I very much enjoyed learning the main science subjects including Geography, and English was something I always looked forward to, because I wanted to be a writer. Maths was rather odd, because we were still being taught how to add up in pounds, shillings, & pence right up to the time of decimalisation in 1972. Algebra was a little hard for me, including the use of Log-tables, yet I was keen to learn Mathematics.

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My favourite teacher at Bennerley School was Mr. Nottingham, who had been employed here for many years. His interest in Geology & Geography was considerable, having built up a big personal rock and fossil collection. These were always available for us to study in detail, and he taught these subjects in such an easy way, it created a lot of interest among all of us. His original classroom was in ‘T’ block the year I arrived at Bennerley, moving into ‘C’ block later on.

Mr. Nottingham was also a fine engineer who built pedestrian ride-able steam engines and coaches in his spare time. Just below ‘B’ block is an old tennis court, Mr Nottingham laid rails around the inside of this on the concrete surface, and used the site to test run his trains.

He lived with his wife in Heanor Road, and had a son in 1972 to carryon the family line. I never got to know his son’s name; he was always referred to him as “Hisnibs” this, or “His-nibs” that! The phrase referrers to: ‘A self important person.’

At his Heanor Road home, Mr Nottingham had a big back garden with a clump of trees in the middle, and a figure of eight railway track lay throughout. A tunnel was in the centre next to the trees, and there was even a train turntable that allowed him to revolve and manage his heavy steam locomotives. On the day I visited Mr. Nottingham, I approached the front of the house across the short driveway. On the right was what I believed to be a wooden garage, yet it had a single doorway.

After knocking at the front door, Mr. Nottingham came out to greet me, and then invited me into his engineering shed. Inside, along the wooden wall facing the side of his house, was a rail track laid on top of a narrow brick wall that fed out through a tunnel to the right, leading into his garden. It was on here that he positioned his steam engine or coaches to carryout maintenance.

One steam engine was already inside Mr. Nottingham’s engineering shed, were he was working on its firebox. I was privileged to ride on a carriage pulled by another steam engine, twice round my teacher’s back garden; it was an amazing experience.

At Bennerley School, everyone in my class was privileged to be able to watch television throughout Apollo-11, and what I witnessed and read in the media inspired my complete interest in astronomy & spaceflight.

Apollo-11 was the fifth human spaceflight of the Apollo program, the third human voyage to the moon, and the first manned mission to land on the Moon.

It launched on 16 July 1969 carrying Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module

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Pilot Michael Collins, and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin. On 21 July, Armstrong and Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the Moon, while Collins orbited above. The mission fulfilled President John F. Kennedy's goal of landing a human on the Moon by the end of the 1960s, and returning them safely to the Earth.

My close friend Stephen Brock & I were now working for pocket money at the signal box & rail crossing at the bottom of Long Lane, near Shipley Boat Inn. It is located close to Popular Farm, and under normal circumstances car drivers had to follow Long Lane around in a loop, crossing under the main railway line to get to the Shipley Boat pub. However, there was a set of manually operated wooden gates either side of the railway crossing at the bottom of the lane from Heanor Road, and Stephen took charge at one and me the other. We would open the gates to allow cars to safely drive through without the drivers having to get out of their vehicles. It saved him or her a lot of time, and we were tipped sixpence (occasionally more) by each driver. We watched the trains go through the junction, and occasionally been invited into the signal box itself to watch the signalman at his work, something we found fascinating.

Stephen Brock’s father was a driver on Barton’s busses at the time, who occasionally took day trips to places like Twycross Zoo, and we went their on two occasions.

In time, Stephen developed an interest in electronic music, and spent much of his spare time building electric keyboards and devices that could replicate the sound of the new Moorg Synthesiser, recently introduced on Top of The Pops, and played for the Doctor Who signature tune. This hobby stayed with Stephen for a long time.

The encyclopaedia says that Robert Moog developed his ideas for an electronic instrument by starting out in 1961 building and selling Theremin kits and absorbing ideas about transistorised modular synthesisers from the German designer Harald Bode.

After publishing an article for the January 1961 issue of the magazine 'Electronics World', Moog sold around a 1000 Theremin kits from 1961 to 63 out of a three-room apartment. Eventually he decided to begin producing instruments of his own design. After toying with the idea of a portable guitar amplifier, Moog turned to the synthesiser.

Another friend at this time is Patrick Henshaw of Langley Avenue, just round the corner from my 43 Coppice Avenue home. We did some bazaar things during our playtime together, like laying down an old wardrobe on its back in my spare bedroom, and sitting down inside with a torch light with the doors closed, just to see how long we could last before the air ran out!

Throwing two thick mattresses down the main staircase at my home, to play stuntmen by rolling over, and over to the bottom. Later that same evening, Patrick tried to leap over the coffee table in his front room, and broke his ankle!

I would spend the night with Patrick Henshaw sitting outside in his garden outhouse. We pretended this was our Luna module, and donned pretend spacesuits to walk out around the field and returning to base.

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We tried chemistry experiments using Cobalt Chloride, Potassium Permanganate, Sulphur, Carbon, and Potassium Nitrate, that made pops and flashes as they were mixed in different ways.

One experiment made in my bedroom did not go to plan. I put Sulphur inside an old aluminium globe of the earth, fitted both half’s back together, and left the small holes at each pole open. This was on a tripod placed over a flame for a few minutes, and my room quickly filled with dense yellow fumes of Sulphur Dioxide! I managed to dispose of the globe out through my bedroom window; it took ages to get rid of the smell while Patrick made a quick exit down the stairs!

ASTRONOMY INTEREST In time, our interest in Astronomy blossomed and Patrick Henshaw built his first astronomical reflector telescope from scrap plywood, small angled mirror, and a shaving mirror fitted inside the bottom of the tube; it worked really well.

Later Patrick had a fine 60mm refractor telescope bought for his Christmas box, that he used through his bedroom window to view the Moon, and planets Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. He kept all of his drawings and notes in his astronomical Journal, and became quite professional.

I also gained my first 50mm refractor telescope, and then 60mm on a large equatorial mounting, and I made a lot of use of these instruments during the many dark nights that followed.

It was fortunate that both our homes backed onto the same big playing field, which afforded us magnificent views of the night sky. Patrick Henshaw took some interesting colour photographs through his telescope, of the moon and Saturn (the ringed planet). I did the same, and we compared results, then I went on to use fast Extachrome 1600 ASA, and tried Extachrome Infrared sensitive film to get some interesting colour star trails, and constellation views.

25 February 1971 was a beautiful day with blue skies and few clouds. I set off for Bennerley School as normal, and my first lesson was Math’s with my teacher Mr. Litchfield. I was fortunate to be sitting at the back of the class next to the window in ‘A’ block. That morning there was a partial eclipse of the sun, and sol was 19° high up in a clear morning sky. The eclipse began as I walked to school, and reached maximum elevation at 09 37 a.m. when 0.78% of the sun’s disk was covered by the moon. Of secondary importance was the sun’s location among the constellations of the zodiac, Aquarius, which is my own star sign.

I do not think many others in my class that morning were aware that the eclipse was happening, and my attention was diverted outside the classroom window.

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Mr. Litchfield spoke to me a few times to bring my attention back to what he was teaching us, and I tried my best, yet the eclipse was fascinating. The eclipse ended at 10 42 a.m. just as it was our playtime break, so I never did get an outside view of it.

For my best sight, I had to wait for Patrick Moore’s March Sky at Night program.

I had to wait until 10 25 a.m. on 29 April 1976 to witness another large partial eclipse, with the sun half way up the south eastern sky, which of course was just after my 18th birthday. I observed that eclipse from the front garden of my grandmother’s house at 17 Claddagh Quay, in county Galway. It was also my first news story published in a newspaper. I stuck a garden fork into the ground, and fixed my pair of 10x50 binoculars to the top. It was a hot summer’s day. That short news item appeared in the Connacht Tribune. The Tribune first hit the news stands on Saturday, 22 May 1909, and has told Galway's story to its readers every week since then. My news item read: “On Wednesday Galway witnessed an unusual event, an eclipse of the sun; although only partial, it was worth looking out for.

“The eclipse began at 10.13 until 12.21. The eclipse was annular, that is to say, the apparent diameter of the Moon, lying between the Earth and the Sun, was not large enough to cover the whole of the Sun's disc. The annular eclipse was visible from Turkey, Algeria and the extreme south) of the U.S.S.R. “The disc drawings of the event were made by projecting the Sun's disc onto a piece of white card, held behind a pair of binoculars, The eclipse of the sun, unlike other eclipses, was visible for 'the whole event, however, holiday makers paid little attention to a "bite for lunch, out of the Sun'.”

VICARAGE STREET Each year while I was at Bennerley School, we attended a religious thanksgiving service at Cotmanhay & Shipley Parish Church in Vicarage Street, before breaking up for our summer holidays. I have not heard of any other local school doing this since that time. We would group together, our teachers lead us two abreast through the streets to the church, and once inside we sat down in the pews. The service lasted under an hour, and then we were all allowed to go home for the rest of the six-week holidays.

The church, made of sandstone with lancet windows and a polygonal bell turret to the design by architect Henry Isaac Stevens (1807-1873 of Derby, brother of Nehemiah Edward Stevens), had its official opening in 1848; but because of subsidence damage it was demolished in 1987.

The church grounds are boarded with black iron railings, and have tuffs of grass and numerous daffodils. The main entrance to the building was in Vicarage Street directly opposite the Rose & Crown pub, through a large oak door situated

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below the bell turret. In side, once your eyes adjusted to the darker interior, there were pews either side of the central walk leading down to the large coloured alter. It was draped in post-box red cloth emphasised in Gold, with three Golden flower heads across the front.

Three big candles in silver candlesticks was on the alter, and high above was a Triptych dating from 1913. It had a series of bright colourful panels with paintings depicting Jesus with his disciples, and scenes from the holy bible.

A Triptych of course is a painting or carving that has three side-by-side panels, or canvases. Typically, a triptych has three hinged panels, the two outer panels designed so that they can be folded in towards the central one. This was a common form for an altarpiece during the middle ages and the Renaissance. The outer parts of such triptychs were typically hinged to the central one so that they could be closed over it, and in this case reverse sides were often painted. A triptych can also be, more loosely, something composed or presented in three parts or sections.

Inside Cotmanhay Church, the elegantly carved wooden Triptych was the colour of pine. The huge main eastern windows were visible above this, three in number, all long and narrow stretching to a point above the alter, topped by sandstone arches.

There were similar ornate panels up on the northern wall on the left hand side, that housed the organ pipes, and the organ itself was directly below in a short arched recess. The quire sat in pews either side of the front alter. In front of the whole were the wrought iron chancel gates, given by local parishioners in 1900. In addition, the church pews came in front of the whole magnificence, all of dark brown oak.

As you entered the building through the main doors, the font was situated on the right-hand side, although when I was last inside Cotmanhay Church, I don’t remember seeing the huge white stone angel above it located in the corner. However the fine twelve oak panels were still in place, on which were two large brass First

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World War Memorial plaques, and the Shipley coat of arms on a colourful blue/white shield.

The church was a beautiful building where hundreds of locals were baptised and eventually got married, the bells ringing out, and confetti scattering as the newlyweds emerged from their ceremony. Today this fine building has been replaced

by Erewash Christ Church.

Walking along Vicarage Street on the same side of the road as the church, we come to the vicarage itself surrounded by pine trees, with a large driveway in front, and lawn at the rear that was often used for garden parties. The Church Hall is next in line, which opened on 1 September 1962, replacing an earlier building at the junction of Church Street and Prince Street. It has an unusual rounded roof with side rooms used for church activities such as jumble sales that always seemed to take place. The building was designed and built by Reema (Chesterfield) Ltd. While still going to Bennerley School I joined the Cubs, and later the local Scouts, and attended their meetings in this building twice weekly.

Inside there is a large hall with the stage directly opposite the main double doors, with the jumble sale rooms through another door to the bottom right next to the stage.

Continuing down along vicarage Street, new houses have been built, in my school days this land was formerly occupied by Peacock Colliery before being reclaimed for housing and new properties were starting to go up. Here the street petered out into an un-adopted road on the left leading to the new housing estate, and on the right is a footpath all the way to Heanor Road, opposite Shipley Common Lane. Many locals still use this short cut, before walking down hill towards Bath Street.

At the beginning of this footpath is a number of old Victorian buildings, the latter having a fine apple & pair orchard the other side of the hedge, and running along the whole of the footpath.

From my Coppice Avenue home, to get to my bus-stop on Church Street opposite Cotmanhay Church, a cut through twitchil runs from the main field behind my home, side of Peacock place, and up to the bus-stop itself. Walking down into the footpath, on the right is a big house, and the twitchil narrows abruptly entering the top of the twitchil, that has holy and brambles either side.

Inside the orchard on the right is a number of apple trees loosely scattered, and an old small white painted thatched house, with four windows, two up, two down and central wooden doorway. It is a rickety old place, in through the front door there is a single large living room, with brown dirt & dust all over the floor, cobwebbed

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corners, and branches from overgrown shrubs growing in through the back windows which has missing glass.

On the right was a large white oblong sink, resting on two small brick walls, there were no taps anywhere to be seen except an old iron hand pump, which it appears the former occupants got their water by means of a borehole or well. An open fire grate and chimney is also on this side of the front room.

Outside again, and exploring further in the same locality, side of the twitchil, I came across an old bomb shelter of the Second World War, with its single concrete roof resting on a short brick wall all the way around. Moving away overgrown grass, and weeds, I found the entrance on the north facing side. Down a flight of several concrete steps, the darkened room was about six square feet (two meters) square, and the smell inside was of foul air.

Nearby, the Peacock Inn pub has a large car park, a well-maintained grass lawn at the back with children’s swings and play equipment; access to the lawn is down a short flight of steps from the upper pedestrian level. The upper level is of sandstone slabs that go all the way around the outside of the building, the public house itself being constructed from sandstone & brick. Viewed from the front, directly below the roof is a round pub sign depicting a colourful peacock originally illuminated by coloured florescent tubes. These lights are no longer there today.

The Peacock pub had Mr. Albert Wood as the Landlord in the late 1960s along with his wife. At that time, the pub was divided distinctly into two halves with their own wooden and thick glass window front doors.

Both halves have a long corridor where we children could sit at tables, and their own toilets blocks. The first side led to the lounge on the right, followed by the off-licence section further along again on the right, before ending at the entrance to the stars leading to private living quarters, situated on the first floor level above the pub. At the off-licence locals use to bring big glass or steel jugs to be filled with multiple pints of mild or bitter, to be drunk off the premises. Buy bottles of stout or beer, or have a container filled with sherry or ‘Wine from the wood.’ You could also buy cigarettes (mainly Players or Woodbine), nuts & raisons, crisps or bars of chocolate. Inside was a small cosy room known as the snug, where people use to site in.

The second side had the taproom on the left followed by the Best Room that has an old-fashioned fire and grate, red decorated felt flowery wallpaper, and red

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curtains. The Taproom joined through a single door, although in time the partition wall was removed turning it into one big Taproom around the main bar.

Mother landed a job cleaning the tables, ashtrays and washing the glasses most weekday nights after closing time, and I helped with wiping the tables, and putting the chairs up on the sides ready for the morning cleaners.

In time, Mr. Wood remained upstairs out of the way because of a ‘drink problem,’ leaving his wife and bar staff looking after the clientele in the evenings.

Sadly, Shipstone’s brewery dismissed the couple due to Mr. Wood’s alcoholism in 1971, and brought in a new manager to run the peacock. I should say that Mr. & Mrs. Wood were greatly liked by all of the locals and were sadly missed after they left. The new Landlord & landlady to take over the Peacock was Harry and Joyce Chester, the couple previously kept the 66 Club in Cotmanhay Road, Ilkeston.

Mr & Mrs Chester in turn retired in 1981 after about nine years service at The Peacock. On Wednesday 20 August, regulars at the Peacock were given the chance at a party to say farewell to Landlord and Landlady Harry & Joyce Chester.

Taking over at the Peacock were Roy, Hazel and Sally Salt, formerly of the George Inn, Pinxton.

With the house full to capacity by early evening, there was plenty of singing with Miss Kay Drury on the organ providing musical entertainment. Mrs. Ivy Farmer and Mrs. Nora Aldershaw presented Mr. And Mrs. Chester with a bouquet of flowers, three glass ornaments, a crystal cut vase and a large farewell card signed by all the regulars.

My mother was a keen volunteer along with other locals, including Nora Aldershaw, raising funding as ‘Friends of Ilkeston General Hospital,’ through the sale of raffle tickets & special events.

This included visits by Derby County footballers who signed a football, gave football shirts to auction or raffle, and signing autographs.

One special night I remember was ‘A Desperate Dan cow pie eating Competition.’ Desperate Dan of course being a character out of the Beano children’s comic. A stage was set up and three locals chosen to enter the contest.

After the contestants sat down at the table, three huge cow pies were brought in and placed before them, each 2½ feet in diameter by a foot deep, golden crusted with two real cow horns sticking out of the top. The Peacock was full for the occasion, and everyone placed a small bet on the possible winner. It worked a treat, and quite a bit of money was raised for charity.

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In April 1982, Ilkeston Hospitals' League of Friends raised over £130 at a charity evening at the Peacock Inn, Cotmanhay. Derby County player Dave Swindlehurst presented two of the League’s staunchest supporters - Mrs. Nora Aldershaw and my mother - with bouquets.

That November regulars of the Peacock Inn had raised over £330 for Ilkeston Hospital League of Friends with the help of Mrs. Nora Aldershaw & Bridie who went round the pub every week with collecting boxes. This was a welcome boost for The League of Friends who was able to buy a special type of bed on behalf of the new Landlord Roy Salt, for the inclusive cost of £500.

The Peacock was not maintained; therefore, it suffered through disrepair from 1985, and was not the same after this. It was a shambles throughout the 1990s until the Peacock was rescued and completely renovated at the turn of the century after new houses were built on the main playing field bringing with it new pub regulars.

HEALTH Health wise my father did all right escaping all but the occasional cold or flu, except for a broken ankle after he slipped off the lower steps of his Stanton Ironworks crane.

Mother began to experience ill health from the late 1960s complaining of cramps in her abdomen and back, and her GP Dr. Barry was unable to determine the cause of the problem so he sent her for some tests at Derbyshire Royal Infirmary. I was about seven years-old at the time (1965), with no one to look after me, I went along with her, and upon arrival, we reported to the reception before entering the waiting room. I could see Bridie was anxious about things, so I asked mother what she expected to happen.

“It’s just a check-up and maybe heat treatment to see if it gets rid of the pain in my back,” she replied. Before long, a nurse appeared with a clipboard and escorted mother into a side room while I waited outside.

It was quite a while before Bridie appeared again, and reported to the reception desk. Behind the desk were the receptionist and a senior doctor in a white coat with a stethoscope draped round his shoulders.

Mother asked him “what medicine do you do here doctor?” “Ears, nose and throat, removing tonsils, that sort of thing,” he replied. “Oh, my boy still has his tonsils, can you remove them while were here, it needs doing!” Bridie replied.

“Well,” said the doctor thoughtfully, “there is room on my waiting list, and you will have to sign a consent form you know.”

Bridie turned and looked down at me, “Its all arranged Patrick, you are going to have your tonsils out! There is nothing at all to worry about, you will be well looked after while you are here.” My blank silent expression said it all!

Bridie signed the consent forms; the doctor then pricked my finger with a pin and took a blood sample from me. “Mum, he’s after my blood as well,” I complained.

We waited a few minutes until the doctor checked the results, then a nurse came and escorted me to one of the children’s wards, were she looked out a pair of spare ‘jim-jams’ & slippers, then put me to bed.

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The operation took place early the next morning. When I woke up, I found myself lying flat on my mattress with no pillars, with my head to one side, blood, and spittle coming from my mouth. I had a bad sore throat too.

The whole day was a bad experience for me while my parents were both at our Ilkeston home. A few times, I asked the nurse for tissues to wipe the blood way from my bloodied mouth “Oh swallow it lad, it’s your blood, it won’t harm you,” she retorted. In time, I stopped bleeding, and my sore throat stopped hurting enough for me to eat some jelly & ice cream, breakfast cereals, and more ice cream. Mum and dad came to visit me after that, and at the end of the week, I was allowed home to convalesce.

About seven months passed when I contracted chicken spots so I had to stay off school for the next eight weeks. I lay on the settee at home watching television, and programmes like Animal Magic with Johnny Morris, Tails Along the River Bank, and Crackerjack.

FAVOURITE VISITED PLACES My mother never forgot her Irish roots, returning to Galway four or five times to visit her mother and childhood home at 17 Claddagh Quay, and I went along on two occasions while I was still young. Just getting to Galway during the 1960s proved to be a tough expedition.

Charlie came with us both to Ilkeston Market place to help with the heavy suitcase and bags. Mother and I boarded a Felix bus to take us to Derby train station.

It was either this or a bus journey to Nottingham station, dad having to buy a platform ticket to carry the suitcases onto our transfer train to Derby, and see us both off.

Bridie and I then had to get off and change platforms for our train to Crew.

The scenery from the Felix bus window was of Victorian streets, then countryside and winding roads. Fields containing sheep & cattle, power lines and stone clad walls. Edwardian houses came next as we entered Derby, and we were fortunate that the coach driver stopped outside the rail station to let us off, as there was no bus stop their.

We then picked up our cases and went to find our platform for the Crew train; it was already waiting for us as we arrived. There were two big steps up to the carriage corridor. Once inside, I saw that the narrow corridor went the whole length of our carriage, with compartments on the left fitted with windows, and central sliding doors. Inside our cubicle were blue seats facing one another, with folding down arm rests for four people either side. A passenger kindly help mother with her cases, and put them on the luggage rack above our heads. With the sliding door closed, I went and sat next to the window to get a good view. Soon, our train moved out of the station en-route to Crew where we changed trains for Holyhead to catch our boat to Dún Laoghaire.

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It was a long journey with our train stopping at many stations enroot. Our tickets were printed on small grey card that the conductor cut a small triangle from using silver pliers. In time, it began to rain with the wind picking up, and it got very blustery outside, the rain lashing the windows. The light level declining into the long night ahead, and nothing was visible outside even with the carriage lights dimmed. I watched the telegraph wires move up and down, up and down between the wooden poles, dancing hypnotically, and I drifted off to sleep.

The train pulled into Holyhead station then came to a standstill at the platform, were we got off and made our way to the ship about to take us over the Irish Sea. It was about 1 a.m. on a cold blustery Friday morning, and we could do no other than follow the signs to the boat. Holyhead station in the late 1960s was of old blackened brick walls, and Iron riveted bridges, supports, and girders holding the place together. It was an old looking station, and all of the ship’s passengers, including ourselves, were all being treated like cattle!

We were herded into a very large shed, through customs were we were given boarding passes after our tickets had been checked. Then our long line of people of 200 or more passengers, moved steadily forward, while those in front had turned back on themselves walking up an angled wooden footbridge towards the ship.

There was a loudspeaker announcement, saying that due to the bad weather the boat may not sail. We all waited, standing around chatting, and occasionally walking a little to stretch our legs because our cattle shed hanger had no seating. It had no more than dull lighting, and we were all miserable and cold.

Soon we were on the move again, and I discovered that the angled ramp led us to a side entrance near the top of our cattle-shed. After walking this far, we walked the gangplank with side rails to hold onto. It was tied with thick rope to our cattle-shed wall on one side, while the other was tied by rope inside the ship through an open double iron doorway. As Bridie and I got to the middle of the gangplank, we looked down to find we were almost 100 foot above the quayside, and a further hefty drop into the black waters at the side of our ship.

Once inside, we found some place to sit in a brightly lit and warm passenger lounge. Soon the boat’s engines came to life, and we moved sideways away from quayside to a safe distance, before turning round backwards, then we set off slowly out of Holyhead harbour into the choppy Irish Sea. There was a heavy swell, it was very windy and the rain was still lashing down outside; soon the ship rocked up and down. As we hit the big waves, we rose

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up, and seemed to move sideways, then forwards, and sideways again — this was my first time on a boat and my tummy went over!

Half way across the Irish Sea there was a report that a woman had gone overboard, and the ship’s engines stopped. Powerful Search light beams lit up the Irish Sea sweeping back and forth. Our ship drifting slowly, moving up & down with the swell. For an hour, the ship’s crew searched in vain. The rain had stopped and the wind lessened, when an hour later, the ship’s engines started up again, and we headed for Dún Laoghaire.

Dún Laoghaire (right) is a town on the Irish coast about seven miles (11km) south of Dublin, boasting one of the world’s finest harbours. Dún Laoghaire takes it's name form the great King Laoire who in 480A.D. maintained a great "Dún" or stone fort in the centre of the town. The ancient fort was demolished in 1803 to make way for the building of a Martello tower, which in turn was replaced in 1834 by the first suburban railway in the world. King Laoire's large garrison ensured that the Romans would think twice about invading Ireland from the Saxon shores. Some say that Saint Patrick the boy shepherd arrived at Dún Laoghaire as a slave; it was the same Patrick who returned in 432A.D. to face King Laoghaire and who subsequently destroyed his ancient Druid order. Traces of this order can still be found in Dún Laoghaire and the neighbouring village of Dalkey. Both towns are closely linked because it was the granite from Dalkey Hill that built Dún Laoghaire harbour.

Twenty minutes before we entered the harbour we all cued up for customs inspection, and our tickets to be checked, then we waited for the boat to dock as the light of dawn approached. Soon we were onboard our train heading into Dublin, were we arrived in brilliant sunshine, blue skies and large fluffy white clouds.

Dublin’s official date of establishment was in 988 A.D. although evidence of its existence dates back to the second century in which it was named Eblana.

Norman Vikings were the first settlers of the city, while the Danes captured the town in the 9th century. The rebellious Irish wrested control of Dublin from the Danes on a number of occasions during the next three centuries.

Until the middle of the 17th century, Dublin remained a small, walled medieval town. However, in 1649 after the English Civil Wars, the town was taken over by Oliver Cromwell; it had only 9,000 residents at the time and was in a state of shambles.

In 1800, the Act of Union between England and Ireland abolished the Irish Parliament and drastically reduced Dublin's status. A long decline set in that only began to be reversed after Ireland became independent in 1922. This independence came about after the 1916 Rising and the subsequent War of Independence. After Independence, Dublin became the political, economic, and cultural centre of Ireland.

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With a few hours to spare Bridie took me to visit her sister Mary King, and we past time as mother got the latest news about her mother and friends at 17 Claddagh Quay.

Grandma King (my mother’s mum) was looking after an elderly dockworker named Johnnie. The boats he worked on had their holds filled with dusty iron & copper ore, sometimes cement, or lime. Although Johnnie was still working at the docks, the dust had got onto his chest and he was now suffering from silicoses and he was getting very ill.

Back at Dublin railway station, we boarded our cross-country train for Galway city. The first thing I noticed was how much bigger and powerful the orange & black locomotives were compared to British trains, and the railway tracks were wider in gauge.

Our three hour journey from Dublin’s Heuston’s station to Galway passed through the most amazing countryside scenery, and it was just a short taxi ride to the Claddagh from their.

We had the most wonderful time over the following two weeks of summer. During my first week in the Claddagh, I came out in a rash of spots all over me that itched all the time.

Mother used lots of Calamine lotion to calm things down. It was my first time visiting Ireland (1965) where the atmosphere was filled with the smell of burning turf brickets that I was allergic to; however, soon my rash went away.

Then, one morning while standing at the Claddagh Quay opposite Grandma King’s home, a bumblebee came up out of the seaweed below and stung me on the leg. Being only seven at the time I screamed out in lots of pain that lasted the whole day.

I have been back to Claddagh Quay a number of times since my preteens, and the place continues to hold a fascinating and historical attraction.

The Claddagh hall is opposite my grandma King’s home next to the quay, and a narrow road extends down the pier to the end that extends out partly into the bay opposite Galway docks, and what has become known as the Spanish Walk.

At the rear of the Claddagh Hall is a large rough field that runs the length of the Grattan Road, and the strand above the beach. Here are usually held the ‘Claddagh races’ each summer run by horses & donkeys belonging to local farmers or families, a tradition that dates back to the old Claddagh village.

This is not the true ‘Galway races’ that take place each year at the Ballybrit race course. Records dating back to as far as the mid thirteenth century, shows organised race meetings in County Galway, when, what were known as ‘horse matches’, were run under ‘King’s Plate Articles’.

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In 1764, there was a five-day race meeting at Knock Barron near Loughrea, and exactly 100 years later, the ‘Western Plate’ race was confined to “gentlemen riders qualified for National Hunt Races at Punches town or members of the County Galway Hunt.” The first racing festival held in Ballybrit was a two-day event with the first race meeting on Tuesday, 17 August 1869.

There are dozens of white swans that come into the Claddagh Quay with the tide, which locals feed with scraps of bread. During the hot summer of 1976, a swarm of huge jellyfish came to visit, and give birth to their young, before moving on after several days rest. The largest of these aquatic creatures had jelly-sacks of over three feet (a metre) in diameter, and stinging tentacles, six to nine feet in length; it was an amazing site.

I was last in Galway with my mother in 1975, and I believe Charlie (dad) came too, and we had quite a good time, with mother showing dad around the area, introducing him to her former school friends and acquaintances.

It was on this holiday my mother again had bad tummy cramps, with pains in her side and back. She went to see a local doctor who immediately advised hospital treatment. Mother went to University College Hospital A&E before being admitted for a series of tests. Doctors did find something wrong, and carried out a minor operation.

My mother came home from hospital after a few days with instructions to go to her own GP to arrange further hospital treatment. Bridie put a brave face on things, telling us that it was little more than a kidney infection. Today, I believe that she new what it all meant and she had decided to hide the word Cancer from her elderly mother, her husband, and myself.

Johnnie died towards the end of 1976 after going in and out of hospital, following collapsing at home or in the street, and going through a lot of pain. Towards the end of his life, he was unable to keep any of his food down, so he lost a lot of weight.

Grandma King died about a year later aged 87 while on holiday in Scotland, and soon after visiting my family home of 43 Coppice Avenue. She was taken back to Galway, and a funeral service was held in the Claddagh church followed by a simple burial in the church grounds; my mother, and her brothers attended the service.

Getting to and from Galway is a lot easier these days, it is quicker cleaner and there are far better facilities. However, I shall not forget that first voyage to the emerald Isle ... not for a very long time!

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CHAPTER FOUR MONSAL HEAD, WHITBY AND SHIPLEY WOOD In Derbyshire, my favourite place has to be Mensal Head on the A6020 at Little Longstone near Bakewell. On top of the dale is the hotel itself with a fine old fashioned bar complete with log fire and old worldly tables. The atmosphere brings me back to the early days of my Derbyshire memories, and the hot meals or snacks make the visit more homely. I have been to Monsal Head several times with my friend Ray Gale who drove us their in his car, a three hour’s journey from Nottingham.

From the top of Monsal Head, the scenery is a splendid one looking down into the valley below at Monsal Dale & Upper Dale, with a winding cold-water river meandering through.

There is also the eye-catching viaduct that was closed to rail traffic in the late '60s. It is now part of the Monsal Trail that runs from Bakewell to near Buxton; the viaduct has seven high stonewall arches over the valley.

The road leading down into the dale is not too steep, and having walked down into the valley, then up onto the viaduct itself, we took a steady stroll back towards the Monsal Head cliff face and up the steep shingle, footpaths back to the top. I have to say that I always found our hour-long walk tiresome; Ray and I had to have frequent stops along the way.

I just love the scenery here especially the backdrop of rolling hills dotted with trees, when set against a clear blue sky. I have never been to Monsal Head to view the night sky, yet I can imagine the celestial scenery with the distinct band of the Milky Way overhead and the stars laid out in all their stellar glory.

I have visited Whitby a few times, travelling by coach crossing over the Yorkshire dales. It is such a beautiful place with its numerous old buildings, and historic association with Bram stoker’s Dracula, Captain Cook and whaling for the mammal’s oil. All Captain Cook's four ships - Endeavour, Resolution, Adventure, and Discovery were built at Whitby.

Walking around the town looking at the old worldly houses and cottages, then down and along the harbour walls, you do get a feeling for the history of this town. Up on the west cliff is a statue of Captain Cook who discovered the New World of the America’s.

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The story of Captain Cook is a fascinating one. James Cook was born on 27 October 1728, in the little Yorkshire village of Marton. The cottage in which James was born has long since gone, and nothing now remains but vestiges of the pump. At Ayton, James attended Mr. Pullen's little school where he showed a flair for maths.

He also owed much kindness to the people of the Manor. However, it was soon time for him to earn his living; and his father apprenticed him to a Mr. Sanderson who kept general stores at Staithes.

What we do know is that James walked the thirteen miles over the cliff to Whitby, found a collier (A collier is a wooden sailing ship generally with two sails that carried a cargo of coal.) lying alongside the quay, and offered his services to the mate.

In addition, the mate sent him off to see the owners of the little collier fleet the Walker Brothers, Quakers, of Whitby. James was appointed, and the life of his choice had begun. Sadly, Cook died at the hands of Hawaiian savages in 1778 after discovering the New World.

It appears that one of his small boats was stolen, and Captain Cook put ashore in some force to effect restitution. Natives crowded the beach, armed and excited. Stones were thrown and there was some firing. Cook turned, and as he did so, was stabbed in the back and speared. He fell dead into the water.

Over on the east cliff is St Mary’s church and Whitby Abbey, and just walking up to the cliff top, many tourists would never have guessed that there is history just below our feet.

When I first visited Whitby, I headed for the east cliff and the famous 199 steps leading to St Mary’s Parish Church and Whitby Abbey. The steps have existed since earliest times, though historically they were constructed of wood. These were said to have been a multitude of colours having been made from recycled timber taken from wrecks off the Whitby coastline, the 'loneing', or 'donkey road' rises up to the right of the steps. The seats and wide platforms, which occur at various places, are actually coffin tops from the days when funeral processions proceeded up the steps to the church.

Once at the top, its nice to walk among the tombstones, then visit St Mary’s church itself, which is an interesting monumental structure.

The oldest parts of the Parish church of St Mary were built around 1110 in the time of William de Percy, Abbot of Whitby Abbey. It has undergone a number of changes and additions since that time. The parish church of St. Mary has a Norman tower and an 18th century interior. Of particular note in the church are the box pews (some emblazoned with the words 'For Strangers Only"), but equally impressive are the galleries and a three storey pulpit. The pulpit has built in ear trumpets that

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enabled the hearing-impaired wife of a former rector to listen to her husband's sermons!

It is quite possible to stroll around the perimeter of the nearby abbey, for a few pounds it is well worth a closer look, and I have never been disappointed in doing so.

According to English Heritage, the first abbey was founded in 657 by the formidable St Hilda, a princess of the Northumbrian royal house, whose Saxon name Hild means 'battle'. Recent archaeological research undertaken by English Heritage suggests that it was once a bustling settlement, as well as the burial place of monarchs, the setting of an epoch-making international meeting between Celtic and Roman clerics, and the home of saints such as the poet Caedmon.

The Saxon abbey was destroyed during a Viking invasion in 867, but one of William the Conqueror's knights re-founded it in the late 1070s. By 1220, his Norman church proved inadequate for the many pilgrims, and the building of the present church began. After its dissolution by Henry VIII in 1538, the abbey did not suffer as much destruction as many other monasteries, as it was (and still is) used by shipping as a navigation marker. The site then passed to the Cholmley family, who built a mansion largely out of materials plundered from the monastery.

As I walked around the remains of the abbey, it is certainly a huge building and quite awe-inspiring, no wonder Abraham "Bram" Stoker (1847-1912) chose this landmark, and Whitby, to land Dracula on English soil after his long journey all the way from Transylvania, as contained in his famous 1897 novel.

I have read this book a number of times, and I have lost little interest in the famous vampire chronicle. My favourite vampire story of all time must be Peter Tremayne’s (1943- ) ‘Dracula Unborn.’ Peter Tremayne is the fiction pseudonym of a well-known authority on the ancient Celts, who has utilised his knowledge of the Brehon law system and 7th-Century Irish society to create a new concept in writing fiction. Dracula Unborn brings the Dracula legend alive with the addition of his historic facts.

SHIPLEY WOOD At Shipley near Cotmanhay Shipley Wood is a place I often visited as a pupil. Standing on Heanor Road opposite the main entrance to the wood, there were shops at the junction of Heanor Road and Church Street built between 1878 and 1899 when Heanor Road was known as Hassock Lane.

After some years of disuse, the shops were demolished in 2003. These consisted of a corner store with sign above the main door, which was originally a beer-off licence before changing hands to become the local second hand shop. It was in a poor state of repair when I

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last went inside this building in 1979. The next shop was actually two buildings cojoined which was the ‘Happy-Shopper’ general store my parents and I visited most often.

The entrance to Shipley wood has a low stonewall with two tall pillars that were originally topped by spherical stone balls. In my school days, the balls were still here although they had fallen off and rolled into the undergrowth. The railings on top and along the whole length of the boundary wall were removed during the Second World War. In the grounds on the left was the remains of a brick building that was covered in ivy and brambles. This was Cotmanhay Lodge belonging to the Shipley Hall Estate of Miller Mundy; the Lodge subsequently became no. 311, Heanor Road.

The main bus stop for Marlpool & Heanor is situated in front of this main wall; I have stood there many times. I also remember that a short distance up Heanor Road on the same side as the bus stop was a grocery shop; it is the first house you come to. It has since been converted into someone’s home.

Walking down into Shipley Wood, there are a huge suave of mature trees of beech, Oak and evergreen.

My earliest memory is walking with mother & father along a footpath near the top of the wood to the south, when we come to the boundary fence with the water works on the opposite side of the wall. I took their photograph with a Kodak brownie camera (the image now lost).

Following the boundary wall towards the lake, the open land over the wall belonged to Park Field Farm, and a bridle path cut through the two main fields their taking you out at the far side of Shipley Common Lane. However, we continued walking through the wood west towards the lake, were the trees opened out revealing a fern and grass-covered landscape of crater depressions, both large and small, in the ground. I have never been able to establish their origin, although Charlie (dad) once said they were caused by bombs that fell during the last war, and this always seemed a plausible explanation.

We walked onto the main trail of Shipley wood, which now narrowed into a finger of trees and undergrowth, with Chapel Hill Farm covering the whole of the northern boundary. Eventually we came to a disused railway crossing that had two wooden gates still in situ, which were open. We had entered Meynellis Coppice where a shallow bank leads down to Shipley Lake that had bulrushes and marshland along its length.

I remember walking up to the northern side of the lake, after turning right, to find an old pit head with an open pit shaft slanting down into the darkness, along which horses would clip-clop down into the mine, being attached to coal wagons, then they would pull these up to the surface. The site was very old with broken down buildings here and there. Walking further west along this northern lake boundary the remains of a much larger colliery was located, with double rail tracks allowing trucks to be filled from overhead grey iron corrugated buildings.

Back with mother and father, we turned left walking along the main footpath and under a single arched bridge that ran over an old railway line, the tracks long since gone.

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Again following the path to our left we walked across the southern end of Shipley Lake, were we came across a stone boathouse. I ventured inside and walked a short distance over a narrow wooden platform, where boats use to be tied up.

Outside again, we walked over another bridge at the bottom end of Shipley Lake, although the once active waterfall running beneath had dried to a shallow stream leading into a disused fishpond. I remember that mom and dad rested here for a while as I paddled in the water, the day being warm and sunny. The land to one side use to be the ‘Spring Gas works,’ although little remained to show that it was of any significance.

Charlie had an old newspaper cutting from the Ilkeston Advertiser dated 1912, showing a postcard size photograph taken just after an explosion at the town’s main gasworks (Left). The gasworks were located off Granby Street in front of Springfield terrace, not far from Ilkeston railway station. I still do not know why dad kept this cutting in his wallet, along side a ticket from the last tram ride of the town.

However, from what dad told me, it appears that he, and his mother & father, may have lived originally in Belfield Street when this accident happened, and may have known the woman who died.

The 1912 tragedy resulted from three explosions at the Gasworks causing trains to overturn, walls to collapse, and homes to be flooded when water storage tanks were ruptured. Only one person died because of the accident, and that was a nineteenyear-old domestic servant called Matilda Gough. She was tragically drowned in the cellar of the house in Belfield Street belonging to her employer, Mr Bostock, a Rutland Street beer retailer.

Back at the old gasworks next to Shipley Lake, a short canal ran from here to Shipley Warf at the side of the main railway, then as a stream following the tracks southwards.

We continued our walk up hill towards Shipley Hall, the building itself is no longer in existence.

Heanor & District Local History Society feature a number of old postcards showing Shipley Hall on its website, and provide the following information: “There had been a hall at Shipley since at least the 13th century. It is known that Sir Edward Leche, the Lord of the Manor, built a hall there in 1630's, a tall gabled house.

In 1713, the Hall was passed to Sir Edward's granddaughter, Hester Miller, who married Edward Mundy, who was part of the Mundy family of Markeaton.

“By 1749, Edward Mundy had pulled down the old Hall, and built his new mansion. This was itself to undergo major changes: in 1778/9, a rebuilding programme, designed by William Lindley of Doncaster, transformed the hall into neoclassical style; in 1895, the Hall was enlarged by Sir Walter Tapper for the then owner, Alfred Edward Miller Mundy, the additions at the end of the 19th century included the Italian Pergola and the Fountain's Walk, with a Cararra marble fountain.

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“The Miller Mundy's made their money from coal production, and, in the end, that was to be the downfall of Shipley Hall (Right). In 1922, the then owner, Godfrey Miller Mundy, sold the estate to the Shipley Colliery Company, a company set up by his ancestors. Up until this time, the Miller Mundy family had made sure that the colliery company had left a huge pillar of coal untouched underneath their Hall, but now the company had no compunction in mining this seam. Within a short time, the Hall was suffering the major effects of subsidence.

“In 1943 the Hall was demolished, and the Shipley Colliery Company was nationalised at the end of the Second World War. Derbyshire County Council, who established a Country Park on the site, later (1970) bought the estate.

“Godfrey Miller Mundy is not well-regarded locally, being seen as the person who gave up the family seat, and the local traditions that went with it.”

In time, around half of the Shipley Wood trees were cut down and the area subjected to opencast mining. The huge hole was filled in, and then the site was landscaped to become grassland with roaming hills scattered here and there. The collieries were all gone along with their historic buildings by the late 1970s.

One of my memories as a pupil was venturing into Shipley Wood with my friend Patrick Henshaw. Somehow, we ventured through the trees into a steam locomotive graveyard. There were four rusty old engines in various stages of being dismantled, and three large loco wheels lying around. We climbed up into the cabin of the nearest steam train, and then looked inside the firebox door. The open ends of the steam pipes were clearly visible. Patrick and I then climbed down and looked around the old engines that were brown and full of rust. Later we caught sight of a large building, so we ventured over and peered inside. There was row upon row of geological core samples all in long wooden trays. At that moment, the site security guard caught the two of us, and we were ordered off the land.

We made our way back to the woodland trees, and I turned to have one last look at the old rusted trains, the vista of the loco engines along with their graveyard seem so sad. I knew then it was the end of an era for Shipley Wood, and things were about to change in the name of progress.

EMPLOYMENT My first job was taken up during my school days while still at Bennerley when I pealed potatoes and cut chips at the Chip shop in Donner Crescent. I found it a little tedious,

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never the less it made me some pocket money, and I had a free helping of chips & peas at the end of my four-hour shift. Mother would then call to collect me; I was there for about twelve weeks.

It was just after leaving school I went for a job interview at John Hickinbothom’s, a family name that goes back a long way in Derbyshire’s history, since there was an original department store in Bath Street at the end of the Victorian era of T. Hickinbothom’s. Hickinbothom’s essentially was a clothes manufacturer that kept up with the latest fashion in boys & men’s trousers, suits and jackets. John Hickinbotham ran both the ‘factory & his shop.’

If you wanted something that extra special, or the latest fashionable accessories, then there was only one Ilkeston shop to go to, it had to be Hickinbothom’s.

In 1975, Hickinbothom’s was a shop situated at the junction of Heanor Road and Rutland Street taking on the shape of the road as it curves around the corner. It was a fine Victorian building, you entered through the front door, and the counter was directly opposite. This room had numerous shelves containing men’s shirts of all sizes, colour and types, the men’s’ fitting rooms being behind the counter. On the left was the stairway leading up to the first floor level of the building. On the right at the top of the stairs was the main room containing suits & trousers; it had a single large bay window that had a fine view of Bath Street almost to the top, and there was a bay window seat.

Next in line along the corridor, also on the right, was the stock room where various sized trousers were laid out on sheets of brown paper on the floor, together with boxed stock of shirts and denims; finally, the main office was at the end of the passage.

Many of the jackets sold in my time were crushed velvet of various colours, and ordinary jackets & suites, all off the peg. If the jacket needed minor alterations to the sleeve length or fitting, these were tailored to fit. John Hickinbotham has provided a first class tailoring service for made to measure suites for years.

One stock of fashion trousers we sold were called “bags,” which were a close fit around the waste and hips, while the legs descended to 28-44 inch (70 – 110 cm) bottoms, with or without turn-ups. I was surprised just how popular they turned out to be, along side our regular stock of trousers and jeans.

One of my jobs, while waiting for customers to come into the store, was the take each of the jackets & trousers off the rails, and dusting them down with a clothes brush. Another was to tidy up the stockroom; when it came to looking through the piles of trousers for a particular colour or size, the piles of trousers became very untidy, and it was necessary to keep the sizes together in sequence.

On the ground floor, right of the main counter and till, was a middle room containing ties, cheese-cloth shirts, jumpers, denim jeans and shirts. It had no windows, and the lighting set the mood of the time, as did the radio Trent music that was always in the air.

On the right again, through another entrance was the main shoe area, that had all styles and makes, one of the fashionable types in my time being “platforms,” which had a single block heal to toe, of varying heights, and were intended to be warn with the fashionable “bag trousers.”

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I found working at Hickinbothom’s most enjoyable, due to the work experience, and meeting many fascinating customers who were buying or browsing the stock. I knew the assistant manager & window dresser simply as Dennis, who was also a skilled tailor.

Denise was always smartly dressed in a suit & tie, smaller than either Mr. Hickinbotham or me, being about 5’ 5” tall and forever knowledgeable and composed.

John Hickinbotham himself was a professional organist who had played music on radio and around the entertainment circuit frequently in his earlier years. He was tall, wore glasses, of medium build, and had a hairpiece blending unnoticeably in with his blond coloured hair. John was also very smartly dressed, and drove a navyblue rover car that was always parked in Rutland Street.

There was one memorable occasion, one day in June we were all amazed to see that it was actually snowing outside, a period of bazaar weather that lasted twenty minutes, and the rest of that summer turned out to be a heat-wave.

In time, as the new relief road came through Ilkeston, the site of Hickinbothom’s was demolished along with other nearby buildings to make way for a large roundabout that exists their today. Sadly, this redevelopment brought an end the local Hickinbotham Empire.

I had a brief period of unemployment before going along to the former Midland General Bus depot in lower Bath Street seeking any vacancies. I am unable to drive so being a bus conductor was my only option.

I was told the basics: “You will be expected to stand for prolonged periods,” said District Traffic Superintendent Ian Beverage. ‘That’s OK I can do that,’ I replied.

After that come the rest of the attributes in one long oral stream of words.

“Be reliable and punctual; be of smart appearance; be physically fit - able to climb stairs, stand, and lift luggage; have good communication skills; be numerate able to calculate quickly and accurately; have an awareness of safety issues.”

‘Yes of course I can,’ I replied. Ian finally stopped speaking, and looked me up and down, and then he asked me: “Do you have the ability to operate a payment system?” ‘Oh yes,’ I said, ‘I worked over the road at Hickinbothom’s where operating the till was easy.’

“Good, good,” he replied nodding in agreement.

I was very fortunate because I got the job, and I must say that working on the buses was every bit as funny as the London Weekend Television comedy programme “On the Busses,” featuring Reg Varney (as “bus driver,” Stan Butler), Bob Grant (as the “clippie,” Jack) and Stephen Lewis (as “Inspector,” Cyril Blake). The programme was transmitted from 1969-1973 notching up 7 series, and 74 episodes.

Bus conductors have a range of responsibilities, which include collecting fares, issuing tickets, helping passengers with baggage, advising on destinations and ensuring the safety of passengers. There is some paperwork involved, for instance when recording fares, checking timetables and counting money. In most towns & cities today, the duties of driver and conductor are combined into one job. Hours are irregular, and involve some weekends and shift work. Driver-conductors work alone, but where the roles are divided, the driver and conductor work together as part of a team.

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Becoming a bus conductor involved more than two weeks training at Trent’s Langley Mill depot, passing various practical & written tests, and making an application for a licence, allowing us to sell fares as well as look after the bus and passengers. We were all fitted out with the standard company uniform of black trousers, navy blazer, and shirts.

I have already said a little about going to Cotmanhay School by Midland General Bus from the Beauvale Drive terminus, the fare being only sixpence at the time. These early buses, I found out, was named “crash-cabs,” and had the driver’s cabin right in front, to the right of the big main engine, and entirely separate from the double-decker passenger compartment. The above photograph is of a very early model of a Midland General bus.

Also on the right was the snug where passengers placed their bags or wheelchairs, while all of the seats were well padded, and mostly lined with artificial leather, or coloured thick fabric. A series of chrome handrails from roof to floor ran along the passenger interior. The earlier buses had a heater the shape and size of a car tyre with a front grill, situated at the front of the upper deck. The former Midland General Bus colours were navy blue & cream, while Trent’s is predominantly red.

We conductors rang the bell to give instructions to the driver up front, and both of us knew the code of bells: ‘one-bell to stop;’ ‘two-bells to go’; ‘three-bells for I have a problem back here!,’ and ‘four-bells for emergency stop.’

I soon learned the bus routes, and became acquainted with my regular passengers. As we arrived for work each morning we picked up our clipboards — that is why we were named clippies – which had a route-time table attached, and drivers did the same; it was only then that we learned who our driver would be for the next eight hours, while the driver was allocated a bus to drive.

As I recall, we had four primary routes to work, these were Beauvale Drive terminus to either Kirk Hallam or Hallam Fields; Heanor (or Ripley) to Nottingham by Eastwood (231), or by Ilkeston (232, 233). We occasionally operated an early morning service to take locals to work at Trowel Services, or Nottingham, and School bus runs. In Nottingham we worked out of Mount Street off Maid Marian Way, where our green single-decker canteen bus was located, allowing us free tea or coffee, and we paid for breakfasts of bacon or sausage sandwiches. In addition, all of the Trent depots had their own canteens, and a snooker table to help us to relax and pass the time.

One morning I arrived for work at 6 30 a.m. collected my clipboard, then went upstairs to the locker room, and collected my black metal case containing my ticket machine, ticket rolls, cash bags and other things. Upon returning down stairs, I met my driver Stuart Graham, who had just started at the depot, and we walked over

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to our bus for the day, which was a red “crash-cab,” and we drove out of the depot, turning left into Bath Street. We were on the work shift; it was Stuart’s fourth day on the road, and he knew how to drive OK. Sadly, he did not know any of the bus routes, and had not the foggiest idea about the ‘Bell ringing code.’ He had never driven a crash-cab on service before either.

We picked up our Ilkeston passengers, going up Bath Street, along South Street, then down Ilkeston Road; I collected all of their fares. Then three passengers stood up to get off at their stop, and I wrong the bell, which was loud enough, although Stuart did not slow down, or stop! My passengers got cross with me, and as others stood up for their stop, I wrong, & wrong, then gave four-bells, and finally my driver pulled up in the road, were most of my passengers got off angrily telling me off.

I then went up front, and remonstrated with Stuart. “You won’t get into trouble Patrick,” he reassured me, “I’m driving this bus, not you!” ‘But it’s me back there collecting fares, and those passengers were a lynch-mob,’ I replied. ‘Now remember the bells, the bells … one means GO, and two means stop at the NEXT BUS STOP,’ I continued, before getting back onboard, and we drove off down the road.

Two more passengers got up for their stop, and I wrong the bell, however, we drove right past! I knocked on his driver’s window, and Stuart smiled, and then pulled down his blind, and stopped the bus. Fortunately, the rest of my passengers wanted the Mount Street terminus so it was a straight run.

After our tea break at Mount Street, it was time to go on the road. ‘Stop messing about Stuart,’ I said to him sternly, ‘our next service is to Wollaton Vale.’

“But I don’t know where that is,” he replied!”

‘Hang on, I have a map in my box,’ I said, before getting back on board.

Stuart, was already on the tailboard winding the destination sign, and stopped at Balloon Woods. He got back into his cab and started the engine up, then closed the doors, began reversing, and stopped. Next, he tapped on his window to attract my attention.

“Don’t bother about the map,” he shouted, “were going to Balloon Woods, I know where that is!”

That whole morning we drove the wrong services, and picked up other Trent bus passengers, leaving their vehicles travelling empty. I made two desperate phone calls to my Ilkeston depot, and explained my predicament, before repeating my driver’s cliché to my Inspector: “You won’t get into trouble Patrick; I’m driving this bus, not you.”

I think that Stuart only lasted a few more days after that!

I recall another occasion in 1983 when the weather was bad, and the rain pouring down one late autumn afternoon. My driver was Don Savoury, we had one of the new Trent buses where the driver was inside the passenger cabin, and I could stand next to him. We had a double-decker, and in Nottingham, we were travelling up the steep Ilkeston Road towards Caning Circus.

Looking up I noticed only one window-wiper working, and the other in front of my driver was doing its best to cope. Then I noticed wires dangling from the none functional wiper box; ‘I know,’ I thought to myself, ‘I’ll twist the wires together to make it work.’ I did so, there were sparks, and all of the bus lights went out, plunging us into darkness!’ “What have you done,” said Donald, taken by surprise. “I’ve got no

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indicators … my headlights?” We limped into Victoria bus station, ordered a replacement motor vehicle, and continued the rest of our services for that day in fits of laughter. During the rest of the week, everyone referred to me as ‘Sparkey,’ which was embarrassing, but at least everyone knew I was only trying to help.

In the spring of 1983, I recall one journey on the 233 service to Heanor, when I had a quarter of a bus full of passengers, and the back end of the vehicle began making odd banging noises. We stopped and checked things; everything seemed fine; later after passing through Loscoe village the noise started again. Three loud cracks followed, and the bus engine cut off, leaving us freewheeling forward.

When the diver pulled up, and we got off to see what had happened, we were looking at a black oil slick a number of yards long, and gear box parts, nuts, gearings, bolts and broken casing down the road behind us; the gearbox had dropped-off!

One morning, having forgotten to adjust my watch for summer time, I turned up for work one hour too early. On another occasion, I turned up at the Ilkeston depot in full uniform, forgetting it was my day off!

The future of being a Clippie was not secure at Trent, where the trend was changing towards one-man operated buses in which the driver also takes fares and issues tickets. I believe the Ilkeston depot was one of the last to go over to the new scheme.

ILKESTON CORRESPONDENT While still working on the buses, my fortunes began to change, leading me in the direction of becoming a successful writer. In the autumn of 1980, I heard about the Nottingham UFO Investigation Society through the pages of the Evening Post, and went along to meetings. The society was made up of several members: Chairman, Dr. Morrell; Secretary Mr. Les Hall; treasurer Mr. Nigel Doherty; investigations co-ordinator Mr. Sid Henley; Derby group leader, Mr. Peter Ann; technical co-ordinator, Mr. Steve Hunter; membership secretary Mr. Michael Crew; librarian Mrs Marianne Pool, and I became the astronomical & science adviser.

As members, we went out often to Gringley on the Hill, Bassetlaw, Nottinghamshire, high up on a natural land formation, where we were looking for UFOs. It was through becoming a UFO investigator at NUFOIS I met Rodney Malcolm, the Ilkeston news reporter at The Nottingham Evening Post, and became friends. On Astronomy and UFO topics, Rod came along to the Ilkeston bus depot to

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interview me a number of times. My name began to appear in the pages of the Evening Post, and on BBC radio Derby.

Sadly, there was an industrial dispute among journalists at the newspaper, and Rod Malcolm decided that it was time to move on. He introduced me to contacts at the Evening Post, and I was invited to join the Post’s team of news correspondents.

They liked my material, and with Rodney joining the staff of BBC radio Derby reading the news, and as a reporter, there was a vacancy to fill in Ilkeston. Beginning in early 1981, I filled that vacancy, and began writing news items from Cotmanhay & Ilkeston until 1985.

The UFO Sighting NUFOIS was investigating at the time I first met Rodney Malcolm was at Kimberley. Late one autumn night two brothers in their late teens had witnessed a large white domed shaped craft descend from the skies, and disappeared behind a large bushy hedge of nearby farmland.

The two walked cautiously down a local lane to the farmer’s field, then climbed up the tall bank of earth and peered over. They claim to have seen an illuminated dome on the ground; then frightened by the whole experience, and being in complete darkness of the night, they ran home. They told their parents of the incident, a small number of friends and upon visiting the farmer’s field next day, the UFO had gone, along with all signs that it had even existed.

NUFOIS was called in; we investigated the field with Geiger-counters, no sign of radiation, then a magnetometer, no signs of unusual magnetic activity. We took soil samples, which showed a higher level of natural iron than the norm.

However, Dr, Robert Morrell discovered some fungus and material that had rubbed off the antlers of local deer, onto the barbed wire of the perimeter fence. In darkness, this fungus material became phosphorescent.

Upon talking to the farmer who owned the land, we were informed that the field had been used on the day of the sighting for his herd of Friesian cows that we discovered had distinct white markings on their coats.

I gave Rod Malcolm the exclusive story, and insight into our NUFOIS findings. The big headline in the next day’s Evening Post said it all “AWSWORTH UFO WAS COWS BY MOONLIGHT!” That day, the media, radio, TV, and press wanted to speak to me about the Friesian cows. Patrick Fleckney had made the headlines, yet I was speechless!

BUS DRIVER TRAINING I was still working as a bus conductor when Ian Beverage, the Ilkeston District Traffic Superintendent, called me into his office.

“Sit down Patrick,” he said. “You must be aware by now that at Trent more and more of our buses are going over to one-man operated, and the number of conductors have dropped sharply,” he continued in a calm manor.

‘This is it,’ I thought to myself, he’s going to make me redundant, I know it.’

“I want to give you the opportunity to learn to drive a bus for yourself, to set you up for a good future with our company,” he said seriously.

‘Thank you sir,’ I said. ‘I shall try not to disappoint you, and of course I’ll try my best.’

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“Have you driven a car before?” Ian asked. ‘No, but I have rode a bicycle?’

“A bicycle,” he repeated. “A 52 seated bus is a lot wider and longer than a bike,” he continued.

‘Yes I know, but a bike has a bell too you know!’ I said in all seriousness.

The complete blank expression on Ian’s face said it all.

At Derby bus depot I was introduced to a “crash-cab,” and was soon driving it along nicely. In fact, I have to learn to drive the vehicle using the accelerator alone, and change gears at just the right time without touching the clutch! I had talent; I can drive the old crash-cab busses. I drove along the roads of Little Eaton, Derbyshire, and back & forth along Alfreton Road their. I passed the first course, and was onto the next stage, when I would learn to drive the new Trent buses at Langley Mill depot near Heanor; my Chief Instructor was Bill Peck.

The first ten days of training, was all done at desks when we wadded through paperwork, and learned the theory of the Road traffic Act? We also learned about the different road signs, how to stop & start, and what we were not allowed to do with a bus on the open road (Unfortunately, we were not taught what we were not allowed to do, driving a bus in the local bus depot!).

It was time to hit the road, and I was soon back behind the wheels of a “crash-cab” and doing fine; it was when I got behind the wheel of a modern Trent bus the problems began. I could drive it OK at first, along the Kimberley By-pass in both directions, to Alfreton bus depot. Then it was time to drive my first Trent bus into Nottingham.

The Cinder Hill roundabout was my first major obstacle, and I was driving a fifty-two seated coach. On day one, I drove along the by-pass just fine, and then slowed down to a stop as I approached Cinder Hill roundabout and gave-way. There was no traffic to be seen, so I drove onto the roundabout; as I did so, this car drove out of the opposite junction without giving way, and hit my bus close to the back wheels.

The driver was a Japanese man, who got out of his car, inspected the damage to his offside wing, then walked round and climbed the stairs onto my bus.

His shouted in his native tongue, argued with my instructor, and neither of us knew what he was saying. I thought he was a kamikaze pilot driving a Japanese car, and he did not know that the war was over! We swapped insurance details, and retuned to Langley Mill bus depot.

The next day was not that better either! Again, I drove along the Kimberley by-pass, then managed to drive onto the Cinder Hill roundabout, and drove around, and around the wrong way, with all the traffic coming towards us! Bill Peck was in shock, and I was asking him what I should do next?

Fortunately, my chief driving instructor told me what to do … then he helped me to get off the round about, before sitting down to recover from the fright, while I drove the two of us back to the Langley Mill depot.

The next day Bill Peck had the answer, if I could drive a double-decker “crash-cab” then I can drive a double-decker Trent bus. It worked just fine, and I navigated the Cinder Hill roundabout easily, then I drove onto Alfreton Road and up towards Nottingham city centre.

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“I think you’ve cracked it,” said Bill. “Now, just keep your inside bus wheels on the outside of the double yellow lines until we reach Caning Circus,” he instructed I did as I was told; sadly, I did not see the triangular shaped road sign half way up a lamppost and neither did Bill Peck. All of a sudden, there was the noise of a loud screech, like wet fingernails drawing across a blackboard.

We arrived safely in the Victoria bus station, and I was quite pleased with myself. After parking, I got off my double-decked bus and walked over towards the canteen. I turned around half expecting my driving instructor to be just behind me, and he was not there!

Bill Peck was transfixed looking up at the side of his brand new Trent bus. I turned back, and walked over to his side to see what he was looking at. All along the side of the post-box red paintwork of the upper deck, there was a thick silver streak where the road sign had caught my bus and scratched away the paintwork!

‘It’s not my fault Bill,’ I protested, ‘you did tell me to keep my inside wheels on the outer edge of the double yellow lines.’ As far as I am aware, that was the second occasion my driving instructor told me what to do!

Although I continued to do my best, a final incident proved that becoming a Trent bus driver was not to be. This was when I parked a bus up in one Trent bus depot, and reversed into an inspector’s car, shunting it up against the garage wall. It looked like a Mini Cooper; although I was assured that, it was a Volvo estate before I trashed it!

In September 1981, I founded the Ilkeston & District Astronomical Society, which attracted 20 members within eight weeks, and this year (2006), IDAS celebrated its 25th birthday. The group began to hold regular monthly meetings at the home of member Bernard Wheeldon who lived in Heanor Road. He had a fine 8½inch reflector housed in a wooden dome observatory in his back garden, an instrument that we all used to view the many astronomical wonders in the night sky.

The Society Members range from complete beginners, who just like to star gaze occasionally, to a few amateurs that are more advanced who have built their own observatories.

The society holds two meetings a month. The first is held on the second Tuesday of each month at the Function Room (also known as the Hayloft), Erewash Museum, Anchor Row, in Ilkeston. Starting at 7-45pm, members are entertained with talks on various astronomical topics by the more experienced members, or by an invited Guest Speaker. The second meeting is held on the last Wednesday of each month at the Visitor Centre, Shipley Country Park at Heanor. Starting at 7-45pm in the "Green Room,” these meeting are a very informal get-together, and focus on more practical astronomy.

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During 1982–1984 I was particularly interested in the detailed images of the giant planets Jupiter & Saturn returned by Voyagers one & two, and I spent quite some time writing about these close encounters in the pages of the Nottingham Evening Post, and Astronomy & Space magazines. I was certainly kept very busy because I was also contributing a number of daily Ilkeston news stories to the Nottingham Evening Post where my Sub Editor was a Mr. Spencer Spooner.

A selection of my published local news stories can be found in Appendix I & II at the end of this book.

A map showing Shipley Wood and the boating lake, much of the land is owned

by Miller Mundy

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CHAPTER FIVE 1985 I CAME TO NOTTINGHAM I began journeying to Nottingham in the summer of 1985 staying with school friend Richard Star at his Meadows maisonette.

He lived there with his partner named Trevor, and they had a nice home. Most evenings Trevor was the barman at The Trip to Jerusalem public house under the rock face of Nottingham castle, where he provided a welcome supply of free drinks to Richard and me.

It was quite nice staying in Richard’s maisonette where I had a bedroom to myself. The only draw back came early on Sunday mornings when the Salvation Army brass band would tune up from 10 a.m. It was a noisy awakening, although not altogether unexpected since the Salivation Army’s HQ is located a few hundred yards away.

In time, I was offered a flat in Dunstan Street, Netherfield, which was right at the top of the building with a skylight window located in the roof. The weather was getting quite cold by October 1985, with regular hard frosts that caused perspiration on my skylight to freeze over completely. To heat my single room I relied on a Caler gas heater, which was constantly on.

The one thing I liked about Netherfield was the regular train journeys to and from Nottingham, because I rather like travelling by railway.

I can remember one unfortunate accident though. After a night out with Richard Star, I was a little worse for drink, so I was shown the way to Nottingham station, then helped onto my train bound for Netherfield. “Now Patrick,” said Richard.

“The first stop that this train pulls up at is Netherfield, “you stand up and get off their,” he instructed.

I did as I was told, I got up when my train slowed, and when my carriage came to a stand still, I opened the door and stepped outside … falling out of the train onto the side of the tracks. Sadly, the train had stopped at Carlton Crossings at a red signal!

I spent most of my days travelling into Nottingham City Centre and windowshopping to pass the time, something I still do today.

With the approach of my first Christmas in Nottingham, I went out with friends to the Astoria nightclub located near the Broad Marsh shopping centre. Once

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inside after getting our drinks, we went over to the dance floor that was quite full of people. One of which was a small girl dressed in leather skirt, bask top, and punk make-up reminiscent of the pop idol Suzie Sue from the Banshees pop group. I got talking to June Broughton, and in the following weeks, we became quite attached to one another. June lived by herself in a one bedroom flat at Duncombe Close, behind the Robin Hood Chase shopping precinct in St Anne’s. I moved in with June in January 1986, and helped her with decorating her flat, buying furniture, furnishings, and fittings.

A photograph Broughton

of

June

Then I received the news that my mother was taken seriously ill, and had been admitted to the Queen’s Medical centre. June and I visited her quite often. Mother underwent an urgent operation to resolve the medical condition; and the staff did their very best for my mother after finding that her cancer was inoperable. Bridie remained in the QMC for about 14 days before being allowed home to 17 Coppice Avenue for convalescence.

Sadly, her conditioned worsened, and she was found a hospital bed in the Nightingale ward of the nearby Ilkeston General Hospital. I visited my mom a number times here, and with the increasing doses of Morphine, she was unable to recognise anyone of her friends, including myself. My mother passed away peacefully in March 1986 after loosing her battle with cancer, she was 56-years-old.

FUNERAL MISHAP Unfortunately, my mother’s funeral did not go entirely to plan, and the circumstances of Murphy's Law ("If anything can go wrong, it will") played a role.

Incidentally, the man who gave this law recognition was not even Irish he was an American. It was named after Captain Edward A. Murphy, an engineer working on Air Force Project MX981, designed to see how much sudden deceleration a person can stand in a crash. One day, after finding that a transducer was wired wrong, he cursed the technician responsible and said, "If there is any way to do it

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wrong, he'll find it." The contractor's project manager kept a list of "laws" and added this one, which he called Murphy's Law. The day and time of my mother’s funeral had been made known to me, and I needed to be outside my parent’s 17 Coppice Avenue home for not later than 9:00 a.m.

In our Duncombe Close, flat June Broughton and I were up reasonably early to allow, us time to get ready to leave on time. The weather outside was miserable and cold, the rain poring down.

We had previously asked our good friend Mr. Ray Gale, who lives eight miles away in East Leake, to take us to Ilkeston for the funeral. He arrived a little after 8 30 a.m., in what he believed to be good time to travel to Coppice Avenue before nine.

We set off with the heavy rain and dark clouds overhead, and soon hit heavy traffic as we passed through Nottingham City Centre, It took a while to arrive at Canning Circus, then we increased our speed to travel down Ilkeston Road, through Wollaton, then Trowel, before arriving at Ilkeston a little before 9:00 a.m. The bad weather and traffic had held our party up, so much so that it was almost 9 10 a.m. before we arrived at our destination.

Unknown to us, Charlie (my father) had already left with a number of my mother’s friends en-route to St. Mary’s church for the funeral service, followed by burial in the Ilkeston church cemetery.

As Mr. Raymond Gale (Shown on the right), June and I travelled the length of Coppice Avenue to its Langley Avenue road junction, to the right we viewed two silver limousines of a funeral travelling slowly down the hill, which was a blessing because it meant we had arrived in time. We followed the funeral procession to its destination, down along Cotmanhay Road, Rutland Street and Bath Street, and to our surprise, past St. Mary’s church. Our slow journey brought us back into Nottingham, and up to Wilford Hill crematorium at West Bridgford.

As I got out of Ray’s car and looked around, I recognised no one, and the vicar looked at me with a puzzled expression on his face. “Excuse me sir,” I said nervously. “Is this the funeral of a Mrs. Bridget Fleckney?”

“No,” he said in a low voice, adding, “I’m sorry, it isn’t.”

At that very moment, the mix-up became apparent, and I was embarrassed, and upset that I missed my mother being laid to rest.

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I returned to Ray’s car, got into the back, then informed June and Ray the bad news. There was little we could do except drive back to Ilkeston, and St. Mary’s cemetery, where June and I paid our last respects. Afterwards we went to visit my father to explain why I had not been at the funeral service, he too was puzzled and a little annoyed, although he realised the unusual situation we faced on our late arrival, it was all coincidental.

There is one thing for certain. I will not be the first person, neither the last to circum to these circumstances, and today my embarrassment has turned to mild amusement, as I think back to the events of that day.

During the next seven years June and I had a wonderful time together. I worked at the Pumps Wine Bar in Nottingham City centre, then June got a job their too, working in the kitchen preparing pub food for the customers, the Manager was Paul Edison. We worked together here for the next three years until Pumps changed landlords. I managed to get employment at the Granada Bingo Hall in St Anne’s Well Road, as the main stage bingo caller, and other duties.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT In 1987 after settling in with my partner June Broughton, I became involved in local government issues when June was invited to form a Neighbourhood Watch group for our area. It was a challenge to meet the setup criteria, because twenty residents were needed to be members of the group before gaining Police recognition. Fortunately, June is a popular neighbour, and after going door to door, we raised the required membership. Regular meetings with police representatives were held at the nearby King’s Hall. We received Neighbourhood Watch police newsletters, door & window badges, property-marking kits, and a set of signs put up on suitable lamp columns.

The first serious incident that shocked our group occurred at the top of Rushworth Close Road, involving a Nottingham taxi. The fare was a middle-aged man who we later discovered suffered from Diabetes, and sadly, he had not taken his medication of Insulin on time.

When the taxi driver pulled up at the top of Rushworth Close, his passenger appeared delirious, and he was not able to obtain his fare. The taxi driver believing his passenger worse for drink phoned the police, and two police constables arrived.

The constables managed to get the passenger out of the taxi, and treated him as an alcoholic! The officers made repeated attempts to obtain the man’s details, causing a lengthy delay, and sadly, the passenger died at the roadside.

There was a public outcry that the police constables had failed to recognise the man’s symptoms of Hypoglycaemia that includes nervousness and shakiness, perspiration, dizziness or light-headedness, sleepiness, confusion and difficulty speaking. Therefore, no ambulance was called, and the unfortunate man did not get any urgent medical assistance.

I remember that our Rushworth & Duncombe Neighbourhood Watch group asked questions, and for reassurances from the police that constables would be given adequate first aid training, so that such a tragedy would not be repeated.

Another significant problem in St Anne’s was with the main front doors of the St. Anne’s blocks of flats, which had only a square flimsy plywood panel for the

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bottom half of each door. Therefore, there were a large number of burglaries around our Duncombe & Rushworth Close estate, because the panels could easily be kicked through to gain access to the property.

This security subject came to a head when one local patch Manager based at the nearby St. Anne’s Housing Office, sent letters to a significant number of tenants of Rushworth, Luther, and Duncombe Closes, reminding occupants that they were not allowed dogs or cats on the premises. Tenants that already had such pets were told that they would have to arrange to “give them up,” while the others “will not be allowed to have any pet at all.”

The situation resulted in public protests by elderly & disabled tenants at the local housing office. All of our members collected a petition protesting against the City Council’s heartless policy, while the Evening Post, TV, and Radio media gave regular up dates.

The point being that Nottingham City Council had failed to provide any security for local tenants who were living in fear of being burgled due to the flimsy doors at their homes. The pets, both cats & dogs, were not only company for the elderly & disabled, when the dogs barked as an intruder approached, they provided extra security and piece of mind. If Nottingham City Council intended to enforce its heartless policy of ‘No pets,’ then it had to compensate tenants by spending a significant sum of money to improve its poor level of security of its St Anne’s properties, including the provision of secure locks for all front doors and windows.

Fortunately, the City Council patch Manager backed down, and sent a letter of apology to all of the tenants affected by her original enforcement communication, so that common sense prevailed.

In the second half of the 1980s, my long-term friend Mr. Ray Gale and I set out to highlight the significant problems with the City Council’s ‘Departmental Boundaries program,’ made to assist with the council’s budgetary arrangements. It was hugely complicated, full of shortcomings, and did not work, especially when it came to environmental maintenance.

Today, the City Council has a new policy loosely based on the ‘Departmental Boundaries’ scheme, that works far better, and I give full credit to local councillors Jon Collins, Des Wilson and David Liversidge for pushing through all of the necessary changes at the various committee stages. The new cleansing policy is called Street Scene, and was introduced in 2003.

During the old program, areas had to be ‘measured’ into a Cleansing Contract, for example: Footpaths, Roads, Pedestrian underpasses or Shopping Precincts. If an area had not been measured into the contract, it was not cleaned. The shambles of this old system is obvious. Without coordination between the different City Council departments, council operatives would venture out to sweep the footpath, but not the road next to it, or remove litter from the greens. A road sweeper operative could sweep the local roads, and not the footpath or pavement next to it; bearing in mind of course that during windy conditions, litter is blown across all of the ‘Departmental Boundary’ areas, making the weather a significant factor.

In writing dozens of letters to City Council departments, I believe that Mr. Ray Gale and I played a significant role in helping to change the shambles of the

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original system to the far better Street Scene environmental cleansing framework now in use.

Another subject Mr. Ray Gale and I became involved in was the weed spraying program. The City Council sprays weeds in around the footpaths & forecourts of St Anne’s flats and maisonettes, and for two decades, manual operatives carried this out successfully. Sadly, to save costs, workers riding fourwheel buggy carts in 2002 replaced the manual operatives. The carts are too wide to travel down the numerous interlocking footpaths around St Anne’s, especially in the footpaths, and forecourts of the St Anne’s blocks of flats, so that these were left abandoned from that time onward, and remains unsprayed even today in 2006.

The maintenance of all of the forecourt lighting of the St Anne’s blocks of flats by Nottingham City Council is another topic that Mr. Ray Gale and I battled with, and sadly lost, despite the numerous promises that the porch lights would be regularly inspected and repaired. Today, there is still no maintenance program in place for the porch lights, therefore when a light bulb burns itself out over time it is never replaced.

After the major St Anne’s slum clearance scheme (and redevelopment) of 1970, I watched the lovely brand-new areas of St Anne’s rapidly decline to grotty regions through the lack of maintenance by the City Council after no more than fifteen years.

The City Council’s answer remains unchanged; it is to throw more money into the area to improve homes and the environment. The City Council got its money from the government’s Nottingham City Challenge and Estate Action programs that were introduced in the mid 1990s.

On the local St Anne’s Sector Forum, I was elected the Secretary, and attended numerous area meetings. However, I did not know at the time that Mr. Will Kirkwood, a member of the St Anne’s Citizen Advice Centre, was racially motivated, and made racist remarks as to who should have the greatest amount of funding. In his opinion, much more of the huge sums of money allocated under Nottingham City Challenge should be spent on ethnic groups within the City Challenge catchment area, and far less on British nationals’ projects. My feeling is that the available funds should have been spent equally, and impartially, among all community groups to improve things locally.

Once again, due to Nottingham City Council’s absence of an environmental maintenance program, many City Challenge projects have since fallen into decline through neglect or disrepair, and it appears that the program may have been a waste of public funds. Here I include the flagship project of Snienton Market, and that site’s up graded buildings.

June Broughton has such an honest and bright personality, she would do anything for a laugh, and I recall she did dress-up gothic style with witch’s make-up and went out trick-or-treating with local schoolchildren a few times.

In December 1991 while working at the Granada Bing hall on St Anne’s Well Road, I bought some chestnuts for my partner June Broughton to roast. I took them back to June during my dinner break, before going back to work.

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That night at our home, June had already put the chestnuts into a hot oven, and while she had heard, a couple of bangs from within, June took little notice. It happened again as I got home, so I opened the oven door. All of the chestnuts exploded one after the other, like fireworks, forcing the two of us to dive for cover.

There was white fluffy chestnut all over the kitchen, which got everywhere. We learned the valuable lesson that Chestnut skins had to be punctured before roasting!

Sadly, things did not work out for June Broughton and me, so we separated amicably in the autumn of 1993 after seven years together. Nottingham City Council provided me with accommodation in Flewitt Gardens, Stonebridge Park Estate, St Anne’s, where I live today with my cat named Scraggy.

June is now happily married to Andrew Gaskell, and has two lovely daughters, six-year-old Jessica and three-year-old Angelina.

It was also around this time I became interested in the history of the area and wrote two books on the subject. If you are interested in the history of St Anne’s and it’s famous holy well then turn to page 139 where it is covered in some detail.

LORRAINE CROFTS The first time that I met Lorraine was in late 1993 at the corner shop run by Sally in Campbell Street. It was a memorable occasion with Larraine dressed in black denim jacket and jeans, with her rather lovely dog Bess smiling at her feet. Lorraine was collecting the latest matchmaker letter from a secret admirer handed in to Sally over the counter, and Lorraine clearly enjoyed Sally’s company.

I have known Lorraine for more than thirteen years now, we have many happy memories of the adventures we have had together, and of course, Michelle Brown is part of this picture too.

Lorraine's love for animals shines through, and at every opportunity, she has always bought toys, as well as food, and talks to both our pets as if they are human in nature.

In her heart her true love for her own dog of fifteen years named Bess is as strong as ever, and scarcely a moment goes by when some precious memory of their time together makes her cry a little in the privacy of her own room, while the orchids and flowers she has bought in memory of Bess is placed pride of place below her

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pet’s photo. The same can be said of Lorraine's love for her parents, as shown by the flowers she takes to the cemetery on all the special occasions.

I visited Sally’s shop quite often because the prices were more reasonable than those of Paul's shop in Robin Hood Street nearby. Lorraine portrays an excitable bubbly character, giving free good advice, and is not afraid to offer criticism when needed. Above all, she is rather attractive with her nice face and curly hair, and I was amused that on the first evening we met, Lorraine was leaning next to a For Sale sign resting on the counter; what a bargain I thought cheekily to myself.

It was a great shock and a tragedy that Sally's partner George was attacked in the shop early in 1994 by a gang of thugs with a baseball-bat. It was Lorraine who was at the shop soon after the incident, and gave George first aid, and waited until the ambulance and police to arrive; the store closed down soon afterwards, and never re-opened.

During the dark autumn nights that followed, we struck up a number of conversations dealing with relationships, and Lorraine was then still rather fond of Edward a boyfriend who lived above a Carlton Road shop, before he moved to Scotland. Sadly, Lorraine declined Edward's invitation to go with him and start a new life together. It was still clearly emotional for Lorraine just thinking about the good times they spent together, and her life may have turned out very different had Lorraine gone to Scotland, married and had children.

Bess was an elderly Labrador with white markings on her belly and paws that sat next to Lorraine with a permanent smile, and the close bond of love and happiness they felt for each other was remarkable. Bess liked the medium hot Somoza she was presented at Sally's comer store, yet Bess had much nicer meals too. Spare-ribs in a tasty source, a Chinese meal, or sausages & beef burgers. With her front paws on Sally’s counter, Bess waited patiently for her juicy meal to come.

Lorraine had good and bad times too, belonging to a close family with strict loving parents, along with brothers Wane, Martin, Barry, Alan, John, and Sister Linda.

They originally had a second-hand store in Arkwright Street, The Meadows, before moving to similar premises in the bustling St Anne’s Well Road in the 1960s. They later lived in Westgate Street that originally was a row of Police houses.

Lorraine had many happy memories of her parents and upbringing. As a small child, she picked on children who came into her shop with their parents, wanting to buy toys to play with. "My toys!" Lorraine would say, leaving her parents to sort the problem out and not lose another sale. On other occasions, she would cheekily hide under piles of clothes, and then jump up frightening the customers half to death! In her childhood, Lorraine was a true mischievous vixen and a happy tomboy.

Bluebell Hill Schools was where her brothers went to, which was a large complex building at the side of the main Bluebell Hill Rise Road. Sadly, only the main dinner hall now stands that has been turned into a busy community centre. I live in a nearby block of flats on the top floor, which has an amazing view towards Windmill Lane, Snienton.

Of course, there had to be a haunted house nearby in the former St Anne’s, which was few hundred yards above the school on Blue Bell Hill Road, that Lorraine along with her brothers visited, and played out their fantasies.

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They also played at St Anne’s adventure playground, a former quarry, and waste ground that attracted local kids to play among the rubble, dreaming up new games. Lorraine was not amused when one of her brothers dared her to swallow a live Bee! Perhaps this was one reason why she nicknamed a local bonny lady Bumble-bee, yet Ilene did have a certain resemblance, with her oversized body along with a rump to match, who walks around on short legs; Bumble-bee!

Lorraine also had a bad accident when she fell off her speeding pushbike, the same bike that she later loaned to her brother Martin, who promptly sold it and spent the money!

With the redevelopment of the old St Anne's in the early 1970s, it was an upheaval period, with the demolition of all 600 shops along the main thorough-fair of St Anne’s Well Road, and all of the public houses and Beer-offs on the many street corners.

The loss of Crown Street, Dennett Street and the latter half of Gordon Road soon made way for a new estate surrounding wasteland. This disused land was used to store building materials during the construction of the Stone Bridge Park Estate in 1975.

Bluebell Hill schools were demolished too, along with the many childhood memories that Lorraine's brothers gained over the years. These must have included their mutual love of horses, since they went ridding quite often in their teens; the thrill of the chase and wind blowing through their hair must have been a classic memorable adventure.

Lorraine soon became use to animals, and remembers all her pets including Smoky the cat, and of the families’ racing pigeons. Some of these cats and dogs are now buried within the grounds of the large garden at her Eastham Close home.

I sometimes think there should be a limit to how much sadness and upset a person has to take during one’s life.

One shock after another, upset and grief, repeating in a continuous unending cycle. You come to terms with your loss of family member or pet through a period of depression and morning, and then you are hit by a further hurt. I have no doubt that Lorraine, and brothers have had to deal with continuous upsets during their lives best they could, keeping their feelings within their warm hearts.

As autumn advanced towards winter, Lorraine felt very much alone in 1993, and often talked of her school friend Michelle that she met at Manvers School in St Anne’s a few years previous.

Lorraine's school memories are still fresh, and she was often called upon to help friends being bullied; even if the bully was bigger than she was. Lorraine is courageous and laid down the law at school. Often the bullying would stop almost at once, and the audacious Lorraine gained her status for being streetwise, honesty and "don't mess with me" reputation.

There are two memories that come to mind told by Lorraine. In the first a gang of up to five students standing at a bus stop, calling her, and messing about.

Lorraine beat them up before getting on the bus when it came along. The other was when her friend Michelle was pregnant and they were both on the local park. The teenagers their thought it fun to pick on Michelle, however, they were soon sorted by Lorraine — single handed of course!

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Lorraine was given the news she had a bad liver infection, and told her friend Michelle about it, yet her friend stayed away for a long time, so Lorraine felt hurt and upset at Michelle's apparent abandonment.

The nights were long and dark, and Lorraine spent many of these within the confine of her lonely small bedroom. It was a long Christmas for Lorraine in the first weeks of our friendship.

I decided to ask Lorraine out to the cinema, and soon found that the film 'Interview with a Vampire,' was not quite her cupper tea. Of course had the cinema been showing a good bloodthirsty Zombie movie like 'Dawn of the Dead,' or' Rise of the Living Dead,’ then Lorraine would have jumped at the chance. Her sinister black denim jacket and jeans portrayed a hidden side of Lorraine to gothic proportions, yet her musical tastes are quite different.

The many songs, video, and TV appearances of Boy George were her number one. Lorraine collected magazine clipping of George and his band, photographs, and a black coloured Boy George hat that now sits on top of her wardrobe. Even today, Lorraine claims to have collected many memorabilia from her Boy George fan club years, yet she still uses the same clichés, "I can't get into my wardrobe where all his stuff is," and, "You will get to see it someday, I've got a lot of Boy George stuff in my suitcase!" She never did tell me what year she was referring too, and there have been twelve of them up to the time I am writing this chapter.

Then of course, there is Celine Dion, and the super star's passing resemblance to her best friend Michelle. I have to admit Celine is a fine singer and very photogenic, while all of her albums contain excellent material and Lorraine has collected most of them. I bought Lorraine a Celine Dion t-shirt from the pop stars' fan club costing about £40, and to my knowledge she has warn it twice.

My advance had not gone unnoticed, as I discovered walking home from the shops under the Eastham subway, and passed her front gate. "Are you doing anything later," she asked”; is it all right to come around your place, about seven?" My quick affirmative answer came hastily, yet I was trying hard not to appear too keen. I was new to the area of Stone Bridge Park having moved into my Flewitt Gardens flat in November 1993. I was ready to make acquaintances as well as friends, and Lorraine was to become my first true friend. She is simply too honest and nice to be an acquaintance.

I am sitting in front of my computer looking at two large framed photographs on my living room wall, one of which shows Scraggy my active mischievous, and sometimes hyperactive cat. Incidentally, she prefers to drink cold water straight out of the bathroom tap rather than milk from a bowl. The second shows Thomas, Scraggy's son.

During Christmas 1993, my ex-partner June Broughton visited me, and her midget boyfriend Mark Henry, who had with them a stray cat that June and I previously adopted. We gave the feline the name Scraggy because of the markings on the cats fair. The feline is very domesticated and very proud of her white fur that she continuously licks clean. Scraggy was handed over to me in order to keep me company while living alone in my new flat and Scraggy is still with me to day.

I later learned from members of June's family that Mark who picked her up off the floor by her throat, and having ornaments thrown at her was in fact abusing

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Scraggy. Scraggy was rather anxious when she arrived at my flat, however, she soon settled in. In fact, Scraggy was with me on that first night Lorraine came along to my home.

I already had two tins of beer along with a part bottle of Pernod to move the night along, and Lorraine was at my door on time. I gave her a short tour of my flat before moving into the living room, and we sat down, not together, but on opposite sides of the room on my two two-seater settees provided by charity firm Family First.

Lorraine wanted to “smooch� and invited me to sit next to her; soon she was asking to be kissed, and I discovered Lorraine had experience! Nothing further happened; we had simply bonded a wonderful friendship.

Lorraine was well practiced in other things too, in relation to alcohol and opening beer bottles, which she did by biting the tops off with her teeth. Offering Lorraine a glass of Pernod she decided to drink the yellow liquid neat and knocked back a quarter of a class full before asking for more. I tried to do the same, and after Lorraine left, I was ill most of the night.

Lorraine visited me quite often after that, in between my days off from working part time at Boots Social Club, and my daily household chores. In the evenings, we sat in front of the TV watching horror movies from her large collection, eating pizza, and garlic bread. Mostly we watched bloodthirsty zombie movies showing corpses rising from the grave and munching on the brains of the living.

Scraggy settled in quite well, and was soon in labour expecting her first kittens, all of which were born in my living room. Three females with the same coat markings as Scraggy, another all black, and a ginger tom that I soon took to and named Thomas.

None of the kittens was house trained, so I had much to do cleaning up after them. In time I found homes for all of them, two went to the Trinity Square pet shop, another two went to nice girls that worked at the chip shop on Robin Hood Chase, St Anne’s, and I kept Thomas and loved him to bits over the next seven years.

As the months passed by, I became concerned about Lorraine who had an alcohol problem, and I now realise that her brother Barry was doing his best to look after her.

Before I came on the scene, Lorraine went out socialising with her friend Michelle along with her sister Susan, and almost entirely drank Cola and pop.

However, someone laced Lorraine's drinks, so she unknowingly tried drinking alcohol, and one thing led to another.

When we met, Lorraine was drinking three medium bottles of Vodka a day, being paid for out of her DHSS benefit. All the money was spent on the same day that Lorraine drew it from the post office. I therefore began loaning, and providing money to tie her over until Lorraine's next payment day. Of course, I now realise this was most unwise since it provided funds for Lorraine to buy more drinks.

The days and months passed by with small adventures, and apprehension, with Lorraine returning home in the early hours of the morning, and brother Barry came knocking at my front door to take his sister home quite frequently. I therefore became rather anxious about meeting Barry or Alan, yet with the benefit of hindsight, they were doing the right thing.

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A tragedy of circumstances came to the surface as Lorraine described how her parents had passed away, and how close she was to her mum over the years. On one of Lorraine's birthday’s Barry presented Lorraine with a bar of Twix that she framed and put on her bedroom wall as a reminder of Barry's tightness.

Since 1994, Lorraine and I continue to have good amusing adventures. Our first was with local pensioner John Statsulious who was a Ukrainian national that settled in Nottingham. Before I relate this story, it seems a good idea to say a little about Ukraine, which is a province of Russia, simply because the social workers at Nottingham City Council’s Mansfield Road offices failed to research this to help them fully understand Mr. Statsulious background.

Ukrainian nationalism flourished in the 1840s, prompting Russian authorities to ban the Ukrainian language in schools, journals, and books. Following WW-1 and the collapse of tsarist authority, Ukraine finally had a chance to gain its independence, but none of the bewildering array of factions could win decisive support.

Civil war broke out and the country quickly descended into anarchy, with six armies vying for power, and Kiev changing hands five times in one year. After prolonged fighting involving Russia, Poland and various Ukrainian political and ethnic factions, Poland retained portions of western Ukraine, and the Soviets got the rest.

Ukraine officially became part of the (former) USSR in 1922.

While the leadership in Moscow sorted itself out, another Ukrainian national, revival took off in the 1920s. When Stalin took power in 1927, however, he made a test case out of Ukraine for his ideas about 'harmful' nationalism. In 1932-33, he engineered a famine that killed as many as 7 million Ukrainians. Execution and deportation of intellectuals further depopulated the country. Stalin also went after the country's premier religious symbols, its churches and cathedrals, destroying over 250 buildings.

John Statsulious was born in 1922 [approximately]; during the purges of 1937-39, millions more Ukrainians were either executed or sent to Soviet labour camps. WWII brought further devastation and death, with six million perishing in the fighting between the Red Army and the German forces. It has been estimated that during the first half of the 20th century, war, famine, and purges cost the lives of over half the male and a quarter of the female population of Ukraine.

John Statsulious grew up with his family during this background of depression. As soon as he became old enough, John joined the Red Army and fought along side his companions, a number of who died in facets of the war, as John Statsulious looked on helpless to do anything. Mr. Statsulious fled Ukraine to Britain, where he was fortunate to find work in Nottingham mending roads as an employee of the local council.

Lorraine and her family befriended Mr. Statsulious, and John who enjoyed gardening did this in Lorraine’s big garden near Mr. Statsulious’ home.

The Dennett Close flats on the Stonebridge Park estate have a number of faults, one of which is the lack of a communal garden for the occupants, and John lived on the top third floor level. Lorraine spent her spare time visiting John at his home, helping him with gardening, and upon his retirement, Lorraine ran shopping errands for him.

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In time, age had caught up with John Statsulious so that occasionally he would stumble or fall in the street while out shopping, or collecting his pension.

Nottingham Social Services soon took an interest in Mr. Statsulious in 1996.

John received a number of home visits, and despite Mr. Statsulious’ language barrier a mental health, assessment was carried out without an interpreter being present by social worker Barbra Jones. Nottingham Social Services thereafter discriminated against Mr. Statsulious simply because he spoke Ukrainian and little English.

Soon afterwards, two district nurses arrived who made the bogus claim that they were only taking John to the local hospital for blood tests. Lorraine and I accompanied him there, however, Mr. Statsulious was admitted to the mental health ward A42 at Nottingham’s Queens Medical Centre, and later Sectioned under the mental health act when John wanted to leave, and we attempted to take him from the ward. Needless to say that Lorraine Crofts was angry at this discrimination, and deceitful treatment of her close family friend.

Despite appealing against Mr. Statsulious Section order, and complaining that his medical notes were being “badly drawn up,” John remained on the ward, and nether returned home after that very sad occasion. He later ended up in the Oaks elderly people’s home in Campbell Street close to Lorraine, and today we do not know whether John is still alive.

Right, John Statsulious & Lorraine Crofts, the photo the A42 Word Manageress tried to ban.

It was all fun and games on one occasion when Lorraine took along her camera to take John's photograph on the QMC ward. We managed to take two, one of which is shown here, before the ward manger approached and demanded that we hand over the camera; we refused. With the ward manager becoming angry, and making all manner of threats, I took the camera and left.

I next saw Lorraine getting out of a Police car with one officer removing his handcuffs from her wrists. This was the first time my friend had been handcuffed in her life, so you can imagine how Lorraine felt!

It transpires that Lorraine was ordered off the ward, she refused, the Police were called, and in time, she was brutally pushed to the floor by the two police officers, and handcuffed. Lorraine Crofts’ became the first person in the history of the QMC to be barred for taking a photograph of her close family friend John Statsulious.

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However, it appears that the ward manager did not want outsiders to have any knowledge of the poor level of security their.

From this point onwards, two young women patients were allowed to walk off the ward, only to commit suicide in the hospital grounds by leaping from the car park roof. Another woman was also able to walk off the same ward while supposedly under 24-hour supervision, only to jump off the Dunkirk Bridge sustaining serious injuries. A further patient, a male this time, was attacked by a member of staff on the mental health ward resulting in the patient sustaining many painful bruises. The staff nurse was disciplined only after the patient’s relatives complained about the beating.

The psychiatric ward also came in for severe criticism for wasting Police time and financial resources in 2005. On this occasion a male mental health patient absconded, therefore Police were asked to track him down and return the patient to their ward. It was a lengthy process involving many enquiries during which the patient’s photograph appeared in the Nottingham Evening Post. However, he was eventually found safe, and officers returned him to the mental health ward at the QMC. No sooner did Police return him, ward staff opened the front door and allowed this patient to leave of his own free will.

The taking of a photograph of John Statsulious was a trivial matter compared to the manager’s own behaviour, and suicides that followed over the next seven years.

These wards are run independently from the QMC/City Hospital NHS Trust, and come under the NHS Nottingham Mental Health Trust.

ALLERGY TO COMETS I have had a passionate interest in astronomy ever since I was a boy of seven, today, my interest has not declined, and I am fortunate my living room window of my St Anne’s flat faces due south, and I have a wonderful view of the southern horizon.

“Starlight, Star bright, The first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might Be granted a wish to come true this night.”

My friend Michelle has seen the night sky from my living room window a few times, and the local wildlife, including foxes, in the early hours of the morning. The squirrel on my windowsill pinching my nuts, and many colourful butterflies. In particular, we have seen the moon rising from behind the horizon up into the clear starry sky, and the face of the "man in the moon" is quite plain.

“O Moon, lovely Moon with the beautiful face, Careering throughout the boundaries of space, Whenever I see you, I think in my mind Shall I ever, O ever, behold thy behind?”

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There are many kinds of views that can be seen in the sky, and an eclipse of the sun is one of them. By sure chance the moon which is 3,475 kilometres in diameter, and lies a quarter of a million kilometres distant from the earth, is about the same angular size of the Sun 150 million Km distant. There are occasions when they line-up, Sun, Moon as well as the Earth, and the moon's shadow falls upon us. If we happen to lie at the centre of this shadow, the Moon blots out the sun's disk and we have a total solar eclipse. This happened on the morning of 11 August 1999 at about 10 a.m. and here in Stone Bridge Park we had a good view of it, although totality was only visible from Cornwall, and that area was completely overcast!

In Nottingham, the landscape went dull, and birds tweeted as if they were off to bed, and looking through special silver lens glasses I saw that the Moon had taken a big chunk out of the sun. This was the eclipse of the century, the last big solar eclipse was in 1927 and the next is decades away, July 23, 2093 to be precise. I therefore visited Lorraine who was tucked up in bed, and I managed to get her suitably dressed, and standing outside to view the eclipse. It was a fine sight with the daylight being dull and airy. Lorraine then went back to bed after several minutes!

Lorraine has often seen the brilliant star-like planet Venus hanging in the dusk sky from her living room, and as we walked around together, I pointed out Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn among the stars. Lorraine has a big garden that is dark and secluded that provides a wonderful view of the night sky, so I am full of envy.

In the Solar System there are bodies called comets. Unlike a shooting star, a comet comes in view gradually from the depths of the sun’s family, and they are often faint requiring a large telescope to see them.

To clear one thing up straight away, a shooting star is a small piece of rock often the size of a pea that enters the earth's atmosphere and burns up due to friction with the air. The streak of brilliance being a meteor or shooting star. A comet is something quite different, and is best described as a dusty icy snowball that develops a long fuzzy tail as it nears the sun. The head of the comet is a conglomerate of rocks and ice.

Many comets are faint and often difficult to see without a large telescope, however, very occasionally a bright comet comes along that is easily visible to the unaided eye. One of these comets was named Hale-Bop and was a fine sight in the spring of 1997; Lorraine has seen it a number times from her garden, while I had a good view from the nice dark secluded place appropriately named Rocket Park near my flat.

Many hundreds of years ago comets were regarded of Omens by ancient astrologers, and when a bright comet appeared it brought with it either good or bad news, and speaking for myself I have had a great deal of bad luck when bright comets have made their appearance, so much so that I now believe that I am allergic to them!

The spring of 1997 was a particularly bad time for me. Soon after the Statsulious affair ended, one event took place that was to change my life forever, and it all began when I was out in Nottingham shopping in the Broad Marsh centre.

I came across this girl crying at a table outside a cafe drinking a cup of coffee, and I decided to approach to see if I could help her in anyway. She had a Scottish accent, and related a story that she had formerly been in a relationship with a

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violent man; she was now separated and her three children were in care. She had just visited them during a day trip and was now waiting for the bus home.

I walked with her to the bus station and the waiting room. She said I had been kind and welcomed my advice, then asked for my name along with my address so we could keep in contact. I wrote this down on a scrap of paper and handed it over. To my surprise, her mood quickly changed, and she began shouting blasphemies at me. It was hugely embarrassing being in a public place. I demanded the paper with my name & address be given back, yet with so many people, looking on I decided to quickly leave, and walked away from the situation.

Two weeks later, I suffered two months of violent antisocial behaviour of attacks on my home, with the Police being called on a number of occasions. My front door window was smashed with an axe, my kitchen and bathroom windows shattered with bricks, and offensive graffiti painted outside on my house wall. No sooner had my windows been repaired, they were shattered a second time.

Things eventually calmed down and a period of peace set in. I was afraid to walk out of doors alone for a long time after this incident. With increasing confidence, I ventured to take fresh air walks further a field, until Sycamore Park off Hunger Hill Road, St Anne’s, proved to be a walk too far.

On 30 August 1998, I walked to Robin Hood Chase, then along Tulip Avenue where I became aware someone was following me. I casually made my way to Heather Close aiming for the Sycamore Park. Close to the end of this footpath, the stalker approached me from behind, and hit my head with a half brick, blood then came down my face. I argued with this person just as two women came out of one of the houses. A second man joined my attacker, and they walked off together out of Heather Close, crossed the main road, and then walked down Hunger Hill Road, disappearing around the corner.

The girls gave me valuable help, before taking me to the nearby Sycamore pub where police and an ambulance was called. The strange thing is that at the Queen’s Medical Centre, I recalled that I was fine when I walked out of Heather Close, and crossing the main road, and I walked into Sycamore Park.

I was nervously aware of being followed, and my attacker ran passed me saying, “I’m going to brick you.” I turned to run out of the park, and after a short interval, the stalker was on my right some six feet away carrying a long heavy tree branch, which he brought down hard striking my head. I then recalled the blood trickling down my face. I rushed out of the park, and crossed the main road to the nearby Sycamore pub, where I was given first aid before the police and an ambulance were called.

If there is such a thing as a parallel universe, then this bazaar occurrence certainly provides the best evidence for one.

I was most pleased to have Lorraine's friendship at this time, because on hearing what had happened to me from a police officer, she came to hospital to visit me on a number of occasions, and she looked after Scraggy while I was away from home during the second half of August 1997. This is the definition of a true friend and companion, who never deserts you when in need.

After a long period of living in fear, and having to look over my shoulder for another attacker, this grave situation faded away.

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The second bright comet, named Machholz, was discovered by an Australian amateur astronomer in the summer of 2004, and promised to be visible to the naked eye in the spring of 2005. Comet Machholz also proved to be a bad omen for Lorraine and me after falling out of friendship for some twelve weeks.

ORANGES & LEMONS Michelle Brown is the nicest woman anyone would like to know, her handwriting is neat with artistic swirls, flutes whistles and small colourful illustrations. She is also charming and understanding. Lorraine met Michelle at Manvers School and she soon became part of the croft’s family. They went out socialising at bars together with Michelle's sisters Susan and Joanne. Of course, there was a wedding of Linda Crofts at St Matthias church, St Anne’s, on a rather windy day, where Michelle had trouble trying to stand upright. I have seen the video of that occasion that now appears to be lost, and the scenes recorded at the reception afterwards.

At one time Michelle had anorexia, which she found hard to understand or come to terms with, and this meant a stay in hospital. On a number of occasions, Lorraine and I would walk all the way to the QMC to visit Michelle, who did not feel like talking, and so we sat there looking at one another. This happened to Michelle's family too, yet everyone understood just how she felt. Michelle had a particular taste for yoghurt and chocolate as I can remember.

Michelle formerly lived amid the fine scenery of Matlock Bath and nearby Tidwell situated in the very heart of the Peak District near Monsal Head [See Chapter Four]. Tidwell is a unique self-sufficient village community that has protected and preserved all aspects of its rural heritage. A short time ago, I was in Tidwell and walked around its fine small church dedicated to St. John the Baptist, and known as “the Cathedral of the Peak.” I loved this rural area of Derbyshire, and I still like to visit Monsal Head for the breath-taking views.

Michelle writes lengthy diary entries (she still does), and combs the Internet for answers to her many questions, and stayed with me at my home in these early days.

Lorraine has many friends, and scarcely a day goes by without Lorraine meeting a former neighbour, schoolmate, or local acquaintance. In 1997 one of these friends was a pensioner named William Hayward living in Paxton Gardens, who was a former Boots caterer. He once lived with his wife and family here, until she passed

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away. He then stayed in the same house next to Stone Bridge City Farm with his boyfriend, although when I was introduced to Mr. Hayward he was living alone.

William was a keen collector of videos, records and antiques, and these were slowly disappearing when Danny (an acquaintance of Lorraine's) often visited.

Danny lived in the same block of flats as John (nicknamed "Baldy" for some reason,) and they often visited Mr. Hayward. At the time, Danny would collect William's pension using his debit card, and after William scrutinised his bank statement, he realised that sums of money were going missing. When William went to the bank, he also discovered that Danny was forging his signature to obtain money out of his deposit account.

I first met Danny while out walking with Lorraine towards Mr. Hayward's home; he seemed agitated and asked to speak with Lorraine in private. He asked whether she thought he had AIDS. However, it was not long before Lorraine discovered what was really happening, with Danny taking money and valuables from William, so she chased him from William's home, and told him not to come back. The remarks made by Danny to Lorraine are not printable here, however, Lorraine dealt with Danny-Boy swiftly!

Baldy was still on the scene, Lorraine and I spent our time looking after William from the spring of 1998, shopping for him on a regular basis, with chicklings being one of William's favourite fry-ups, and he liked to do stews in his slow cooker.

Before my arrival on the estate, in 1992 Mr. Hayward had a nice back garden and a noisy bee’s nest near his shed that Lorraine decided to deal with when the City Council refused assistance. Baldy and Lorraine poured petrol on the nest, before setting it alight to the annoyance of the neighbours. The bees were not too pleased either, and it was days before anyone could venture into their back gardens again.

So how did Michelle fit into the picture? Well, she was sleeping over at William's in a double bed in the back bedroom, although she would not have done so had she known about the thousands of fleas it had.

Lorraine and I were upstairs sitting on this bed, and by chance, I was wearing a pair of light coloured cream denims. Looking down we both saw an army of fleas walking up my jean legs, and the bed was the only place they all could have come from. I believe that we decided not to inform Michelle since she was enjoying her visits to St Anne’s Lorraine was still partial to strong alcohol, and William enjoyed a big bottle of Vodka, so they sat for hours chatting to one another. In fact on a number of occasions Lorraine was be up at dawn, and in William’s living room talking and supping.

I would also visit during the day and evening, while Lorraine would still be there at two-o-clock in the morning when her brother Barry came to bring her home.

I must add that we fully enjoyed ourselves over the next eighteen months, and William soon had a multitude of cats, and kittens, that needed feeding which Lorraine and I seen to.

I do not want to go into detail about how social services became involved with Mr. Hayward, and the after affects, since it would be inappropriate. I will just say that Lorraine and I became deeply involved with William's welfare, which eventually

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led to me going before the magistrate's court, while the social workers themselves had treated Mr. Hayward badly and disgracefully. They took charge of his pension book and left William without food or drink on a number of occasions. I was left with no alternative than to ask the nearby Salvation Army for food parcels for Mr. Hayward. His home helps when they did shop for William, provided him with no till receipts and asked him to sign their carbon-paper booklet which they recorded a financial figure of their own choosing. A subsequent independent enquiry found that over ÂŁ300 was missing from his pension held by his social workers.

There is one incident that Lorraine often talks about, which involves a lovely Alsatian dog named Major whose owner lives in a large house fronting Stone bridge Road surrounded by a tall wooden fence. Lorraine would often go over and feed Major with chocolate, while Major knew her dogs Bess and Tammy. Strangely, Major never did like men, and every time I came near, the dog would bark furiously.

On this occasion Lorraine was walking with Baldy-John, she bought some chocolate for Major and went over to feed him. Major was quiet and peaceful looking, then Lorraine turned to John and asked him to come over and give Major a fuss. He did! Putting his head close to the wooden fence, Major snapped at Baldy's nose, and John sprang backwards with fright. Lorraine laughed all the way to William's home that morning, while John was rubbing his nose asking if it was cut or bleeding. Today Lorraine is still laughing about this chronicle. Sadly, Major passed away on 3 July 2006.

With Lorraine spending much of her time with John, another occurrence comes to mind. John had loaned ÂŁ10 from William and spent the day buying Lorraine drinks, until after midnight they were sitting on the wall, side of the Eastham Close subway. John was ready to walk home, and seeing Lorraine slightly drunk asked her back to his place for sex; Lorraine was in control of her faculties and refused; there then followed an intense argument between them. John left and Lorraine came to visit my flat, and told me everything, before going home herself.

In 1999, Lorraine had a series of unexplained blackouts, and after consuming an amount of drink became very sick. I knew that Lorraine was ill yet she continued to drink. Then Lorraine had a further blackout while in William's living room, and stumbled backwards hitting her head on the corner of the coffee table, cutting her head quite badly. An ambulance was called, and she was taken to hospital for treatment. I informed her brother Barry, and around midnight paid a taxi to bring Lorraine home from the QMC. This was clearly a turning point, and Lorraine decided to stop drinking all together, has kept to soft drinks ever since, which at the time of writing covers a period of over seven years, and is an excellent achievement.

Lorraine's illness continued to get worse, and she suffered from pains in her side and tummy. Lorraine was sick more often, while the blackouts continued, until one day I had to take Lorraine to her doctors in a wheelchair. Lorraine's GP realised the seriousness of her plight, and arranged for an ambulance to take her into the City hospital. Once there the staff gave her numerous blood tests, and she was diagnosed with a mild form of diabetes. Lorraine had a very low sodium (salt) level that was the cause of her blackouts. Lorraine remained in hospital for several days, and she had lots of fun chatting to the young doctors and patients. Lorraine had frequent visits

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from her brothers Barry & Alan too. In short, Lorraine later had a CAT-scan, which showed the amount of damage to her liver, and it was serious.

Lorraine decided against an operation and take medication for the rest of her life to control the daily pains she continues to have.

Michelle now stays at my home occasionally to be with Lorraine, and I am extremely happy to have her company. Sometimes Lorraine and Michelle would make sheep noises, or grunt like pigs hoping round on one leg. Their favourite pastime was is to see who would be the last to say "Goodnight" over the telephone. My living room is made colourful with the many bunches of flowers Lorraine buys Michelle, along with the many presents. The spontaneous humour and laughter always brings rays of sunshine and delight. Michelle also talked to Thomas as well as Scraggy, and made them feel happy, so these were the good times for Lorraine and Michelle that they continue to cherish.

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CHAPTER SIX OUR ADORABLE PETS I have just been to the Co-op store in Carlton road, Nottingham, nothing unusual about that, except my cat Scraggy followed me all the way there, and walked most of the way home. Where would we be without our pets to keep us company, and they are always their by our side showing warmth and affection.

Our pets know when a person is being kind-hearted and good to them, and can judge whether a stranger is friend or foe. The moment Scraggy set eyes on Lorraine and Michelle, she was purring, and made little meow sounds to let them know how she felt. Ever since then, Scraggy has been fussed and spoken to as if she had been one of the girls. Michelle would bring in a multitude shopping bags to my living room, Scraggy being a feline would be trying to see what was inside them, and Michelle has been startled sometimes when my cat's head suddenly appeared out of the top of one of the bags; just as Lorraine had done many years previous in her dad’s old shop.

Scraggy follows Lorraine and Michelle down pass Stonebridge farm towards the Co-op, and waits along side the sheep, pigs and her other farm animal friends until Lorraine & Michelle return. It has to be said that her balance is impeccable, as Scraggy often walks with ease along the top of the wooden fences, keeping up with Lorraine and Michelle side by side. The tip bits of ham, chicken, and pork from the girls were what she was after; along with the fuss Lorraine and Michelle fondly give her.

On one occasion, Scraggy followed me all the way to Lorraine's front door, and had to clime up onto my shoulders when Tammy, Lorraine’s dog, came to the door barking.

One sunny afternoon, as I looked out of my window, there was scraggy on top of the roof opposite walking along, then bending her little head over the guttering to look at the birds nesting in the ivy. She still has her white woollen fleece blanket given to her by Lorraine and Michelle, and sleeps on it most days, or simply plays "Mummies."

Scraggy turned 15 in 2006, and I left Stonebridge Park Estate for Bellevue Court in October, and spent a lot of time decorating to make the place nice for us to live in.

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Scraggy died on 12 June 2007, not long after midday when I went to visit Lorraine. There was a bullmastiff type dog roaming around, and it attacked Scraggy who must have died from heart failure, which was a blessing, since there were no bite marks on her body. Lorraine and I bathed her, and made her presentable, then buried her in the little front garden of my new home.

Today I have Sky who was named by Larraine (Shown on the right), although I prefer to think of him as Thomas-II, Sky was born about June 19 in the same year, and is still growing up and learning all the time.

My cat Thomas, a ginger tom, roamed the area on patrol every day of his sevenyear life, and kept other male cats in their place. He was a very strong cat too.

In 1995 for months, I had to get up and let Thomas out of the front door, and he let me know if he wanted to come in doors again by rattling the letterbox. If I did not let him out, Thomas scratched and ripped the wooden door. Several times a night I had to get up to let him in and out, so I fitted a cat flap to help my sanity, and gained piece and quite.

Thomas soon came to know Lorraine, and occasionally ventured down to her garden while on his daily patrol. He was particularly keen on Lorraine's cooked chicken legs, and Thomas became Lorraine's best friend when she introduced him to shrimps and prawns.

Out of doors, every time he saw Lorraine and Michelle he would run up to them then and roll over onto his back a few time; get up run in front of them, and do the same again; repeating this a number of times.

Like all cats, he caught birds & mice, and brought these indoors as presents for Michelle and myself. For Michelle to wake up in the morning, and open her eyes to see Thomas (shown below) sitting their with a mouse at his feet, was one of the oddest wake-up calls Michelle has had to face.

Thomas did get into fights with other cats, and defended my flat vigorously from cat visitors wishing to take Scraggy, and his food. I said that Thomas was still young when he died, and indeed, he was a boy of seven years. He caught cat AIDS after one of his confrontations, so that slowly, his immune system diminished until he could no longer fight off the simple ailment of cat flue.

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One day, he had a small abscess on his right cheek that cleared up in about two weeks, and during this time, Lorraine and I had no idea he also had an abscess on his head, under the skin and fur. This nether healed, and visits to the vets for treatment, and an operation proved fruitless. He got weaker and weaker, until he was unable to eat or drink. Lorraine was supportive and again proved to be a good friend.

She bought Thomas a new expensive cat basket to take him to the vet, rather then let Thomas suffer the indignity of a soiled cardboard box. She treated Thomas as she would her own, and I think my cat knew this; Thomas felt Lorraine's Love and affection every time she visited.

On his last night, he slept with me on my bed stretched out by my side, and he purred with happiness until he slept peacefully. The next day Lorraine called around with Thomas's favourite snack of peeled prawns that she fed to him, and this time he had strength to eat them all up.

At the vets, it broke my heart having to allow the vet to put Thomas to sleep, and although Lorraine was being strong for both of us, she too was visibly upset.

Together Lorraine and I buried Thomas in Lorraine's garden near to the fence. I was deeply upset, cried daily and visited Thomas nightly for over four months.

I still miss Thomas today, and with his mum Scraggy being thirteen years-old right now, and still strong, I believe that Thomas would be with me today, if it were not for God's intervention.

Another cat Lorraine and I became fond of was Ginger (shown her on the right), a male cat that belonged to Tony, one of my neighbours. Ginger was a character, and once my cat flap had been fitted, he always came into my home to sleep on top of the stairs. Ginger did this for a number of years, and he ate at my flat too, taking over when Scraggy had finished her meal.

He was another favourite of Lorraine and Michelle's. Ginger would always come running across the street when the girls called his name, or when he happened to spot the two girls. Again, Michelle took to Ginger straight away and bought him some cat food and ham tip bits of his own. Neither Thomas nor Scraggy bothered Ginger much, so that he became one of the family.

I have heard it said that in his early days, Ginger would follow Tony into the Peverile pub on the Stonebridge Estate, jump onto a chair next to him, and have a drink of beer. The locals loved Ginger to bits, and he had a lovely character all of his own.

In 2003 Ginger developed arthritis in his back legs, and skipped along with a limp, although he was still bright and bubbly. In 2004 Ginger then developed problems passing water, and weed in my kitchen a couple of times, which Michelle cleaned up. Of course, Ginger could not help himself, and after a number of visits to

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the same vet which I had taken Thomas to, Ginger was put to sleep their also. It was very upsetting for Lorraine and Michelle who truly cared for Ginger, and in his own way, Ginger loved the girls too.

Staying with the cat theme, I had been given another cat with ginger and white markings, that Lorraine had the wonderful idea to name her Molly, and Michelle agreed. At first, Molly stayed out doors afraid to come in, and when she did so, she ate a lot of food and drank much milk before running outside again. She was very timid, yet this was not her true nature.

One day I was thinking that Molly had run away not to be seen again. It had been two weeks without a sighting. Then late one Saturday night after going to bed, I heard a cat meow outside my front door, and got up to investigate. It was Molly who had returned and she looked hungry. 'She might run off again' I thought. 'It’s after two in the morning so I don't think anyone will see me in my underpants, if I stepped outside to pick her up, and then come indoors.’ I opened the front door and followed Molly down my ramp. Molly then run over the road and sat at the front of the garages opposite, and I followed. I managed to catch Molly and pick her up in my arms. Just then, a taxi appeared round the corner, Molly jumped and ran off, and I was standing there without a stitch on except my underpants! It was my neighbour, a coloured woman, who had just returned from a night out clubbing. The taxi slowed to a halt its headlights catching me in the limelight, and my neighbour shouted "Patrick, what are you doing out side with no clothes on?" I was truly embarrassed for the first time in my life, and the next day I ventured to call on the neighbour and apologise.

It was Michelle's true love of animal's that came to Molly's aid. Like Dr Doolittle, she talked to the cat in a nice voice, and fed Molly tit bits of food. Strangely, Molly listened to Michelle, and was encouraged to come in doors to my flat, and began to settle down. Molly became a true companion to Michelle so that they became close friends. Molly always slept on the settee next to Michelle, and soon they became inseparable. Michelle took molly home to her West Bridgford flat where she quickly settled down. The last time I talked to Michelle, she was saying that Molly was a big brave cat now, her children adored her, and she again slept along side Michelle. In addition, the cat next door to Michelle was also named Molly, and the two people are quite confused now!

In the days that followed, Michelle described how the two Mollies would sit on the windowsill of their different homes looking across at one another, so Molly is one big happy feline, just like Michelle.

So much for our cat companions, what about our doggy pets? Tammy, who is really Barry's dog, is about twelve years old this Easter, and Lorraine had the shock of her life when she opened her front door to receive the present of an Easter egg, and was handed a puppy instead. I am not able to say much about loveable Tammy, accept that she is a wonderful dog that has had a multitude of adventures during her exciting life.

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TAMMY Tammy once attempted to chase a cat through the garden, and got the biggest shock when the cat stopped, turned and hissed, then scratched her black feline nose; wow did she yelp? Tammy yelped again when she spotted Alan's mug of tea and tried to have a drink; as if she were Goldilocks, Tammy found it was too hot!

The feline likes all of her toys, and will not let anyone close to them without barking fiercely to tell them to " keep off," and Tammy's tail is certainly a 'no go' area!

Tammy (here on the right) has a lovely temperament and lives for Barry, not a single day goes by without Tammy sitting waiting patiently for Barry to come home from work, so Tammy is truly man's best friend, as they say. Having said that, she is Lorraine's guardian and best friend too. If there happens to be a visitor come knock on Lorraine's front door during the afternoon, you will always know whether Lorraine is unavailable when you hear Tammy's bark from the nearby bedroom. Whatever you do there after, Lorraine will not get out of bed to answer the door, and I happen to believe this is what Tammy is saying too.

Roscoe was a lovely elderly dog that roamed around the area from Paxton Gardens for a long time, and was a favourite of many who use to stroke and pat him.

If lucky, Roscoe would have food given to him. Roscoe was a lovely male black & white Labrador and Lorraine took to Roscoe, giving him treats all of the time, and even encouraged him into my flat. He was an elderly dog and found my stars hard to climb; yet, he managed it a few times with the reward of a whole tin of cat food to himself. He was a lovely Labrador and obviously lived his life to the full, and enjoyed all the good times.

Then Lorraine heard the news that Roscoe was to be put to sleep, and it broke her heart. She asked me to be his new owner and look after him, who I quickly agreed to, then Lorraine whet to the dog's owner who lives in Paxton Gardens, and did her very best to pursued them to let the two of us look after Roscoe until his natural time came.

On the day the sad news arrived that Roscoe had been put to sleep, it near broke Lorraine's heart. Even to day, Lorraine is saddened at the loss of Roscoe and still has some feeling for the black and white Labrador, simply because he was the same age, and had the same markings as her own dog Bess.

Every time we met to go shopping, the Doctors or dentist, Lorraine would attempt to approach and stroke another black & white Labrador dog that we later called Bessie. Bessie lived with an elderly woman in one of the flats opposite mine in Pym Walk. The dog would always be out-doors on guard, and if anyone came near,

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like Lorraine, the dog would howl and bark. Lorraine tried many times, yet Bessie howled just the same.

Bess really enjoyed walking around the block and around the area by her self to view the different scenery. It was during one of these walks that Lorraine managed to approach Bessie and stroke her. Bessie was calm further away from her home.

After that, Lorraine managed to get closer still, and even give the dog food and scraps.

Then came the day that Bessie's owner had to go into an old persons' home, and this meant that the dog had nowhere to live. When asked by her owner's daughter, I had no hesitation in agreeing to give Bessie a new home. My only hesitation was with my two cats, and I need not have done so since Bess settled in along side them, and Thomas and Scraggy accepted Bessie too. It was a lovely relationship.

One day when I was taking Bessie (shown here on the left) for a walk, we came across Thomas who was having a disagreement with a black Tomcat. Thomas did not move from his spot, when Bessie walked over right up to the other cat and barked twice. The predator cat was shocked at this strange situation and soon ran away. Thomas looked at Bessie, and Bessie gave Thomas a big smile before walking back to me. Anyone who says that animals and pets are not intelligent, or have feelings for each other, is plain wrong, and both Lorraine along with Michelle who has treated all of our pets like human beings, have proved the point.

I had Bessie for 18 months, and loved her dearly. We went out for walks all hours of the day and night, even in the early hours of the morning, and Bessie was always in charge. If she wanted to walk her way she stopped, waited, giving a big smile and I had to do as I was told. We walked for miles, or at least it seemed like it.

Bess met the local foxes, squirrels, and hedgehogs. If I stopped to talk to someone, Bessie was sitting down quietly smiling.

Bessie loved to visit Lorraine all of the time, and she was the best friend of Tammy too. So much so that they played together in Lorraine's garden in the sunshine. Occasionally Bess would wake up to take me along to see Lorraine at 7 a.m. Although on rare occasions, this would be on a Sunday morning, as Barry Crofts will confirm.

After a year, Bessie developed tummy cramps, and then on one November night I was taking Bess for her usual walk when she sat down on the hill close to Lorraine's home and was unable to move. Bess was clearly in pain with cramps and I

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was concerned. I remain eternally grateful to Lorraine and Barry for coming to the rescue that night, and helped me take Bessie home.

In the days that followed, the tummy cramps continued, and the food and water she ate was being brought up again.

Bess became very ill, and a trip to the vet organised by the R.S.P.C.A showed that her kidneys and liver where failing, while she had arthritis in her joints.

Regrettably, her age had caught up with her. In the coming weeks through Christmas 2002, Lorraine helped Bess and visited her often at my flat. Bessie showed her own affection for Lorraine by doing her best to visit Lorraine and Tammy.

Then came the time I was carrying her around out doors, and in the days that followed Bess became very ill indeed and could not control her bowls at all well. I still believe to this day that it was the kindness and affection shown to Bessie by Lorraine that kept her going for as long as she did.

In the days that led up to Bess passing away, I was very upset and crying, and Lorraine gave me lots of comfort and support. I remember that Lorraine bought me an astronomy book for my birthday on 8 February 2002. At 7 a.m. The following morning my Bess had passed away. I had stayed up with her all night and placed Lorraine's photograph beside Bessie, so she had the two of us by her side as she went to sleep. Bess is now buried with Thomas in Lorraine's garden among her animal friends. Both Lorraine and I comforted each other during the days that followed. Today I constantly think that things may have been much different if I had Bess from being a young puppy.

Lorraine's own Bess, a black and white Labrador like my own, was a lovely puppy when they became true friends and inseparable during the fifteen years of her long happy life. Of course, I was not around during this time so I do not have all of the fond memories that Lorraine keeps within her warm heart. Bessie has never been forgotten by Lorraine even today, who keeps Bess's lead under the pillow next to her, while many of Bessie's photographs are on the four sides of Lorraine's bedroom. The frog crawl across the floor was Bessie’s party trick.

Dear Bess suffered the same illness as my dog, and Lorraine was constantly at her side looking after Bessie. Lorraine had to carry Bess out into the garden to do her business many times day and night, while Lorraine was there at Bessie side, as Bess went to sleep on the settee in Lorraine's living room.

Bessie's passing truly broke Lorraine's heart after 15 faithful years of love and companionship. The place where Bess has been laid to rest in the garden, in front of Lorraine's bedroom window beside Bella, is a shrine that is always maintained clear of weeds, with colourful flowers and some ornaments. Each night before going to sleep, Lorraine kisses the photographs of her parents and Bessie, before laying her head upon her pillow.

This of course leads us back to the time that Lorraine and I first met all that time ago, and my own fond memories of Lorraine in Sally's shop, with Bessie at her feet, will stay with me for ever.

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CHAPTER SEVEN NEW ST. ANN’S BLIGHTED BY CRIME Not so long ago I walked up Beacon Hill Rise and stood in the car park at the rear of the Beacon Pub where you get a splendid panoramic view over looking the Beck valley.

Old St. Ann’s covered an area of 350 acres (1.42 square km) and to all intents and purposes had grown into a large town containing upwards of 10,000 Victorian terrace houses, often with six persons to an average size room. It had many social gathering locations, pubs, churches, cinemas and the thoroughfare of 650 shops along St. Ann’s Well Road, and It was therefore a thriving community. It had good neighbourliness, so it was always possible to leave one’s back door open with little fear of crime, and neighbours popped next door to loan a cup of sugar, milk, help babysitting, deliver babies in the absence the midwife, and layout the dead in preparation for a funeral.

A number of the houses were said to be ‘unfit for human habitation,’ although half were still good strong houses that just required modernising, and not demolished. However, after the public inquires had taken place, the whole area of St. Ann’s was demolished wholesale, and an area the size of a large town with all its amenities was wiped out. Pubs, off-licences, a number of churches, the thoroughfare of St. Ann’s Well Road shops, while the whole community was dispersed to different areas of Nottingham destroying the good neighbourliness and friendly atmosphere that had existed for more than 125 years. It was the building of the Victoria Centre shops, and flats in Nottingham city centre, that caused the decimation of the shopping thoroughfares of Arkwright Street in the Meadows, and that of St. Ann’s Well Road.

From the vantage point of the Beacon pub you get a good idea of the size of St. Ann’s at the time of the slum clearance program all laid out in front of you. Thank goodness for Mr. Ray Gosling’s zeal in saving a number of the old houses, and describing the pleasant atmosphere inside the areas’ many pubs.

Ray Gosling wrote the lyrical piece, Sum Total in 1962 when he was just 22years-old. It captures the nation in that moment in time - a society fixed in class, religion and chimney stacks of the manufacturing industry. Society seemed set, fixed, yet himself and the other boys on the bottom rung felt a revolutionary fervour - they were going to rock and roll the world in favour of new life.

Aside from his writing, Ray has more than 100 television documentaries and over 1,000 radio programmes to his name, and is known to millions. His documentary career began with series with titles such as who Owns Britain? The Heavy Side of Town and Battle for the Slums. He travelled widely, to New Zealand, Turkey, Bangladesh, France, United States, and 'everywhere but everywhere in Pakistan'.

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Each St. Ann’s public house played a role during world war two when the cellars were all used as air raid shelters for many locals.

Sadly, the planners of the late sixties came up with a number of bad planning blunders that has continued to blight St. Ann’s up to the present time. They built shopping precincts away from the main road thoroughfares and placed them in out of site open spaces. Marple Square and the Robin Hood Chase soon suffered vandalism and increased levels of crime. It was not long before Marple Square closed down completely, while the Robin Hood Chase was only saved with lots of money and the intervention of local City Councillors: Betty Higgins, Jon Collins, and Dave Liversidge.

On the Robin Hood Chase there were two banks, the TSB and Nat West; not long after I came to live in Duncombe Close in 1986 the Nat West suffered a daring £1 million robbery when a security van delivering money was rammed by a truck with a piece of wooden railway sleeper attached to the front bumper. It created a hole large enough for the robbers to gain access to the notes, which were transferred to a get-away car that sped away, and none of the money was ever recovered. The Area Housing Office now occupies the Nat West bank building, the TSB closed down, the Manager of the Chase Newsagents was threatened with a knife and a haul of cigarettes were stolen, while the Post Office has been raided many times by robbers.

A dozen other shops were dispersed around the new housing estate, while it took much effort and determination to rebuild new St. Ann’s church on the current Robin Hood Chase near to the former location of the original church building; today it goes by the name of St. Ann with Emmanuel. St Catherine’s opposite the Gala bingo hall is closed, while St. Matthias in St. Matthias Road remained open for a while until the last incumbent died and the church is now also closed.

Of the ten new public houses built on the estate five have since either closed or been demolished: The Wishing Well, The Gardeners, Peverile, Dame Agnes Mellers to make way for houses, and Pint & Pot, which has made way for St. Ann’s new Police station. Only five remain, The Beacon, Bath Inn, St Ann’s Inn, the Sycamore and Lord Alcester remain.

However, the biggest blunder was the building of the three-tier blocks of flats and maisonettes, the first of these went up in Rushworth Close behind Robin Hood Chase, followed by Duncombe close, Luther Close, and they continued to be built by the developer Wimpey’s around the remainder of the new St. Ann’s.

As a consequence, many hundreds of out of site interlocking footpaths were created, areas where Police access was made exceptionally difficult, and the flats became ‘Social Transit Camps’ due to the rapid turn over of tenancies.

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Built by Wimpey’s on the cheap their doors contained plywood panels that were easy to kick though aiding burglaries and vandalism. The interlocking footpaths allowing for quick escape routs. The City Council’s maintenance program was unable to cope with inspecting and replacing burnt out porch light bulbs; there were no safety inspections of the flat forecourts leading to badly cracked brick walls; broken uneven paving slabs, and missing drain covers etc.

Many of the houses in the new St. Ann’s were bought by families wanting to remain in the area, while very few people leased the flats because they represented such a bad investment. It was soon apparent that new St. Ann’s families brought up on the estate were abandoning the area to live outside in a better environment & atmosphere, leading to a break down of the social fabric, while the atmosphere of good neighbourliness was to all intents and purposes in a state of evaporation.

Crime and vandalism soon began to rise; while the police were experiencing much difficulty, catching youth’s causing vandalism, antisocial behaviour, and burglaries due to the large numbers of inaccessible areas for emergency vehicles. St. Ann’s tenants & residents were very dismayed as the area’s character and image began to be tarnished as a crime-ridden estate.

When I arrived and moved into a Duncombe Close flat with my partner Miss June Broughton in 1986, where I lived for a period of seven years, there were two things happening on the St. Ann’s estate. Nottingham Estate Action, a government project, was just getting off the ground. Nottingham City Council were investigating the most run down areas of new St. Ann’s, and these were being improved with wall insulation, double glazing and defensible space works (a wall, gate and railings around each property). The canopies over each front door were also improved with slanting tiled roofs. Another government program was Nottingham City Challenge that provided further government funding, this time to improve the environment of both the St. Ann’s and Snienton areas; both schemes ran side by side during the second half of the1990’s. My role was played out as the Secretary of the St. Ann’s Sector Forum.

I wondered just what had gone so badly wrong with the planning and building of new St. Ann’s, when so much government money was being pumped into this inner city estate to rectify the planning blunders of the past.

THE OWL MAGAZINE After moving onto the Stonebridge Park Estate in 1993, I observed the decline of new St. Ann’s from a distance, and began to research old St. Anne’s all of which is included in this book. Later I began to document the changes happening on, and around the estate in a small magazine called The Owl. A rash of crimes affected the Stonebridge Estate during 2003, which caused concern for tenants and residents living around the Bluebell Hill Community Centre.

Wheelie-bins set ablaze, vandalism to property and trees, gun incidents in the Jersey Gardens area, while drug dealing at tenancies on the estate and under the pedestrian subways was a seemingly regular occurrence. While it is excepted the police do an exceptional job, a reorganisation by senior officers in 2002 meant that rapid response units based at Carlton and St. Ann’s had been withdrawn, leaving local police with little resources to fight local crime. Urgent 999 calls had to be prioritised more than normal, so that to many it seemed urgent calls for help were not responded to within

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48 hours, and it took three days in some instances. This situation was reversed in September 2003 when the rapid response teams were reintroduced by the Chief Constable Steven Green who outlines the reasons for his actions towards the end of this chapter.

More than 20 arrests have been made in connection with the death of 16year-old Brendon Lawrence, but no one has been charged with his murder. Brendon was shot twice in the left leg and once in the chest as he stepped out of a car close to his home in St. Ann's on 19 February 2002.

Despite extensive police work, family appeals, and a £10,000 reward, information about his killer was not forthcoming. His mother, Janice Collins, has had talks with Tony Blair and former Home Secretary David Blunkett and still hopes her son's killers will be caught. A photograph of Brendon Lawrence is shown here.

On 7 May 2007, the Nottingham Evening Post reported that Gun victim Brendon Lawrence's family are still struggling to cope with their loss. Now his cousin Wayne Christie has been sentenced for possessing heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply. He said he was forced into drug dealing after an unpaid debt put him in fear of his life.

Five years after his 16-year-old cousin was shot dead, Wayne Christie strayed down the wrong path.

Caught on a bicycle carrying 46 wraps of heroin and 17 wraps of crack cocaine, the father-of-one admitted his crime at the first opportunity.

He had borrowed £500 from an unnamed person, and claimed he was forced to sell the drugs to repay his debt - or his and his family's life was in danger.

Having lost Brendon to extreme violence, Christie, 25, took that threat seriously.

It was this exceptional mitigation, and with little protest from the prosecution, that Judge David Price said spared him jail.

Instead, Christie was handed a two-year community order and a two-year supervision order with 240 hours unpaid work.

Relieved relatives wept in the public gallery at Nottingham Crown Court on Wednesday when he was let back out of the dock.

His arrest on October 17 last year came when officers noticed him become agitated as he spoke with them in Luther Close, St Ann's.

He was searched and the drugs were found together with £269 in his pocket.

"He defaulted on payment and had been approached that very day and been ordered to take the drugs or his family would be in danger," said prosecutor Jon Fountain.

He took those threats seriously and took the drugs."

The court heard Christie, of Beacon Hill Rise, St Ann's, was previously of immaculate character.

Shaun Smith, defending, said, "For somebody such as him to do something as cataclysmic like this, there is mitigation. Somebody does not get

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to the age of 25, and live a good life, and then get into difficulties with the court unless there has been some event in their life."

Mr Smith said a substantial number of references made a "heartfelt" plea for Christie's circumstance. He had not had any bereavement counselling since Brendon's death and still suffered "significant depression in his life.”

"That lead him to being in debt lead him to go to somebody that he now wishes he had never gone to," said Mr Smith.

Mr Smith told the court that the fact that nobody has been caught for Brendon's murder meant, "Going to the police was difficult for this family to do.”

He added, "It was a relief to him when he was caught because he was frightened stiff about what he was doing."

Mr Smith said Christie had a "fantastic" relationship with his seven-year-old daughter.

"He is a good person, in my respectful submission," added Mr Smith. "This is a young man the court can show some sympathy. He is highly unlikely to trouble the courts again."

Sentencing Christie, Judge Price said he took into account his guilty plea and "little protest" by the prosecution. "For that reason I will take into account the unusual circumstances," said Judge Price.

In January 2003, there was the problem of drug users hiding in the bushes at the side of the Stonebridge footpath that links Flewitt Gardens with Stonebridge Road near the inner city farm. Drug needles were being left lying around under shrubs and accessible places. In mid January Nottingham Committee East announced a £750 grant to Stonebridge Farm to be used to clean-up the unsightly litter under the perimeter hedges surrounding the site, along with hazardous materials such as drug syringes.

I also reported that Fairholm Court elderly people’s home in lower Flewitt Gardens had a brick thrown through an upstairs corridor window around 11:15 p.m. on 15 February. No one was hurt, although an elderly couple in the flat opposite was badly shaken by the smashing glass. The window is situated near the fire escape opposite Rocket Park. Throughout 2002, vandals regularly targeted these upper three windows, while abandoned cars were regularly burnt out next to the Homes’ railings.

On Valentines Day 2003, a police officer answering an urgent 999 call was injured in a road accident just before 2 p.m. at the junction between Bath Street and Carlton Road, when he was in collision with a Ford Fiesta. The police officer suffered concussion and facial injuries, while the other driver was also injured. The patrol car roof had to be cut away to free the injured officer.

A customer believed to be shop lifting, on the early evening of 27 February stabbed a security guard on duty at the Coop in Carlton Road with a Stanley knife; the guard was not seriously injured.

The Owl magazine reported that at 8 p.m. on Saturday 1st February 2003 police had a report of an incident at a ground floor flat in Flewitt Gardens; on arrival they found the front door badly smashed, and as the officers went inside they discovered the flat had been used by drug users. There were syringes on the floor of all of the rooms, burnt spoons and other materials. An unknown youth was found inside the flat (not the occupier); who was arrested and taken to Carlton Road Police

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Station for questioning; the flat was then boarded up. Not surprisingly, Stonebridge Tenants & Residents Association had identified this flat as being used for the purpose of supplying drugs and being used by drug-addicts at their 20November 2002 public meeting. The police took no action, while management at St. Ann’s District Housing office were fully aware of the incident they allowed the tenant to return to the property.

Despite continuing drug, dealing activity at this tenancy reported to local Housing Officers through the spring and summer months, the tenant was not evicted until August 2003. Again, a large number of syringes were found in all of the rooms at that time.

I first reported problems faced by Paxton Garden residents in April. A long public footpath which runs alongside 39 Paxton Gardens attracted regular motorbike and tri-motor carts running noisily up and down the path making a great deal of noise, causing danger to local residents and children who feared being knocked down.

A regular event in 2002, the problem again surfaced as a nightly occurrence.

To solve the problem the City Council decided to install a single narrow concrete bollard at the Beacon Hill Rise entrance in November 2003.

Local residents said this was ridiculous, and solved nothing. Paxton Gardens remained in the headlines throughout the year. I fought vigorously for something to be done to resolve the situation; staggered fences were meant to be put in place in November 2003, yet remain conspicuous by their absence for many months due to Stonebridge Park Tenants & Resident Association’s active discrimination; these were eventually put in place in October 2004.

One Paxton Garden resident advised me about a serious assault that took place in mid October 2003, which I was unaware of at the time despite the severity. It happened not long after a firearm was recovered from a back garden in the area during the same month. It appears a coloured youth being chased, ran into a house for refuge, and the other assailant youths also ran inside, where they carried out a serious assault using wood and a half brick as weapons against their victim. The two people who carried out the attack then ran off in different directions, followed by the victim shortly before police arrived, leaving the tenant and her children shocked by the whole affair.

Three major arson fires occurred during 2003 beginning with a blaze in the back yard of a Ferrers walk house at about 1 a.m. June 15, which I published an exclusive photograph of the occurrence. At about 5:45 p.m. July 29 there was a blaze inside the Wright & Dobson factory that lead to power being cut off to hundreds of properties in the area; then on August 8 a fire in the boarded up Bath Inn public house opposite Snienton market occurred, which caused sever damage to the pub’s interior.

The pub was bought and improvements carried both inside and outside in early 2006, then reopened to the public in the summer.

In March, I revealed that Police had effectively abandoned Stone Bridge Farm and lower Flewitt Gardens in favour of the exclusive use by drug users and dealers since the beginning of the year, at lest that is what is seemed.

Every evening between 6 - 7 p.m. a crowd of up to 18 youths gathered behind the main garages at the bottom of Flewitt Road to obtain drugs from a supplier living nearby. Arguments broke out between the youths, and on occasions residents

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walking the Stonebridge footpath to go to the local Coop store were jostled, abused, and intimidated. When local residents phoned the police almost nightly as the crowd became unruly, the police failed to respond to the urgent 999 calls for days at a time.

Nine youths assaulted a 22 year-old man as he sat in his car on Robin Hood Street on the evening of April 5. Police said it was an unprovoked attack and several weapons were used.

In May, a rubbish skip outside Bluebell Hill Community Centre was set on fire in the first of a series of similar incidents up until October. The Community Centre was also burgled twice during the early hours of July 4 when a computer, photocopier, and other equipment were stolen; the centres’ office was ransacked.

Things came to a head in June 2003 when three serious muggings occurred along the Stone Bridge footpath two pensioners, a Flewitt Garden resident, and a youth beaten about the head with a plank of wood.

In the absence of police support, Stone Bridge Tenants & Residents Association pressed for the bushes to be cut back sharply, and a set of three new streetlights introduced on the footpath paid for by Nottingham City Drug Action Team, and Nottingham City Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnership.

In July I highlighted the poor policing of St. Ann’s, and mentioned a letter sent out to some tenants by area Housing Manager Joh Tether, which was little more than a publicity stunt. Certainly the replacement of bulbs in the regions’ numerous porch lights have not been carried out over the past few years, and it is these dark shadows around the lower St. Ann’s flats forecourts, that encourage burglaries, vandalism, and drug dealing; something the local housing office management have been aware of for quite some time, and continue to fail to take any action upon. I think Joh Tether’s letter did more harm than good, and ort not to have been circulated.

The Nottingham Evening Post took up my concerns highlighting the poor response to urgent 999 calls throughout the city during July and into August.

Drug dealing was also allowed to continue from four tenancies in the Stonebridge Park area, which St. Ann’s Housing Office management did next to nothing to intervene to stop this abuse of tenancy regulations.

Never before has St. Ann's been placed in the media spotlight to highlight the areas' bad reputation for serious crime then that of September 2003. St. Ann's already had an aurora of badness about it following the murder of Brendon Lawrence which residents have had to come to terms with, so the resent publicity was bound to cause inner city new St Ann's more harm.

St. Ann's made TV headlines on August 21st during Operation Rose bowl when police officers moved in to arrest 30 year-old Lee Francis at Caunton Avenue, Mapperley Plains, who pulled a gun on officers. Lee Francis of Argyle Court, Radford, gave himself up peacefully, was arrested after the siege, was charged with firearms offences, and also threatening a police officer with a gun; the total police cost was £40,000.The month of September continued with the news that 28 year-old Justin Anderson, of Withorn Street, Liverpool, had been charged with the attempted murder of a local Nottingham man in a shooting on Brewster’s Road in St. Ann's, Nottingham, on May 3 2003, where a man received gunshot injuries.

There followed an appearance of 23-year-old Benjamin Lee Daws, of no fixed address, at Nottingham Crown Court which saw him charged with attempted

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murder. He was jointly charged with Damien Stewart, 24, of Nugent Close, St Ann's, of attempting to murder Glenmore Heyden, a 35 year-old man wounded in a shooting incident in Radford on August 7. Daw's was further charged with possession of a handgun and had been remanded in custody to appear in court with Stewart on November 3.

It was the Murder of teenager 17-year-old Remi Samuels at the Westminster pub in St. Ann's Well Road (Right), who died from his injuries at the Queen's Medical Centre on 22 September that was next to hit the media with dramatic affect to the dismay of local residents.

Aaron Douglas was found guilty of manslaughter after stabbing the 17-year-old six times in the chest, back and arms with a kitchen knife during the attack outside the Westminster; he denied murder.

Before the fatal attack, it is alleged Mr Samuels, of Wells Close, St Ann's, had robbed Douglas at gunpoint which provided Douglas with a motive for the 2003 attack.

After the robbery, Douglas, 40, of Kings Thorpe Close, St Ann’s, went to the pub with two knives, and found Mr Samuels; a jury at Nottingham Crown Court was told. Witnesses said he chased him around the pool table, lashing out with the knife.

Mr Samuels was cornered by Douglas outside and then stabbed. Douglas later told police he had been defending himself. The court was told that one of the knives had hit bone as it entered the body.

At this stage it would appear that things could not get any worse, yet the media spotlight widened still further to bring St. Ann's to the attention of the whole of the united kingdom, with the problem of policing asylum seekers. Police funding arrangements with the Home Office, and local authorities became the centre of attention, as the formulas do not include any extra money for dealing with asylum seekers when they break the law, leaving police authorities such as Nottinghamshire, footing the bill.

We also learned the valuable lesson, that criminal law works more in favour of asylum seekers, while at the same time tying the hands of senior police officers.

Witnesses described how Kurds, carrying knives, bars, bats, golf clubs, and bricks began fighting each other on St. Ann's Well Road at about 1.45 a.m. One man, 27-year-old Amir Abdulla Bakir, an Iraqi Kurd from Coventry, was murdered near the King's Hall (Shown above right), and another was rushed to hospital by

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paramedics after he was knifed in the stomach. Chief Inspector Ian Howick said that a post mortem examination confirmed the man had died from stab wounds.

The second 20-year-old was taken to the NHS walk-in centre on London Road with serious stab wounds.

He was rushed to the Queen's Medical Centre by ambulance, where his condition was described as critical but stable.

Thirty-three people were arrested on suspicion of public disorder and immigration offences, mainly Iraqi Kurd in nationality. It is now understood that the Iraqi men mainly from outside Nottingham [Coventry], were all held at a number police stations across the city. Eighteen were arrested soon after the fighting, with another two arrested later.

Almost immediately, time began to run out for Nottingham police as they applied for a number of time extensions from local magistrates, until eventually 25 Iraqi Kurds were released on police bail midday Thursday 11September. A further nine were brought before Nottingham Magistrates Court the same morning.

It was a strange airy coincidence, this should happen on the 2nd anniversary of the World Trade Centre's terrorist atrocity in the US, the world’s biggest act of terrorism, that the Iraqi asylum seekers should be released as people the world over were holding a minute's silence.

As the six Iraqi Kurds appeared in front of magistrates on violence and public order offences, it was farcical that the magistrates could not find any interpreters for the hearing, because Nottingham police had the vast majority of them.

When the prosecution lawyer offered to make their police interpreters available for the occasion, defence lawyers protested that police Iraqi interpreters had given great assistance to the police in compiling witness statements, it just would not be acceptable; the case was adjourned until this bazaar situation could be resolved -- the Iraqi Kurd prisoners had all been granted legal aid.

City council Leader and local councillor Jon Collins (Shown here), told me: “Despite the disturbing nature of the events, I think it is important to let the dust settle a bit before we organise anything. I understand that most of the individuals involved did not come from St. Ann's, and in fact came from outside of the city.

"Furthermore, while we do have asylum seekers and refugees living in St Ann's, the numbers are not as high as people might think.

"Of course we are right to be concerned to ensure that action is wanted to risk any kind of back lash that could harm decent asylum seeking families living in the area and contributing to the community."

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Meanwhile, St Ann's Councillor David Liversidge (On the right), looked closely at the numbers of refugees living in St Ann's at the time, and said he would take action where tenancy regulations were being violated due to over crowding.

"I understand nearly all of the properties in St Ann's are occupied by families.

"Many of those asylum seekers are actually refugees with secure tenancies, who are able to exercise choice where they live. What they are not able to do is breach the terms of their tenancy agreement, which both this behaviour (If it is tenants who are involved), and allowing large numbers to live at their tenancy clearly construe.

"This needs investigating and addressing, if necessary by the District housing office — I will speak to them.”

It has been estimated that the total community/police bill for dealing with the violent incident between rival Iraqi Kurd factions in September, cost in excess of £60,000, excluding the NHS costs of treating a critically injured Iraqi man in the Queens Medical Centre afterwards, and the eventual total of the legal aid bill.

Nottinghamshire police were also left footing the bill for special Iraqi Kurd interpreters brought in to help interview and obtain witness statements.

According to the latest figures in the 2001 Census, there were 13,270 residents living in St Ann's at that time: 11.2% Black or Black British by nationality, and 9.2% Caribbean.

With the average amount of money that each individual pays to the Police Authority out of their Council Tax being £85, it means the police received a total of £1,271,950.

So far this financial year (2003/4) the Police have spent a total in excess of £110,000. There have been two sieges, one at Marple Square, and another at Caunton Avenue costing the police £70,000.

The resent Iraqi Kurd fight cost a further £60,000 to police, making a total of £130,000 — £21,600 pounds a month from local Council Tax payers. The figure does not include the costs of policing gun and drug crime in St Ann's raising the figure still further to around £180,000.

During the days which followed, members of the local community began seeking answers as to why the violent incident took place, amid calls for an urgent public meeting to be called between councillors, police and Nottingham east MP John Hepple.

The Police believe that the Home Office should pick up the bill for asylum seeker crime in Nottingham, and in September requested more money to cover their resent expenses. They eventually received £1m additional funds from the Home Office.

The atmosphere and good reputation of the Stonebridge Park area of St Ann's (situated in the region of Bluebell-hill Community Centre) declined rapidly from 2000, with an increase in the number of burglaries and opportunist thefts from the homes of local residents — Drug related crime.

The BBC website reported on 12 October 2005 that two men convicted of gunning down a Nottingham schoolchild in a drive-by attack had each been jailed for at least 32 years for murder.

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Danielle Beccan (Right), 14, was shot as she walked home from the Goose Fair through the St Ann's area (At the same location as the Iraqi Kurd fight) in October 2004.

Mark Kelly, of Wilford Grove, The Meadows, Nottingham, and Junior Andrews, of no fixed address, had denied murder.

Birmingham Crown Court heard they fired from a car at the teenager and her friends as they walked home in St Ann’s Valley.

Danielle fell to the ground fatally wounded as her friends tried to run to safety.

Danielle's mother Paula Platt was at the scene within minutes of her daughter being shot. She cradled the teenager in her arms as they awaited an ambulance in an alleyway.

Both men fled the city after the killing - Kelly to Birmingham and London and Andrews to Aberdeen.

Kelly did not give evidence, but denied the charges through his lawyer.

It took the jury of eight men and four women 16 hours to decide the pair carried out the killing as part of an inner-city gang feud. Both men were guilty.

After the shooting hundreds of locals, including children laid flowers at the spot convicted by majority verdicts where Danielle lost her life of 10-2 and given life sentences.

Andrews was born in Northampton, and raised in St. Ann's, Nottingham before moving to The Meadows area of the city.

Trial judge Mr Justice Butterfield said: "You robbed a bright young girl of her life and blighted forever the lives of her family and friends.

"This was a terrible killing. You armed yourselves with a handgun and set out cruising around St. Ann's looking for likely victims. "It was what you told (a witness in the case) you wanted to do.

"Your pathological and illogical hatred of everyone from St. Ann's was so intense you did indeed want to kill."

Mrs Platt said after the verdicts, "The last year has been absolute hell.

"We have been through so much pain and anguish and today we have got a verdict which obviously we are pleased with.

"But at the end of the day we are leaving here without Danielle."

She went on to pay tribute to Nottinghamshire Police and people in Nottingham for their efforts and support.

"Now perhaps we can move on with the rest of our lives," she said.

"It's going to be hard without Danielle, but I know we will be OK."

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Detective Supt Kevin Flint, who led the investigation, said the case had been hampered by fear and intimidation because of the gang element.

He added, "Inquiries will continue to trace other people who were in the vehicle from which the shots were fired at Danielle."

Dona Parry Jones, of the Crown Prosecution Service, labelled it a "cowardly and despicable" crime.

What caused St. Anne’s to decline so dramatically in the recent past?

Following a major public meeting held in Hunger Hill Road, I wrote a detailed letter to Chief Constable Steven Green & Home Office Minister Hazel Blears, this is their response:

A LETTER FROM THE CHIEF CONSTABLE Steven Green Whilst I cannot make any remarks upon those aspects of the letter, which refer to the design, and management of the St Ann’s area, I feel that I must differ from you in your account of the changes in policing.

In writing this letter, however, I do not seek to dispute your account of the problems that have been faced by St Ann’s or indeed the impression, which might have been given to you by simply reading accounts of my decisions in the Nottingham Evening Post. The media's account of any issue is, however, often incomplete and I am happy to share with you a more complete version of events.

Undoubtedly, the greatest problem, which St Ann’s has been facing in the past few years, is that of drug dealing and the associated gun crime, which has come with it. All of this began before my arrival in June 2000 (the first recorded shooting took place in January 2000) although I readily accept that it got worse before it got better. The first fatal shooting took place in early 2002, some months before I made the changes to the Force, which you have described. The ingredients, which led to the outbreak of gun crime, had long been seeded into the community and, once the area became a distribution centre for crack cocaine, its fate was sealed. Were you to study the development of gun crime in London, Manchester, Birmingham, or Bristol, you would see much the same pattern of events.

On my arrival in the Force, I was genuinely shocked by the condition of Nottinghamshire Police. I had previously served in two other Police Forces in this country and had clear expectations of what a Police Force ought to look like in the year 2000. What I found in Nottinghamshire fell far short of those expectations. The Force was poorly led, poorly equipped and had no systems in place to improve it's (somewhat poor) performance. It was overwhelmed with it's workload but had no credible plan to change this situation. It had failed to invest in technology (which is vital in a modern police service) and had failed to invest in the skills of its workforce.

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Internally, the Force was at war with itself (rather than the criminals) with a substantial amount of effort being consumed by the large number of staff who was involved in legal action against the Force.

Effective partnerships with other local agencies are key to reducing crime and yet it was widely accepted that the state of such partnerships in Nottinghamshire was amongst the worst in the country. Furthermore, because Nottinghamshire Police had pursued a strategy of deliberately operating along different territorial boundaries to the local authorities, effective partnership working was nigh on impossible.

Crime, which was traditionally among the highest in the country, was in creasing modestly, but inexorably and none had a plan to reduce it.

Faced with all of this, any sensible newly arrived Chief Constable would probably have taken the next train out. For better or worse, I stayed and relished the chance to put all of this right.

It was open to me to make some public statements early on about the state of the Force I had inherited. I chose not to do so as I did not feel that it was proper to criticize my predecessors at such an early stage. At that stage, I could not have imagined how challenging it would be to put right the consequences of years of neglect.

For the past four years, I have been progressively putting all of these things right and the Force is at last achieving creditable results. Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary has just inspected the Force and he has acknowledged the massive amount that has been achieved in that time. His report is accessible via the Home Office website should wish to view it. If you cannot find it, please get back to me and I will send you a copy.

At this point in my letter, I could enter into a tortuous justification for the changes I made in 2002. I will not do so but am happy to concede that not every decision l made was correct. Indeed, given the scale of what was required, it would have been remarkable had this been so. In addition, were you to study any `turnaround' of a major business or public service, one feature always emerges. Once change has been introduced, things always get worse before they get better, as you have so graphically described, things did get worse, but I would claim, have now become considerably better than they were when I started all of this and will become better still. Crime (including gun crime) has fallen considerably across Nottingham and the Force has a highly regarded anti-gun crime strategy and the most effective anti-drug strategy in the country.

Please be assured that none of my decisions have been motivated or informed by anything in the Evening Post. If only the world was that simple. The delay in changing our policy on response was not due to any obduracy on my part but to a need to disentangle such problems as were created by the sheer volume of changes made in the Force (remember we also centralised our control rooms and changed our boundaries at the same time) and implement solutions that would give us something better than what we had had in the past. In addition, from July 2002, crime across the County began to modestly fall and continued to do so right up to this time last year when it began to positively plummet. I did not wish to jeopardise this improvement by acting hastily.

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In reality, Nottinghamshire Police did not create the problems of drug related gun crime in St Ann’s but the problem was undoubtedly exacerbated by the fact that, at a crucial time, the Force was having to divert it's energies into making long overdue changes rather than being totally focused on eradicating this lethal menace.

Whilst I accept that there were many adverse consequences of the changes l made, in reality, the objective measurements show that the Force began to arrest far more people than it had ever done before and the performance of the force began to slowly improve.

I fully accept that to do all of this at a time of rising serious crime was almost dooming me to fail. I wish I had had the luxury of some other alternative. Sadly, I did not. It is, however, a tribute to the Force that we have made so many changes and achieved such a level of improvement in our performance whilst, at the same time, dealing with this serious crime.

Having put the Force through revolution during 2002/3, you will be relieved to know that I do not see any need for any such trauma for many years to come (if ever at all). There are however, many more things to achieve. Whilst gun crime and drug dealing have been substantially reduced, they have not been eradicated and I am determined that we can make more inroads into them yet. We need to bring the same level of improvements to the whole Criminal Justice system and restore some respect in that system among the criminal fraternity. In addition, we have to fundamentally question, as you have done, why things are as they are and attack the root causes of our problems.

I can assure you that I will not rest until I have made a tangible difference to all of the citizens of St Ann’s.

I apologise for the length of this letter but hope that you have found it informative. I can assure you that I am in no way wishing to avoid responsibility for my o w n actions but neither am I willing to accept any liability for the actions of those who came before me. Nottinghamshire Police has never been in a better position to improve its performance and the service it provides to the public. Sadly, it would have been impossible to achieve this without the major upheaval of the past two years.

Yours sincerely Steve Green, Chief Constable Foot Note: Today the image and reputation of St. Ann’s has improved significantly, although there remain pockets of antisocial behaviour and some drug dealing. Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire Police have identified these areas, put in place a plan of action to make St Ann’s a nice place in which to live again; therefore the Chief Constable Steve Green has been true to his word, and done a great job improving things in St. Ann’s.

The site chosen for St Ann’s new police station use to be the Pint & Pot pub, and the Headquarters of the former St Ann’s Tenants & Residents Association (SATRA). The pub was demolished and the site cleared in the summer of 2006.

The new police station shown on page 104 was built in the first half of 2007, and then handed over to the police in August of the same year. It looks fine and robust, while the architecture is very modern. However, the complete aluminium roof showers with sparks when hit by lighting?

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I Stonebridge

live Park

on

the

Estate,

which are 50%houses and 50%flats and maisonettes.

These blocks of flats are all now going to be demolished to

make

way

for

new

affordable houses. In the final chapter I detailed some of the history behind the Stone Bridge Park Estate of St. happening their now.

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Ann’s,

and

what

is

CHAPTER EIGHT OLD ST. ANNE’S The true origin of this area of St Anne’s, known as The Coppice, can be traced back many centuries. While the holy spring has not only seen a hermitage nearby, the main building was a small farm owned by Mrs Blee, and the farmhouse itself later became St Anne’s first pub.

Not very far from my home in St Anne’s is situated Plantagenet Street, nothing unusual about that, except its name commemorates a point in History. The Romans departed from Britain in AD407 to be replaced by the Anglo-Saxon empire up to 1066, the battle of Hastings. In this period of history we have the Angevines, often known to historians as The Plantagenets. The significance here lies in a great battle between the Plantagenets and the Danes that took place in an area quite close to Sneinton Market, which the Danes won. The first inhabitants that settled in the Clayfields were therefore almost certainly Anglo Danes, while Anglo paganism lay behind local customs for more than five centuries.

This marked the beginning in Britain of Danish rules known as the Dane law that lasted during the 11th - 12th centuries. It was customary during this period to buy peace from the Danes by paying a tax known as the geld that was based on the number of hides of livestock, and land owned by individuals. Plantagenet Street in Nottingham is therefore of singular importance in the history of St. Anne's.

We owe our earliest knowledge about the King's realm known as The Coppice, on which is located St Anne’s Well, to the two volume Doomsday book of 1066-86 set up on the orders of William the Conqueror (William-I).

The Doomsday book records geld assessments on about 45,000 land holdings in 14,000 named places. The book tells us that in King Edward's time (104246) he owned "1 meadow and Underwood, six furlongs in length and five in breadth."

Described as 'The Coppice,' "it was divided among 38 burgesses, and rendered 75 shillings & 7 old pennies from the rent of the land, the services of the Burgesses, and 40 shillings from two moneyers."

The book also tells us that apart from the King another landowner of The Coppice was Berenger de Tosny, Second son of Robert de Tosny, who had Holdings in Lincolnshire. Oxfordshire, and Yorkshire, as well as Nottingham. Tosney had one carucate (15 acres) of land of which the King use to have the 2 pennies and Tosney himself the third.

The Doomsday book records that "Hugh, the son of Baldric, the Sheriff [of Nottingham], found 136 men dwellings, now there are sixteen less." The final account records that "Hugh built 13 houses that were not before."

Documents remain scarce for this period of history and the next three centuries, until we are able to read the book of Nottingham Historian Dr Charles Deering "Nottingham Vetus Et Nova," published in 1781. Deering informs us that in the Forest Records— “William Chaundeler of Nottingham, keeper of St Leonard's (1357-58), made an encroachment of half acre of ground in the King's domain, within the court of the town of Nottingham, in the hermitage that is called Oswell."

This provides us with a connection between the disability illness of leprosy and the hermitage at what was then known as Oswell. Nottingham had five hospitals

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or almshouses, between the 12th - 15th centuries, two of which, that of St Leonard's and St Mary's, were for the lepers of the town.

Dr Charles Deering continues— "William of Copole, clerk that is now dead, held an assert of old time, that is called hermitage Wong, within the covert of the King's wood [The Coppice], of 20 acres of ground."

King Henry-IV may have visited the site of St Anne’s Well on a number of occasions during his reign, and of great interest here is that the King did suffer leprosy during the last few years of his life; he died in 1514.

The Borough Records of Nottingham dated 1552 also contain an interesting account concerning The Coppice that it was the Council's chosen site for an "astronomical observatory." However, nothing became of this as their public subscription and application to parliament failed to secure the necessary funds. A careful look at the 1881 ordnance survey map does show the site of an observatory at the bottom of Thyra Grove, Mapperley, built by the late Thomas Bush in 1877. No connection here with St Anne’s along with its famous holy well, however, upon investigating the life of Bush it proved to be a fascinating history.

We have already read about the Borough Records in the time of Queen Anne (1702-14). One account in the Records, and given by Dr. Charles Deering, notes the story of the first introduction of the potato crop in St Anne’s. Historically it was Captain Cook in the 1590s who introduced the potato to England. The English celebrated by introducing the Poor Relief Act and performing the plays of Shakespeare— "Robert Purcell, a native of Ireland, came to Nottingham to cultivate wastelands and to grow the field potato. Before that time, this root had only been grown in the garden. He took up his abode at the farmhouse kept by a Mrs Blee.

Robert Purcell was here given permission to clear away the Underwood of a piece of land, which he planted with potatoes, his crop was abundant and he realised great profits." © Nottingham City Council On the ‘Picture the Past' website, there is a woodcut illustration showing the hermatige attached to the side of the main house dated 1820 (Image Reference NTGM007625) shown above. The account of Robert Purcell given here by Deering seems to suggest that the date of this woodcut may be in error by about a century, unless this is nothing more than the actual date of the publication of the drawing.

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However, we have confirmation of Mrs Blee running the farmhouse in 1741 due to the published account of a murder of one of Mrs Blee's young servants:“On the morning of 22 September 1741, just after midnight, John Clark, a young servant with "widow Blee," heard a noise among his mistress's poultry in the "farmyard." He got up and went down stairs into the "little farmyard," which he had scarcely entered, when a gun was fired at him killing him instantly, but the murderers escaped detection, and nothing further was known or heard of the dreadful catastrophe until late 1796.

“In 1767, a framework knitter of the town, John Shore, gave information to the magistrates that to his knowledge the murder was committed by John Wilkins, James Cuff, and two brothers, all soldiers in "General Churchill's" regiment of Dragoons, then quartered in the town. He knew that they had been out deer stealing, but having been unsuccessful, they determined to have some of "Mrs Blee's" geese on their return, in this they were disappointed by the appearance of the servant, the unfortunate John Clark.

Wilkins & Cuff were immediately arrested in the neighbourhood of London, being then out patients of Chelsea Hospital, and were brought back to Nottingham and lodged in the town jail [Which was then a dungeon below the original Guildhall in the Lace Market].

“However, as the other parties were dead who might have witnessed against them, sufficient evidence was not obtained to convict, and soon after, on his deathbed, one of them confessed his "own" guilt and that of his "three companions."

Pagan Rituals Between about 1796 to exactly 1824, Mrs Blee's farmhouse had become a venue for socialising with beer and alcohol being readily sold. However, a number of brawls along side unruly behaviour took place at the big house, and the Borough Records record that the venue lost its victualer's licence in 1824 for disorderly conduct.

Anglo-Saxon paganism can be traced back to the 5th and 7th centuries when pagan tribes dominated England, although it has to be said very little is known about this early period of paganism. Bob Trubshaw in his paper published in "At the Edge No.3 1996," gives a reason for this, referring to Hutton, `The English Reformation and the evidence of folklore' op. cit.:— "The modem era is much better documented regarding folk customs.

Superficially, this might be thought that our society became more self-conscious of the need to preserve itself in writing. But this is somewhat inaccurate. Plenty of records exist in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries but the popular customs were so commonplace that they were rarely considered worthy of mention, except when unusual rowdiness or other irregularities entered the annals. Only in the late eighteenth century did educated observers become sufficiently separated from the common people that they began to record popular customs, rather in the manner that early explorers were systematically documenting foreign cultures. " We can only imagine the goings on at the site of St Anne’s holy Well during this period that was the cause of such unruly behaviour, when Rob Trusaw informs us—

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"By the late nineteenth century the fairly copious written records reveal that popular customs were again undergoing wide-spread changes. Victorian moral standards disfavoured drunkenness, brawling, and any suggestions of lewdness.

And, as court records reveal, the former two were inextricably linked to village festivities, and the latter is frequently alleged by detractors (although parish records of births do not provide evidence for a surfeit of milkmaids defoliated at May tide). There is more than a little to suggest that such holidays were traditionally a time for local lads to visit a neighbouring village, not just for a few beers, but an inevitable punch-up with the 'home team.'"

Nottingham historian Dr Robert Morrell indicates in his own paper published in 'Mercian Mysteries No.21 November 1994,' the customs of pagan practices that occurred at the site of the farmhouse tavern, by the side of St Anne’s Well— "In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries the house at the well site became the centre of activities for what appears on the surface to have been a strange group of Robin Hood devotees known as the Brotherhood of the Chair. The 'rites` of this group involved the use of several relics said to be associated with Robin Hood, which were preserved at the house. Visitors would be seated in Robin Hood's Chair then capped with his iron cap. Secretive features of the rites were hinted at but, if the historian, John Blackner, is to be believed, these consisted of nothing more than the consumption of 'large quantities of Woodward's nut-brown ale. " It seems strange that the hermatige should still be in use at this time by the monks who held regular religious services, and it seems reasonable to assume that the building was demolished at the time of John Clark's murder in 1741 or soon afterwards, leaving widow Blee's farmhouse intact.

The only excavation work carried out at the location of the actual St Anne’s Well took place when the main house and well were demolished to make way for the Great Northern Railway line. Some bones, a half-crown of the date 1685, and a ring showing 'devices' and a motto' dating from the time of King Henry-IV, were uncovered their. The site was then buried under tons of soil and shale that become part of the railway embankment.

St Anne’s Holy Spring The name of our inner city area must have had an origin since the holy well was once named Oswell, even Robin Hood's Well — and not St Anne’s Well – many centuries ago. It is my belief that its religious origin relates to `The patron Saint of lace Workers.'

Ever since the Great Northern Railway

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was completed in St Anne’s, Nottingham, in 1889 it has been unclear exactly where the position of the original holy well was located. It has been speculated that it lies under the north bridge abutment that still exists today in the grounds of the Gardeners' pub in the Wells Road. In fact it can now be revealed that the site of St Anne’s Well lies on the south side of the small cut through road next to the smaller of two trees on accessible open ground. So that one day a plaque or monument may be positioned here to commemorate this famous landmark.

I once lived in the area of St Anne's that has become the Stonebridge Park Estate (Manvers ward in Old St Annes), why Stone Bridge? There is certainly no stone bridge anywhere nearby past or present, and the original name of the arable farm here was `Rose Hill,' which after the area's redevelopment thirty years ago became 'Rose Hill School.'

I lived close to Stonebridge City Farm, a new title adopted by the volunteers that set up a committee and developed the waste land into a visitor attraction. In 2003 on the housing estate north of the farm a new tenants & residents association set themselves up, who also adopted the 'Stone Bridge' title and gave the region the upper class name of the Stonebridge Park Estate. Today the name of the estate where I live remains, and has become popular among its four hundred & seventy inhabitants. Stonebridge City Farm has had a change of name since then, and is now Nottingham City Farm.

Therefore the place name of a regional housing estate can be adopted by an in direct route that does not reflect the vicinity's original name, for example The Clayfields Estate instead of the present St. Anne's Estate.

The original name of the local Well of spring water was 'Oswell' and the waters originating from here are always referred to as the `Beck' which was in fact a brook or stream that flowed down what had became known as `The Wells Road' by the hundreds of Nottingham town folk who visited the site over hundreds of years.

However, the specific title of 'Anne' was not explicit to this area of Nottingham.

This is by no means an unusual occurrence since today there is known to be four 'Holy springs’ in the United Kingdom that are all named `St Anne’s Well.' The nearest of these is that situated in the Derbyshire town of Buxton that is of Roman origin, while there is also a local church in the town which bears the name of 'St. Anne's Church.' There is a St Anne’s Well at Stanwell a short distance from the main church their that is dedicated as `St Mary.' In St Helens we find yet another St Anne’s Well. In Berkshire there is a St. Anne's Well at Caversham.

Therefore a picture begins to emerge that these are all 'holy wells' or `sacred springs.' In fact, we also find such religious sites throughout Europe, especially in France, many of whom are dedicated to Saint Anne. This places us on the correct path for the origin of our own St Anne’s Well since it is also a religious site sanctified by the monks and their hermatige that existed here through the 15th & 17th centuries.

In the bibal the Saint herself is the mother of the Virgin Mary who gave birth to Jesus Christ at the dawn of Christianity.

St Anne enjoyed a renaissance during the 16th century throughout Europe and had risen to great popularity during the period of time that the `Oswell hermatige' was in regular use around the turn of the 16th century. It was therefore a step away from a form of dedication ceremony during which 'Oswell' became St Anne's Well.

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The same occurrence that may have taken place a number of times throughout Britain over the years, if there was indeed such a ceremony?

In my first St Anne’s book published in 1998 I suggested that King Henry-IV (1366-1413) had performed the dedication, however, my historian colleagues have demonstrated to me that there are so few records that exist detailing the King's visits to Nottingham, let alone treks to Oswell situated upon his own land at The Coppice east of Nottingham Castle. There are records that do indeed show that King Henry-IV did visit Nottingham on a number of occasions, although none that are credible which state clearly the King dedicated 'Oswell' to that of Saint Anne. In addition this period of history was before the time of the Oswell hermatige itself, and our famous Well.

However, we do have Nottingham Corporation Records dating back to 1513, a century on from the eventual death of King Henry-IV. These refer to "Le [The] Hermitage," "Hermitage Wong," and "Hermitage Close." The early Nottingham Historian the Reverend John Orange referring to the period 1543-4 in which The Corporation Records were written, states— "It is recorded that the sum of 3s 6d was paid to William Rose and his fellow for workmanship at Sainte An' Chappell."

The Rev. John Orange also gives another example— "And a further sum of 2s to Deonyse Cowper for workmanship at Sainte An' Chappell. " The Nottingham Mickleton Jury proceedings of 1577 give this account— "Master Mayor, we desire you and your brethren that their may be a cover made at Sent Anne Well, as you and your brethren may desire as concerning, either at the chapel end or at some place convenient where you shall think good."

There is a real Queen Anne of course, Queen Anne (Of England, Ireland, and Scotland) who reigned 1702 - 1714. Here there is a link between Queen Anne and Saint Anne since Saint Anne was the patron of pregnancy among others titles, and we know that the Queen herself had many problems in baring any children.

There is also evidence of Queen Anne's visits to Nottingham Castle. The book `Through England on a Side Saddle in the time of William and Mary,' written by Celia Fiennes & published in 1888, has this passage— “All the Streets are of a good size all about ye town and well pitch'd, there are severall good houses in the town. There are 3 or 4 Large houses of the Duke of New-Castles wth the Castle wch is a fine thing-stands very high on a hill and when you Come to the Castle you ascend 40 Steps to the Court and hall. The roomes are very Lofty and Large, 6 or 7 state roomes and a long gallery hung with fine Pictures of the family; the wanscoate is most of Cedar. Some Roomes are hung with good tapistry. The Chamber of State is hung wth very Rich tapistry so much silver and gold in it that the 3 pieces that hung the Roome Cost £1500? : the bed was rail'd in as ye presence Chamber used to be, ye bed was damaske. The floore of the roome was jnlay'd wth Cyphers and the Corronet: here ye Princess Ann Lay when she fled in King James's tyme when the prince of orange was Coming over.”

What is of great interest here is that Queen Anne, although persecuted at the latter half of her life, existed in the period of the hermatige, and the events that took place their when the site had transformed to become Blee's Farm (including the murder of Mrs Blee's farmhand John Clarke). However, the sacred spring was already

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being referred to as St Anne’s Well, and even Robin Hood's Well during the short period that pagan rituals were being performed here, usually on the annual Saint Anne's Day, 26 July.

Now let us return to the subject of Saint Anne herself, and to be honest not a lot is known about her within the pages of the bible. She is not mentioned in the New Testament, and we must depend on apocryphal literature, chiefly the Protoevangelium of James, which dates back only to the second century.

In the document we are told that, Anne, wife of Joachim, was advanced in years and that her prayers for a child had not been answered. Once, as she prayed beneath a laurel tree near her home in Galilee, an angel appeared and said to her, "Anne, the Lord hath heard thy prayer and thou shall conceive and bring forth, and thy seed shall be spoken of in all the world." Anne replied, "As the Lord my God giveth, if I beget either male or female, I will bring it as a gift to the Lord my God; and it shall minister to Him in holy things all the days of its life." Thus, Anne became the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The devotion of St. Anne was known in the East in the fifth century, but it was not diffused in the West until the thirteenth. A shrine at Douai, in northern France, was one of the early centres of the devotion. In 1382, her feast was extended to the whole Western Church, and she became very popular, especially in France. Here the two most famous shrines are at St. Anne d'Auray in Brittany and at St. Anne-de Beaupre in the province of Quebec.

She is patroness of `Lace workers,' among other things, a fact I found of great interest in relation to Nottingham, and our inner city area of St Anne’s itself. Her emblem is a door. St. Anne has been frequently represented in art, and the lovely face depicted by Leonardo da Vinci comes first to mind in this connection. The name Anne derives from the Hebrew Hannah, meaning "grace."

Probably the best internet site that describes Saint Anne is 'The Patron Saints Index' at: httpa/www.catholic-forum.comlsaints/sainta03.htm. This describes Saint Anne in these terms— "Mother of Our Lady. Grandmother of Jesus Christ. Wife of Saint Joachim.

Probably well off Tradition says that Anne was quite elderly when Mary was born, and that she was their only child. The Vatican condemned the belief that Anne remained a virgin in the conception and birth of Mary in 1677. Believed to have given Mary to the service of the Temple when the girl was three years old. Devotion to her has been popular in the East from the very early days of the Church; widespread devotion in the West began in the 16th century, but many shrines have developed since.

"Canonized cult extended to the whole Church in 1584; Name Meaning gracious one; grace (Anne).

"Patronage: Adjuntas, Puerto Rico; against poverty; Brittany; broom makers; cabinet makers; Canada; carpenters childless people; archdiocese of Detroit, Michigan; equestrians; France; grandmothers; grandparents; homemakers; horse men; horse women; housewives lace makers; lace workers; lost articles; miners; mothers; diocese of Norwich, Connecticut, old-clothes dealers; poverty,, pregnancy, pregnant women; Quebec; Santa Ana Indian Pueblo, riders; seamstresses; stablemen; sterility; Taos New Mexico; turners; women in labour."

In conclusion our inner city area of Nottingham, St Anne’s originates from

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the religious dedication of the Monastery or Hermitage to Saint Anne from about the year 1540. With the spring attracting many visitors, and therefore increasing the popularity of the monastery grounds, it made good sense for the monks or hermits their to refer to it as a holy well or sacred spring, and they adopted it along with their religious monastery, and from this point onward it soon became known as Saint Anne's Well. The name of our inner city area of Nottingham soon followed - St. Anne's.

Archaology No actual excavations have taken place at St Anne’s holy Well. A trench was opened up within the area at the rear of the Gardeners' public house, which was excavated to a reasonable depth, however, nothing was found, and it was refilled. This comes as no surprise since locating the true position of St Anne’s Well has been problematic. It has always been presumed that the Well lies in the grounds of The Gardeners pub.

This local knowledge came about due to a news item that appeared in The Nottingham Guardian in relation to the completion of the Great Northern railway line in February 1888, which contained a paragraph concerning the demise of St Anne’s Well. The reporter concluded that the holy well "was situated under the northern abutment of the two arched railway bridge crossing The Wells Road." In my opinion, this article was misleading due to its inaccuracy.

© Nottingham City Council The libraries and museums of Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire have in their collections, hundreds of thousands of historic photographs, slides, negatives, glass plates, postcards and engravings recalling the history of the local communities over the last hundred years and more. Over 6,000 photographs are now contained on the Picture The Past website paid for by The

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Lottery Heritage Fund, of which seven show St Anne’s Well, its adjacent farm, and very recently, a wood cut illustration showing the hermitage attached to the side of the main building dated 1820 (NTGM007625) shown on page 106. As we have seen, the account of Robert Purcell given by Dr Charles Deering seems to suggest that the date of this woodcut may be in error by about a century. This account referrs to the first introduction of the potato crop in Nottingham and gives mention of a Mrs Blee being in residence at the big farm house shown in this woodcut about the year 1714.

However, we have further confirmation of Mrs Blee running the farmhouse, this time in 1740, due to the published account of a murder of one of Mrs Blee's young servants.

It is an interesting drawing because there are three specific points of interest. First, the main house is seen to have two white walls with windows, and pointed roofs facing out into a large meadow where the two figures are clearly seen.

Second, the two buildings on the right in front of the monastery have sloping roofs and orientated in a specific way, and third the detail in the trunks and branches of the trees on the left of the image.

The second available image dated 1850 shown (NTGM009485) above, is infact a colourful painting showing all of the features contained within the first woodcut. The main building showing the two sloping roofs and windows is centre of the painting. The hermitage building formerly located, and attached to the right of the big farmhouse, has since been demolished. The two out buildings are still there, all of the tall trees on the left have been felled, except one, while four solid tree trunks are prominent at the front of the house between the three people.

It shows three additional points of interest. First, the construction of the huge irregular shaped chimney with a sloping roof out-building to the side of it. The entrance to the main house is now on the left with the main front central front door, two lower side windows at ground level, and central upper window. The small wooden building to the left of the big house is St Anne’s holy Well itself. Nottingham historian Dr Robert Morrell tells us that— "Despite its long popularity as a healing shrine only one print has been published actually showing it. This appears on a plate illustrating several Robin Hood relics published in Thorsby's expanded edition of Robert Thoroton's, History of Nottinghamshire (1797). The small engraving depicts the water of the spring to have been fed into a rectangular stone lined bath covered by an arched roof, perhaps of brink steps leading from a platform down into the water, which Throsby describes as being so cold that it would kill a toad. Several later writers who tried the water confirm it to have been exceptionally cold. No scale is given for the illustration."

Visitors would therefore enter the wooden lean to building, inside there were two benches either side. They would take off their footwear, hold up their lower clothes, and then step into the cold natural spring water of the Beck. The image also now shows a small shallow footbridge at the lower centre of the painting, under which, undoubtedly, the Beck brook or stream passed through.

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© Nottingham City Council Above is the third watercolour painting on the Picture The Past Website dated 1850 (NTGM007624). Looking at all three of these illustrations it appears that this date is incorrect due to the advancement of the property alterations. The artist seems to be sitting upon the small bridge over the Beck stream, and facing the main farmhouse of Mrs Blee. The same principal tree is visible on the left, St Anne’s Well in the wooden lean-to shed, the distinctive big chimney in the foreground, and the three large logs upon which sits a man with his faithful dog nearby. The front of the main house can now be plainly seen, the central door with a set of three-panelled windows either side, while the single upper window has also become three panels. The farm buildings are still visible on the left of the painting, however, it appears that the far left barn remains incomplete by the artist.

We now arrive at three photographs of great importance in the history of St Anne’s holy Well, and it is pleasing that these images were taken to preserve the view of the house, grounds and the holy well itself.

The origin of photography can be traced back to the camera-obscurer at the turn of the 18th century, the first photographic images upon glass plates were being made around 1837 when the name Louis Daguerre comes to mind. However in these early days photography was in its infancy, experimental and quite expensive. Over the next half century, it was refined until celluloid was developed for the photographic negative. At the date the next two photos were taken George Eastman Kodak had began to mass-produce the Box Brownie which had become widely available to the public. Both images are black & white, the first shown below (NTGM009915) is hand painted to reveal the colour of the trees and the garden. These sepia hand painted toning techniques were in wide use at the time, especially on sets of postcards.

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© Nottingham City Council The [Picture The Past] photograph is dated 1900. The date is certainly inaccurate by eleven years since the Great Northern Railway line was completed in 1888 along with St Anne’s railway station at this location. The description given is "House adjoining St Anne’s Well... occupied by the Colton family."

It was taken within the large gardens of the house looking at a slight angle left to right, and shows the front of the farmhouse as seen in the earler paintings. The same shaped door is present, while each of the window panes are divided by two wooden vertical white panels making three rows, and each row containing eight small glass windows. There are two main windows either side of the front door, and three across at the first floor level. The wooden lean-to construction over St Anne’s Well situated on the left wall, has now been replaced by the lean-to glasshouse. There is a large window above this, and of significant importance is the very large brick chimney with its four chimney pots. The house gardens are quite considerable in size, and still being put to much use by growing many varieties vegetables.

I made an extensive search of Wright's Trade Directories in an attempt to trace the people who lived here. The only significant house at the top of the Wells Road was number 368 on the list of St Anne’s street names in the 1883 Wrights Directory (Page 92) which was occupied by Mrs. Sarah Man, a greengrocer & shopkeeper. This information is listed under The Wells Road [East side], and the house numbers were descending as if you are walking down the road towards Nottingham town centre. The large house in this photograph is indeed on the left

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hand side of the road. It is quite possible that the Colton family were the very last occupants of the property before demolition took place to make way for the new railway.

Of significant importance are the two people in the photograph and the clothes they are wearing. The woman reading a book by the front door of the house, and the gardener [husband?] standing at the side of the line post in front of the greenhouse.

Both images © Nottingham City Council.

The next photograph shown above is dated 1870-80 (NTGM007621), and is of equal importance. When the town council engineer of the time, Mr Tarbottom, realised that the house and St Anne’s Well would need to be demolished as part of the redevelopment of the area, while building the new railway line, he designed a significant brick monument so that the centuries old St Anne’s Well would not be lost from memories. It was not possible to build this over the actual holy Well itself due to its significant size; the Well itself was still housed inside the lean-to greenhouse of the main house at this time.

Therefore, Mr Tarbottom built the monument approximately 11 metres (33 feet) away from the main house, and enclosed it within iron railings, the entrance being on the Wells Road. This photograph shows the St Anne’s Well monument, the front of which is at the left archway of the brick structure. To gain an idea of the monument’s size the lady dressed in dark clothing standing directly in front of the supporting pillar and the camera, would be about 5 feet tall making the monument about 10 meters in height.

This photograph has great significance since the main farmhouse can be clearly seen in the background of the image along with the house's principal big chimney on the right of the roof. Therefore this view shows the side of the house directly opposite that to which the lean-to greenhouse is located. In my opinion, all

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three of these photographs (NTGM007623 the 3rd image is shown on page 116), were taken on the same day in the same lighting conditions.

In order to pinpoint the actual location of St Anne’s Well in 2006 I obtained a copy of the 1881 Ordnance Survey 38.14 map of this area of the Wells Road, which is of the scale 2.08 metres to the kilometre (25 inch to the mile). I then acquired a copy of the later ordnance survey 1938 map showing the complete railway layout of St Anne’s railway station, and Rail Bridge over the main road that is to the same scale.

Using a sheet of acetate film I made an accurate copy of the 1881 site of St Anne’s Well, house, monument, the Wells Road, and the long public footpath leading up to the Coppice hospital. This done I laid the clear film over the ordnance survey 1938 map, and It was a perfect match. I then transposed my hand drawing detail carefully upon the newer 1938 plan that had the new Kildare Road and its long row of houses included on it. It was soon apparent that St Anne’s Well and farmhouse were all some distance away from the Gardener's public house, on accessible land. All of the illustrated drawings and photographs from the Picture the Past web site were then carefully measured, and their perspectives taken into account. Using all these images as a control to verify my measurements, they all agreed really well.

St Anne’s holy Well ——>

Within an accuracy of one metre, St Anne’s Well lies close to the tall trees on the grass verge opposite the terminus bus shelter in Kildare Road, and not in the boundaries of the Gardeners' pub, and garden as originally believed.

The Nottingham Guardian reporter may indeed have been in error in his written conclusion concerning St Anne’s Well, together with its main house, and gardens. Alternatively, his narrative may have simply been interpreted incorrectly, and 'Chinese whispers' since his report appeared did the rest.

Today the mystery has been resolved to a satisfactory conclusion. The main farmhouse together with St Anne’s Well where certainly demolished and were buried under the soil & shale railway embankment at the side of the Great Northern Railway.

However, Tarbottom's monument built in memory of St Anne’s Well, was certainly buried under the main railway line and bridge abutment.

I live in hope that as this revelation is increasingly accepted by other

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Nottingham historians, and the people who live in St Anne’s today, a new monumental structure, or plaque, will be sited here in remembrance of this holy shrine, the true origin of the town of St Anne's.

The Farm at St Anne’s Well There can be no doubt that a hermitage existed on the site of St Anne’s holy Well since it is mentioned in the Nottingham Corporation records dating from 1513, which refer to ‘Le Hermitage,’ ‘Hermitage Wong’, and ‘Hermitage Close.’ Hermitages were small sites where one or more hermits went to find peace in remote places. Access to hermitages would be limited - physically, e.g. by their remoteness, or socially, e.g. in private places. They were simple sites usually with a small house and simple chapel often built by the hermit them selves. Wealthy patrons could endow hermitages, as at Warkworth, Northumberland.

It consisted of a single building attached to one side of a farmhouse on the same site. The farm being the means that made the hermits here self-sufficient in food from the land, supplemented with the meat from farm animals. The location of the hermitage here was entirely due to the spring of the Beck that trickled up out of the ground, and flowed down the hill of the Beck valley.

St Anne’s holy well was important since it was a valuable attraction for pilgrims and visitors, who gave gifts of money or other © Nottingham City Council

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valuables to the hermits, and brought food and ale for themselves. The greatest attraction being on St Anne’s Day itself, 26 July, at the height of the British Summer.

Another attraction was known as ‘The Shepherd’s Race,’ which was situated on land at the side of The Wells Road, now a new housing estate, between Coburn Street & Eccles Way. This was the name of an ancient 'miz-maze' shown here on the left (NTGM010595), of unknown origin.

It was cut into the turf on Blue Bell Hill, some historic references state that this was an ancient or Roman maze, but conflicting records suggest that the priests of St Ann’s Chapel, who had to seek their recreation within site of the chapel, created it for recreation. It was ploughed up when the surrounding Lordship of Snienton was enclosed on February 27th 1797. The land was then used as a quarry for materials needed while building the old St Anne’s. The diameter of the maze is given as 51 feet. In addition, its total length of path was 535 yards.

The hermitage was well established up until 1540 around the time of the dissolution of the monasteries. Roman Catholic writers referred to this period as the Suppression of the Monasteries, it was the formal process during the English Reformation by which King Henry VIII confiscated the property of the monastic institutions in England, Wales, and Ireland between 1538 and 1541. He was given the authority to do this by the Act of Supremacy, passed by Parliament in 1534, which made him Supreme Head of the Church of England. In 1543-4 The Rev. John Orange recalls that all there was left of the hermitage was a piece of the hermitage wall situated in part of the great fireplace of the large farmhouse at St Anne’s well.

I remember visiting Dale Abbey that was also the site of a hermitage. Dale Abbey is situated three miles South West of Ilkeston off the A6096 road, six miles North East of Derby. Once known as Depedale this tranquil little village contains a tiny church, a pub, a school and the remains of an abbey founded here by Augustinian monks in the 13th century.

The curious little church of All Saint's, measuring just 26 feet by 25 feet, probably one of the smallest in the country, shares a roof with an adjoining farmhouse. The church dates back originally to the mid 12th century, altered in 1480, to give it its present form. It contains a pulpit that dates from 1634 and the whole interior appears rather crammed with its box pews and open benches. The farmhouse was once possibly used as an infirmary for the Abbey. For some time before 1820 it was used as a pub called the Blue Bell, the bar being used as a vestry, with a door into the aisle. It was rebuilt in 1883.

Behind the church is an ancient area of woodland containing beech, ash, oak, and lime trees. Situated in the wood is Hermit Cave, hewn out of the sandstone cliff by a 12th century Derby baker who wished to live a life as a recluse. It is well preserved, measuring six yards by three with a doorway, two windows, a peephole, and a niche for a light. A story goes that, one day when Ralph Fitz-Geremund had come from Normandy to hunt in his English woods, he found the hermit, and, touched with pity for his poverty, gave him not only the site of the hermitage but a tithe of this mill at nearby Borrowash. Then the hermit built himself a more pretentious oratory and a cottage to end his days.

The small church at Dale Abbey which shares its roof with the farm house, is some what similar to the set up at St Anne’s Well itself, were the hermitage is also

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attached to one side of the farmhouse. However, the hermitage at St Anne’s holy well is a little different to others since there were frequent visitors by Nottingham town’s folk to the well, and secondly the site is located in The Coppice, which is the King’s domain, that was frequently used for hunting deer and wild bore.

In the 16th century, the farmhouse would have no running water so constructing the building next to a cold-water stream percolating up out of the ground was the best solution, and to have this ‘well’ in a lean-to shed with access from inside the farmhouse itself was even better. As we have seen 19th century paintings of the farm show a small building next to the farmhouse itself which houses St Ann’s Well almost certainly paid for by Nottingham town elders to protect themselves, and town people from the elements, and spare their blushers, however, originally their may not have been such an elaborate structure.

In the 16th century, straw was a valuable material; it was used to thatch the roof of the farmhouse, out buildings, and quite possibly the hermitage itself. Straw was used to make manure during the daily task of cleaning out the cowshed, pigs and stables.

It was also used as a building material. The walls of a farm building were first weaved from relatively straight wooden branches obtained by the Woodward who had the job of coppicing the nearby woodland. Sturdy wooden poles were hammered firmly into the ground, and then the thinner branches were weaved in and out to form the wall. The process was completed on all four sides leaving a space for the main doorway. Straw, cow or horse dung, and lime were mixed together to form a white daubing mixture that was applied thickly by hand, and pushed into all the cracks.

For larger buildings like the farmhouse or farmyard sheds, tree trunks were used, which were axed and worked into long oblong beams. Simple mortise & tenant joints were cut and fitted together. A hole was drilled through the side of each joint, so when the two pieces were fitted together, a wooden beg hammered through the holes held each joint firmly in place.

Straw was also used to make rope; hand full’s of straw were pushed together lengthways, and then twisted. Once a good length was achieved, one end was bent round forming a loop, which then went onto a iron hook attached to a building, or quite often, the hook was attached to a wooden hand held handle. It was then a matter of adding further hands full of straw, and twisting the rope until the desired length had been achieved, at this point each end was tied firmly with a piece of linen string. Straw rope was useful in thatching the roofs of buildings, and around the farm.

Straw was also used to make the beds of the farm labourers. In the sixteenth century farmhouse, those that were considered wealthy used luxurious eiderdown, or feather stuffed mattresses, others would have flock or wool, and those who were servants made use of straw. Man size straw filled sacks had to be changed every eight to twelve weeks because they tended to become smelly and attracted bed mites and small insects. In an effort to prevent this, herbs were used to keep the insects at bay, and keep the straw mattress reasonably fresh.

The floor of the farmhouse was originally the hardened clay soil base where the building was constructed, although in the 19th century this was brick laid.

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The chimneystack was quite large at the base to allow for a good-sized fireplace indoors for cooking with various size vessels of iron or pottery. Inside the chimneybreast was two or three iron bars part way up the chimney, used for smoking hanks of pork, veal, venison, or fish. Such cured meats would stay fresh to eat for many weeks after being treated in this way. The fireplace was used for baking bread, and boiling the water ready to make ale or mead, which every member of the household drank because it was far less likely to cause illness, even fresh water from St Ann’s Well had to be boiled before it could be drank, except when the thirst was so great it was drunk neat with cupped hands or beaker with a certain amount of risk involved.

When spring cleaning came around, the straw beds had to be emptied and re-stuffed, and textiles used for covering tables or beds, had to be hung over a line and beaten to get rid of the accumulated dust of the previous season. In these early times, the available textiles were made from homespun wool, linen, or hemp.

Cleaning the big chimney was a big job involving three or four men, and they used a number of branches of prickly holly all tied together. This bush was tied with a long rope that was dropped down the chimney inside the fireplace. At the bottom, two men pulled on the rope to drag the holly bush down the chimney cleaning all of the soot along the way. Sometimes the holly became stuck on the iron bars inside the chimneybreast, and a man had to stand up inside the chimney to free the bush.

Understandably, it was a messy, dusty business. Afterwards, the inside of the farmhouse had to be swept clean using a broom, which was also used to sweep the crevices of the white interior walls.

The main table, stools and trestles were all made out of wood collected locally, even the soup bowls, and candles provided the lighting. In later years, whale oil lamps replaced the candles.

At St Anne’s holy well the farmhouse had an upper floor either reached by an angled wooden ladder or constructed stairs to reach the part of the house used as the sleeping quarters. As the decades passed, there were many improvements to make things easier, and the farmhouse and its rooms more comfortable.

In time, the hermitage became derelict through the lack of maintenance, and disrepair, as the people living here became much more involved in farming the land, brewing ale, and receiving visitors to the holy well that had grown in popularity. It was demolished sometime in the mid fifteenth century around the time of the dissolution of the monasteries through out the country. Although the hermitage here was by no means a monastery, it was originally built as a religious retreat, it therefore fell into disfavour, and its useful purpose declined.

However, as a working farm and holy spring latterly run by a Mrs. Blee, business was doing really well. Although we don’t know what animals the farm had, I think it likely that pigs, one or two dairy cows, chickens, and geese were here providing the meat, and produce making the household self sufficient. The Woodward was responsible for coppicing the nearby woodland of mainly horse chestnut, and oak trees. Most probably charcoal making on a small scale, which can be used as a smokeless fuel for indoor cooking.

Mrs. Blee’s farm at St Anne’s Well was not the only local farm in the area, another was Rose hill farm on Beacon Hill situated at the top of what is now St

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Matthias Road; at the time of Blee’s farm this was a cart track, as was Beacon hill rise that also ran through Rose hill farm. The Beck valley of course was another cart track than ran from the town of Nottingham up to St Anne’s well and the coppice woodland.

Today the Wells Road is lined either side with horse chestnut trees, some of which are over two centuries old; these trees were plentiful in The Coppice near Blee’s farm.

In the past, Horse-chestnut seeds were used for whitening hemp, flax, silk, and wool. They contain a soapy juice fit for washing of linens and stuffs, for milling of caps and stockings, etc., and for fulling of cloth. For this, 20 horse chestnuts were sufficient for six litres of water. They were peeled, then rasped or dried, and ground in malt or other mill. The water must be soft, either rain or river water. The nuts are then steeped in cold water, which soon becomes frothy, as with soap, and then turns white as milk. It must be stirred well at first, and then, after standing to settle, strained or poured off clear. Linen washed in this liquid, and afterwards rinsed in clear running water, takes on an agreeable light sky-blue colour. It takes spots out of both linen and woollen, and never damages or injures the cloth. Horse chestnuts were also used to make a form of starch for stiffening cloth.

Farming the land was certainly hard work for the farmhands who did not have the benefit of early tractors, and machinery to make life easy; it was hard backbreaking work.

At St Anne’s holy, well the farmland stretched across the present well’s Road, and covered much of the appropriately named Wells Gardens opposite. The land was often difficult to dig and cultivate because of the many woody fibrous roots in the hard baked ground. The first task was to use the stones found lying around for stonewalling, and willow to mat together, to construct a perimeter fence around the land, so that farm animals could not escape, especially pigs.

Pigs in the 18th century were a valuable asset, not only for their bacon but because they forage for their food digging into the ground for the roots, and vines.

Therefore, by putting pigs into the enclosure to be cultivated for about a month, they did much of the hard work. After returning the pigs to their farmyard pens, farmhands could then cut and pull up much of what was left, piling the woody roots into small bonfires around the enclosures. These pyres were then lit and left to burn, smouldering away for a number of days. The red, and brown, powdery residue is rich in phosphates, so it was then spread across the worked ground.

The land was then ready for manual ploughing, although in time the farm horse was brought into service. The manual plough was a carefully angled piece of mettle on the end of a wooden stave, with a cross bar at the top end. The labourer would put his chest against the cross bar and push forward, turning the plough to the right. As the plough halted, he would repeat the process over again until the entire field was roughly ploughed into furrows. The crops of beans, peas, cabbage or kale, and potatoes were then sown in the rows, before the ground was lightly spread with farmyard manure; it was then ready for ‘harrowing.’ A harrow looked like a large rake, a square or triangular structure of wood, one to two meters in size, with cross hatch struts and rows of teeth at every junction. The hard preparation work was complete, and the crops were left to grow, while farmhands carried out the occasional weeding of the ground.

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It is important to mention that up until the Middle Ages of the 16th century Paganism played a part in worship practices at St Ann’s holy well. Paganism is the broad term used to describe any religion or belief that is not Christian, Jewish or Muslim. Paganism can be traced back to Neolithic times and survived up until the middle ages when Christianity became powerful enough to erase it from existence.

Paganism is an earth based religion which lays emphasis on the worship of all aspects of nature. Paganism appeared very early on in the history of the world.

Examples of early paganism can be seen in ancient Greek and Roman religions, as well as in ancient Goddess worship and Druidic religions.

Ancient people believed that everything had a spirit and were polytheistic and they placed great importance on the worship of many Gods, Goddesses and Deities. Gods were a part of everyday life and great emphasis was placed on placating them through worship and ritual. Pagans believed that the Gods were immanent and entered every aspect of their society, influencing everything from laws and customs to the general workings of their community.

In the few short years that Blee’s farm was the first pub in St Anne’s, pagan beliefs caused rows & brawls inside, and outside the premises, that led to the premises losing its victuallers license.

Since St Anne’s well was principally a farm the Lacnunga chant composed in 1050 may have been used once the land had been prepared and sown with crops, along with a charm for increasing the fertility of the fields, known as the Acerbate. It contains a pagan hymn to the sun and another to the earth. Both contain details of the ritual.

Turn to the east and bowing humbly nine times, saying these words— 'Eastwards I stand, for favours pray I pray to the great Lord, I pray to the mighty Prince.'

Then turn three times sunwise and stretch yourself along the ground full length.

The hymn to the earth included a ceremony that continued well into Christian times, the ceremony of burying a cake with the first ploughed earth.

Say the words— 'Erce, Erce, Erce, Mother of Earth, Hail to thee, Earth, mother of men, Be fruitful in God's embrace, Filled with food for the use of men.'

Then take every kind of meal and have a loaf baked no bigger than the palm of your hand, having kneaded it with milk and holy water, and lay it under the first turned furrow. The hermitage here would have been the ideal place to obtain holy water for the yearly ceremony.

St Anne’s Under Construction Two centuries ago, you would be looking out over a luscious landscape of green fields divided into crofts of arable farmland, segregated by stonewalls in addition to

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hedge rows and Coppices of woodland. It would have a beauty all of its own as you follow the curvature of the hills as far as the eye can see, leading down into the Beck valley. The valley having been transformed into a cart track by the numbers of visitors to the religious site of a holy spring dedicated to St Anne the patron saint of pregnancy, and Queen Anne herself. The site was originally occupied by a small monastery that later gave way to Blee's farm.

Beyond the Nottingham town boundary, all of this scenery was picturesque, with the Beck brook of spring water leading the town folk, and occasionally Royalty, meandering along this cart track to St Anne’s Well. The valley was to be the ideal place to construct a major new township for the progressing crowded slums of Nottingham.

However, local landowners and crofters were not going to give up their valuable farmland so easily, and the political climate was not agreeable during the mid 1700s. Much needed to change before this could happen in Nottingham, and the country. Enclosure Acts came into being from the 12th century onward that allowed the conversion from open field farming to severalty, and construction of new homes, although this lead to some rural villages being depopulated. On the subject of `Enclosures' the book: The History Today Companion to British History records— "Under pressure for food production, enclosure later became more diverse in aims and scale, ranging from piecemeal arable agreements to major single schemes and wetland reclamation; from the early 17th century. Many such schemes were passed by parliamentary private acts, the first in 1664. Consistently, they raised the renewable value of the land involved, and to gain total control of farming practice, all resulted in a loss of rights in common land. i.e. manorial wasteland in which all the tenants of the manor enjoyed certain defined rights of exploitation. Such commons were of great importance to the poor, and the chief focus of continuing discontent" It was the beginning of the Industrial Revolution that sparked the changes necessary to allow towns to `Enclose' surrounding land. Moreover, the difficulty was that if you owned land you had power, therefore much of that power rested with landowners who were able to use this to manipulate the decisions made by the government of the day. These landowners used their social standing to instruct their low class workers and families to vote for the member of parliament of the owner's choice, while those of a higher social standing who the Lord of the Manor could not control, he bribed with money. It was this that gave the big 'Whig' families, as they became known, the power to control the government of the day - the Cavendish's, Russell's, Bentinick's, Manners and the rest. A situation resented by the Conservative `Tory' squires who desired change in the country. At times, as in the great Oxfordshire election of 1754, when the Tories spent £40,000 in an attempt to oust the Whigs, the old rancour's could be as bitter as ever.

The size of villages were on the increase creating new towns such as that of Nottingham, and here the Whigs and Tories were being backed by energetic and vigorous citizens with which they had mutual interests. It was in these heartland's that local government along with administration was in its infancy and lacking any real direction, while locals loathed the hint of restraint. Meanwhile the crofters and Woodwards working the surrounding lands feared this would be taken from them along with their livelihood; it was this hesitation that lead to hindrance. Local

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authorities needed to be created to ensure enough pressure to bring about Enclosure of the land.

The first large town to circum to change was that of London, where enterprising citizens between 1761 - 1765 secured private acts of parliament that enabled them to levy the first House Rates of their kind in return for street pavements and gas lighting. Such town committees under the act allowed them the right to sue any local anarchist who refused to pay. The out come was a dramatic improvement in social amenities, Birmingham followed in 1769 and the town of Nottingham soon after.

Over the next thirty years, local authorities set up their own Electricity and Town gas Company's, Water works and local Police Force to deal with unruly behaviour and local riots. Professor J.H. Plumb points out— "It created a unity of interest between the administrative class and new industrial magnets intensified their belief in order, efficiency, and social discipline. It gave them a satisfactory outlet for their energies, which did something to alleviate their impatience with the constitution. They became addicts of administrative reform ... Above all they fostered both social conscience and civic pride, which in their children and children's children became a part of the massive grandeur of Victorian Liberalism. " In Nottingham houses were being built with increasing numbers with those for the more well-to-do having better sanitary conditions than those of the poor, the latter being constructed in haste to house its increasing population.

The fact is that the much-improved living conditions since 1765 meant that local authorities had become a victim of their own success. The improved food, use of pottery rather than pewter, the widespread use of cheap cotton clothes that could be washed, the availability of water, the removal of effluence and dirt from the streets, the foundation of hospitals and knowledge of medicine all created a rapidly expanding population.

Many of the houses for the poor were terrace housing along narrow streets with their front doors opening directly out onto the pavement, and their backs opened into large courtyards with a small number of amenity standpipe cold water taps, toilets and coal-houses. None of these houses had indoor sanitary amenities apart from the tin bath, and chamber 'buckets' under the bed. The growth of the town's population was rapidly increasing, while the size of Nottingham itself remained relatively fixed with no prospect of enlargement (Enclosure of the common land) in sight. Therefore overcrowding soon followed with the inevitable slum living conditions of families often living six in an average size room, notably in Middle Marsh, and Upper Marsh. The mortality rate among children was high, and often very few youngsters lived beyond their sixth birthday. With the industrial revolution, and subsequent lace manufacturing boom beginning in the 1820s, things got gradually worse.

In 1750, the population of the town was 10,000, a total reached slowly over the centuries, but from 1750 onwards, growth was more rapid towards 17,500 by 1779, and 25,000 by 1793. In 1801, the population of Nottingham had reached 28,861. Two decades later, it was 40,415 and had climbed rapidly to 50,680 by 1831.

At this point during every decade, the population of Nottingham was increasing at the rate of over 10,000. Another means of grasping the scale of this increase is to look at

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the local authority electoral wards themselves. At that time, Nottingham was divided into eight distinctive town wards. In the main four wards during the period 1801-1831, the population of St. Mary's increased from 22,654 to 33,139; Exchange 2,732 to 5,681; Castle 3,415 to 6,804; and Park from 60 to 5,056.

This increase in population also means a populous of children, if of course they survived passed their 5th birthday, since the mortality rate continued to remain high among family off springs. Once passed this hurdle children proved of value to their families and to factory owners, since they were employable as cheap labour.

The factories and mines absorbed them and they were exploited to the full, while a number died in the process of carrying out their repetitive jobs. The poor folk who lost their children in this way received little in the way of compensation, and if they had no children by the grace of god, they were destined to become inmates of the Union Workhouse, if they were not imprisoned as debtors before hand. Professor J.H. Plumb points out— "Agitation against child labour was not confined to 19"' century humanitarians. One of the most visible and appalling exploitation's of child labour... was the chimney sweep. From 1760 Hanway & Porter carried on a campaign on their behalf and a Regulating Act was secured in 1788. " However, there remained the continual problem of the Whigs influencing the outcome of elections to maintain their grip on government supremacy, that had to end so that local authorities like that of Nottingham could expand their town outward to ease the population pressure it was desperate to control, Enclosure would have been difficult without it.

The parliamentarian who set about making this happen was Edmund Burke (1729-97) who made the bold decision that the personal interference by the Crown must cease; "the Royal Household must be reorganised so that the means to corrupt politicians would be destroyed; to regain the purity of elections of all civil servants."

Throughout the 1770s, Edmund Burke scored many successes and won a number of converts in parliament itself. In 1780, the House of Commons passed the famous resolution, proposed by John Dunning 1st Baron of Ashburton (1731-83): "That the power of the Crown has increased, is increasing, and ought to be diminished." Reform followed soon afterwards when in 1782 Lord North's ministry disintegrated; only the personal will of George III had kept it together for so long. The Rockingham Whigs came to power. In two measures of economic reform, the Royal Household was completely reorganised and reformed.

It was also during this period that the acrimonious debate of the country's increased population had come to a head. However, it was parliament member Arthur Young (1741-1820) who travelled throughout the country to see the overwhelming problem of its population and affects upon the poor and needy. Local authorities were crying out for urgent action to be taken to relieve the pressures upon them. In a major speech, Arthur Young said— "View the navigation, the roads, the harbours, and all other public works.

Take notice of the spirit with which manufacturers are carried out ...Move your eye which side by side you will behold nothing but great riches and yet greater resources... It is vain to talk of tables of births and lists of houses and windows, as proofs of our loss of people the flourishing state of our agriculture, our manufacturers,

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and commerce, with our general wealth prove the contrary. " The debate continued until in 1798 with the publication of Thomas Robert Malthus' (1766 -1834) `Essay on the Principal of Population.'

Along side, the heated population debate was the repressed workingmen who determined that their factory owners were getting considerably richer while they continued to remain poor citizens, and now the number of anarchists had multiplied.

The heated debates and public demonstrations spiralled out of control. In open revolt, they burned down the factory, or broke jacquerie. The worst of these riots occurred in the Midlands and the north in 1811 and 1812; it was on such an occasion that Nottingham Castle was burned to the ground. The rioters named themselves Luddites after their leader Ned Ludd. Riots on a smaller scale were also endemic in the industrial regions of the country due to the Corn Law reforms that eventually lead to bread rationing of a kind, so that the poor folks living in Nottingham's many slums suffered even more.

Out beyond the Nottingham town boundary were the rolling hills and fields that were seen in religious terms as 'a brave new world,' where much of the pressure of over crowding and poverty could be released by the overspill into new housing estates. However, it meant moving cautiously so as not to displease landowners, with this in mind the first Enclosure Act in 1839 allowed some common lands to be absorbed by the town of Nottingham. The Act covered West croft (the Station Street area), Burton Leys (the Trinity Square area), and the Lammas Fields (the Wellington Circus area) that totalled about 52 acres of land. It was a start and Nottingham Borough Council worked hard to ensure that it was a success.

It was around this time that in St Mary's ward the population had grown substantially, so that it became necessary to divide it into separate areas including Byron & St Anne’s Wards. St Anne’s Ward at this time was on the periphery of the town of Nottingham itself, located in the Huntingdon Street area and incorporating the then new St Anne’s cemetery. A great many back-to-back terrace houses and lace worker' cottages were construction that only compounded Nottingham's problem slums areas. Therefore, at the time that the next General Enclosure Act was passed by parliament in 1845, the population of St Anne’s was misleadingly shown as above 11,000 people; a populous that actually represents the population living in the St Anne’s electoral Ward.

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CHAPTER NINE VICTORIA PARK & REST GARDEN 2004 (C) Stephen Best.

In 2004, Stephen Best of Nottingham Civic Society wrote a detailed account on the history of Victoria Park that joins onto St. Mary's Rest Garden, which is the most full and detailed account available today; Stephen records: "On 7 May 1894 the Mayor of Nottingham, Alderman Frederick Pullman, formally opened Victoria Park in Bath Street. A leading figure in the Snienton area, and proprietor of a successful drapery shop in nearby Snienton Street, Pullman was well aware of the value to the community of an attractive open space in this far from wealthy part of the town. Never one of Nottingham's more prominent amenities, Victoria Park's origins deserve to be better known. The story does not begin, however, with Alderman Pullman presiding at its opening ceremony, but goes back for half a century further. In this short account, we follow the day-to-day problems of the recreation ground through the period leading up to its transformation into Victoria Park. The surprising amount of official detail recording the routine affairs of this quite small open space in the latter part of the nineteenth century exemplifies the complexity and energy of municipal life in Victorian Nottingham. A recreation ground the 1840s.

"The earliest mention of a recreation ground on the site was in the 1845 Enclosure Award Map, which named the open space as Meadow Platt Cricket Ground, and cited the Mayor, Aldermen & Burgesses of Nottingham as its owners.

The Enclosure Award referred to it in these terms: `One other allotment or piece of land situate in the Clay Field... containing four acres and eighteen perches bounded towards the East by Recreation Road, towards the West by St Anne’s Cemetery, towards the North by allotment 95, and towards the South by Meadow Platt Road, and which said Allotment 91 now forms and is called the Meadow Platt Cricket Ground...' Recreation Road was the thoroughfare known nowadays as Robin Hood

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Street: St Anne’s Cemetery is now the Bath Street Rest Garden: and Meadow Platt Road became Bath Street. Samuel Fox, a Quaker, following the cholera outbreak of 1832, gave Land for the cemetery. Consecrated as St Anne’s Cemetery in 1835, it was later officially named St Mary's Cemetery, though often referred to locally as Fox's close.

"The forerunner of Bath Street, formed alongside it in the early 1830s, was for obvious reasons originally named Burying Ground Lane. A man who wrote to the Nottinghamshire Guardian in 1925, however, recalled that in his youth the place was also known as Pipe clay Hill. In the early part of the nineteenth century, Snienton Wholesale Market (now Snienton Square) only a short distance away, on the site later occupied Thomas Edwards's clay pipe manufactory.

"Following the Enclosure Act, the land to the north and east of Bath Street was fairly rapidly built up, and, having been a playground on the edge of open country, the Meadow Platt Cricket Ground assumed the character of an urban open space. Its status as a place for games and relaxation was confirmed by a couple of entries in the minute book of the Corporation's Inclosure Committee during 1858. In May it was recorded that James Whittle, the town pinder, would receive a sum of money for, among other things, keeping in order the cricket grounds in the Meadows and Bath Street: and in November that the Mayor, Alderman Heymann, wished, at his own expense, to `put up a Drinking Fountain in the Bath Street Cricket Ground'.

A PLAYGROUND - THE 1870S '"The story can be picked up almost two decades later, when, in November 1876, the Public Works and Recreation Grounds Committee of the Town Council was attempting to improve the ground. A proposal to plant a further row of trees was, however, withdrawn. The following May saw the Committee decide that no one be allowed to play cricket in `Bath Street Recreation Ground' within 30 yards of a public highway. We do not know what danger to road users had been caused by flying balls, but there had evidently been some complaints. An indicator was to be put in the ground so that `the policeman shall be able to distinguish whether persons playing are within prescribed mark'. This is the first of a number of minutes to disclose that the recreation ground suffered its public order problems.

"By the mid-1870s the playground had acquired a new source of custom, with the opening of Victoria Buildings on the opposite side of Bath Street. As described in a previous issue of the Newsletter, the buildings were from the outset plagued by unruly and anti-social behaviour. It is perhaps significant that the Nottinghamshire Guardian correspondent already mentioned recalled in 1925 that Bath Street Cricket Ground was, in those early days, `a huge sandy area with some swings, but given up generally to a number of rough characters'. 1878 saw the first mention of another cause for concern, the drainage of the recreation ground. New iron grates were installed to take away surface water, one of them near the police lodge. This building stood at the angle of Bath Street and Robin Hood Street, on the spot later occupied by a betting shop, and now by a monumental mason. As indicated by the reference to the playing of cricket, the constable resident at the lodge was

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expected to keep a sharp eye on the activities of those using the ground. The decade ended with modest improvements; new trees were to be planted, at a cost of no more than £20, and new swings put up, in places to be selected by Councillor Browne. It was decided that up to £50 might be spent on these. The Committee succeeded in keeping within their budget, as their annual report showed: trees planted around the ground at a cost of 'about £20', and eight sets of swings for £48.16.0.

"The minute books for the 1880s gave further glimpses of developments, and also of problems cropping up from time to time. Poor drainage continued to be a nuisance, and in 1882 it was found necessary to fill with rough cinders the gutter made by storm water at the back of the boundary wall. Games were still being played: 'In dangerous proximity to the adjoining highways', and the police officer occupying the lodge was requested to ensure that this practice was stopped. The following year saw money laid out on the provision of two stone steps for the entrance, and on iron posts to stand at their head. The posts, costing £12, had to be conveyed only a very short distance, being products of Cowen & Co. of the Beck Foundry in Brook Street.

Meanwhile, Arthur Brown, Borough Engineer, was asked to advise the Committee of the methods he would propose for improving the recreation ground.

"The next upheaval was caused by the arrival of the Beck Valley Storm Water Culvert. This was one of the public works constructed to improve the drainage of a Nottingham still subject to outbreaks of waterborne diseases. These were rife in areas of the town where the sewerage systems were ineffectual. The Beck Stream flowed underground from St Anne’s Well, down the course of St Anne’s Well Road, then along Brook Street and Manvers Street. Although it had, from the time it was culverted, been a sewer, it was hopelessly inadequate. St Anne’s Well Road was subject to frequent flooding, and there was a crying need of a replacement sewer.

"The Beck Valley Culvert was therefore planned to follow the course of the stream from near the junction of St Anne’s Well Road and what we now call Ransom Road, to the bottom of St Anne’s Well Road, then to bear off to the east under the site of the present-day St Catherine's church, the adjacent burial ground, and Bath Street Cricket Ground. It then crossed Bath Street, and went beneath Snienton Market; its outfall to the River Trent is at the end of Trent Lane in Snienton.

"The first mention of the consequent engineering works in the minute books was when Mr. Barry, of Foster and Barry, contractors for the culvert, attended the Public Parks Committee meeting of November 21 1883, asking to rent about a thousand square yards of the cricket ground, for the erection of stores for materials needed during the course of the works. It was resolved that this land be let to Foster & Barry for 50 guineas. This work was to provide the recreation ground with a feature which survives to this day, and which puzzles many passers-by. It is the curious little stone tower standing close to the boundary wall with the old cemetery. Constructed of handsome architectural brickwork, it was until comparatively recent years smothered in ivy. It is believed that the tower was originally an access shaft to the Beck Culvert tunnel during its construction. It became, however, a ventilation shaft for the culvert, foul air being carried up the shaft, and out through a grille at the top.

"Meanwhile, day-to-day matters continued much as usual in the recreation ground. In April 1884, the Committee received a letter from a Mr. George Reed, who complained of the danger to foot passengers from stones being thrown out from the

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`Robin Hood Street Cricket Ground'. The Committee, no doubt thoroughly sick of hearing about such misbehaviour, declared that they could do nothing about it, and that it was a matter for the police. A little later that year, on July 16, it was recorded that, in response to repeated complaints on the subject, the Chief Constable had indeed decided to stop men from playing cricket in the ground. Children and youths would still be allowed - as an upper age limit of thirteen was to be set, however, it seems that a very restrictive definition of `youths' was in force.

"One highly respectable body made use of the recreation ground in June, when the Hockley Society of Primitive Methodists was allowed to hold a camp meeting on Whit Sunday. In addition to his concerns about the activities of over-age cricketers, the Chief Constable voiced apprehension over the state of the public seats; it was decided, however, that nothing would be done about these until the sewer works were completed. The swings, though, were repainted and put in proper repair.

"Further high-minded Victorian activity was recorded in 1885, a Band of Hope Union demonstration being given permission to muster at several parks on May 18; Bath Street was one if these, together with the Meadows and the Forest. By July 1885 work on the Beck Culvert was finished, so Foster and Barry were requested to move the stores building put up by them eighteen months or so earlier. The Borough Engineer was again asked to prepare a scheme for improving the ground; presumably, he had been obliged to wait until the disruption caused by the culverting had ceased.

"If the Committee hoped that the cricket nuisance had been controlled, they must have been disappointed to receive in May 1886 a letter from a gentleman named as the Rev A.M.Greenhalgh (probably the Rev. A.G. Greenhalgh, curate of St Paul's, George Street.) This person drew their attention to acts of trespass in St Mary's Cemetery (as it was now called), `from persons playing cricket on Bath Street Recreation Ground'. As before, the Committee averred that this was not their problem, recommending that Mr. Greenhalgh be referred to the Chief Constable.

"By autumn, `however, Bath Street was providing the Public Parks Committee with more than enough to think about. On September 20 1886, Councillor Lees, leading a deputation of local people, attended the monthly committee meeting.

Their first complaint concerned the rainwater or dust, which, depending on the weather flowed or blew off the ground on to neighbouring streets. The Committee, again seeking somebody else to be held responsible, decided that owners of houses in Promenade be asked to undertake the necessary street works to end this nuisance. The deputation also alerted the committee to `The purposes to which, owing to its badly lighted state, the ground was put, and also the damage done by boys to the trees in the ground'. Quite what these mysterious goings-on were can only be surmised, but we may suspect that the place was the setting for the sort of amorous activity, which has generally characterized ill-lit parks. At all events, the Committee determined to ask the Lighting Committee for a large lamp, placed on or near the recreation ground; Councillor Lees stated that he would be willing to confer with the appropriate authorities about the positioning of this. The unfortunate Chief Constable was again requested to pay special attention to the ground, to stop

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mischievous damage to trees. Finally, the Borough Engineer was to be asked to think of a way of stopping water from running off the ground and flooding the road outside.

1886 ended with an order for the lamp to be put up and protected from vandals.

"In 1887 a new landscape gardener became responsible for the maintenance of Bath Street Cricket Ground. (An official title for it seems never to have been fixed upon, and I have repeated the variations of name as they occur in each report or minute.) Hitherto Frettingham & Son, of Bromley House, Angel Row, had looked after all public walks and recreation grounds in the Borough. The number of these ever increasing, however, it was decided to split the job into three contracts.

The one, which included Bath Street, went to W.Bardill of Stapleford for an annual fee of £369.

“Frettingham's retained responsibility for what must have been the most prestigious and challenging job of all, the Arboretum, and were paid £750 for it.

"The state of the Bath Street ground continued to cause concern, and in April 1888 the Borough Engineer was again requested to report on its condition, and recommend what should be done. Early in the following year, he was instructed to go ahead with improvements to the drainage, for which £120 had been earmarked. In March 1889, though, when he laid his plan before the Public Parks Committee, it was decided that consideration of it should be held over. A further postponement was agreed upon in July, and the decade ended with the feeling that all was far from satisfactory at Bath Street, and that something quite radical was needed to rectify matters. Ground improvements - the 1890s.

"The 1890s found the same old troubles besetting the recreation ground. In February 1890 the Watch Committee were asked to ensure that the police gave special attention to the way games were played there, in view of complaints `from inhabitants of neighbouring houses'. Bardill, meanwhile, was ordered to clean out the gullies adjoining the police lodge after every heavy fall of rain. Surface drainage was clearly still a serious problem, and in 1891, the Public Parks Committee once more addressed the question of major improvements. Interested local people were invited to submit suggestions about what was needed, and in June Councillors Sharkey (who led the campaign for a modernized park) and Gregory presented to the Committee a memorial signed by 557 residents, begging that consideration be given to improving the site.

"After an official inspection, the Public Parks Committee yet again threw the problem at the Borough Engineer, who was directed to prepare a plan and estimate for levelling and draining. This was quickly made ready, and laid before the Committee in July; they, however, noting that the cost would amount to £2,300, immediately stated that such expenditure was out of the question. At a full meeting of the Borough Council on October 5 1891, Councillor Sharkey, seconded by Councillor Gregory, moved a resolution that: 'It is desirable that a scheme should be devised for rendering the Bath Street Recreation Ground better available for the purposes of recreation, and that a Committee be appointed to devise such scheme, and to report to the Council'.

"After more official passing of this hot potato, the hapless Engineer was once more bidden to prepare a report on the levelling and draining of the ground, asphalting it after levelling, and planting trees and shrubs along the north and west

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boundaries. Finally, Arthur Brown's labours were not to be in vain, and over the following year, a redesigned park began to take shape.

"In February 1892 the Public Parks Committee were shown four schemes for an improved ground. One of these, submitted by local ward representatives, suggested that the ground be lowered at one end by 7 or 8 feet, to reduce the fall in the surface level. A Bulwell stonewall would be built along the north and west boundaries, and an efficient system of drains put in to prevent water washing sand into adjacent streets during heavy rainfall. The cost of such improvements was estimated at about £2,500. Two other schemes were less expensive; one was for the whole ground to be roughly levelled and then asphalted, at a cost of some £2,100, while another suggested that a plantation be formed at the north and west sides of the ground, after the sandstone rock had been hacked up: this was expected to involve an outlay of around £1,000.

"All three of these schemes were, however, rejected in favour of the Borough Engineer's plan. Brown proposed a wide shrubbery along the north and west sides, ornamental beds and walks in the turfed interior of the ground, and a large asphalted children's play space, furnished with swings, near the Bath Street entrance. It was calculated that these works would cost £3,000. The Committee resolved to recommend Brown's scheme to the full Town Council, believing that this was the only effectual way forward if the Council was `desirous of making any permanent improvement in this ground'.

"The Council agreed with this view, and its Finance Committee sought the consent of the Local Government Board for a loan to pay for the works. The Borough Engineer again discussed his plans with the Public Parks Committee, who found that some last minute alterations were needed. "They decided to enclose the whole ground by an iron palisade fence, with entrance gates, which would be closed at night. In the light of this decision, a footway was ordered to be made across the ground, next to the burial ground wall; this was to be kept open at night for the convenience `of persons desirous of crossing the ground' to get home by the shortest route. Just as the Engineer was instructed to obtain tenders from likely contractors, the pressing need for new works was emphasised by a letter from the solicitors Wells and Hind, on behalf of owners of adjacent properties, complaining yet again about the condition of Bath Street Recreation Ground.

"The tenders came in, with three separate contracts to be awarded. The lowest estimate for the stonework was £203.7.Od by James Thomas of Park Wharf, Lenton Boulevard (now Castle Boulevard). Raybould & Co. of Workington submitted the lowest bid for the ironwork contract; their figure of £360 undercut several wellknown local firms, including Walter Danks, Thomas Danks, and G.R.Cowen & Co. of the nearby Beck Works. The Public Parks Committee seems, however, to have smelt a rat, offering the job to Raybould's subject to satisfactory evidence of their ability to carry out the work in `a good and workmanlike manner. If this were not forthcoming, W.H.Raynor of London Road, Nottingham, who had sent in a tender of £458.18.8d, would be given the contract. As for the third contract, for gardeners' work, William Bardill, the man in possession, submitted a tender of £1,361.2.4d. This was substantially less than that of Thomas Toop of Hucknall Road, Carrington, who priced the job at £1,608. The following month, December 1892, saw a letter from

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Raybould’s, declining to carry out the work `as per tender, and asking if they might submit a revised one. The Committee would have none of this, and resolved to accept Raynor's tender instead. Mr J.H.Bardill meanwhile informed the Committee that his father had died, requesting that, as executor, he be allowed to carry out the gardening contract.

"Inevitably, it now seems, there was further delay in starting the ground improvements. This was caused by the Local Government Board withholding consent to the necessary loan. The Town Clerk wrote to the Board, urging the speedy granting of this consent, in order that work might be begun during the winter, and so help to find employment for a number of the men currently out of work in Nottingham. Indeed, a deputation from Nottingham United Trades Council attended the Committee meeting on February 20 1893, urging that the town's unemployment plight demanded a prompt start to the project. The Town Clerk had by now received a telegram from the Board, indicating that consent for the loan would be given in due course, and it was resolved that, under these circumstances, the job was to proceed at once.

"Work went ahead throughout the year, Arthur Brown making necessary amendments as it progressed; a shrubbery alongside the Bath Street boundary: the swings moved to a more convenient position: and strong wire netting fixed to the iron boundary fences. It is not easy to imagine, at this remove in time, just how much levelling of the ground was needed to turn it into what we know as Victoria Park. Even now, when one instinctively thinks of the park as a level expanse of ground, it comes as a surprise to look at the site, and realise how much of a slope still exists. What conditions were like before levelling and draining can only be conjectured. In spite of everything, however, they must have been good enough for the playing of cricket matches for half a century.

"Victoria Park opened -1894. Early in 1894, it was decided that the remodelled Bath Street Recreation Ground was to be opened during the first week in May, and Thursday the 3rd was later fixed upon. What subsequently caused the event to be moved to Monday the 7th, we do not know, but the local press of May 8 1894 was at last able to report the opening of the new park.

"The Nottingham Daily Guardian was fulsome in its praise: 'The transformation of the old Bath Street playground, which had for years been an eyesore to that particular portion of the Snienton district, into tastefully laid out walks, grass lawns, and shrubberies, provision also being made for the children in the matter of swings and other means of recreation, and which is henceforth to be known by the title of `The Victoria Park', is one that cannot fail to meet with the fullest appreciation, not only of the residents in the immediate neighbourhood, but of the town generally'.

The Guardian went on to describe how the landscaping work, carried out by Bardill's to Arthur Brown's designs, and would be a most acceptable improvement to the town's amenities. As usual on such occasions, there was a numerous attendance of Borough notables. Not only was the Mayor present, but others on hand included Alderman Lambert, chairman of the Public Parks Committee, and a dozen members of the Town Council. John Sharkey, who had both done much to press for the improvements to the recreation ground, was also among those invited.

"Mr Lambert recalled that the land had been allotted to the Corporation as a

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playground in the 1845 Enclosure Act, but pointed out that so much use had been made of it that it soon became totally bare, not a single blade of grass surviving. He paid tribute to Mr Sharkey, who, he said, deserved the credit for promoting the improvement scheme while a member of the Town Council. Sharkey, a wine merchant, might well have reflected that his diligence on behalf of the community had done him precious little good, he having been defeated by a Conservative opponent in the 1893 election for Byron Ward. Sharkey's fellow Liberal, F. W. Gregory, had, by contrast, been returned unopposed in 1892; Gregory was a pawnbroker and clothier of St Anne’s Well Road and Long Row. "The Mayor, greeted with applause, spoke next; saying how pleased he was that this occasion should fall within his year of office. Alderman Pullman observed that he had known the area intimately for many years, and had always felt that improvements were required at the recreation ground. He congratulated all concerned in the remodelling, and declared the ground open, naming it Victoria Park.

"The Evening News added a few extra details. The ceremony had begun with members of the Corporation assembling outside the main entrance at half past three, and in his speech Alderman Lambert had expressed the opinion that the £3,000 expended on the improvements was money well spent. ‘He hoped the people in the neighbourhood would value the new ground and prevent damage being done, and that order would be maintained... The inhabitants of the neighbourhood ought to be thankful to Mr Sharkey for the persistence with which he had advocated the laying out of the ground'. The Mayor added his own appreciation of John Sharkey, `for the interest he had taken in the welfare of that part of the town', and hoped that people 'would derive considerable benefit from the improvement'.

"The Evening News report imparted an air of excitement to the proceedings; 'A very large crowd, numbering several thousand persons, awaited the opening of the gates with evident interest, and as soon as the gates had been thrown open the grounds were thronged, the younger people making immediately for the swings which were kept going all night.' It is likely that the authorities had been concerned about possible unruliness at the opening, but the occasion passed without mishap, the Evening Post recording that the police arrangements were `admirably carried out by Chief Superintendent Lamb'.

"So this part of Nottingham acquired its new pleasure ground. It satisfied a real need, for it should be remembered that a century or more ago Bath Street Rest Garden was still a cemetery, and not an accepted, or indeed a permitted place for leisure activities. Nor did the nearby King Edward Park yet exist; its present-day site in Carlton Road was occupied in 1894 by the gardens and grounds of the Lunatic Asylum, which would not close until the opening of Saxondale Hospital early in the 20th century. Close to Victoria Park was a large and densely packed population the land between Bath Street and what is now Lower Parliament Street was crowded with back-to-back dwellings, as was the area, which later became Snienton Wholesale Market. The streets between Robin Hood Street, Alfred Street, and Carlton Road also contained many working-class homes.

"Across St Anne’s Well Road, opposite the end of Bath Street, was a further tract of streets and courts, later pulled down at various times to make way for Trumpet Street Power Station (whose buildings survive at this time of writing) and Huntingdon

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Street Bus Station. Beyond this area lay St Michael's Recreation Ground, the nearest recreation ground to Victoria Park, but with another teeming mass of residents on its doorstep, in the area soon to be demolished for the making of Victoria Station. On either side of Snienton Road, and on the site of Parliament Street Bus Depot, was yet another warren of small streets and yards, many containing houses, which even then were becoming considered unfit for habitation.

"In addition, both St Anne’s Well Road and Robin Hood Street were flanked by streets of terrace housing, which would last until the St Anne’s redevelopment of the 1960s and 1970s. The houses surviving near Victoria Park today, in Promenade, Campbell Grove, Lamartine Street, and Plantagenet Street, exemplified the very best housing conditions in the district. With such a crowded population, crammed into what was, in so many places, seriously sub-standard housing, it was not surprising that the recreation ground was the scene of outbreaks of misbehaviour calling for the presence of the police.

"Unsurprisingly, such incidents were to continue. Within a year of the hopeful and confident opening of the transformed Victoria Park, the Public Parks Committee were again obliged to ask the Watch Committee `to have a constable stationed at this Recreation Ground for the purpose of assisting the caretaker to keep order, and prevent damage being done by unruly boys'. The Watch Committee regretted that they were unable to spare a constable for this duty. Although the park had changed, the neighbourhood, with all its attendant problems of poverty and petty crime, had not.

"It was remarked at the beginning of this short narrative that Corporation minutes and reports help an appreciation of the rich intricacy of municipal activity in Victorian Nottingham. As also hinted, they also banish the illusion of a time when nobody locked their front doors, when passers-by walked any street at night unmolested, and when children, under daily threat of floggingat home or school, invariably behaved themselves. As an examination of contemporary newspapers also bears out, many of Nottingham's inhabitants passed their lives without ever being aware that they lived through such a golden age.

"The nineteenth century drew to its close with the Park still demanding the Committee's attention. In 1895, a Mr Saywell wrote to ask for compensation for an 'alleged injury' sustained by his son while playing there `on the trapeze.' No responsibility was admitted, and Saywell went away empty-handed. Two years later, it was found necessary to put up a notice banning dogs from the ground, while in 1898 it was decided to accept Bardill's estimate of £21 for 150 new hollies, auacubas, and laurels, to replace dead and damaged plants. We are, therefore, able to leave the story of Victoria Park during Queen Victoria's reign on a note of renewal and revival.

Its progress in the twentieth century was similarly eventful, and it is hoped that an account of this will appear later.

"Victoria Park may soon acquire new devotees with the conversion to apartments of the large factory, which overlooks it from Robin Hood Street. This splendid building, built in 1869 for the silk throwster William Windley, but now usually called Bancroft's Factory, is one of several noteworthy Victorian features, which surround the Park, and make this bit of Nottingham a valuable asset to the city.

"Effectively forming the northern boundary of the open space, and just

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across the street from the former factory, lies Promenade. As mentioned earlier, this handsome long terrace of houses dates from the end of the 1850s. Also clearly visible from the Park are three significant buildings in Bath Street and Gedling Street. Evans & Jolley's Bath Street Board School of 1873 (now part of New College, Nottingham) was the first purpose-built Board School in Nottingham. Next to, it is Park View Court (Victoria Buildings,) of historical importance as a pioneering municipal attempt at the provision of affordable housing for poor workers - it was, in fact, originally intended for Corporation employees only. Designed by Bakewell & Bromley, and first occupied in 1877, the flats have undergone considerable and very necessary modernisation.

Nearby rises the tall tower known as the Bath Clock, the most eye-catching feature of Arthur Brown's 1896 rebuilding of Gedling Street swimming baths, which had been here since 1850. Now Victoria Leisure Centre, its future has for some time been the subject of debate. Further down Gedling Street, and out of sight of Victoria Park, is the old Town Mission Ragged School, opened in 1859, and saved from seemingly terminal dilapidation to become the headquarters of the Nottinghamshire Trust for Nature Conservation.

"Evans & Jolly, Bakewell & Bromley, and Arthur Brown: all make Victoria Park and its environs well worth a visit for any enthusiast of Victorian Nottingham.

One day we might even find out who was the architect of the Windley/Bancroft factory. This discovery, after years of fruitless searching, would allow both the writer of this article and the editor of the Newsletter to sleep a little more easily. I am indebted to Nottinghamshire Archives Office for access to relevant Corporation documents, and to Nottingham Local Studies Library for other material. John Washbrook, of Nottingham City Council Environmental Services Department, gave helpful valuable information on the Beck Valley Culvert, which is gratefully acknowledged here. "

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CHAPTER TEN THE STONEBRIDGE PARK ESTATE “Swing Bridge” was the original name given to the road opposite Paul Satpal’s shop at Campbell Street, to day it is named “Stone Bridge” Road.

No matter how far back in history you go you will not find any mention of a stone bridge, except upon completion Stonebridge City Farm is named after the new road it is situated against. Back in 2003, the Stonebridge Park Tenants & Residents Association (SPTRA) decided to rename our estate Stonebridge Park to give the area good character and image. The name seems to have stuck.

Most locals do use it as part of their address and the post office does not seem to mind.

If it were possible to go back in time, what would we actually see? Over on St Matthias Road in 1900 you would see the real splendour of the local church in all its glory. At that time, it was not in St Ann’s ward, although the main St Matthias road was completed. Just thirty years before it had been a cart track leading up to Rose hill Farm.

The Alcester pub is a significant landmark most people remember from 1973 before the modern extension was added. The building has not changed a great deal, and the local clientele has not declined in numbers like that of the Peverile Pub built in 1975, and closed in 2003. The Alcester is therefore a success story.

A great many people who lived on this estate prior slum in 1974 remember Bluebell Hill Schools. It was a big school by most standards. The present Bluebell Hill Community centre is the old school canteen; the school building was situated in the area of land now occupied by houses up to Beacon hill Rise Road, from the Dennett Close road junction to the old pedestrian underpass (now narrow footpath).

Just down the road from this school is the Peverile pub that was popular in

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its heyday around 1986. The decline of clientele began in 2000 and has never rally recovered, which is a great shame.

The site of Rose hill farm became the special school & TB hospital combined, which opened seventy years ago. The clinic facing onto St Matthias Road still stands, although I wager most readers have not given it a passing glimpse.

The vast majority of the people living on the Stonebridge Park Estate today have gone along to Paul Satpal’s corner shop in Robin Hood Street to buy something of necessity. The shop was originally a Whitbread Pub that changed its named. The Sir Colin Campbell, while to other pubs, the Lord Belper Inn, & Bluebell Inn, were further up Bluebell Hill D.H. Lawrence's parents came here after their marriage at nearby St Stephen's Church on 27th December 1875. If you were around in the heyday of the Colin Campbell Inn you would be greeted by a strange scene the moment you walked in through the front door, you only had to look up at the ceiling.

Sharks, Alligators and exotic fish hung from the ceiling for all to see, so the pub was a big attraction for well-to-do people, a number of which had settled to live in the nearby new Promenade. After its closure Mr & Mrs Crofts who had kept second hand shops in Arkwright Street (the Meadows), and St Ann’s Well Road (opposite the Cavendish cinema) contemplated moving into the premises to turn it into a similar shop. However, the living quarters were exceptionally damp and uninhabitable. My friend Lorraine Crofts presently lives in Eastham Close.

In 2003, the last local landmark was demolished, that of the Wright & Dobson manufacturing works which employed a number locals living on the Stonebridge Park Estate. It was a lace dyers & finishing firm. The works expanded with the completion of Stonebridge Road, so that delivery Lorries could load up and distribute the firm’s products around the UK. A major fire in 2002 caused significant damage to the air conditioning unit on the factory roof. Health & Safety difficulties from that time made it difficult for the factory to continue. The land has remained vacant as a wilderness ever since.

The only other major factory was the William Bancroft lace industrial unit in Robin Hood Street. It has now been transformed into luxurious apartments.

“SWING BRIDGE,” has a bit of a ring to it, “STONE BRIDGE” I am not so sure …. It is not part of our history.

Whatever … Turning back the clock has allowed us to learn something about the past some of us may not have been old enough to remember. The Stonebridge Park Regeneration Scheme is allowing us to shape the future, for our children and us. There are many people from the City Council, City Homes & LHA_ASRA working hard behind the scenes we don’t often see, but with their help the Stonebridge Park Estate is about to change significantly for the better. A new phase, just thirty years since the estate was completed after the last slum clearance of the area in 1974. The present Stonebridge Park Estate was designed to be an open plan layout with open grass areas, and made up of 50 percent houses, and fifty percent blocks of three-tier flats & maisonettes; 470 residences in total. It has numerous interlocking footpaths, and originally five pedestrian underpasses.

In late October 2006 I moved off the Stonebridge Estate, St Ann’s, after thirteen years, to a new ground floor flat nearby. This came about due to the agreed

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slum clearance of the blocks of flats, and maisonettes, which contains 235 households on the estate. Elsewhere in St Ann’s antisocial behaviour and drug related crime increased to a maximum in 2004 when a number of murders hit the headlines along with a riot of Iraqi Kurds.

I first moved onto the Stonebridge Estate in November 1993 when crime was confined to antisocial behaviour, graffiti tagging, smashed windows and vandalism. This increased with the onset of vehicles being stolen and burnt out, often on the footpath behind Fairholm Court OAP complex on Stonebridge Park.

There were raised eyebrows, and sighs of disbelief on one occasion when a stolen car was parked on Flewitt Gardens, and teenagers began stripping it of valuable parts in broad daylight. The police were called to the scene; however, the officers stood aside and allowed the youths to carryon, because what was happening was not illegal. There was some surprise because these youth may have stolen the car, and in any case this was someone’s pride-and-joy that may have been stolen hours earlier, and the owner may not been informed by the police it had been found, and where it was so that the vehicle could be collected.

By the year 2000 car crime was a major problem in St Ann’s, and so too was drug dealing to the consternation of local citizens on the Stonebridge Park Estate, because this was happening at the pedestrian underpasses from dawn to dusk. In fact all footpaths leading on, and off, the Estate had a dealer present during the hours of darkness; it was very intimidating.

With the many burglaries and lesser number of local muggings, the interlocking footpaths became an issue, indeed more so with the first gun being used in St Ann’s in 2000, and violent crime with the increasing use of guns, and knifes, that brought with it fear and anxiety for locals living on the Stonebridge Park Estate.

Apart from crime, the Stonebridge Park Estate suffered as the result of the lack of maintenance by Nottingham City Council, footpaths & roads had potholes, fly tipping had become a problem in a number of areas, and wooden fences had rotted and fallen down. Street name plates missing, and concrete street lighting columns were badly eroded at their tops, so the lanterns were in danger of falling off onto someone. The post top lanterns themselves were the old 1975 type Mercury Blended Florescent Units that gave out poor light in many areas of the Estate.

The main issue that topped the agenda of concern was in relation to the government funded Estate Action program that allowed half of the St Ann’s Estate to be improved with insulated walls, double glazing, walls and railings around the properties, including the blocks of flats, and all of the residences were painted to a high standard. However, all of the Stonebridge Park homes had none of these improvements, and apparently forgotten by the City Council.

The Limmen & Melville Tenants and Residents Association (LMTRA) was formed first in 2001, whose members met on a monthly basis to highlight local council disrepair problems, they felt that the council had abandoned the Estate for far too long.

This resulted in the group getting a ‘setup grant’, and £3,000 funding to engage Mr. Alan Schofield to work with the Association’s members to draw up a Residents Action Plan. During the following months the plan took shape, and included the provision that the pedestrian underpasses should be blocked-off, the open plan

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layout must change with all of the grassed areas having railings around them.

Footpaths needed either closing, staggered fences or posts put in place to stop them being used as motorbike rat runs. However, it was the fact stolen cars could drive across the greens to a site where they were eventually burnt out, which was of greatest concern.

The Limmen & Melville Residents Plan took shape without any dishonesty among the Residents’ Association members, and most citizens in the area took part in the consultation process.

In the summer of 2002 a number of residents situated in Flewitt Gardens, and Dennett Close, visited LMTRA and sat in on a number of meetings. Mrs Maureen Graham decided that they too should form a Residents Association even though they lacked experience, and formed a committee. This group soon decided that the Estate needed to have a new name to make it sound a nice area of St Ann’s, and decided upon Stonebridge Park named after Stonebridge Road, and Stonebridge City Farm.

Their group thereafter was known as Stonebridge Park Tenants & Residents Association (SPTRA).

SPTRA then applied for their own set up funding, and an additional £3,000 grant to hire Mr Alan Schofield to work with them to put together their own Residents Plan once he had finished at Limmen & Melville. This four month period was a difficult time for SPTRA members, in working their way through the funding application process of the Area 6 St Ann’s Committee. Once approved a public meeting at the nearby Bluebell Hill Community Centre was arrange to announce the good news.

Monthly public meetings were held thereafter, accept no Minutes were ever recorded, no newsletters were put together & circulated, and most importantly they had no contact address or phone number for anyone to get in touch with them.

Nearly all of the committee members of this Association were local Residents who had bought their own homes, very few were tenants, and the majority lacked experience of running a Tenants & Residents Association, or customer relations. Principal members including Mrs Maureen Graham were untrustworthy; they made important decisions behind the back of the other committee members’ prior committee meetings. The committee meetings also had no Minutes taken, and there was no feedback to the rest of the community at any of SPTRA’s public meetings.

This was at the time I was writing & circulating the Owl Magazine, and had on occasion’s written constructive criticism of SPTRA activities. For example this Association organised an annual bus outing to the seaside, which turned out to be for Mrs Graham and her pals who filled the majority of the seats of the coach year after year. Others living on the Stonebridge Park Estate were not given the opportunity to go on this trip. The money for the trip came from the Renewal Trust, and although I made the Trust aware of what was going on, Deputy Trust Executive Cherry Underwood turned a blind-eye to the problem, and the trips continued with Mrs. Graham taking the same people every year.

The consultation process for their new Residents Plan began in late November with a series of workshops at Bluebell Hill Community centre, and ending at the end of January 2003. The first workshop attracted 22 citizens, the second about ten, and the remainder only the five main SPTRA committee members made

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up the numbers. It was a futile process because at one of the workshop meetings I attended in January 2003 Mr. Scofield and Stonebridge Park Tenants & Residents Association members agreed that if local citizens were not onboard for the scheme, then the SPTRA committee should draw up the plan themselves and ”impose” it onto the local community.

On 6 February 2003 a special open day was arranged by SPTRA at the Bluebell Hill Community Centre, Mr. Schofield and a colleague were their with a large plan of the Estate laid out on a table, and they answered questions. Sadly few local citizens turned up to the event, and those that did were after the set of FREE low watt energy efficient light bulbs being given away.

Principal members of SPTRA then held a series of ‘”secret committee meetings’” at the home of its Chairlady Mrs. Maureen Graham. Again no Minutes of the meetings were recorded, and mysteriously no monthly public meetings were held either. The committee was working with Mr. Schofield to draw up their own Residents Plan. This secret process was completed in the first week of July, and Mrs. Maureen Graham and her pals took the deceitful decision not to show the finished Residents’ Plan to the local community to determine if it met with everyone’s approval, and importantly, to allow for any minor modifications.

Instead SPTRA approved the finished plan themselves, and arranged for the expensive Residents’ Plan booklets to be printed. In a further deceitful decision, Mrs. Graham and principal members of her committee arranged a ‘secret’ private meeting behind the back of all Stonebridge Park citizens, and invited St Ann’s councillors and officials. The new Residents’ Plan was handed over to these officials as the finished product. A week later, SPTRA held the first public meeting of the year, and showed off the new completed Residents Plan; the committee’s attitude was “Like it or lump it.” The overall false impression given was that if any locals had concerns about any part of the plan, it could be amended. In fact the SPTRA Chair person Mrs. Maureen Graham told those who did suggest amendments, “you should have come to the meetings,” so no amendments were ever made to the Stonebridge Residents Plan, it had been enshrined in stone before the July 2003 public meeting was held.

Nottingham City Council announced funding of more than £1m to implement the combined Limmen /Melville, and Stonebridge Park Residents Plan. At the time this was good news for the local community, and the merger of both tenants & residents associations happened as a result. The new Stonebridge Park Tenants & Residents Association was ratified at the September AGM that year.

The good thing about what was happening on the Stonebridge Park Estate at this time was that it focused the attention of Nottingham City Council onto the environmental problems around the Estate, due to the council’s own disrepair. The council now knew that there was a significant problem with drug dealing around the subways, and footpath at the side of the inner city farm, dusk until dawn.

The blocks of flats & maisonettes that make up half of the Estate had many problems, rotten windows and canopies over the front doors, overflowing gutters and damaged drain pipes. The forecourts around the base of the blocks have poor porch lighting, which in many cases did not work at all, and broken or uneven paving slabs.

The majority of the forecourts are below eight foot brick walls hidden from view of the road and pavements above, so that vandalism, burglaries and drug dealing prevails.

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It also highlighted the problem with fly tipping, gangs of youths intimidating locals passing by, and the overall run-down appearance of the Estate in general.

Clearly something needed to be done to improve all of these things now that the citizens had built-up their hopes such a change was about to happen in 2004.

Iron railings began to appear in Melville & Jersey Gardens, followed by anomalous designed posts, made from a length of iron piping; 6 inch in diameter, filled with concrete, and put in place at various locations, often at sites not shown on the Residents’ Plan. It was not long before local tenants & residents complained that these posts were too narrow and improved nothing; motorbikes, small monkey bikes, and three-wheel motor carts could still ride along all of the footpaths.

For the purpose of the Stonebridge Residents’ Plan the whole Estate had been divided up into five areas, phase one being Paxton Gardens, Lytton Close, and Eastham Close. Phase two covered Pym Walk, Flewitt Gardens, and Dennett Close (around the home of SPTRA chairlady Mrs. Graham). The phase two area received all of the staggered iron fences, railings, and bollards. Phase two also seen the set of eight garages at the bottom of Dennett Road (one of which is used by Mrs. Maureen Graham) demolished and rebuilt at great expense.

There were soon complaints of “discrimination” from all the people living in Phase one of the estate, who had no improvements carried out. They were all convinced that Chairlady Mrs. Graham and principal SPTRA committee members had looked after themselves during the compilation of the Residents Plan, and its implementation once the money became available. “Discrimination” was the only way to describe it. Either way, SPTRA was the centre of ill feeling, especially after the City Council pulled the plug on any further environmental works.

The number of locals attending public meetings averaged twenty-two throughout 2003, and the first half of 2004. There followed much friction between a number of locals, and SPTRA. The elections of committee members at the AGM meetings remain farcical, a little like musical chairs really. First Mrs. Maureen Graham and committee member’s step-down from their offices, and then these entire former SPTRA members vote all together to re-elect Mrs. Graham as Chairperson, next these former SPTRA members took it in turn to vote for them selves. Few of the people living on the Stonebridge Park Estate were alerted to when each of the AGM meetings took place because a limited number of newsletters were circulated, and as a result prevented from casting their vote.

Many of the people living in Stonebridge Park lost faith in SPTRA who had cried wolf, and the City Council who had withdrawn all of its promised funding, so Residents’ Plan remained uncompleted, and confined to Phase two around Mrs. Graham’s home. However, there were other things happening in 2004.

For the first half of 2004 the City Council was campaigning vigorously towards a referendum of all its tenants, with the emphasis on setting up an Arms length Management Organization (ALMO), that would manage the lettings, enforcement of tenancy regulations, and deal with rent or council tax arrear issues.

After the referendum in the summer, the majority was found to be in favour of the new ALMO that was set up as Nottingham City Homes, and began operating on 1 April 2005.

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The government had set a ‘decent homes’ standard across the UK, and one of the means by which local authorities could ask for a government grant to cover the overall cost of the improvements was to set up an ALMO, a separate agency to manage housing stock, and to become good enough to gain two-star-status after inspection by the Government’s Audit Commission. However, it turned out that Nottingham City Homes’ funding request fell short by £135m, and they failed to get two star status until 2007. On 23 November 2006 the Nottingham Evening Post ran this story:

APOLOGISE OVER HOMES MESS

“Tenants will view the latest bombshell to hit council housing in Nottingham with dismay, and with good reason. Faced with a £135m black hole the council has delayed the deadline to bring all homes up to a decent standard by three more years, to 2013.

Furthermore, the funding gap may cause housing Estates to be sold off, or transferred, and council houses could be demolished.

The uncertainty about ownership, management and improvement of council housing, not to mention the loss of assets, will take its toll on tenants and the services they receive, which are already poor in some areas.

The council forced by Government, assured tenants that creating Nottingham City Homes to manage 32,000 houses would solve the city's housing problems.

But we now know that it has not, it simply exposed some of the failings that were already there.

Mistakes made by the city council meant there never was enough money to make good on the promises of decent homes for all, and the Audit Commission has shown that the management and systems bequeathed to City Homes were simply not good enough.

City Homes may have been the whipping boy since it took over in 2005, but the problems can be traced back many years before that.

Firstly, the council, through its new chief executive Michael Frater and councillors, should apologise to tenants and explain, openly and honestly, how this mess can be put right.

Once we can see the options open to the city we can judge the true extent of the damage that has been done.”

Clearly there was a rough ride ahead for the people living in Stonebridge Park. In the mean time we had Mr Ben Chilvers as our new housing-patch manager, and my continual criticism of Mrs. Maureen Graham and SPTRA did bring about changes for the better.

The ground floor flat of 18 Dennett Close was turned into a resource centre with a grant from the Area 6 Committee (St Ann’s & The Dales), and a new newsletter began circulating around the Estate. Bingo evenings were held on the last Friday of each month, and SPTRA public meetings were recorded in Minutes for the first time; but not committee meetings that where shrouded in secrecy. I like to think about

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these in terms as cult status, like the Freemasons and Buffalos.

There was continual reporting of fly tipping, overgrown gardens, missing street name plates which were all attended to by Ben Chilvers with zeal.

Living in a Flewitt Gardens flat, the home next door to my own was allocated to a black French speaking immigrant from Africa, in March 2005. Very soon the flat was being used like a night club, loud music until 2 a.m. Then loud talking & arguments through until about 7 a.m when my neighbour’s eight friends left. A number of my other ‘good’ neighbours complained about this noise, and the loud shouting arguments through the early hours of the morning. This unhealthy situation continued throughout 2005, even with the involvement of the City Council’s noise nuisance team.

Things came to a head in April 2006 after the City Council enforced noise nuisance documents. A 42 inch TV, Hi-Fi and items were confiscated by council officials, and police. The next day a handgun was fired inside my neighbour’s flat, and my block was surrounded by armed police later the same day. A week later my neighbour stood next to a gunman outside my block of flats, who fired a number of shots towards the Pym Walk maisonettes opposite, before running away. My block was again surrounded with armed police, and this time cordoned off for 24 hours.

This is one indication of the kind of antisocial behaviour by a number of tenants living in the flats & maisonettes; my neighbours and I campaigned vigorously regarding the none enforcement of tenancy regulations, due to the shortage of staff at St Ann’s area housing office, which has improved little.

Two things happened in 2005 that improved the Stonebridge Park Estate, firstly Mr Ray Gale, and myself carried out a detailed Street lighting survey which led to all of the badly corroded 1975 concrete columns being replaced with new ones, more than 45 by the end of the year, and the lanterns were all upgraded from Mercury to high pressure sodium which are far brighter.

The second was that Nottingham City Council had managed to include Stonebridge Park on its list of housing Estates needing regeneration after the Marple Square Phase 10 scheme neared completion. SPTRA & the City Council then tested the water by contacting three developers to come up with a scheme to regenerate, and improve the Estate. This resulted in one developer proposing to completely flatten the estate, and build a new one from scratch, the other two favoured partial redevelopment. The representatives of each developer then gave a good presentation to tenants & residents at a public meeting held in August 2005.

This sparked public debate, and Mr Alan Scofield was again employed by SPTRA to work with Stonebridge Park citizens to draw up plans, and debate the future of the Estate. By this time Mr Schofield was £6,500 richer just by making himself available to assist Stonebridge Park tenants & residents.

With the failure of the Residents Plan, and SPTRA discrimination during its implementation, many people were weary not to build up their hopes for a second time.

However, things moved forward to the point where Nottingham City Council, and City Homes, agreed to draw up a document to put the regeneration of the Stonebridge Park Estate out to tender by the end of 2005. More than ten developers came forward to show an interest, and in the end Leicester Housing Association was

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chosen. A non profit making organisation, LHA introduced themselves to the people of Stonebridge Park at a public meeting held in January 2006. The new term: Stonebridge Regeneration Scheme was born.

LHA representatives including architect Mr Chris Twomey of Derby based Latham Architects, began attending the Stonebridge Resource Centre at 18 Dennett Close twice weekly to discuss their ideas for the estate with local citizens. The initiative was good, the venue was not, and the Chairlady of SPTRA Mrs. Maureen Graham was already plotting to gain overall control of the planning, and consultation of the new scheme.

In late February, the City Council announced that a new Steering Group was to be set up to oversee the Regeneration Scheme, which would have representatives of the City Council, City Homes, LHA, and SPTRA. Once set up in March Mrs Graham casually announced at the first meeting that she alone would be the Chairman of the group, and appointed one of her SPTRA committee to be Secretary; no democratic vote took place. This was bound to lead to trouble, and with Mrs. Graham attempting to push through her own agenda to modify the plans, and complaining about myself at every meeting of the Steering Group, as a result there were many heated exchanges. This in turn caused disarray of the consultation process, and Workshops organised by LHA. Local tenants & residents then complained about not being properly consulted, many were unhappy at various aspects of the proposed master plan. This intern led to numbers attending public meeting to drop significantly.

Maureen Graham died hospital on the evening of 8 August 2007 from a brain haemorrhage; the funeral service was held at Wilfred Hill crematorium on 15 August.

However, this followed the disclosure that at the heart of the Stonebridge Regeneration Scheme, all of the blocks of flats & maisonettes, containing 234 residences, were to be demolished. New Houses and apartments would be built in their place which in turn would need to be sold to cover the overall cost of the improvements of the remaining homes.

Three reports were compiled and placed before the City Council’s Executive Board during 2006, the first of these was dated 21 March.

It recommended that there is:“Approval in principle for the sale of the Long Hedge site subject to independent valuation.

“Authorisation for the Service Directors of Housing Direct and Property Plus in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Housing and Social Services to negotiate and complete the sale. (c) Consideration of the ring fencing of 100% of the capital receipt for Long Hedge for reinvestment in the Adult Services Residential Strategy. (d) Acknowledgement of the selection of LHA/ASRA to work in partnership with Regeneration Section and SPTRA to develop a detailed regeneration scheme. (e) A further report to be submitted detailing the scheme proposed and setting out the full financial implications of proceeding with any proposed regeneration

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scheme.

All these items were approved at the meeting, and the implications noted:“The regeneration scheme outlined in this report will result in a disposal of capital assets valued at more than £1m.

“The scheme master plan will seek to address issues relating to crime, antisocial behaviour, estate layout and quality of the public realm.

“The scheme would involve the demolition of around 50% of the existing properties on the estate. Although some current tenants may be re-housed within the estate, some relocation would also be necessary and Home loss compensation costs would be incurred.

“Implementation of the scheme would require Nottingham City Homes (NCH) to cease letting of flats on the estate. The intention would be to minimise blight but some adverse impact is inevitable.”

The next meeting of the Executive Board dated 16 July approved the scheme in principal, that:“The project will release substantial new City Council investment to secure regeneration of the estates including nearly 400 new homes with a mix of tenures “232 dwellings which include most flats & all maisonettes, plus 6 houses & 54 garages will be decommissioned over a period of 4-5 years.

“The extent of provision of District Heating to the new scheme is to be resolved.”

The third meeting of the Board was held on 16 September, when councillors approved a list of recommendations:“Finalise statutory consultations with those residents whose homes may be at risk.

“Order a programme of internal works to the retained homes “Suspend re-letting and the ‘Right to Buy’ in the development area.

“Agree the purchase of any existing owner occupied homes in the development area.

“Require that the Services Director of Housing reviews the City Council’s existing Regulatory Review Order policy.

“Renegotiate parts of the Partnership framework with Leicester Housing Association/ASRA Group Ltd and report the outcome to the first available Executive Board Meeting.

“Agree that the City Council’s total capital allowance includes the estimated expenditure on the Stonebridge Park project as defined in the Local Authorities (Capital Finance and Accounting (England) Regulations 2003.

Also at this meeting the Executive Board noted that:“The project will release substantial City Council investment to secure

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regeneration of the estate including nearly 400 new homes with a mix of tenures.

“The scheme is estimated to cost approximately £5.2m over a four year period and will be funded from capital receipts resulting from the sale of strategic sites within the development.

“251 dwellings which include flats, maisonettes, houses and up to 54 garages will be decommissioned over a period of up to 5 years.

“The future of Fairholm Court, Sheltered Housing Scheme, in its present location can only be decided following a comprehensive consultation exercise.”

Things began to happen in October 2006 as Phase 1 of the project was disclosed as Pym Walk, Flewitt Gardens, Dennett Close, and Eastham Close. Nottingham City Homes began to empty the Blocks of residences, and I received my letter of notification through the post which came as no surprise. By the end of the month I had been moved out of my Flewitt Gardens home, into new premises, and still in St Ann’s.

The Peverile pub has been bought by LHA and is now boarded up ready for demolition, and almost all of the Phase-1 blocks are empty apart from 16 residences.

The City Council has also now published its Notice of Demolition that states: The Council intends to demolish 1- 30 (inclusive) Dennett Close 1-9 (inclusive) Eastham Close 1-15 (inclusive) Flewitt Gardens 1-18 (inclusive), 20, 22, 24-64 (inclusive), 66-96 (even numbers inclusive) Jersey Gardens 14, 16, 18-54 (inclusive), 56-96 (even numbers inclusive) Limmen Gardens 1-9 and17-20 (both inclusive) Pym Walk 1-11 and 15-25 (both odd numbers inclusive) St Matthias Road 7-12 and 14-17 (both inclusive) Wray Close The demolition of the Relevant Premises is necessary for the regeneration of the Stonebridge Park Estate. The Council intends to demolish the Relevant Premises by th

20 October 2011 however the intention is to demolish as soon as vacation of the Relevant Premises allows.

Nottingham City Homes is responsible for implementing the government ‘decent homes standard’ on the City Council’s housing stock, including that of the Stonebridge Park Estate. In particular all those homes not affected by slum clearance. Meanwhile the City Council has changed its policy to include private residences in the Regeneration Scheme Area. Residents will now be given free double glazing, wall insulation, and a new perimeter fence or wall.

However, the bubble burst in relation to Nottingham City Homes asking the government for far less than they required to complete the decent homes work, a shortfall of £135m, and it was the Nottingham Evening Post holding the pin.

Michael Frater the Chief Executive of the City Council, who was new to the post, wrote to every Nottingham City Homes tenant attacking the Evening Post, and stating that the City Council had no plans to sell off any of its housing stock, or estates, and there were also no plans to demolish housing estates. The same

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message appeared in the council’s Nottingham Arrow booklet which every tenant also received.

This had the affect of causing a great deal of confusion among the citizens of Stonebridge Park, who in fact was only partly affected by Nottingham City Homes’ financial problems with the government. Locals believed that the blocks of flats & maisonettes were now not going to be demolished, and that the Regeneration Scheme was not going to happen. It took a great deal of persuasion to turn this situation around. The consultation process pressed ahead at full speed from January to March 2007, and this helped to resolve the problem completely.

However, the Nottingham City Homes £135m short fall in its decent homes budget remains an issue for the Stonebridge Regeneration Scheme, because two surveyors, under the leadership of Mr Tim Shirley, visited every home that is to remain on the estate, and not subject to slum clearance, and filled out a single page report. It is now coming to light that some of the information on these papers is not accurate. A number of Stonebridge Estate citizens will only be partly upgraded to decent homes standard, or not at all, based on some of these erroneous reports.

Nottingham City Homes are presently keeping these papers secret from the tenant concerned, and the Stonebridge Steering Group.

For Nottingham City Homes Janet Locker, Governance Team Leader, explained, “In relation to the matter that you raised regarding making public the Decent Homes Survey Reports for other tenants on the Stonebridge Park Estate and making the reports subject to the scrutiny of the Stonebridge Park Steering Group. I would like to point out that although the Stonebridge Park Steering Group is a tenant body recognised by the Company, it has never been part of the Company's Governance arrangement to send Company business documents to a tenant body meeting for dissection or public debate.

“The intention has always been for any concerns raised by the tenant body to be reported to the appropriate section of the Company, all individual cases dealt with accordingly, and the satisfactory outcomes reported back to the tenant body to show that the Company has dealt with the problem accordingly. This is the stance the Company still maintains.”

The demolition of the Phase-1 blocks of flats & maisonettes, including the Peverile pub, is set for the October-December 2007, followed by the clearance of the site. If all goes well Nottingham City Council & LHA_asra will sign the remaining Development Contract, allowing architect Chris Twomey to begin the process of drawing up detailed plans for the new estate. Only then can planning permission be applied for, presumably at the end of 2007.

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CHAPTER ElEVEN THOMAS WILLIAM BUSH (1839-1928) In order to tell the story of Thomas Bush I must first begin with John Russell Hind (shown here on the right), the first Nottingham astronomer who turned professional, who was born in the town on 12th May 1823. He was the son of Mr. John Hind a lace manufacturer. John Russell Hind attended Nottingham Grammar School and by the age of sixteen was contributing astronomical notes to the Nottingham Journal and other newspapers.

Hind went to London at aged seventeen to work as a civil engineer for a Mr. Carpmael, but the lure of astronomy proved too much. He only remained in Mr. Carpmael's office a short time, and at the end of 1840 he secured, through Sir Charles Wheatstone, a post at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, Mr. George Biddle Airy, then Astronomer Royal, appointing him to the Magnetical and Meteorological Department, where in 1843 he was engaged for a period of three months on the Commission to determine the longitude of Valencia.

Charles Wheatstone (1802-1875) was born above his family's shop at 52/54 Westgate Street in Barnwood, Gloucestershire, and at the age of 14 was apprenticed to his uncle, a musical instrument maker in London.

Charles became fascinated with the physics of both sound and electricity, and having invented the concertina in 1829 went on to perfect a stereoscope for viewing photographs (which became invaluable for 20th Century aerial reconnaissance), and devices for measuring the speed of electricity and light.

In 1834, Wheatstone became Professor of experimental physics at Kings College London, and in 1837 - along with William Cooke - developed the electric telegraph. He was later knighted by Queen Victoria for his work on the first transatlantic telegraph cable. He is also remembered for the Wheatstone bridge used to measure electrical resistance - and the “Magic Harp" which inspired Alexander Graham Bell to invent the telephone.

It is curious that during the years of his greatest activity (1844-1856) Dr. John Hind suffered from extreme bad health. Physically he was apparently a strong man, but he was excessively nervous and frequently had to give up work for a time because of "excessive nervous exhaustion." He was of a most retiring disposition, and worked more for science' sake than for the admiration of his fellow men or for his own pecuniary advancement. In his diary, under January 15, 1849 he wrote, “I mentioned to Mr. Airy to-day that I thought very soon I should have to relinquish observations at night entirely," but happily a few months' rest enabled him to resume work and complete the task he had set himself to do.

John Russell Hind left Greenwich in 1844 to succeed William Rutter Dawes (1799-1868) as Director of George Bishop’s private observatory in Regent’s Park,

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London. It is from this observatory, which was equipped with a fine 7-inch Dolland refractor, that he did most of his observational work and built up his fine reputation.

Hind married in 1846 and had six children. On the 30th September 1846 he became the first British observer to successfully identify Neptune after Franz Friedrich Ernst Brunnow had wrote to him informing him of Johann Galle and Heinrich d’Arrest’s discovery on the 23rd September. The fact that he was contacted directly, ahead of all other national astronomers including the Astronomer Royal Mr George Airy, attests to his growing international reputation at the age of 23.

Mr. George Bishop had determined before building his observatory that it "should do something." A successful businessperson, he had always had a great wish to possess an observatory, but never the opportunity until he was more than fifty years of age; and being then unable to work personally, he took great pains to get good assistants, and set them to observe with a definite objective.

"The search for minor planets was commenced in 1846 November, employing the Berlin star maps " (to which attention had doubtless been attracted by the discovery of Neptune two months before) "as far as they extended, small stars of 9 or 10th magnitude, not marked on the maps, being inserted from time to time as they came under examination."

The first discovery was announced to the Rev. Richard Sheepshanks, then vice-president of The Royal Society, in the following letter:-

3 Allsop's Terrace, New Road, London; 1847 August 13d I6h.

"DEAR Sir, I have this night discovered another member of the singular group of planets between Mars and Jupiter. It shines as a star of 8.9 magnitude, the observed positions being G.M.T. Aug. 13 at: 09:35:17 GMT RA 19H 57M 30.52 DEC -13° 27’ 23.4” At: 10:45:19 GM RA 19H 57M 28.02S DEC -13° 27’ 29.0” Showing a retrograde motion in R.A. of 51 daily. Have I been fortunate enough to detect the lost planet of Cacciatore?

Yours very respectfully, J. R. Hind.

Rev. R. Sheepshanks, M.A.

Hind discovered Iris (6) on 13 August 1847. De Morgan, who also suggested a symbol, proposed the name Iris. Writing to Sheepshanks (1847 August 22) Hind says, "I find the name is approved at Cambridge and Greenwich, though Thetis was preferred. However this will do for the next, if no better is to be found." The name Thetas was not, however, used until the discovery of (17) by Luther in 1852.

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From 1847, onwards Hind discovered a wealth of new astronomical objects by scrutinising the equatorial and ecliptic regions of the sky with the 7-inch refractor and comparing what he saw with the recently published Berlin star maps. By 1850, he was the World’s leading discoverer of variable stars with 12 out of a named list of 41.

By 1854, he had discovered 10 of the first 30 numbered asteroids.

In 1847, he was made a corresponding member of the Society Philomathique of Paris. In 1850, he was one of a Commission, for the Exhibition of 1851, respecting machinery as applied to direct use.

The discovery of Flora on October 18 was also announced to Mr. Sheepshanks by a letter written the same night at 4 p.m., giving three positions for 11h 40m 4s, 15h 4m 10s, and 15h 52M 27s respectively. Soon afterwards, Hind wrote the following letter to a Mr. Fox regarding the new name for this asteroid:

Mr Bishop’s observatory, Regent’s Park 1847 October 22nd Sir, I feel greatly obliged to you for the mention of the name you propose for the new Planet. Some time before I received your letter, the choice of a name and symbol had been referred to Sir John Herschel, who after consideration has fixed upon Flora with the “Rose of England” as an emblem, under the following form. Under these circumstances, I have no power to adopt the name Calypso, which, however, I like very much.

I rather incline to Olber’s hypothesis, perhaps for want of a better. At any rate, I feel certain there are more planets to find.

I am, Sir, Your most Obedient Servant.

J. R. Hind H. Fox Talbot Esqre.

On the discovery of asteroid (12) Victoria on 13 September 1850, the Americans strongly objected to the proposed name Victoria, which happened to be also that of our Queen Victoria (1819-1911). Indeed, they went so far as to substitute Clio, and the Astronomer Royal wrote, "When I looked for Victoria in the index to Gould's Journal and expected at least to find 'Victoria-see Clio,' and found it not, I was very indignant." At the same time, he advised Dr. Hind not to use the name Clio for a subsequent discovery in 1852, which "would cause much confusion and would be interpreted as exhibiting a too angry temper." However, the name was later adopted!

In 1851, he was elected a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of Paris, in the place of Schumacher. There were eighteen candidates for the election, Dr. John Hind being chosen by forty-five out of forty-six votes. The same

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year he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society, and subsequently he was elected into the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Imperial Academy of Sciences of St. Petersburg, and the Swedish Royal Society.

In 1851, he went with Mr. Dawes to Sweden to observe the total eclipse of the Sun. In 1852, the English astronomer John Russell Hind, exploring the constellation Taurus through his telescope, found a dim star that was not noted on his charts. The new star, named T Tauri has since become something of a minor celebrity among astronomers.

“On the evening of 15 December, 1855, I remarked in R.A. (1856) 7h 46m 33s.65, N.P.D. 670 37’ 17".1, an object shining as a star of the ninth magnitude, with a very blue planetary light, which I have never seen before during the five years that my attention has been directed to this quarter of the heavens. On the next fine night, 16 Dec. 1856, it was certainly fainter than on the 15th by half a magnitude or more.

Since that date, I have not had an opportunity of examining it until last evening, January 10th, when its brightness was not greater than that of stars of the twelfth magnitude. It is evidently a variable star of a very interesting description, inasmuch as the minimum brightness appears to extend over a great part of the whole period, contrary to what happens with Algol and S Cancri.”

Four objects in the sky bear his name. R Lep was christened "Hind’s Crimson Star" after he wrote in October 1845: "of the most intense crimson, resembling a blood-drop on the background of the sky.” NGC1555 became known as "Hind’s Variable Nebula" following its discovery together with T Tau in October 1852.

Hind wrote, "Last night (11th October) I noticed a very small nebulous looking object preceding a star of 10th mag, which to my surprise, and had escaped attention on the map for 4h RA recently published – possibly it may be variable.

In 1858, Hind received a Testimonial from The Royal Society and it fell to Sir John Herschel (1792-1871), himself one of the recipients, to deliver the address on the merit of those who received Testimonials: In speaking of Dr. Hind, he remarked: "No name comes oftener before the astronomical world, as an assiduous observer and able computist in the department of astronomy which the nature of the instrumental means committed to his charge gives him an immediate connection with, as a diligent observer of double-stars and computer of their orbits, for instance, or as the first detector of several comets, one of them a very remarkable one, which, from his calculation of its orbit, he was enabled to follow up to its actual perihelion, and to behold it at noon-day presenting a clear and well-defined disc within 2° of the Sun. “John Russell Hind observed many comets and computed their orbits. The Earth is believed to have passed through the tail of Comet Tebbutt on 30th June 1881 and Hind wrote in the Times; "There was a peculiar phosphorescence or illumination of the sky, which I attributed at the time to an aurora glare; it was remarked by other persons as something unusual.”

This was an evening observation before sunset. Hind later wrote in the Times; "Allow me to draw attention to a circumstance relating to the present comet. It

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appears not only possible, but even probable, that in the course of Sunday last, the Earth passed through the tail at a distance of perhaps two-thirds of its length from the nucleus.”

This was the same comet observed by Nottingham astronomer Thomas William Bush at his Thyra Grove, Mapperley observatory on June 23 – 25th, which Bush described in detail in a letter to The Nottingham Guardian.

Since his retirement in 1891 from the Nautical Almanac office Dr. John Russell Hind lived quietly at Twickenham, not appearing much in public, nor even visiting the societies to which he belonged; but he still kept up a lively interest in his favourite study, and was a regular subscriber and contributor to the scientific journals at home and abroad. He died at Twickenham, on 23 December 1895, of heart disease accelerated by a chill, and was buried at the Twickenham Cemetery. Asteroid number 1897 is officially named "Hind" as is also a lunar crater.

THOMAS WILLIAM BUSH Bush was born in Nottingham on 19 May 1839, son of John Bush (1802-1847) and Mary Neep (1807- ?). John Bush was a dyer by profession and lived at 4 Canal Street in the town. Upon his death in 1947 Mary went on to marry 43-year-old John Marriott on 6 August 1848 who became Thomas’s stepfather. Thomas Bush was generally self taught, though he owed a great deal to the Headmaster of the Wesleyan Methodist School, the Rev George Roebuck, who was a keen amateur astronomer. Bush was also educated at the Standard Hill Academy (Shown above) located near Nottingham Castle that taught many subjects, including Astronomy.

Neville Hoskins of the Nottingham Thoroton Society in a review of The Nottinghamshire History Lecture by Dr Paul Elliott – ‘British Enlightenment Culture in a Regional Centre’: Scientific Personalities, Ideas & Institutions in Nottingham c17001840’ that took place on 13 November 2004: notes that:“In Nottingham many societies met in establishments such as the Nottingham Mechanics Institute and Nottingham Subscription Library, which also had their own special interest groups.

The 18th and early 19th century saw a growing interest in scientific and technical advances, and was the heyday of itinerant public lecturers who thought nothing of transporting

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sheep's heads, working models of cranes and demonstrations of astronomical discoveries.

“Some of these lecturers began by running private educational establishments: Charles Wilkinson, who’s Nottingham Academy, founded 1777, occupied land between what is now Parliament Street and Foreman Street. In that year Robert Goodacre was born, who, aged 20 started a day school, also in Parliament Street, which later moved and became the Standard Hill Academy (shown here from a different viewpoint). Goodacre was particularly interested in astronomy, and was a prime example of the itinerant lecturer; in London, Yorkshire, Scotland, the Channel Islands and a 4-year tour of America; the logistics of this in the 1820s gives food for thought.”

Bush’s new stepfather, 46-year-old John Marriott was a baker and flour seller by trade who originally lived in Mill Street off Derby Road, before moving to the Canal Street premises. The business then changed from being Dyers to a Bakers shop where John was able to employ one man to run his small shop selling flour, bread, and buns. The distinct smell of freshly baked bread early each morning was Mr. Marriott's trademark, which helped to sell most of what he baked.

In addition, there were twelve other traders with the Christian name of Marriott; so that there is no doubt that the Marriott’s were wealthy businesspersons and women living in Nottingham around 1840? William Marriott for example, was a victualler and kept the Royal Arch Druid in Lister gate. On the other hand, there were a great many people with the Christian name of Bush, the majority being in the dyers trade.

Thomas Bush proved to have a good learning ability and to have a marvellous power of retaining what he was taught, which he used to his own advantage. Thomas Bush was able to obtain his schooling free by teaching the rest of the Scholars geography, while he himself became proficient in mathematics and optics, before going on to learn his stepfather’s baking trade.

He also devoted much of his attention to linguistic studies, including German, Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. However, it was optics and astronomy that interested him the most, although due to the industrial revolution the smoke and smog in the Nottingham air greatly hampered any observing he could do, for this reason he concentrated on building Newtonian telescopes.

Work began when he was in his early twenties after joining the Nottingham Mechanics Institute, an educational establishment that preceded the setting up of Nottingham College University in Shakespeare Street. He joined the Institute in 1861, and was immediately rewarded by sitting in on two astronomical lectures by Mr. W.R. Brit FRAS. On 15 January the talk was entitled 'A Night among the Stars.' 48 hours later, he sat and enjoyed 'A Night with the Moon.' It is interesting to note that during his long membership history, his relative Samuel Bush joined him in 1863.

Astronomical lectures at Nottingham Mechanics Institute continued until February 1887, the most notable were: x x

January 14, 1873 the Wonders of the Heavens. Benjamin J. Malden.

January 19, 1874, The Aurora and star showers. J.H. Freeman.

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x x x

October 03, 1880 the birth of the Solar System. R.A. Proctor.

November 17, 1882 an evening with the stars and the transit of Venus.

Benjamin J. Malden. January 28, 1887 the Moon. Sir Robert S Ball.

It was during this ten-year period that Thomas Bush married his wife Martha Cecilia Johnstone on 24 August 1863 in St Mary’s church that was two years younger than he was. By profession, she was a teacher of music born at Harrington, Lancashire, in 1850. They both lived together at 4 Canal Street until (possibly) his mother died some time in 1870, when Thomas moved into his own baker & grocery shop at 102 Canal Street (Shown below), situated opposite Narrow and Upper Marsh, two of Nottingham's most over crowded slum areas.

Sadly, his new home was also located on a poor site in the heart of Nottingham, so he was unable to make any useful astronomical observations. On one side stood, a large Lace factory, the Nottingham canal and wharfs were still at the rear, while rats infested and dusty sawmill stood on the site.

The Newtonian is a type of reflecting telescope invented by the British scientist Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) in 1671. It consists of a parabolic mirror at the bottom of the telescope tube that focuses the starlight onto another flat mirror near the top. The secondary flat mirror is angled at precisely 45°, so that the starlight then enters the eyepiece and the astronomer's eye where it is seen magnified.

In Thomas Bush's time, the primary mirror was made of speculum, an alloy of Copper and Tin, which was highly polished upon pitch using rouge and water. His first experiments in making speculum mirrors were tiresome. The property of speculum was of extreme hardness, although unusually brittle, so that great care had to be employed while grinding it to the correct curvature without any noticeable flaws.

In the end, Thomas Bush turned to the then new technique of using glass for the primary mirror, and became one of the first pioneers of glass mirror making.

The 13-inch mirror made by Bush for his first telescope weighed over 20 lb. and therefore needed to be mounted securely in the bottom of the tube, and for this, he settled on using a thick iron plate. He also employed a prism silver coated on one of its facets for the secondary flat.

After many months of hard work, as well as sleepless nights, the telescope was complete and was a masterpiece of perfection. Thomas Bush then had his chance to show it to the rest of the world when he learned of the Working Men's International Exhibition that was being held in Islington, London, in July 1870.

At the exhibition, his telescope was number 37, and was put on public display in section twelve for Scientific Apparatus.

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BUSH’S 13 INCH TELESCOPE Bush was now 30 years old and his telescope was soon singled out for praise. An account of its construction appeared in The Times newspaper on 12 July 1870 that reads: "It has a speculum 13 inches in diameter, is equatorially mounted, and presents several novel features of construction that are claimed as improvements.

"Mr. Bush is a self taught astronomer, mathematician and mechanic. He has made, without assistance, the whole of the calculations necessary for the construction of the instrument, and has constructed models for all of its parts. Some of these, such as the main cast iron column of support, as well as certain portions of the tube, were too bulky for his tools and were manufactured to his order. His prism was obtained from Stenholm, of Munich.

However, with these exceptions, the whole of the telescope was his own work.

"It is pleasing to add that this monument of industry, and perseverance, has fulfilled the expectations of its maker.

"The speculum has been tested by Purvis’s process, as a consequence it proved correct, and the telescope has been found to divide satisfactorily such double stars as Eta-Coronæ, Zeta-Böötes, and Zeta-Hercules.

"Its performance on the Moon and nebula has also been very fine; it has been used with a magnifying power of 1,400...

"Queen Victoria's special attention was directed to the telescope as one of the most remarkable features of the exhibition, she later presented Mr. Bush with a gold medal as a mark of appreciation.”

A few days later, Mr. Milward, the agent of the Nottingham exhibitors, was explaining the working of the telescope to Mr. and Mrs. Gladstone, and placed it in various positions for observation. The Prime Minister thanked him for his attention, and made a memorandum of Thomas Bush's Nottingham address. As William Ewart Gladstone left the exhibition that day he had already decided to write to the Astronomer Royal about this remarkable telescope made by a humble Nottingham Baker and Grocer.

The Prime Minister had the view of presenting Bush with a scientific instrument as a mark of appreciation. In the event, unknown to the Prime Minister, the

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Astronomer Royal, Sir George Biddle Airy (1801-1891), had a Nottingham connection.

Not only had he met Lord Forester while they were educated together at Trinity College Cambridge, who would later befriend Bush; he had previously appointed John Russell Hind, an excellent self-taught astronomer, to work for him.

The Astronomer Royal (Below right) wished to give as much encouragement to Thomas Bush's astronomical work as he could. He therefore sent to his home a spectrometer by Browning, a solar eyepiece and a Filer micrometer. This then was a proud moment in his life, and Bush made full use of the instruments, and wore the medal on many special occasions.

Since the discovery made by Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) in 1665 that sunlight passed through a narrow slit, and then a triangular glass prism, was separated into a spectrum of colours, the 'Spectroscope' soon followed. It was refined by a number of astronomers to study starlight, one of the pioneers being Joseph von Fraunhofer (1787-1826) in Germany in 1814.

However, regular spectroscopic observations of bright stars at the Greenwich Observatory only began in 1874, after a period of experiments by Sir George Airy himself, so that the 'Spectroscope' presented to Thomas Bush was the most modern scientific instrument of its time.

A KEEN NOTTINGHAM ASTRONOMER Thomas Bush had now proved himself a remarkable Nottingham ambassador, by showing that the best of British genius and manufacturing of precision industrial components could be found in many Nottingham factories of the town situated in the heart of the Midlands. His name and news reports of the 13-inch telescope had not only appeared in the local press: the Nottingham Daily Guardian, 13 July 1870, and the Nottingham Journal, 20 July. He made national headlines as well. The Times, 12 July, the Daily Telegraph, 13 July and the Counties Daily Express, 27 July.

In Nottingham Bush had become a prominent figure and statesman. He soon set to work designing bigger telescopes, and began to consider moving away from the smoke and smog's of Canal Street out into the countryside.

On 9 November 1873, he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (FRAS), and towards the end of the year became the secretary of Nottingham General Hospital and started work at an office in Postern Street.

Now financially secure, Bush drew up plans for his own 2-floor, 3-bedroom cottage along with a large observatory situated on high ground in the prestige housing development of Alexandra Park, in Nottingham’s aristocratic district of Mapperley.

However, I have been unable uncover any further references for his wife Cecilia On 23 August 1853, Nottingham Architect Mr. Thomas Chambers Hine (1813-1899), and his brother John, purchased the Mapperley Hills Common that covered twenty-seven acres.

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Almost immediately, John bought his brother's rights to the land and acquired additional acres. Thomas Hine designed the grand layout of Alexandra Park, although due to financial difficulties in the country as a whole it was never fully developed.

By this time, Orlando Watkin Weld, the 4th Lord Forester of Willey Park & lodge in Shropshire, had been the Rector of Gedling parish church, Nottingham (Shown here), for seven years from 1867. Orlando was also a keen amateur astronomer, and in 1872, to the dismay of church elders, he completely replaced the medieval roof timbers of the Chancel, and painted astronomical motifs on each of the new thirty-six roof segments. Unfortunately, these can no longer be seen today.

The church records show that nine members of the Bush household originating from Carlton were buried at Gedling, four of which were children. On looking through the available electoral registers, 21-year-old Elisa Bush, a farm worker born at Whitechurch, was the only family member I found living in Carlton around the year 1851.

17-4-1828 Jessica Bush, infant.

01-7-1829 Ann Bush, 86 years.

6-12-1840 John Bush, 4 years.

20-3-1842 Richard Bush, 32 years.

29-6-1843 John Bush, 42 years.

25-7-1850 Ann Bush, 2 years.

18-3-1856 John Bush, Infant.

30-3-1857 Jessica Bush, Infant.

23-3-1861 William Bush, 26 years.

Lord Forester's first wife, Sofia Elizabeth, died on 2 April 1872, aged 70, and was buried at Gedling. Lord Forester then went on to become Canon and Chancellor of York Minster in 1874. He married his second wife, Emma Maria, on 5 October 1875.

As 1876 began, Thomas Bush decided on his observatory site high on a natural land formation at Thyra Grove, Mapperley, overlooking the Saint Anne's valley.

In Bush's time, Thyra Grove was a fine orchard with apple blossom trees and a large open field. The site had two advantages for Bush. It was situated outside the town centre away from the smoke and smog filled atmosphere that had troubled him for many years. Secondly, street lighting in 1876 was in its infancy. Town gas lighting was first used in Nottingham in the spring of 1819; moreover, it was another 90 years before the invention of the electric light bulb and the general introduction of gas mantles. Bush was therefore virtually guaranteed clear dark skies, his only problem being with the British weather.

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Thyra Grove, the arrow points to Thomas Bush’s home His mind made up, Thomas Bush arranged to buy a plot of land at Thyra Grove from John Hine, and then with his building plans already prepared, he applied to Nottingham Town Borough Council for planning permission, on 3 May 1876.

He received consent soon afterwards and the builders began their work straight away. By Christmas, the two-story cottage was complete, and work had started on the new observatory that was a large building by any standards.

The building consisted of an equatorial room that housed his 13-inch telescope, a transit room, which housed a second telescope of his own construction that was fixed in position pointing due south along the sites’ meridian to make accurate positional measurements of the stars. Finally, there was a computing room attached to the rear of the building. The Mapperley Observatory, as it became known, was completed in the spring of 1877 when it came to general use.

In order to pay for the project, Bush sold his baker and grocery business in Canal street, although he remained Secretary of Nottingham General Hospital. The Wright's & Kelly's trade directories gave his home address simply as 'The Observatory,' Mapperley, while the electoral register shows that Thomas Bush was resident at Thyra Grove between 1876-1888.

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ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS In brief, a comet is a huge ball of rock and ice, with other chemical components, usually over five miles in diameter, which generally orbits around the Sun in an elliptical path. As it passes close to the Sun, the heat melts the ice, which gives off vaporous filaments, which flow out and away from the nucleus, causing a long tail to appear. Some comets are only visible in large telescopes, while others like Halley's comet may be bright enough to be visible to the unaided eye, as with comet 1881 IV Schaeberle.

The Australian astronomer John Tebbutt discovered his second great comet in the constellation of Columba the dove on the evening of 22 May 1881.

"Immediately on its discovery I obtained with the 42 inch equatorial, eight good measures of the nucleus from one of the bright stars just mentioned. On the following day I notified the discovery to the Government Observatories of Sydney and Melbourne,” he wrote (Ibid. 117-18).

The American astronomer John Schaeberle discovered his comet on 14 July 1881. Comet Schaeberle 1881 IV, at magnitude 6, was discovered in the pentagon of the constellation Auriga, the Charioteer. It grew a long tail and attained magnitude 3 clearly visible to the unaided eye.

Fortunately, Thomas Bush's attention was attracted to comet Tebbutt that passed above the northern horizon midway between the constellations of Auriga, the Charioteer, and Ursa Minor, the Little Bear.

Thomas Bush was able to put the Astronomer Royals' spectroscope to good use and made a number of precise position measurements between 25 June and 23 August. After the comet's apparition, he reported his findings in a letter to the Nottingham Guardian, a short abstract of which follows: "There's not the smallest orb which thou beholds, but in his motion like an angel sings.”

This is an interesting quote from Shakespeare’s the Tempest.

Shakespeare’s final negative use of musical imagery is present in his use of music to illustrate depressing truths. The dark side to Lorenzo’s meditation on heavenly music is the infinite transcendence of the divine: “There’s not the smallest orb which thou behold’st But in his motion like an angel sings, still quiring to the young-eyed cherubim’s; such harmony is in immortal souls, but whilst this muddy vesture of decay Doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it.” (MV V.i.60-65.

Bush then goes on to say: "As the above mysterious visitor to this our 'here' of the universe is rousing a good deal of interest and speculation just now, by its sudden and imposing appearance in our northern skies, perhaps a few words with regard to its aspect as witnessed by instrumental means, and also as to the physical processes which seem

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to be agitating its substance, may prove, more or less, interesting to your readers.

"Not being aware that the great comet was so favourably situated for observation until the morning of 25 June, 1881, no attempt to observe it had been made, but a watch was kept up as the day declined.

"At about 9.30 p.m. it was distinctly seen, being about 18 or 20 degrees above the northern horizon, inclining a little to the west. The instruments were then put upon it, and speedily the nucleus or head gave signs of complex structure.

"Tumultuous movements were shaking its frame; movements suggestive of those mysterious pulsations of light seen! During the displays of the Aurora.

"At 11 30 p.m.. the head looked as if it were twisted round on the line of site, having a very brilliant core or centre, fairly round and well defined.

"From the head spread 2 fan shaped plumes of light, directed to the N.W. and S.W. respectively; and likewise a ray pointing to the North.

"The southern side head also appeared enveloped by three sheet-like masses of light having rounded surfaces and stretching in a slanting direction relative to the line of observation.

"The whole bending round and constituting the tail, and presenting delicate detail hardly to be put into words.

"At 11 10 p.m. wave like forms seemed to sweep outwards from the head, and at 12 35 p.m. a jet was seen projected in the direction of the S.E. bending round appositely, and resembling a broad sickle. The ray mentioned above had also assumed a curved shape, and, further, seemed to indicate that the evolution of another envelope was progressing. Further observations were made intensely interesting. "...The positions of the comet as determined by 3 'lower transit' observations reduced to the Meridian of Greenwich, subject to corrections, have been made as follows: June 25th RA 5 hours 38 minutes. DEC 53 deg. 25 min's north June 26th RA 5 hours 41 minutes. DEC 57 deg. 03 min's north June 27th RA 5 hours 48 minutes. DEC 62 deg. 17 min's north "The comet passes directly overhead daily at about 11•30 PM. On Tuesday night, it presented a most beautiful aspect, the four envelopes looking like delicate plumes of light rolled gracefully round the nucleus.

"Spectroscopic observations show that probably a luminous form of Carbon vapours is one of its constituents."

Thomas Bush also saw the bright comet Schaeberle although it was too low in the sky to make any serious observations.

On 9 December 1874, while Thomas Bush was still living at 102 Canal Street, there was the first of two transits of Venus, and although he possessed a new solar eyepiece from the Astronomer Royal, the observing conditions were very poor and he saw nothing. However, on 6 December 1882 he had a second chance to observe this rare event from his new observatory.

After observing the planet pass across the face of the Sun, he was invited to give a talk to the Natural Science section of the Nottingham Philosophical Society,

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and a news item of the event later appeared in the Nottingham Guardian.

In 1879, the town’s men of Nottingham in recognition of his astronomical achievements presented Thomas William Bush F.R.A.S. with a large and valuable sidereal clock.

The clock was made by George Cope, also of Nottingham, and at present is housed at Nottingham College University.

WILLEY PARK Bush's life at Thyra Grove was very obscure, since few records of his astronomical observations have been handed down. Thomas Bush only lived at his cottage at Alexandra Park for twelve years, before resigning his position at the General Hospital and moving to Lord Forester's private observatory at Willey Park in 1889, taking all of his private papers along with him. Just before leaving Nottingham, he sold his estate to a local builder named Mr. Green (according to the deeds of the new property built on this land), and at the turn of the century, Bush's home and observatory in Thyra Grove were demolished. It is believed that the contractor destroyed any observations or correspondence left behind.

None of the records I uncovered gives any mention of Thomas Bush’s wife Martha Cecilia Johnstone during his time at Thyra grove. However, one unexpected discovery was that the 1881 Nottingham Census records 70 year-old Elizabeth Bush being an inmate of the Union Road ‘Workhouse’ where she was said to have been a ‘Lace Runner.’ Elizabeth would have been 28 at the time of Bush’s birth in 1839.

Then of course, I found an entry for Isaac Newton, not the scientist himself you understand, another family that happens to have the same Christian name. The last three occupants of Bush's cottage according to the 1891 electoral register were Millicent Newton, Edward Arthur Newton, and Isaac William Newton. It is recorded that the last two members each paid sixteen shillings board & lodging to Millicent.

In 1889, Thomas Bush accepted the position as general helper at Lord Forester's private home at Willey Park (Shown here on the right). The main hall of residence there is said to have a fine astrological clock on the front of the building. The present Lord Forester informed me that to his knowledge there have never been an astronomical observatory on his land that Bush may have used. The main business their from 1889 had been farming, although it was coal and ore extraction from the land that had made the Foresters wealthy.

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Bush resigned from the Royal Astronomical Society for unknown reasons on 9 March 1900. In the 1970s, his baker & grocery shop at 102 Canal Street was demolished to make way for the Nottingham Crown Court buildings.

At the age of 90, Lord Forester sadly passed away at his house in York on 2 June 1894 and was buried on the Willey estate. Thomas Bush stayed on at Willey lodge where he helped to run the farm. Four years later, Emma Forester, Lord Forester's second wife, died at Willey lodge on 24 June 1898, she was 59.

Thomas Bush remained here for a further eleven years with the blessing of Cecil Theodore, the 5th Lord Forester.

At the age of 70, Thomas Bush began plans to build a new 24-inch telescope, the same instrument that would be presented as a gift to Nottingham College University in 1929. His new vocation was to build large telescopes for photographing astronomical objects.

In 1909, he moved to West Sussex where he lived at Dormansland, near Dormans. It was here, after setting himself to work building a new Newtonian reflector, that on 10 December 1909, he rejoined the Royal Astronomical Society.

Interestingly, the railway is not very far from East Grinstead connecting both Dormansland. Today restored steam engines travel this route.

After re-joining the Royal Astronomical Society Bush would have been aware of William Sadler Frank’s who was then the coordinator of the Coloured Star Section of the relatively new British Astronomical Association. Fifty-one yearold Frank’s was a professional observer at the East Grinstead Brockhurst Observatory.

Bush’s new 24-inch telescope had a square iron tube that was boxed using wood. It also had a hefty 48inch declination circle on one side of the instrument, and a large right ascension circle positioned on the brass mechanism of the telescope mounting. It was weight driven by a gravity clock, and controlled by flyweights with a friction pad. On one side of the tube is an 8-inch reflector

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that he built himself, with a small 2-inch guide-scope on the other.

While still working on the 24-inch telescope, Bush moved to the observatory of Mr. W.S. Franks of Brockhurst, who appears in Kelley's county directories between 1911 and 1915 at Doona Cottage, Lewes Road, East Grinstead. It was here that Thomas Bush set up his new telescope in a very large run-off shed observatory, tested the instrument, and corrected all of the remaining faults.

Thomas Bush was 84 years old when he retired to live at Sackville College that is still located a few yards down Lewes road.

The County Archivist, Mr. Richard Childs BA. DAA, of West Sussex Records Office, kindly searched through the records held at County Hall and reported, "We hold the records of Sackville College (WSRO Ref. Add. Ms. 17826-18013) and the parish records for East Grinstead at this office. I checked the catalogues of these records but could find no specific reference to Mr. Bush. However, I checked Add.Ms. 17836, which is a record of Sackville College Pensioners and Inmates, and found an entry for him."

The paper (showed here) indicates that he entered Sackville College “a widower” on 8 January 1924, the fee being £100 a year. It also shows that his “sister-in-law” was ill at the time, although no name or address was supplied to the college.

While researching her family history, Patricia Reehl of Swanley, Kent, a relative of Thomas Bush uncovered another Nottingham connection with East Grinstead in Noreen Bush who would have been 19 years-old in 1924 she writes: “Interestingly, Noreen Bush born 1905 in Nottingham was the founder-principal of the BushDavies Ballet Schools. Noreen was appointed head scholarship teacher to the Royal Academy of Dancing in 1929 and became a member of the Academy’s Grand council in 1929. In 1930 in conjunction with Victor Leopold, she opened a school in London.

By 1939 she joined forces with

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Marjory Davies to establish two schools one at East Grinstead and the other at Romford.”

Sadly, with increasing ill health, Thomas William Bush FRAS died here on Monday 23 April 1928, he was 88 years-old.

Bush’s close friend, Mr. Percy Sharman, who was a professor of music at the college, was appointed the executor of Mr. Bush's will and he took charge of the contents of his room. Bush’s Probate record reads: “Thomas William Bush of Sackville College East Grinstead. Administration with Will 16.6.1928 to Percy Victor Sharman. Professor of Music. Effects £708 3s 10d. Probate 1928 London.”

Professor Sharman acted according to the last wishes of the late Mr. Bush, by contacting Mr. J.E. Shimeld at University College, Nottingham, to present him with Bush's scientific instruments, books and the great 24 inch reflector, that are all still held in storage on the campus today. These include the gold medal presented by Queen Victoria. A 1613 Bible covered in black leather, an 1800 folio Bible, and a rare 1618 Botanical book: 'The Anatomy of Plants,' by Nehemiah Grew.

Bush's religion was Church of England; furthermore, the funeral service that followed on Friday 27th of April was carried out according to the ancient rites and ordinances of the college. The brothers and sisters all paid their respects by following Bush to the gates of the building, and the service then followed in the Sackville Chapel.

The actual site of Thomas Bush's final resting place is still a mystery. Mr. Martin Hayes, the Principal Local Studies Librarian at Worthing library, West Sussex, made a number of enquiries, however he drew a blank, and I can say with certainty no one was buried in the grounds of Sackville College.

"As regards his burial place, officers at East Grinstead Town Council checked the burial registers for Mount Noddy & Queens road cemeteries but no record of his burial is listed. The parish churchyard at St. Swithun's was closed by 1928 according to Canon Roger Brown the present incumbent."

Bush's obituary notices were published in Nottingham, nationally, and in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, volume 89. At this point, I believe it fitting to quote from two of the obituary columns. The first is from Mr. W.S. Franks writing in The Courier: "By those who knew him he was esteemed for his sterling qualities, though not seeking publicity. He was an expert mechanic as well as a mathematician; designing and building a number of large reflecting telescopes, some of them with mirrors two feet in diameter.

"He was a classical scholar and could quote passages from Shakespeare, Goth, and Schiller with much facility, besides having a pretty thorough knowledge of Greek and Latin..."

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The second obituary abstract is from Mr. F.C. Poynder writing in 'The National Deposit Friendly Society magazine, April 1932, page 89: "Mr. Bush's mathematical attainments were of a very high order. He had a wide knowledge of History and Geography. He could read the Old and New Testament in their original languages and could read French and German. He had a great interest in Philosophy.

"He was well read in general literature; had a great love of music; and was an ardent admirer of Shakespeare and Shelley, whose words were often on his lips.

"When it is added that he had an intimate knowledge of farming and knew all about Mechanics, we may justly say that intellectually he was among the giants. It was only due to his total lack of ambition and his indifference to the world’s prizes that he did not attain to a position of pre-eminence in any one of half a dozen subjects.

"But we shall form a very incomplete picture of him if we omit his nobility of character. He was courteous, gentle, and lovable, with that greatness which results from the union of brilliant intellect with loftiness of character, complete simplicity."

In East Grinstead the young television astronomer Sir. Patrick Moore befriended Mr. Frank's who introduced him to stargazing. In 1934, the 24-inch telescope was already dismantled ready for dispatch to Nottingham; Patrick had full use of all the other telescopes at the observatory. Sadly, Sadler Frank’s died suddenly in a road accident after being knocked of his bicycle in 1935.

At the Convention of the Antique Telescope Society held at Bath in September 1996, I gave a lecture on the life of Thomas Bush, Sir. Patrick Moore told me afterwards that he had the original observation books compiled by W.S. Frank's, and that a number were written by Bush himself. Patrick also informed the meeting that he had many photographs showing the observatory and the telescopes their.

The 24-inch telescope was brought back to Nottingham, where it was set up on the former University grounds in Shakespeare Street during the summer of 1935.

Unfortunately, the University staff was unable to get the gravity clock mechanism of the telescope to work properly. It was then dismantled and put into storage in the cellar of the University building. Sadly, along with the University, the telescope was damaged during World War II on the night of the Blitz, 10 May 1941. What remains of the telescope is today at Nottingham University’s Highfield campus.

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BROCKHURST: A SMALL TWENTIETH-CENTURY OBSERVATORY

BY SIR PATRICK MOORE, CBE, FRS. Brockhurst Observatory, at East Grinstead in Sussex, cannot claim to have been a major institution. Its largest telescope was a Bush 24-inch reflector, but much of the work was carried out with a 6 1/8 inch refractor, and by one man, William Sadler Franks (1851-1935). Yet some useful results came from it, and it deserves to be remembered. The location 51° 7’ 27” N. 2° 27 E. F.J. Hanbury, senior partner in the famous firm of Allan and Han-bury, set it up in the first decade of the twentieth century. Hanbury was very wealthy, and bought a lovely old house on the boundary between East Grinstead and the village of Ashurst Wood in West Sussex. He was a noted horticulturalist, and specialised in orchids; his orchid-houses were world famous, and were tended by a large staff. The Observatory was set up in the grounds, and was attractive; there was one main building, with a dome for the refractor as well as a transit instrument and an observing room. The Cooke telescope was optically excellent, with a conventional falling-weights drive; there was an accurate clock, and a small library.

As observer, Hanbury engaged W.S. Franks, who had been born in Newark on 26 April 1851 and had become an enthusiastic astronomer, though he never attended University. He specialised in observations of star colours, and his first major contribution was “Catalogue of the Colours of 3,890 Stars”, communicated to the Royal Astronomical Society in 1878 by Rev. T. W. Webb.

Subsequently he became director of the Star Colours Section of the Liverpool Astronomical Society (then a national rather than a local organization). The Liverpool society collapsed, and was to all intents and purposes succeeded by the British Astronomical Association, founded in 1890. Franks joined the BAA in 1891, and directed its Star Colour Section for some years. In view of the small telescopes involved (many of them refractors) the estimates were surprisingly accurate, and several lists were issued, though with the rise of spectroscopy the Section faded away. Franks retained his interest in the subject, and in 1921 undertook a revision of the colours of 6,000 stars at the request of the Vatican Observatory. Meanwhile he had spent some time as assistant to Isaac Roberts at a private observatory in Crowborough in Sussex (1892-1904). He assisted John Franklin-Adams in the preparation of the famous star charts, and in 1910 accepted Hanbury’s invitation to take charge at the Brockhurst Observatory (Shown on the right).

Franks made his own programme of observations – mainly concerned with star colours; various papers were published, and in 1923, the RAS Council awarded him the Jackson-Gilt medal. Otherwise, Frank’s duties were more or less limited to making the telescopes available to Hanbury’s houseguests, of which there were

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many. The 24-inch Bush reflector was housed in a separate observatory, but was always the secondary instrument, and was taken down in 1930.

The work at Brockhurst was not confined to star colours; Franks was concerned largely with micrometrical measurements of double stars, and indeed this was probably the most important contribution. Between 1914 and 1920, in particular, thousands of measurements were made. Neither was photography neglected, and in fact, Franks’ last paper, published in 1930, dealt with Barnard’s dark nebulae.

Franks died on 19 June 1935, at the age of eighty-five. I had been observing with him, and very much to my surprise, Hanbury invited me to take charge of the Observatory. Despite my tender years (I was aged fourteen) I hope that I carried out my duties efficiently; at any rate, Hanbury seemed to think so, and I was able to use the Cooke refractor to contribute to the lunar and planetary sections of the BAA. Hanbury died in early 1939, and the Observatory was dismantled; the Cooke refractor was sold for £40 – a sum that was, to my great regret, out of my range.

Franks observing books were handed over to me at the request of his relations. I correlated them and handed them over to the BAA. Trees now grow over the site of the Brockhurst Observatory, but it played a role, albeit a minor one and I at least will remember it with great affection.

WILLIAM SADLER FRANKS [Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 96, p.291] Franks was born at Newark on 1851 April 26.

During the early part of his life, he was occupied in his father's business at Leicester, but lie soon exhibited a preference for pursuits of a mechanical and scientific nature. At first chemistry and electricity claimed his chief attention -, but a glance through a friend's telescope turned his thoughts towards astronomy, and it was not long before he had an instrument of his own, mounted in a small homemade observatory of the Berthon type.

After satisfying his curiosity by a little general stargazing, Franks soon settled down to systematic work, choosing the study of star colours as his line of research. The first fruits of this work took the form of a “Catalogue of the Colours of 3,890 Stars," which was communicated to the Society on his behalf in 1878 by the Rev. T. W. 'Webb. His interest in this branch of work persisted throughout his life, though he was otherwise occupied for a great part of his observing career. He directed the Star-Colour Section of the Liverpool Astronomical society and, later, that of the British Astronomical Association. He contributed many papers on the subject to the Monthly Notices, and as recently as 1921 undertook a revision of the colours of some 6000 stars at the request of the late father Hagen, who published them in a volume of the Specola Vaticana in 1923. He acquired great skill in the estimation of

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star colours, and his results, attained by purely visual means with a small telescope, have been found to be in quite remarkable agreement with those derived more recently by measurements of intensity distribution in photographic spectra.

In 1802 Franks joined the late Dr. Isaac Roberts at Crowborough, and was there engaged in photographing nebula and star clusters with the 2o-inch reflector, until the time of his employer's death in 1904.

In this work, he showed the same careful attention to detail as had characterised his previous visual observations. The applause, which always greeted the appearance of the Crowborough photographs on the screen at Burlington House, was often a virtual tribute to his personal skill and gave him much quiet satisfaction.

He left Crowborough in 1906 and went to live at Uxbridge for some years, during which time he had several small engagements connected with private observatories. He also assisted the late John Franklin Adams at Mervel Hill in the preparation of his star charts for publication.

From 1910 until the time of his death Franks was in charge: of Mr. Frederick J. Hanbury*s observatory at East Grinstead. Here the chief instrument was a 6-inch equatorial refractor by Cooke, and with it, he made, during seven years, a series of micrometrical measures of wide double stars. These were published in various papers communicated to the Society in the years 1914-1920. In 1923, the Council awarded to him the Jackson-Gilt medal of the moiety for his work on the colours of the stars. He was by this time in his seventy-second year, hut he continued to contribute occasionally to the Monthly Notices, his last paper, on Bernard's marl: nebulae, being published in 1930 January, when he was seventy-eight.

Franks, in whose character modesty was charmingly blended with enthusiasm, was probably little known to the present generation of astronomers, but there was a time when his diminutive,., almost gnome-like figure was often seen at the meetings of the Society, and those who were privileged to know him will retain a happy recollection of his delightful personality.

He died on 1935 June 19, in the eighty-fifth year of his age, leaving a widow, one son and two daughters. He was elected a Fellow of the Society on 1880 January 9.

SIR PATRICK MOORE [Extracts from his Autobiography 80 Not Out and the BBC website] From 1953 onward, astronomy dominated my life, so I think I must backtrack a little to set the scene. Of course, it goes back to the time when I read that little book by G. F. Chambers, and I think I tackled it in the right way.

I did some more reading, obtained a simple star map, and learned my way around the night sky, which is not difficult if you put your mind to it; I made a pious resolve to learn one new constellation on every clear night.

Next, I borrowed a pair of binoculars, and investigated objects such as double stars and star clusters. By the time I was eleven, I had saved up enough money to buy a small telescope, and I had two slices of luck. One was to be elected a member of the British Astronomical Association; I well remember being taken to a meeting in London, at Sion College, and having the strange experience of walking up to be admitted by the President, at that time Sir Harold Spencer Jones, the

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Astronomer Royal. It never occurred to me that half a century later I would myself occupy the Presidential chair.

The other slice of luck was that I met W. S. Franks, a well-known astronomer who lived in East Grinstead and ran a private observatory owned by F. J. Hanbury, of the firm of Allen and Hanbury. Brockhurst Observatory was within a couple of hundred yards of my home, and was equipped with an excellent telescope - a 6-inch refractor. Franks took me under his wing, and taught me how to make astronomical observations. He was in his eighties, and just about five feet tall; he had a long white beard, and always wore a skullcap, so that he looked exactly like a gnome.

He was a most delightful man, and it came as a very nasty shock when he died suddenly following a road accident; a car knocked him off the bicycle that he rode every day between his home and the Observatory.

To my intense surprise, I was invited to take over and run the Observatory. For a fourteen-year-old this was a great opportunity, though I have to admit that my main duties were limited to showing astronomical objects to the Brockhurst houseguests (Hanbury was mainly interested in growing orchids!). I hope that I acquitted myself well, and of course, I had full use of the telescope. My first paper to the BAA was presented during this period; it dealt with features on the Moon, and was entitled `Small Craters in the Mare Crisium', based on my own work. I sent it in, and was notified by the Association's Council that it had been accepted, but I felt bound to explain that I was not exactly elderly. I still have the reply, signed by the then secretary, F. J. Sellers: `I note that you are only fourteen. I don't see that that is relevant.' I duly gave the paper, though I imagine that some of the members present at the meeting were distinctly surprised.

In April 1957, I presented the very first Sky at Night programme. A comet ushered us in: Arend-Roland, which alas we will never see again because it has long since passed out of our range and is leaving the Solar System permanently. At that time, I had no idea how long the programme would survive, but I do sincerely believe that it has played a part in promoting science.

I became fascinated by astronomy at the age of six (in 1929!) when I picked up a small book belonging to my mother, who had more than a passing interest in the sky. Later I wrote books myself. It so happened that in 1957, Paul Johnstone, one of the BBC's senior producers, came across Sun, Myths, and Men, dealing with various aspects of astronomy. Paul - who was not an astronomer but an archaeologist - had been looking out for someone to present a monthly astronomical programme, and he asked me to go and see him. After we had worked it out, the BBC said that they would put out the programme once every four weeks for three months, and see how it was received. Well - we are still going.

Many of the world's leading astronomers have joined me from time to time such as Harlow Shapley, who first measured the size of the Milky Way galaxy, Carl Sagan, of Cosmos fame, Jocelyn Bell-Burnell, discover of pulsars, Fred Hoyle, Harold

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Spencer Jones, Martin Ryle, Bart Bok - a long list, and also the astronauts, headed by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin Over the years, we have covered every aspect of astronomy, and we do our best to be topical. For example, when the lovely Hale Bopp comet appeared in 1997, we did a special programme about it. However, we are also very careful to vary the technical content of our programmes. Some are very basic, while others go into much more detail. This means that we have viewers of all ages, and there is, we hope, "something for everybody.” It is interesting to find that many professionals also watch us. Astronomy is such a vast subject that nobody can hope to cover it all. A researcher who is, for example, researching the spectra of stars many thousands of light years away may not necessarily know very much about the atmosphere of Mars!

There have been many ‘highlights'. One of the first came in 1959, when the Russians obtained the first pictures of the far side of the Moon, which is always turned away from the Earth. The extreme edge of the Earth-turned hemisphere is always very foreshortened, and my particular research was in mapping these difficult regions. When the soviets sent their probe Lunik 3 on a round trip, and obtained images of the unknown regions, they used my charts to link their pictures to the familiar face. Their results came through when I was actually presenting a live programme (everything was live in those days). Later we reported the first controlled lunar landing by an unmanned spacecraft, opening the way for the Apollo triumph of 1969.

We have visited most of the world's great observatories, some of which are truly amazing places, and which are by no means easy to reach. Atop Mauna Kea, in Hawaii, there are several major telescopes, and we have been there several times. In the early days of the observatory, we had to drive up to 14,000 feet, along a road the last part of which was ominously narrow, with a sheer drop to either side. We went to a Gold mine in the black hills of South Dakota, to visit a very curious observatory; it is deep below ground level, and the ‘telescope' is a huge tank of cleaning fluid, designed to pick up special types of radiation from the Sun. We have also made long journeys to observe total eclipses of the Sun. Nothing can match the brilliance of a total eclipse. As the Moon, the pearly corona flashes into view, covers the brilliant Sun the sky darkens, and all of nature seems to come to a halt. In general, we have been successful, and one of my happiest memories is of the eclipse of 1998, which we saw from a ship, the Stella Solaris, in the Caribbean. We had to be in exactly the right place, at exactly the right time, and we had a Greek Captain who got everything right. My birthday fell during that week, and I was given a deck party, which provided, for me at least, the perfect culmination of the trip.

We were less fortunate with the eclipse of 11 August 1999, which ought to have been seen from Cornwall. With Iain Nicholson and Peter Cattermole and the Sky at Night team, we set up our station in Falmouth. The previous day was brilliantly clear, but at the time of the eclipse, we were not only clouded out, but also drenched with rain. We sat under umbrellas saying things such as "Tut, tut!", "Dear me!", and "How annoying!” As far as England is concerned, we must now wait until 2090 for another opportunity.

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I am often asked why The Sky at Night has lasted for so long, and will, we hope, last for a long time yet. There are, I think, several reasons. The most important is that the sky is all around us, and surely, there can be nobody who can avoid taking at least a passing interest.

This has been particularly evident since the start of the Space Age, in October 1957. Before that, astronomy was always regarded as rather a remote subject, practised mainly by old men with long white beards sitting in lonely observatories through the nights, 'watching the stars'. All this was swept away with the ascent of Sputnik 1, the first manmade satellite. Almost overnight, astronomy became headline news, and as such, it has remained. Bear in mind, too, that astronomy is the basis of all timekeeping and navigation.

Secondly, astronomy is one of the few sciences in which the amateur can play a useful role. Amateurs carry out work which professionals have no time to do, have no wish to do, or cannot do. For example, amateurs have always been to the fore in discovering comets and novae, hunting for supernovae, and monitoring events happening on the planets.

Today, the amateur can be surprisingly well equipped, and there is full collaboration between amateurs and professionals. It is also true that amateurs know the skies much better than many of our most senior researchers, who depend entirely on complex electronic devices, and seldom look through their telescopes. Not long ago, I had a phone call from an eminent professional, who told me that he had identified a bright nova or exploding star. It turned out that he had made a completely independent discovery of the planet Saturn!

The third reason is that The Sky at Night is noncontroversial, goes out late, is unlike any other regular programme, and has a faithful following. This means that as far as the BBC's planners are concerned, it is nobody's enemy.

I do have a tremendous correspondence, and I answer all the letters as soon as I can. Many enquiries come from young enthusiasts, and it does give me immense pleasure to go round and find well-known amateurs, and well-known professionals, who began by watching one of

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our programmes. My own research - mapping the Moon - now belongs to the past, and my role, if I have one, is to try to urge others to do things, which I could never do myself; whether or not I have succeeded must be left for others to judge.

Below Patrick Moore on Mars, a painting by Space artist David hardy

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ILKESTON NEWS STORIES 1979-1981 CHRISTMAS MUSIC FOR SHOPPERS (23 Dec 1979) As the rush to buy last minute presents began to reach fever pitch, shoppers in Ilkeston Market Square were treated to a fanfare of Christmas music by Ilkeston Brass Band.

In addition, Santa on his lavishly decorated float waved to shoppers and greeted children.

The float has toured streets round the Stanton Road area with the sound of carols and children’s voices. Yesterday the float called on residents of West Hallam and today it was the turn of the Heanor Road area.

The float and entertainment has been organized by Ilkeston Round Table and the proceeds will be shared among local charities.

Meanwhile, Heanor Methodist Church held a carol service for shoppers conducted by the minister, rev. David Pattack, who was also the organist. A collection was taken for the earthquake disaster victims.

In addition, the matron and some residents of the Florence & Shipley Home at Heanor attended a carol service at the church.

CAROL TOUR FOR CHURCH (16 Dec 1979) Heanor comes alive with Christmas spirit this week as a team of carol singers takes to the streets to raise money for the Heanor Church Restoration Fund. The Rev. Ronald McMullen has organized the “sing-along-a-Christmas.”

DRIVER HURT AS PIPE HITS CAR (April 1980) A DRIVER was in lured today when a one and a quarter ton pipe fell from a lorry on to his car. The lorry, travelling from Ilkeston town centre towards Kirk Hallam on Lower Stanton Road, shed two of its load of eight pipes. The first hit a car travelling in the opposite direction, extensively damaging it and injuring the man, while the second rolled about 80 yards down the road before hitting a parked van. Police said it was not known how seriously hurt the man was, and they were not releasing his name until relatives have been notified.

'TIME' FOR ILKESTON LANDLADY (April) REGULARS of the Rutland Cottage pub in Heanor Road, Ilkeston, were bidding farewell today to landlady Mrs. Madge Lawrence, who is retiring at the age of 65.

Madge has been at the pub since 1953. She is moving to a new cottage at Cotmanhay.

She has always loved animals, as all her regulars know. She used to have a goose called Bella, which liked going for walks along the bar; a black and white pony; and two golden Labradors.

She and her late husband Monty were married in 1934 and their two sons are Roy, a police officer, and Peter, who works for Rolls-Royce.

At a presentation evening at the Rutland Cottage, Madge received a spin drier, table lamp, and flowers from her customers.

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DANCE TO AID YHA JUBILEE (April) THE Youth Hostels Association is celebrating its golden jubilee this year, and Kirk Hallam School and 'Community Centre held a folk dance evening to raise money for the jubilee fund.

Chairperson of the association, Mrs. Reany Wild, said it was the first of a number of activities to be held in Britain as part of the celebrations.

She added, "We hope to raise about £1million for hostel development. In the summer our new hostel in London, which cost £500,000 to build, will be open for the tourist season for students."

New and past members will be welcome to attend events, which will be open to the public.

TRIBUTE TO TRENT BUSWORKERS (1 May) TRENT Sports and Social Club, based at the Bath Street bus depot in Ilkeston, have booked a presentation evening at the Regency Banqueting Suite for July.

Retirement presentations will be made to Mr. W. Chambers, of Cannon Close, Cotmanhay, who retires from Trent Motor Traction' Company as a conductor in June after 40 years, and Mrs. Dasa Rogers, of Bestwick Street, Ilkeston, one of the company's cleaners who retired last December after 20 years.

Prizes will be presented to winners and runners-up in sporting fixtures at the depot between January and April.

Snooker: G. Brown and N. Orchard. Chess: M. Shaw and P. Bamford. Crib: N. Orchard and C. Dance. 'Dominoes: I. Briggs and J. Binch. Table skittles: S. Murray and I. Briggs. Table tennis: P. Stone and T. Pickworth. Darts: J. Maltby. Draughts: M. Shaw and V. Geary.

SUNSHINE PARADE FOR SJAB GROUPS (20 May) TWENTY-SEVEN divisions of the South Derbyshire St. John Ambulance Brigade including Heanor, Ilkeston, Belper, Ashbourne, Melbourne, and Derby -- took part in a parade and presentation ceremony at Alfreton.

In fine sunshine, the Lord Lieutenant for Derbyshire, Col. Peter Hilton, carried out the annual inspection. He said several members of the St. John Ambulance were now in training for a motorbike division. It would be the first of its kind in the world and would be in operation shortly.

A reconditioned ambulance was presented to the South Derbyshire Transport Division. Financial aid for the renovation work came from Derby Lions Club to the value of about £400, and brigade members carried out full repairs.

First casualty for the ambulance - shortly before the handing over ceremony - was a 15-year-old boy who was taken to Ripley Hospital and later transferred to Derbyshire Royal Infirmary.

Among those presented with awards from Ilkeston were Peter Chantry for 50 years' service; Margaret White 20 years' service; Sgt. Gerald' Cooper 15 years; Hilda Gold, 15 years; and Anthony Greenwood and Peter Trolley (from Stanton Division) both 15 years.

CENTRE'S LOCOS SET OFF FOR TRIALS (22 May BUTTERLEY Station, near Ripley, is the main headquarters of the Midland Railway Trust, and from there yesterday two steam locomotives, a third class Victorian open carriage and a British Rail car set off for Manchester to take part in trials.

These will last from Saturday until Monday at Rainhill Station and loco-

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motives will travel en route along a special track between Liverpool and Manchester.

It was in these trials that history was made 150 years ago when George Stephenson won the overall event in a steam engine he designed and built himself the Rocket - which will be on show to the public during the trials.

It is about 10 years since the Midland Railway Trust moved on to the present site, and today Butterley Station is a hive of activity.

About 30 dedicated volunteers restore old steam locos, carriages, and even buses to their former glory while others take turns to look after visitors.

Today only, the foundations remain of the old Butterley Station, but over the past year Whitwell Station, near Worksop - which is almost identical to Butterley - has been taken apart brick by brick and it is hoped to rebuild it at Butterley.

CENTRE PLAN GRANT APPEAL (May) PROPOSALS presented to Erewash Borough Council by Cotmanhay Community Self-Help Group have been explained by the chairperson, Mr. Morden.

He said, "Our main aim is to provide a community centre for use by everyone in the Cotmanhay area. We are optimistic that our application to the council for a grant or loan to buy the empty Woodside Club in Church Street will be successful."

He said the group would be able to repay the loan from grants presented by other charity organisations.

The Self-Help Group is also negotiating to obtain a stretch of wasteland opposite Cotmanhay Infants' School, which extends round Cotmanhay Road. ' Mr. Morden said, "This land should prove an ideal site for a children's play area with swings, slides, and roundabouts. At one stage we were thinking in terms of an adventure playground, but the high cost has ruled this out."

Committee member Charlie Henson said the council provided ' land the SelfHelp G would provide the lei items.

Meanwhile, Con. Geehan said there w great need for a community centre, but he do whether the use of empty Woodside would work.

"What is needed building where the elderly can meet during the and the younger generation at night. Small children need a play area. If the building is obtained, where are the facilities at Woodside Club?�

However, he said that through the Erewash lottery fund, the council had spent about ÂŁ24,000 on buying a house near the Market Place for a museum.

"Who wants a museum when the money can be well spent elsewhere, like building community leisure centre on the Skevington Lane estate? Such a centre would provide grassland for children to play on after school and be ideally placed for use by the elderly."

Meanwhile, the Cotmanhay Community Self-Help! Group is a year old on 6 June 15 and members are planning a Gala Day with mini-motorbike rides for children, a radio-controlled air display, and music provided by Ilkeston Classics Pipe and Drum Band.

APPEAL FOR HEANOR CHURCH (20 May) HEANOR'S St. Lawrence Church, high on a natural land formation in one corner of the market square, is to be the centre of two public events shortly to raise further funds to rebuild the structure.

The first is a concert in the main building by the Bestwood Male Voice Choir at 7.30pm on April 19.

Then BBC TV personality, Peter Purvis, of "Stopwatch," will open a Victorian market at Heanor on May Day starting at Ham with many attractions, including a

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steam traction engine.

As part of this event, a display will be held in the church by the Heanor and District History Society. Some of the old records will be on view.

The chairperson of the Appeal Committee, the ' Rev. Ronald McMullen, said, "People will be allowed into the bell tower to have a look around.

They will also be able to have their photographs taken to remember the event."

So far, the appeal has raised about £30,000, almost half the £70,000 target figure.

Restoration, with the addition of toilets and two small rest rooms, would come to 9240,000 so it is proposed to build a new church, keeping the bell tower. The new church will be on the site of the present one and will seat about 150 people for regular use.

BRICKS THROWN IN ILKESTON GRAB RAID (May) Two bricks were thrown through a plate glass window in a smash and grab raid on the shop of V. Greaves Ltd. In Bath Street, Ilkeston, today.

A video tape recorder worth £470 was stolen.

The bricks caused damage to a colour television, dishwasher, and two refrigerators. One brick landed 20ft inside the store.

It is the second incident of its type within three months. In the previous raid, two black & white TV sets were stolen.

A police representative said a vehicle was heard starting up at about 12.30am. The window was worth about £200. It was the largest in the store.

BANDS IN DRAYCOTT CONTEST (20 May) Three local bands took part in a carnival at Draycott, and the Hucknall Titchfield Nomads emerged as the winners with a fine display, which notched an overall 92 points.

Jointly in second place, with 86 points each, were Ilkeston Classics Fife & Drum band and the Hinckley Hussars.

The competitors showed fine spirit in brilliant sunshine, and despite a cold wind, spectators enjoyed the displays to the full.

The competition was sponsored by Spondon Legionnaires who later ran a disco for the competitors at Spondon.

WOMEN DIES AFTER ILKESTON ACCIDENT (27 May) A 66-year-old Ilkeston woman died in a tragic Bank Holiday road accident in the town, writes Patrick Fleckney.

Mrs. Nellie Beardsley, of Botany Drive, Cotmanhay, was walking with another woman who was injured by a car, which mounted a pavement following a collision.

The accident happened on Sunday evening at about 7.45 on Nottingham Road at the junction with Thurman Street. Police were today appealing for witnesses.

Mrs. Beardsley died after the accident and the woman she was walking with, Ivy Riley, 62, of Smedley Avenue, Ilkeston, was said to be critical in Derbyshire Royal Infirmary.

Police say two cars were involved in a collision and one then mounted the pavement. The women were walking in the direction of Trowell.

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ILKESTON OAP ON OUTING (June) Six coaches took Ilkeston pensioners on a day trip in Derbyshire, calling for tea at the Railway Hotel, Buxton. The sunshine added a glow to the outing for the 250 pensioners who set out from Ilkeston’s Welcome Hall.

Organiser was Miss Dasa Rogers (Secretary of the Welcome Hall), of Westwick Street, Ilkeston, who retired from Trent’s Ilkeston bus depot in December after 40 years’ service.

THE GLORY GOES TO GLORIA! (June) Ilkeston’s Rutland Hotel was the setting for a contest at which Gloria Tyler, 24, of Hopewell Road, Cotmanhay, was chosen as the new Gala Queen. She takes over from last year’s winner Elaine brown.

Runner-up was a clerical assistant at Walton House, Nottingham, Jeanette Newton, 16, of Heanor Road, Ilkeston, and Christine Harper, 18, of Truman Street, took third place.

The event was organised by Cotmanhay Community Self-Help Group, and Gloria will be crowned during gala day on the Pavilion Road sports field on Sunday.

BUS DRIVER ANGELA TAKES TO THE ROAD (June) Twenty-one-year-old Angela Cooper, of Derby, has become the first women driver from Trent’s Ilkeston bus depot. She took only four weeks to pass her PSV test. Now a second conductress, Sussell Powell, 23, from Ilkeston, follow Angela’s lead by training at Langley Mill, passing her PSV in just 3 weeks.

CODNOR FUN PACKAGE BEATS THE RAIN (June) Codnor Carnival got off to a lively start, despite poor weather on Saturday.

The highlight was a chariot race through the streets won by a team from the Glasshouse Inn, which, as it happened, donated a trophy for the winner.

A carnival parade was led by Long Eaton Militaries, followed by the Hucknall Yellow Hammers, Heanor Lions Jas band, and Selston Royals.

A parade of gaily decorated floats followed, and adjudged the best was “West Hill trouping the colour” with “AVCO” second and “Lord Byron’s Round Table” third.

The parade went to the miners welfare sports ground to be received by the carnival queen, 19-year-old Julie Pell, of Greenhill Lane, Riddings, whose attendants were Julie Tickworth, Deborah Whitehead, Nicola Allen and Louise Brednall.

Later there was jousting, with knight martial Brian Hinksman keeping both sides in order. The Black Knight, in medieval costume, was Tony Edwards, and his opponent, Sir Robert of Sherwood, was Sam Humphrey.

The secretary, Mrs. June Brednall, said, “It was the third year the carnival had been held. Last year we raised £800, which was divided among local charities.

This year we shall give the proceeds towards a vitally needed doctor’s surgery for Codnor. At present residents have to travel to Ripley, Heanor or Riddings for treatment.”

HITCH BOYS NEW £200 (June) Paul Smith & John Martine, both members of Ilkeston Leo Club, have raised a total of £200 with a sponsored hitchhike from Ilkeston to Aberdeen.

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The journey took a little over 14½ hours to complete and the money will be shared among local charities in the area.

CYCLIST HURT (June) Cyclist Mr. Peter McFarlane, of Deep dale Avenue, Kirk Hallam, was injured in an accident in Ladywood Road, was taken to Ilkeston General Hospital with cuts and bruises for treatment, and later transferred to the Queen’s Medical Centre, he was allowed home after treatment.

CHANGE AT COTMANHAY (June) The Trent bus service from Cotmanhay farm to Kirk Hallam went on one-man weekday operation from today. Service 352 is jointly run with Barton’s service 51.

The route by both companies has been altered slightly and will no longer use the old Cotmanhay Farm terminus. Instead, buses will travel by Skevington’s Lane and Beauvale Drive, with a wait at the old terminus before continuing down Beauvale Drive, past Cotmanhay Infants School and Cotmanhay Road. The timetable remains unchanged.

COTMANHAY SPORTS (June) Cotmanhay Junior School sports were held yesterday, the overall winners being the Reds with 90 points. Team captains Simon Mansfield and Tracy Martin received the trophy. Runners-up were Yellows with 83 points.

TRENT PAY DISPUTE SETTLED (23 June) Employees of the Trent bus company based at depots in the region, including Ilkeston, Langley Mill, Alfreton, and Nottingham, are to receive back payment next month resulting from a wage increase last March.

The payment has been held up following a dispute between the TGW union and management. The company intended to pay each depot a lump sum and ask employees to share it out among themselves, but this was opposed by the TGWU. The union felt those who had put in fewer working hours would have received the same amount as others who had worked extra hard during the same period.

The dispute has now been settled, and employees will receive back pay based on the number of hours worked.

STANTON VALE CARNIVAL (25 June) Stanton Vale Carnival got off to a lively start in fine weather with Bingham Bellaire’s Band leading a team of floats.

Ilkeston “Community Nurses” were voted number one and ambulance man David McDonald with Nurse Jean Godfrey, from Ilkeston General Hospital, received a shield and a silver cup from the deputy Mayor of Erewash Coun. Ron Seeley.

Second prize went to the “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” float, and “St. Tinian’s” took third prize.

An estimated gate of 1,000 gathered to enjoy the day’s activities on Stanton Vale playing field, behind the new swimming pool. Main attraction was a display by the Maids of Clifton Clog Dancing Team and Clifton Grove Morris Dancers.

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Tug of war proved another draw. It was run by a team from the Rose & Crown, Dracott, with an overall six points. An Ilkeston team from the Great Northern public house came second with three points.

A spokesperson for Stanton Vale Special School said, “It was a joint effort by Ilkeston Lions and the PTA to raise funds for a new hoist for the school’s new swimming pool, which was also built through fund-raising.

“The hoist will be a valuable piece of equipment allowing children to be gently lifted from the poolside into the water.

“In January the estimated cost was £2,000 but we understand the price has risen since again.”

FAMILY FUN DAY THE AIM (25 June) Erewash Mayor Councillor Mrs. Agnes Johnstone will open Ilkeston Festival in the market place on Friday at 7pm. In addition, the programme promises a full supply of entertainment for the family.

BIG COWDS AS FESTIVAL OPENS (30 June) Large crowds saw the Mayer of Erewash Councillor Mrs. Agnes Johnstone; open Ilkeston Festival in the market square.

The fountain, a national monument, proved popular for sightseers as the water flowed for the first time since the war. It was recently restored to working order

by Ilkeston Civic Society.

A guard of honour by six members of HMS Churchill, the nuclear submarine adopted by Erewash Borough Council, who are visiting Ilkeston and a fanfare, was played by Ilkeston Brass.

Shortly before the opening ceremony, Mrs. Johnstone held a reception in Ilkeston Co-op Regency Rooms for the crew.

Afterwards she played host at a reception at Ilkeston College in Field Road for an Il’son evening, which was originally cancelled because of lack of public interest.

Mr. John Titford, one of the organisers for the event, explained, “It looked as if we were going to have a financial loss because not many tickets were being sold at the Cantaloupe Centre and it was decided to cancel the evening.

“Then people kept on phoning for tickets so we decided to go ahead as planned.”

Musical entertainment was provided by Ram’s Bottom, a group of seven talented musicians Ron Cosser, Trevor Hopkins, Barry Coupe, Keith Kendrick, Ian carter, Richard Scollings and John Terry.

The Black Pudding King from Stanley Common, George Stafford, provided the evening mean of the traditional Derbyshire delicacy, black pudding, sausage, and savoury duck.

On Saturday, a pro-loco art competition was held with artists having to paint a local scene on the spot and then hang their pictures on the church wall to be judged by the public later in the day.

The winners were 1, J. Adams, Moorway Lane, Littleover; 2, H. Crossly, Hampden Street, Giltbrook; 3, M.J. Parnham, Nottingham Road, Eastwood.

BUST HOLDS UP BUSES (July) A burst water main opposite the Supersave store in Ilkeston yesterday afternoon provided entertainment for shoppers as water was thrown into the air to the height of a two-storey building.

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An emergency crew from the Seven-Trent Water Authority was quickly on the scene. After turning off the water supply, they dug up the road to replace a burst pressure valve.

Two hours later, everything was back to normal though both Barton and Trent buses were running late for a time because of the hold up.

CLASSICS HAVE A HEAD START (2 July) THE Ilkeston Classics, which was formed three years ago to provide a carnival band for the town, now has a membership of 56.

'The band travels all over the Midlands giving marching displays, the centre piece of which is a canon which actually works.

Bandmaster, Mr. Keith Nicholls, a founder member, said: "We like to think that we can do a new display each year with a different routine and a completely different repertoire of tunes.

"Other carnival bands play from music; my band carries its entire repertoire in its head. They have something like a repertoire of 32 tunes, and they do not put many notes wrong.

"We have got some very good events this year. We are at Kegworth for the big steam fair, a carnival at Kettering and a big show at the Eastern Counties Showground at Expo 80 in Peterborough; we also go to Black later on in the season.”

Meanwhile the Classics are always on the look out for new members aged 13 and above. There is also room for adults. Further information can be obtained from the president, Mr. Roy Smith, of 2 Lawrence Avenue, Eastward.

CANTELUPE HONOURS (9 July) Ilkeston secondary schools have been holding their annual sports, the climax taking place at Kirk Hallam School yesterday.

Even though the day was dull, everyone enjoyed the programme in which 1,000 children competed.

Winners with 357 points were Cantaloupe School, with Ilkeston School second on 318 points. Nine trophies were awarded in all.

LEISURE CENTRE THE AIM (3 July) Cotmanhay Community Self Help Group is to hold its annual meeting shortly to discuss its current financial situation following a number of fund raising events in Ilkeston and on the progress of providing Cotmanhay with a community leisure centre.

Last April the group presented Erewash Borough Council with a proposal to obtain a grant or loan to buy the empty Woodside Club in Church Street, which they would repay from funds donated by other charity organisations.

Unknown to the group, Ilkeston Catholic Club near the town centre was under threat of closure by 19882 due to redevelopment in the area. The club held negotiations with the borough council to transfer the tenancy to the Woodside Club.

In June, the council announced that Ilkeston Catholic Club’s application had been successful.

The Self Help Group is now expected to announce its campaign for a community Leisure centre to be built on the Skevington’s Lane Estate.

A representative for the group said: Our main aim is to provide Cotmanhay with a community Centre. Kirk Hallam at the other end of town has three such centres while Cotmanhay, which covers a larger area, has none”

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The group is also negotiating to obtain a piece of wasteland opposite Cotmanhay Infants School, which extends round Cotmanhay Road. It has been proposed that this land would prove an ideal place for a children’s play area with swings, slide, and roundabout.

TRENT BUS JOBS JOLT (11 July) Jobs could be lost at local depots in a bid by the Trent bus company to cut losses.

Local representatives of the TGWU held meetings yesterday at bus depots in the area in a bid to present the companies proposals to employees.

It was reported that Trent plans to make 70% of its services into one-man operated runs by 1982 with an expansion on the double-decker one-man operated side.

At Langley Mill depot, 10 people could be made redundant with the possibility of early retirement for some employees.

At Ilkeston depot, the redundancy figure has been given as eight.

RESTORATION FUND OPENS AT CHURCH (15 July) Serious problems are being encountered with the fabric and foundations of Cotmanhay and Shipley parish church in Vicarage Street, Ilkeston, which is over 100 years old.

Now the Rev. Michael Bishop has organised a restoration fund, and he outlines the situation in the July issue of his parish magazine.

“We now have the facts as gathered both by our architect and from the investigation carried out by the Coal Board, and the situation is very serious.

“It is plain that whatever steps we take to remedy, it is going to cost many thousands of pounds.

“Our problems certainly equal those of our neighbours at Heanor parish church. I am certain that the eventual decision we shall have to take will be a very difficult one.

“My own belief is that we have to think at least 100 years ahead in whatever decision we take and that we also have to meet the immediate needs of today’s church and parish which is still growing up around us.”

The problems of the church have been present over the past decade (197080) but have recently deteriorated rapidly.

The east end of the building, housing the chancel and main alter, is moving slowly on its foundations; there are a number of old coalmines in the area. In addition, while steel struts in the church tend to strengthen the upper walls, the overall effect is a distortion of the east end of the church wall. There are also problems with the fabric.

Commenting on the position, Mr. Bishop said, “Over the next month or so, we will hold further discussions to see what can be done. No decisions have been taken at this time.”

HOSPITAL GALA A HIT AT ILKESTON (17 July) A LARGE crowd attended Ilkeston General Hospital's gala when musical entertainment was provided by Ilkeston Brass. There were several sideshows, including those from the Red Cross, Charnos, and the Junior Rams.

Kimberly Majorettes were another attraction, led on to the field by Donna King, and a spokesperson said: "The team was formed two years ago and is made up of girls aged between seven and 14. The majority are members of the Red Cross who have passed their first-aid exams."

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Red Cross members of the Majorettes last month won nine cups and shared two others for their skills. The Majorettes will hold their own gala at Kimberley on August 10.

Another highlight of the afternoon was a football match played by nurses, porters, and ambulance men from Ilkeston General Hospital.

Terry Hennessey, former Derby County and Nottingham Forest player, opened the gala, Sister B. Marshman, speaking for the organisers, said there had been a major response from individuals and organisations that made donations and turned up to run the stalls.

Funds raised will go to the League of Friends of Ilkeston Hospital.

ON THE SQUARE STARRY NIGHTS IN NAPLES (30 July) Astronomer Dr. Joseph Langby of the Capo di Monte Observatory in Naples sends greetings to members of the Nottingham Astronomical Society and all amateur astronomers in the region.

This greeting has been passed on to me by Evening Post news correspondent Patrick Fleckney, who has just returned from a short stay in Sorrento Italy.

He says that talking in accented English about research carried out at the observatory, Dr. Langby said, “The main instruments in the observatory are really experimental.

“Eight months of the year the sun is very hot here and at night there is a lot of disturbance as the heat radiates back into the atmosphere.

“So we rely on photographic material and data from other observatories, including Britain, and around the world. We have sections researching into deep skyobjects and the sun; my own research involves occultations of stars as a means of measuring their diameter (an occultation is when the moon or other object passes over and hides a star or planet).

“My own thoughts on UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects) is difficult to put into words, I think there is nothing in these bodies.”

Looking towards the future Dr. Langby recalled that the spacecraft Voyager1 would bypass the ringed planet Saturn in November, sending back if all goes well, detailed news of the rings and planet, along with a close look at the planet’s largest moon Titan.

Dr. Langby said, “When all of the data is being processed by NASA there will be an important conference in America to talk over the findings in December. I hope to take part in the meeting along with astronomers from University College London.

In conclusion, Dr. Langby recalled, “In Britain you have a very famous amateur astronomer, Patrick Moore. He is known in Italy too for his detailed drawings of the moon and planets.

PEACOCK IN RETIREMENTS (28 July) Regulars of the Peacock Inn will be bidding farewell at a party on August 14 to Landlord & Landlady Harry and Joyce Chester who are retiring. The couple previously kept the 66 Club in Cotmanhay Road, Ilkeston. “We shall miss the customers and the night life after serving here for nine years,” said Mrs. Chester.

ROBBO SHINES (1 August) ILKESTON Town put up a good show - in their match against a young Nottingham rest team - boo late hour appearance Scotland win Robertson - at the Manor ground last night (but were defeated 3-0.

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In goal for Forest, in the absence through illness and injury of their second and third choices, was midfield player Steve Kendall, who pulled off some athletic saves.

Soon after the start Forest's Calvin Plummer, who played a fine game and showed good constructive ability, scored the first goal.

Ilkeston Town were pinned back on the defensive in the first half, with Paul Turner plundering the Reds' second goal in the 24th minute.

In the second half Ilkeston Town made' six substitutions, bringing on Paul Wheatley, Les Parker, Ian Underhill, A. Rice, Tony Fazakas, B. Jones and Simon Powery, while Forest took off Jim McKechine and Steve Hodge.

Former Ilkeston striker I Jeff Parry had the satisfaction of hitting the third goal for Forest, whose youngsters were helped, by the experience and talent of Robertson, figuring in the centre of mid- I field.

The Scot had to return ' home from the American tour because of the death of his father.

Robertson gets a further workout in the Nottingham Forest side meeting Midland League Long Eaton United at Grange Park tomorrow (3pm).

Long Eaton United include three new players in their squad, Graham Gladwin from Bridlington, Dick. Radski from Rainworth and Stuart Smith from Burton Albion will be in the line-up that manager Des Beresford puts out for this pre-season warm-up Team from: O'Flynn, White Limb, Rogers, Anderson, Cuthbert, McGurk, Smith, Gladwin Hill, Holder, Acklam, lam, Radski, Coilison, and Cridge.

HEATHER CUTS A FINE FIGURE (6 August) WHEN it comes to skating, 18-year-old Heather Baker certainly cuts a Fine Figure.

For Heather, a very dedicated amateur performer is taking her Silver Figure Skating exam this month, the first step towards becoming a figure skating teacher.

Said Heather: "I began skating at the age of 13, which was a late start, and I was taught by David Lunn for four years. I went to Inter Silver faster than the average person did.

“I then began entering competitions and today I have 24 trophies. Last year I was the Scottish Junior Champion."

Training is very hard; Heather's day begins at 6.30am until 11.00 in the week before starting work at a shop in the city centre.

"After work it's straight back to training at the Ice Rink, so I don't really get much social life for myself,” she said.

Meanwhile Miss Kay Drury, a lab technician, working for the Boots Company in Nottingham, is training hard with her teacher John Phillips, for her Silver Award.

Kay began ice dancing at the age of six and has won a number of trophies for her performances. In 1975, together with her partner David Broker, they won the Lawrence Demy Trophy for Nottingham at Bristol.

BOOST FOR HOME AT COTMANHAY (7 August) The Mayor of Erewash, Councillor Mrs. Agnes Johnstone, opened a garden party at the Hazelwood old people’s home, Cotmanhay, which was attended by a large group of supporters. All the proceeds will go towards the home.

Hazelwood’s oldest resident, Mrs. Rachel Gee, 94, presented the Mayor with two glass goblets. Ilkeston Classics gave a musical display.

Looking after the amplifier and speakers was Mr. William Tredwell, Ilkeston, th who was celebrating his 70 birthday, and as a tribute to the Queen Mother’s birthday and to Mr. Treadwell, Ilkeston Classics Fife & Drum Band played “Congratulations.”

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GRANBY: A SPECIAL YEAR CLOSES (Aug) Children and staff of Ilkeston’s Granby School have completed a busy year of centenary celebrations.

As part of the anniversary, a book written by sport teacher Steven Stone and edited by headmaster Mr. R. McGregor has been published tracing the history of Ilkeston and Granby, the town’s oldest public school.

Considerable help had come from ex-pupils, some of whom provided photographs.

The book records that in 1744 Mr. Richard Smedley, of Risley, provided in his will for £10 to be put aside every year to provide a school for 40 of Ilkeston’s poorest children. This paved the way for Granby, which was officially opened in January 1883.

Now allotment land surrounding the school, which has been acquired by Derbyshire County Council, is to be developed into playing fields.

FAREWELL TO PUB COUPLES (2&18 August) After running the Live and Let Live public house at Charlotte Street, Cotmanhay, for 30 years, Mr. Harry Fisher, 69, and his wife Muriel Fisher, 68, said farewell yester [1 Aug].

They have received a cut glass jewellery box and bouquets of flowers.

Mr. Fisher took over the business in 1950 on the day his son Richard was born. They have two sons and two daughters.

“Cotmanhay people are the best in the world. They are helpful and sympathetic,” said Mr. Fisher.

The pub has closed for modernisation work that is hoped will be completed before Christmas.

Regulars at the Peacock Inn of Church Street, Ilkeston, were given the chance at a party to say farewell to Landlord and Landlady Harry & Joyce Chester, who will be retiring on Wednesday [20 Aug].

They have run the Peacock for over 9 years after previously keeping the 66 Club in Cotmanhay Road.

Taking over at the Peacock will be Roy, Hazel, and Sally Salt, formerly of the George Inn, Pinxton.

With the house full to capacity by early evening, there was plenty of singing with Miss Kay Drury on the organ providing musical entertainment.

Mrs. Ivy Farmer and Mrs. Nora Aldershaw presented Mr. And Mrs. Chester with a bouquet of flowers, three glass ornaments, a crystal cut vase and a large farewell card signed by, and on behalf of all the regulars.

BAND PUTS ON A DANCE (2 September) More than 200 people attended a dance and presentation evening at the Rutland Hotel, Ilkeston, presented by Ilkeston Classics Fife and Drum Band.

Members of the Derby Midshipmen and the Heanor Lions also attended.

A spokesperson for the Carnival Bands Association wished all carnival bands success for the next season.

Then members of Ilkeston Classics received service awards, they were Mrs. Doreen Hickinbotham, Mr. Ivan Nash, Colin Hunt, Jackie Smith, Angela Smith, Leanna Males, Michelle Males, Ronna Seven & Barbara Nash who was celebrating th her 7 birthday.

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COUNCIL MOVE ON TV FURY (4 September) The controversial ATV programme on Ilkeston, shown in the “England, their England” series, is likely to be raised by members of Erewash Borough Council next week.

Councillors were still fuming today over the way Ilkeston was portrayed in the programme, and the mayor of Erewash, Councillor Mrs. Agnes Johnstone, said her telephone had scarcely stopped ringing with protests.

“My first reaction was that I was appalled, but it dealt with life in the town as seen by the Ilkeston Advertiser and the paper does a lot of stories about slums and derelict properties which were shown on the programme.”

She added, “We know there are derelict parts of the town, but there are some very nice places and I wish the producer had also shown the brighter side.

“I would like to see the producer and ask him to do another programme putting the other side of the picture.

We do not all live in pubs or go bowling. Ilkeston people work hard, raise money for charities, and care for each other.

“We have a meeting on Monday [8 September] and possibly the matter will be raised then.”

Councillor Ian Morton said the film had done the town and its people a gross injustice and he was writing a letter of objection to ATV. “It gave a totally distorted picture of Ilkeston,” he said.

Former Erewash Mayor Coun. Henry Shaw said he was so concerned about the programme that he would be objecting to a renewal of a franchise for ATV in the Midlands.

The film was directed by Langley Mill-born Norman Hill with his associate Steve Timmins.

Mr. Jack Pollard, who has worked for the local authority for over 40 years, said: “It was a very bad impression of the town. I like to hear and see honest criticism, and though it is true that parts of Ilkeston has derelict buildings, the film should have shown the good side of the town as well.”

Mrs. Peggy Adams, former owner of the Mace Store in Cotmanhay Road, said, “It was not a fair film. We are not ashamed of being associated with the town.

Ilkeston is a nice place with lots of beauty spots.

CARNIVAL REVIVAL PROVES A WINNER (4 SEPTEMBER) OCKBROOK and- Borrowash Carnival were off to a lively start with a parade that included floats decorated by youngsters and teenagers.

The royal fleet was occupied by Cheryl Placket, of Borrowash, and her attendants Jackie Cootte and Sharon Kemp.

Taking part were Spondon Legionnaires, Hucknall Titchfield Nomads, Ilkeston Classics, the 17th-21st Lancers Army vehicles, custom cars, and Oakbrook and Borrowash brass band.

The parade set off from Pares Way, Oakbrook, en route to Deans playing field at Borrowash along a two-mile route lined with sightseers.

The carnival was the first to be organised since the 1977 Silver Jubilee. It was held in the presence of the Mayor of Erewash, Coun. Mrs. Agnes Johnstone, and the former Mayor, Coun. Henry Shaw.

Entertainment included maypole dancing, a gymnastics display, and a carnival band show.

Results were - Fancy dress winners,-under fives, 1 Lindsey Bricknall; 2 Victoria Legg, and 3 Katrina Taylor. Fives-11, 1 Hazel Salisbury; 2 Kathryn Carter; 3 Tracey Carter. 12-16, 1 Julie Carter, and 2 Sandra Wheatley. Fancy bike winners, 1 Nicole Bradley; 2 David Griffin, and 3 Tim Johnson.

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NOTTS. COUNTS THE WIND COST (September) Nottingham was today counting the cost of damage brought by high winds yesterday. Trees were felled and motorway traffic slowed.

Watnall weathermen say the wind is expected to moderate later today and gradually die away this afternoon.

In one incident at Ilkeston, Mr. Alan Knighton, of Loscoe, Heanor, had a lucky escape when a large tree branch hit his car as he was driving along Heanor road.

In addition, a shop window in Lower bath Street, Ilkeston, was shattered when a gust of wind blew an external blind against the glass.

Police had to divert traffic on Melton Road, West Bridgford, after another tree was blown down. No one was hurt and council workers were called in to clear the road, which was closed for about half an hour.

STEAM FAIR PROVES A DELIGHT (15 September) THE two-day 21st Ilkeston Scout Steam Fair got under way in ideal conditions with a procession of steam traction engines and vintage cars from Awsworth Road along Bath Street en route to the General Havelock public house.

It was led by the town's own carnival band, the Ilkeston Classics.

The steam fair, held at Ladywood Road, Kirk Hallam, was opened on Saturday, and attracted about 1,000 spectators.

In spite of the rain, Ilkeston Classics gave a performance of their prize winning display. This was followed by Sandiacre members of the Army Cadet Force providing military entertainment with different coloured flares, blank ammunition, and tactical manoeuvres.

Sunday set off on a brighter note with sunshine throughout the day, which brought more than 5,000 people through the gates. The main part of the afternoon was taken up by a Scout and Guide band competition, the supreme champions of which were Rise Park Scout and Guide Band from Nottingham.

OFFER ON CHURCH REPAIRS (17 September) THE COAL BOARD on whose land Cotmanhay and Shipley Parish Church is accommodated has made the church council an offer of ÂŁ40,000 towards the cost of repairing the structure, the Rev. Michael Bishop has announced.

A meeting of the church council heard of the offer towards repairs, which are essential.

The problems of the church have been present for the past decade but have recently deteriorated rapidly.

The east end is moving slowly on its foundations, there being a number of old mines in the area. Moreover, while steel struts in the church strengthen the upper walls, the overall effect is a distortion of the east end of the wall.

The NCB offer indicates that if the money is used for a new building it will be considered as final payment of compensation. However, if repairs are carried out to the present church, another grant will be possible later if required.

Mr. Bishop said, "No decisions have been taken on whether to accept the ÂŁ40,000 or on the future of the building. What we have to decide is whether the sum is acceptable.

"If it were possible to build a new church, this sum would represent a final figure. My own dream would be to do something towards providing Cotmanhay with a vitally needed community centre and a church in the same building.

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"Cotmanhay is expanding each year, although facilities for young and elderly and the coming. A community centre is vitally needed, but its location has to be considered carefully."

Because the future of the church represents a difficult decision, he would like to hear thoughts from Ilkestonians on the subject addressed to the Vicarage, Vicarage Street, and Ilkeston.

BOOST FOR BAND AT ILKESTON (29 September) Ilkeston Classics Fife and Drum Band raised £150 with an Autumn Fair at Chaucer School at the weekend, which attracted a large crowd.

Bandmaster Mr. Keith Nicholls said: “The event is to be seen as a success for both the band and Ilkeston residents who have supported us.”

The proceeds will go towards a fund to provide new tunics for next season.

Ilkeston Classics have just completed their first successful season in competition and will next be performing on Princess Parade, Blackpool, on Saturday [4 October]. The band will then appear at Matlock Bath on October 18 to help raise funds for kidney research.

JOY DAY FOR A BRIDEGROOM, 91 (3 November) Ninety-one-year-old Neville Tomasin has married 74-year-old Mrs. Lizzie Coburn, a fellow resident at Hazelwood old folk’s home at Cotmanhay.

The couple formerly lived near each other at Beaston, but did not meet until May in the home at Cotmanhay.

Both partially blind, they share an interest in classical music.

Their weekend wedding at Cotmanhay and Shipley Parish Church was conducted by the Rev. Michael Bishop.

A reception for over 100 guests was held at the Hazelwood home and Coun.

George Cooper, representing the social services, presented them with a bouquet.

They also received gifts from relatives, friends, and well wishes.

It was the first wedding in the Hazelwood home, and the couple are the town’s oldest newlyweds in recent history.

PLANNING HOPE ON PROJECT FOR COTMANHAY (4 November) Cotmanhay Community Self help Group, after applying to Erewash Borough Council for permission to convert the old Co-op store at Church Street into a community centre, is only a short time away from learning the outcome.

Coun. George Cooper, who backs the centre, said: “There are over 1,200 pensioners at Cotmanhay and a great many youngsters with not many places for them to go. The steady rise in bus fares has added to the problem, so there is a great need for such a centre.

“The local self-help group has achieved a tremendous amount, but is hard to locate people to speak out in favour of a community centre.

Erewash Borough Council has offered 12½ percent of the money towards the total cost, and the youth council has pledged similar support.”

The Rev. Michael Bishop, who is trying to solve problems over the fabric of Cotmanhay and Shipley Parish Church, has issued an open invitation to discuss the possibility of providing a community centre.

He writes in his parish magazine, “Should we not give serious consideration to inviting others in the community to discuss the problem with us? Perhaps together, we could create something new, incorporating a lovely church, but also providing community centre facilities, which are badly needed.

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TRENT DEPOT DISPUTE (17 November) A DISPUTE over one-man operated buses at Trent Motor Traction's Ilkeston depot could be resolved on Tuesday, a representative said today.

The dispute arose earlier this week when the drivers claimed the management was "refusing to listen" to' points about the length of time allotted to journeys made by one-man buses.

They said drivers were being given the same amount of time is for a trip as vehicles with a conductor collecting fares.

It meant the buses were running late by about 10 minutes and passengers were suffering.

Buses on the Nottingham-Heanor route are affected.

The Trent representative said today that "various demands" had been made on both sides and some drivers were working to rule.

However, there was a preliminary meeting fixed; for Sunday and a larger one for Tuesday when it is hoped an agreement would be reached.

ILESTON BAND ON TARGET (26 November 1981) THE Il'son Middies Carnival Band is now halfway towards their set target figure of ÂŁ3,000 for providing members with new instruments and uniforms.

The Middies was first formed in 1931 and was one of the prize winning bands of the Midlands, until a lack of interest in carnival banding brought the Il'son Middies to a close in 1956.

How many readers can remember the other popular bands that gained public support, like Ripley Kilties, Cossall Civic Commanders, Ilkeston Harmonics, and Langley Mill Jubilee.?

One man who can remember and has recently re-formed Il'son Middies is Mr Jack Granger of Kirk Hallam, the former macebearer of the Middies and now secretary/chairman of the new band.

"I was very sad when the Il'son Middies was disbanded in 1956 because it was the end of an era, at the time there was a lack of interest in local bands, and Ilkeston no longer held carnival band competitions.

"In recent years interest has increased and so I began to think about reforming the band, but I had saved all of the Middies' instruments over the years until 1971; at that time the Long Eaton Militaries was just getting off the ground, and so these instruments were sold to the Militaries."

At that time, all proceeds of the sale and the small sum of money belonging to the old Middies band was put forward to buy two high chairs for Ilkeston General Hospital.

The Ilkeston Classics Fife and Drum Band were formed in 1977 by Mr Keith Nicholls and their members have been out representing their town in band competitions. It was the Classics who introduced a 10-band tattoo in Ilkeston where many local carnival bands of the region, including Eastwood Arcadians, Heanor Lions, Hucknall Titchfield Nomads, and the reformed Langley Mill Jubilee have taken part.

September was chosen by Mr Granger to launch the Il'son Middies for the second time.

"I thought that the time was right to re-form the old band," explained Mr Granger. "I advertised for new recruits in the local press and I got a good response, today we have over 50 new members on our books.

At the time I was so confident in getting the new Il'son Middies off the ground, that I applied for the band to join the Carnival Band Association."

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At the end of October, the Il'son Middies were officially made members of the C.B.A. Since September, the Middies' organising committee have held discos, brica-brac stalls, raffles, and car washing sessions to raise money. "The response from the general public and local shopkeepers has been tremendous," said Mr Granger.

'We are most grateful for all their help in supporting our new venture."

The Ilkeston Middies hold regular meetings and practice sessions at the Boar Club in lower Bath Street in the town, beginning at 7.30 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Mr Granger added, "We are still on the lookout for new members between the ages of about 12 years upwards; anyone interested will be made very welcome at one of our meetings." £8,000 TIPS SCHEME (26 November 1981) AN £8,000 plan to clear ten overgrown rubbish tips around the new Wesley Street General Improvement Area at Cotmanhay will soon get underway. It is the first stage in an estimated £80,000 scheme to improve the land and houses - of which there are 217 - around Wesley Street, Mount Pleasant, Cotmanhay Road, Stratford Street, Norman Street, Prince Street, and Bridge Street.

Mr Philip Jackson, Erewash Borough Council team leader of general improvement areas in the borough and chairperson of the Cotmanhay residents committee said: "It is hoped that work on clearing the vacant sites and grassing them over will begin as soon as possible so that that first step will be finished in the spring."

Chief executive Mr John Parker said that following the present scheme the council would be able to look at tidying up further derelict areas.

As part of the G.I.A., there are two proposed clearance areas. The first involves 12 houses at the junction of Norman Street and Prince Street; the second site is a row of 13 homes in Prince Street whose occupiers have already- received a. letter from the council indicating that demolition will begin after all the residents are found alternative accommodation. However, following objections from the residents this is now the subject of a public inquiry, which is likely to begin in the New Year.

The residents committee have so far held three public meetings with the next scheduled for December 8.

Said Mr Jackson: "We are still actively looking for an empty property which we will renovate and turn into a show house and office."

The council have received a large number of inquiries from residents about improvement grants despite the present job situation and the state of the economy, and the Abbey National Building Society in Long Eaton has offered the ' residents living within the Wesley Street G.I.A. mortgage facilities along with making loans available for those who wish to take advantage of improvement grants.

STEP BACK IN TIME BAFFLES UFO GROUP (3 December) MEMBERS of Nottingham UFO Investigation Society are baffled by an incident that occurred at their headquarters in Meadow Lane, Nottingham, writes correspondent Patrick Fleckney who was ' present on the occasion.

The group's consultant hypnotist, Mr Ray Newton, who has been involved with hypnotic work and studies in the field for 25 years, gave a demonstration of 'hypnotic regression' using a relative as a subject.

The session lasted for 1½ hours during which the subject described three past lives - the first as a farmer's son living in Leicestershire, then a blacksmith and finally a small boy watching a battle in the I 17th century.

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Then the subject was advanced into the future to the year 2040. All the time the group's secretary, Mr Les Hall, was tape-recording the session.

The subject, under deep hypnosis, said that he was living in Mansfield and it was the time of "the big build up following a world war which began in 1995 and lasted for five years."

After the session Mr Hall played, back the recording to the subject only to find the tape was blank with the noise of heavy static in the background! The tape recorder was tested before use and it worked with no trouble after the session was over.

Society chairperson, Dr Robert Morrell, who was present at the meeting, said: "I think that there must be a rational explanation. The tape-recorder could have gone wrong at the time of the recording, but to be sure we should have had two or more recorders in use at the same time as a test, then if all the recorders failed we would know that something unusual did occur."

The group is now to try again, but this time with a number of additional recorders.

The hypnotist, Mr Newton, said he had only come across one similar incident during his research, which had happened during one of his sessions.

He said that man had began to travel to the planets out as far as Saturn; the Russians had sent probes into a black hole and much of the energy being used during this period was from the sun with large satellites in earth orbit beaming electrical energy to earth.

There were seven witnesses to the incident.

SHINING GREECE IS HEANOR HIT (10 December 1981) "GREASE," the energetic and exciting musical homage to the 'age of rock 'n' roll' was performed by pupils and staff of Heanor Gate School to five packed audiences. , It was a new wave presentation, which combined the musical lyrics from the original Broadway stage show with songs from the film version in which John Travolta played the leading role.

Heanor's own John ' Travolta, David McPhee, played Danny Zuco the leader of the , T Birds gang of Rydal High School with their greased hair, leather jackets and cool image, who has had the perfect summer romance with Sandy, a girl he met at the beach (played by David's own girlfriend, Jacqueline Dean).

Sandy turns up at Rydal High School as a member of the Pink Ladies - the female counterpart of the T Birds - acted with both warmth and feeling by Joanne Wood, Beverly Brown, Kathryn Bilbey, and Julie Foster. The situation becomes tricky, and torn between two different personalities, Danny has to decide between preserving his cool image at all costs for winning Sandy.

The T Birds gang were real cool characters, and added their own class of comedy throughout the play, giving it a welcome breath of fresh air after the many songs, and the sad moments between Danny Zuco and Sandy. The T Birds were played by Phillip Ellis, Mr B. Taylor, Steven Cokayne, and Mr G. Partridge as the bright spark, Sonny, who added his own touch of humour, which gave a ripple of laughter through the audience repeatedly.

Musical accompaniment was provided by Catherine Taylor, Russell Singleton, Joe Bancroft, Malcolm Hunt, Paul Winfield, Irving, Pension and each had the difficult task of reproducing the rock 'n' roll sounds of the 60s, a task they did to perfection.

Undoubtedly, the best scene in the first act was in the introduction of the pink Volkswagen car with the hit song, "Grease Lightning" performed by the T Birds.

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The car was built specially for the production in metalwork class by pupils in their spare time.

In the second half of the play, during scene two, a smoke machine poured clouds of white smoke onto the stage at the start of a -song by Beverly Brown, who admitted afterwards that she found it "hard to keep a straight face!"

In this scene, four angels danced on stage in silver dresses and spacehelmets, performed beautifully by Angela James, Kathryn Bilbey, Joanne Wood, and Julie Foster. Each silver space helmet took over four hours to make and were constructed by the actors themselves.

Space is short here to name all the actors, dancers, and stagehands who worked hard behind the scenes but working together as a team, they have produced a play, which the people of Heanor and surrounding towns will remember for a long time.

Looking into the future, production assistant Mr S. Weston said: "It is the school's intention to present "Crying in the Wilderness,� a play based on the death of John the Baptist, at the end of the Easter term. While obviously not so spectacular as a musical, everyone who has worked on the present production is favourably impressed with the idea." PF

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ILKESTON NEWS STORIES 1982- 1983 FLARE THEORY ON UFO (20 January 81) A UFO seen over Eastwood by two witnesses has been identified by members of the Nottingham UFO Investigation Society as a possible red distress flare.

The object, described as “a red-orange sphere” was seen by an Awsworth couple, who told investigator Mr. John Derritt that it was round and had the brightness of the sun. They saw it “dropping from view in a controlled manor.”

Three other witnesses came forward following an appeal in the Evening Post, and one man who had been out walking, told how he saw the object apparently land in a field at the rear of his home.

Mr. Derritt said today, “In my opinion the characteristics of the object resemble that of a flare seen in the area. A search was made but nothing was found.”

The police have been notified of the society’s findings.

FIREMEN IN BED PUSH (5 January 1982) Wearing fancy dress, Ilkeston and Ripley firefighters pushed two hospital beds from Heanor to Ilkeston at the weekend. They were greeted on their arrival by the Mayor of Erewash, Coun. Mrs. Agnes Johnstone.

The firefighters did the push to help raise funds to provide Ilkeston General Hospital with a special trolley for the casualty department.

WITNESS IS SORT AFTER UFO SIGHTING (5 January) A motorist travelling along the A514 road near Derbyshire village of Hartshorne last night, claims he saw a “red oval light” move towards the vehicle, descend from the sky to about half its original altitude and move off rapidly towards Derby.

The UFO sighting took place at about 6pm and Nottingham UFO Investigation Society is trying to trace a second witness. Mr. Sid Henley, for the society, said: “The object was in view long enough for the car driver to stop, get out of his car, and speak to a second man walking three dogs. This man saw the strange light too and we would like him to contact us.”

FACELIFT PUB GETS NEW MANAGER (13 January) An Ilkeston man, Mr. Roy Knighton, has moved into the Live and Let Live public house at Charlotte Street, Cotmanhay, as manager.

He is area manager of Hardy and Hanson’s Ltd., and used to keep the Cherry Tree. At one time, he served behind the bar at the Mundy Arms, Ilkeston.

The Live and Let Live, which has been closed for modernization work, was formerly handed back to the brewery today. It will now be extensively refurbished.

UNIONS IN TALKS ON BUS FURY (13 January) Plans to try to ease the children’s fares row on Trent buses will be discussed by busmen later this week.

Talks were held between union representatives and Trent management yesterday in a bid to iron out difficulties over fare rises, which have angered many

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parents.

Trent’s assistant traffic manager, Mr. Roger Pitt, said he could give no details of proposals put forward by the company, but union delegates would be taking them to a meeting of the central committee.

Derbyshire County Council was being kept informed on the issue. “Hopefully we will get an answer in the next few days,” he said.

The compromise proposals follow action by crews last week to continue to give concessionary fares to all schoolchildren — a move, which followed furious protests from, parents where children are particularly affected.

Meanwhile some Ilkeston residents claimed today that Trent might be breaking the trades Description Act. A representative for Cotmanhay Community Self-Help group said that a large number of Trent buses carried a sign indicating that “all children” qualify for half fare. However, the latest round of increases incorporated a change in the company’s rules about children, who now have to pay full fare at certain times.

The Self-help Group is recommending that this point be taken up with the authorities.

Employees at Trent’s Ilkeston depot are continuing their action to charge all children half fare in protest at the latest fare rises, which they claim, will lose more passengers and put their jobs at risk.

A spokesperson said the action would continue until the outcome of a union meeting at the depot is known.

ILKESTON ACCIDENT (15 January) Icy roads at Ilkeston today were the probable cause of an accident at the junction of Coppice Avenue and Langley Avenue between two vans.

Driver Kevin Hargreaves, of Monsal Avenue, Cotmanhay, had slight bruising to a leg and was taken to Ilkeston general Hospital for treatment. The driver of the second vehicle was not hurt.

JOBS GO AS FIRM CUTS-BACK (15 January) THE Nottingham-based gaming machine manufacturers and vendors Bell Fruit are to make 65 redundancies at their Lenton works.

The jobs are being axed, despite the company's successful entry into the booming video machine market - a move that helped boost its profits by 31 per cent last year.

The company employs 800 in the city and has a 50 per cent share of the home market for the more traditional fruit machines. It has blamed the cutback back on a fall in export trade arising from the strength of sterling.

Meanwhile, the Ilkeston lingerie firm of Harry Chambers Ltd. has warned 25 employees at its Bloomsgrove Road factory that there is a possibility of closure if business does not improve by April.

Managing director Mr. Ralph Burkett blames the present situation in the textile industry for the loss of orders.

The news comes at a time when a second Ilkeston firm, Domestic Industrial Pressings, of Cotmanhay Road, is to make 200 employees redundant by February the result of a continuing orders slump.

In addition, Wiggins Teape Ltd., paper merchants, has announced two redundancies at their Beechdale Road, Nottingham, branch, which has a workforce of 52. Local director and branch manager Mr. J. Trapnell, blaming the recession, commented: "We hope that when things pick up again we will be taking on more people."

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But brighter news came today from a group of Nottinghamshire businessmen who have hit back at Hong Kong --- one of Britain's biggest import sources - by helping to sell £200,000 worth of goods here and raining provisional agreement- on another £2m's worth.

E-Extra — SHOP CLOSING (17 January) The BBC surprised Ilkeston folk by declaring the nation in capital letters that Sunday’s “Songs of Praise” programme would be coming from Ilkestone!

After more than 24 years of trading, the Ilkeston shop of John Collier in Bath Street will close in April.

TRENT MOVE ON OVERTIME (20 January) The TGWU, in cooperation with the management, have implemented an overtime rota following a dispute at Trent’s Ilkeston bus depot on overtime this allows both drivers and conductors to have fair shares of available overtime work at the depot.

COTMANHAY CLUB BID GOING IN (20 January) A question mark hangs over the future of the former Woodside club at Church Street, Cotmanhay.

ABC Construction was given permission a month ago to convert the premises to a home improvement centre.

Now, in a bid to retain the building as a public house, a consortium of six Ilkeston people is negotiating to buy the property.

If the bid is successful, two of the six (Don & Patricia Perkins, who run the Mundy Arms) will apply for a justices license.

SHOPPING PLANS CATCH THE EYE (22 January) PLANS for Ilkeston's new shopping centre, drawn up by Centros Properties of London and now on view at the Town Hall, have attracted wide public interest; a completion date of autumn 1983 has been set.

Properties earmarked for demolition include 34=40 Bath Street, which will make way for the main entrance to the shopping arcade, and 1-4 and 13-20 Havelock Terrace, along with garages at the rear of Burr Lane.

The three-storey building includes a well-designed leisure centre and parking space for about 350 cars. This will provide a focal point in the heart of the town away from traffic hazards.

"The shopping centre is something Ilkeston has needed for a long time," said an Erewash Borough Council representative.

"The complex is being let by the developers and there has been a lot of interest shown by local traders."

Two years ago the council asked Ilkeston people in a survey what they would like to see in the new shopping precinct and many asked for a leisure centre.

This has now been incorporated in the scheme.

"We do not foresee any clash with the leisure centre about to open in Manor Road because this is mainly intended as a place to play squash. The Family Leisure Centre incorporated in our plans is for a wide range of activities."

CHOICE FOR ILKESTON ELECTIONS (22 January) Three Ilkeston branches of the labour Party have selected candidates for Derbyshire

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County Council elections at Ilkeston in May. Coun. Mrs. June Marsh, married with three children, will stand for the Cotmanhay area; she has been warden of Aston Court in the town for three years.

Coun. Eric Goacher, who became a member of the county council last April in a by-election, will stand for the old Park and Victoria ward — Ilkeston Central – and Mr. Chris Cullen, of Priory Close, Kirk Hallam, will contest the Kirk Hallam area. He is employed at Stanton and Staveley.

CLAIM OVER RISK TO FIRE JOBS (27 January) Speaking at a public house meeting in Ilkeston, Mr. Harry Mugglestone, Secretary of Derby branch of the Fire Brigades Union, expressed concern at the way Derbyshire County Council cuts were “eating into the professionalism of the fire service.”

He thought a further 40 jobs in the county might be at risk.

The meeting on public sector pay was held at the Mundy Arms in lower Bath Street.

Mr. Mugglestone said firefighters were concerned about their conditions of work and the way cuts were eating into the service. “Derbyshire is one of the hardest Tory Councils in the country,” he claimed.

“People should analyse the situation carefully because it will be very difficult to organise a fight back to cuts.

“The cuts are causing us concern. At present, fire stations are on alternate manning, which means one crew to man two tenders.”

REVIVAL PLAN FOR CLUB SPARKS ROW (27 January) A dispute has broken out over the proposed reopening of the former Woodside Club at Church Street, Ilkeston.

A group of residents whose homes are near the building are seeking advice in a bid to contest the granting of a licence at Ilkeston on February 6.

The residents — Peter Elwyn, of Heanor Road, John McKermitt, Keith Bryant and John & Margaret Shorthose – say that when the club was open previously there was much noise and inconvenience. They want to avoid this happening again.

Margaret Shorthose said, “Either there was a band playing on stage or the juke box was sounding out, and when the clubroom got warm people would open the windows behind the stage. This increased the noise nuisance for us.”

She added, “Sometimes there was an extension and the music would go on until nearly midnight.”

Mr. John McKermitt said, “We are not getting on to members of the consortium. We are against the inconvenience caused to us through noise and ill consideration.

“There is a lack of parking facilities at the front of the club. When the building was open, other vehicles would park in the road causing a hazard to residents.

Church Street is used by buses every half-hour.

“We are willing to discuss out disagreements with any member of the consortium.

TV SERVICE RECORDED AT ILKESTON (29 January) Ilkeston’s St. Mary’s church attracted over 560 people for the recording of the BBC television programme “Songs of Praise” in the presence of the mayor of Erewash, Coun. Mrs. Agnes Johnstone.

The programme will be broadcast on February 22.

The vicar, Canon Arthur Robertson, said, “We hope the programme will give

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pleasure to its six million viewers over the country. The congregation represented a section of Ilkeston people, including members of various churches and organisations.

“I think we are fortunate to have a church in good condition and our future is secure. However, it is the people of Ilkeston who are much more important.”

During the first part of the week, TV cameras were out in Ilkeston with Geoffrey Wheeler interviewing some local personalities.

SCOTTISH TOUCH FOR CLASSICS (3 FEBRUARY) ILKESTON Classics Fife and Drum Band are completing preparations for the new season that begins in April. Moreover, it looks as if the 52 members 'will be giving Ilkeston a Scottish look.

The Classics have changed their popular repertoire of tunes to include some favourites like Scotland the Brave, Amazing Grace, Bluebells of Scotland, and Cock of the North to blend with their new uniforms.

The centre of the display will feature the band's newly constructed cannon, which should make any gala or carnival, go with a bang.

A representative said today, "Ilkeston Classics will represent the town at a number of venues, beginning with a display at Draycott on May 2 and our own tattoo at the Rutland ground on May 23 when an estimated 10,000 people will gather to watch ten bands."

The Classics will also appear at Eastwood, Sandiacre, Heanor, and Oakbrook — along with other places – throughout the summer.

CONTEST AT KIRK HALLAM (4 February) A talent competition has been held at the Cat and Fiddle, Kirk Hallam, and the level of response was so good that further contests with prizes will be held each month.

Six local contestants entered and prizes were donated by pub manager Mr. Peter Bramley. First prize went to singer-comedian Sam Butler, who now has the chance to go forward to a Christmas final. Singer Terry Bramley came second and Clive Watchorne was third.

Mr. Bramley, assistant manager of Nottingham’s Theatre Royal before its modernisation, said he was more than pleased with the response.

He added, “It was the first talent competition at the Cat and Fiddle. I think there is a lot of talent around Kirk Hallam. People like to entertain themselves as in the old music hall days.”

Other entries were singers Chris Watching, 81-year-old Jack Hill, and Jack Bowley.

COTMANHAY CHURCH BOOST (6 February) A bazaar for Cotmanhay & Shipley Parish Church funds realised a total of £1,334.

The First and Third club at Cotmanhay church hall heard about medical items made at the Ilkeston firm of Weleda, which uses herbs and natural ingredients in all of its products.

AID TO UFO SIGHTINGS (9 February) THREE members of the Nottingham UFO Investigation Society, Mr. Les Hall, Mr. Sid Henley and Dr. Robert Morrell, met with representatives from other groups stationed in the UK at Birmingham Midland Institute at the weekend in a joint venture aimed at cooperation.

Mr. Hall, secretary of NUFOIS, said afterwards, "The meeting was very

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successful. Some basic decisions have been taken towards co-operation with MAUFOG - Members of the Affiliated UFO Groups - who are based in Southern England over a region from Cornwall to Bristol. This means an exchange of information on UFO sightings will Which aid investigation work?”

During the conference, Mr. Hall was approached by Miss Jenny Randles of the Northern UFO Network to lead a NUFON delegation in the setting up of a working party to look at the code of practice used in the investigation of UFOs, to see if this can be approved.

It was also proposed in principle for the setting up of a Resources Centre, which if accepted, would be housed at Meadow Lane. There would be a major ' library for research purposes. Mr. Henley, the sightings co-coordinator, said "I think the, decisions taken at the meeting take us a step nearer to a UFO investigation network covering the whole of the UK. GOLDEN JUBILEE BROWNIES CELEBRATE (9 February) ONE of Ilkeston's oldest Brownie-Guide packs will celebrate its golden jubilee on February 17 - five days before Brownies throughout the area gather for the traditional service in tribute to the founder, Lady Olave Baden Powell.

The Cotmanhay Brownie pack was founded in February 1931, and Brown Owl Mrs. Dorothy Farmer says, "When we first began, we met in a building called the Tin Tabernacle which stood on the corner of Prince Street."

The move to Cotmanhay church hall came in 1960.

Mrs. Farmer adds, "We get good involvement from parents and us all look forward to a further 50 years of happiness and enjoyment."

Assistant "leader Mrs. Ann Brown said: "Our aims have not changed, and we have a waiting list of children wishing to join.

USA POST ‘RIGHT TO ACCEPT’ (9 February) The rev. Michael Bishop, of Cotmanhay, whose appointment as Rector of St. Ambrose Church, Claremont, California, USA, has been previously reported in the Evening Post, says he hopes to take up the post in May. Mr. Bishop has been at Cotmanhay and Shipley for over two years.

He writes in his parish magazine, “During our holiday in America last summer, the church wardens asked me whether I would be prepared to put my name forward for selection as their new rector.

Just after Christmas, I had a telephone call to say I had been elected by unanimous vote. I was overwhelmed and I have felt it right to accept.”

FURTHER TALKS ON TRENT SWITCH (10 February) MEMBERS of the Transport and General Workers' Union will be holding further meetings at Trent bus depots round the region in the next few days to discuss bus schedules before the move to Nottingham's Victoria Centre.

At previous meetings, members heard management proposals to increase the amount of one-man operated services.

This means an additional 12 shifts at Ilkeston bus depot where the number of conductors has been reduced to five following voluntary retirement and others leaving the company.

At this week's TGWU meetings, members will consider Trent's proposals.

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Three further services now operate from the Victoria Centre - numbers 230, 111 and 357 - and others will be phased in away from the Mount Street terminal in the next few months.

Meanwhile three Ilkeston bus drivers received long service awards at Derby’s Midland Hotel along with 15 other Trent employees Drivers Mr. F. Atchinson, Mr. Kevin Porter, and Mr. Donald Savory. Mr. Savory has been the Ilkeston depot’s TGWU representative for many years.

ILKESTON FIRM BACK ON FIVE DAYS (12 February) ABOUT 190 employees at the Ilkeston manufacturers of gas fires, Domestic Industrial Pressings, have been put on to a five-day week.

The factory has been on short time since August and has had a large number of employees, on a one-day week since October. Two weeks ago, 240 workers left the company in a third redundancy exercise in just over a year.

Works director Mr. Bob Roberts said today that the five-day switch was not as exciting as it sounded. "We are no better off in terms of volume of work than before," he said.

Mr. Roberts said he was hoping for something from the Government in the forthcoming Budget to lift the economy in terms of spending power.

The company manufactures its own domestic gas heater as well as producing parts with other appliance manufactures, and Mr. Roberts said the situation 'had not been helped by the mild winter.

ILKESTON TRIBUTE (12 February) The league of Friends of Ilkeston General Hospital has sent a message of appreciation to 66-year-old Mrs. Nora Aldershaw, who lives at Coppice Avenue, Ilkeston.

Over the past few months, she has collected more than £300 for the league at the Peacock Inn, off Church Street, Cotmanhay.

However, Mrs. Aldershaw says she could not have collected the money without the help of regulars, including Mrs. Bridie Fleckney who helped with the fund rising.

CLUB MAG PROVES A WINNER (16 February) The Owl magazine, which is compiled by members of Kirk Hallam Youth Club, near Ilkeston, is gaining ground.

The bi-monthly now wings its way into Nottingham city centre shops and into the homes of teenagers over a wide area including Ilkeston, Heanor, Long Eaton, Sandiacre, Nottingham, and Derby.

The editor and publisher, Mr. Bob Attwell, said, everyone at the club enjoys the teamwork in writing and printing each issue. Its basic functions are to promote Kirk Hallam Youth Club and provide an opportunity for members to see their work in print.”

TRENT POST — DRIVER HURT — DEATH AT 69 (February) Mr. Ian Beverage, district traffic superintendent at Trent’s Ilkeston depot, is leaving on Friday to take a similar post in Scotland. He has been at Ilkeston for over two years, and according to many of the staff, he was the most unpopular figurehead in the depot’s history.

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Driver Amanda Else, 20, of Blackley Gate, Morley, near Heanor, was taken to Derbyshire Royal Infirmary with head an injury after an accident involving another car near Smalley.

Former Cotmanhay landlord of the Peacock In off Church Street, Mr. Harry Fisher died in Derbyshire Royal Infirmary aged 69.

STANTON WORKERS JOB PLEDGE (27 March) ALL employees of Stanton and Staveley, near Ilkeston, have received a letter from the company outlining the future of the works, as it becomes an independent dent company from the British Steel Corporation on Sunday.

The letter points out that at the instigation of the BSC chairman, Mr. Ian Macgregor, employees will from Sunday cease to be employed by the BSC and will be re-employed on "identical contractual terms and conditions" by the new company of Stanton and Staveley Ltd. This new move has been made "in order to give recognition of the fact that Stanton and Staveley business activities lie outside the main stream iron and steel making activities of BSC." The letter also points out in strong terms that contrary to recent reports "this does not constitute the selling off by BSC of Stanton and Staveley in whole or in part."

Also from Sunday, the corporation is setting up two new wholly owned companies to cover other activities outside the main ' stream iron and steel making areas.

"The Victaulic Co. Ltd. will be a wholly-owned subsidiary of Stanton and Staveley Ltd. Stewarts and Lloyds Plastics will operate as a division of the Victaulic Co. Ltd. but without separate company status," it adds.

NEW CHURCH POSER AT COTMANHAY (30 March) What has been described by the Rev. Michael Bishop as the second most important annual meeting in the history of Cotmanhay Parish Church will be held tonight.

Writing in his parish magazine, Mr. Bishop explains that the newly elected churchwardens will have to consider whether there is any chance of raising money to build a new church "which might cost anything up to £250,000."

They will have to decide whether it would be right to look into the feasibility of approaching the church council on whether a dual-purpose building - including community centre facilities - could be the answer to a number of Cotmanhay problems.

The Coal Board (which owns the land on which Cotmanhay and Shipley Parish is sited), offered the church council £40,000 last September. ' This was accepted, but now it has been agreed that the present, building is “beyond repair and renovation.”

NEW JOLT ON CENTRE (6 April) Cotmanhay Community Self-Help Group has suffered a further setback to its plans to provide a Cotmanhay with a community centre.

The group obtained planning permission last week to convert the empty Cooperative building in Church Street into a centre. However, later the news that the building had been “sold subject to contract” leaving the self-help group stunned.

A spokesperson, Mrs. G. Tyler, said they were all saddened by the disclosure.

“We have been asked to keep our eyes and ears open for suitable land to build a centre or for a suitable building to convert,” she said.

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“We have objected by telephone to Erewash Borough Council’s plans to sell the sports field off Skevington Lane and we are to discuss this on Thursday.”

Coun. Ian Morton said he thought the group had had a raw deal from Erewash Borough Council over the past two years.

“I think the group has done well to raise £2,000 in such a short time, and one cannot help but feel sorry for them,” he said.

“If Erewash were to sell the land off Skevington Lane, this would be one way in which the council could help by putting some of the proceeds on one side to be used by the group when a suitable building comes to hand.”

HELP OVER HOUSING FACELIFT (9 April) WITH no limit on the various types of improvements, anything up to £18,000 may be spent by Erewash Borough Council on Ilkeston's new Wesley Street general improvement area, the team leader has announced.

The scheme to improve the land and houses - of which there are 217 around Wesley Street, Mount Pleasant, Cotmanhay Road, Stratford Street, Norman Street, Prince Street and Bridge Street has been met with interest by a number of residents, although others doubt whether they will take up the offer of improvement grants because of the job situation.

People will be asked to form a residents' committee for early summer when a meeting and exhibition will be arranged by Erewash Borough Council under the leadership of Mr. Phil Jackson.

Said Mr. Jackson "We try to give confidence to residents, and a say in what they would like to see done to improve the area. We are attempting to locate an empty property which we will renovate and turn into a show house and office."

As part of the scheme, there are two proposed clearance areas. The first involves 2 houses at the corner of Norman Street and Prince Street whose occupiers have received a letter from the council indicating that demolition will begin after all residents are found alternate accommodation.

The second site involves a row of 13 homes in Prince Street' This has prompted concern from residents at the top of Wesley Street, who fear the demolition will lead to vandalism, and it leaves their homes open to wasteland.

An Erewash Spokesman said they would look into this problem.

BRISTOW IS TOO GOOD FOR THE LOCALS (9 April) The irrepressible Eric Bristow breezed into Ilkeston this week to give an exhibition of darts that underlined the capabilities of the man known as the ‘Crafty Cockney.’

Bristow took on challenges from 16 locals at the town’s Regency Rooms as part of a series of tournaments organized by British Leyland cars.

Moreover, he did not disappoint the crowd who turned up to watch, winning every game, and scoring seven maximums in the process.

The man of the match trophy went to Ken Pounder, representing the Great Northern, Cotmanhay, who had the lowest score of the evening, but Bristow won the match with a bull finish.

The only women challenger was Jackie Nixon, a Derbyshire County player and there was a surprise visit by women’s champion Maureen Flowers.

PLEA OVER LAND SALE (13 April) Erewash councillors will hear at tonight’s meeting that the Cotmanhay self-help group has agreed to withdraw its objections to Erewash plans to sell land off Skevington Lane.

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A group spokesperson said members had decided to ask the council for an assurance that a sum of money from the sale would be put aside for future use by the self-help group in its efforts to provide Cotmanhay with a community centre.

ILKESTON FRIENDS RAISE £130 (25 April) ILKESTON Hospitals' League of Friends rose over £130 at a charity evening at the Peacock Inn, Cotmanhay.

Two of the League's staunchest supporters - Mrs. Nora Aldershaw and Mrs. Bridie Fleckney - were presented with bouquets by Derby County player Dave Swindlehurst.

In the past 12 months, the League of Friends have raised £7,727 and received 106 donations.

In addition, Mr. Les Hutchinson, League chairperson, said, "We have done very well over the past year and are grateful to the general public and all other bodies.

"With the building of a new Ilkeston Hospital, we are hampered at the moment as we do not know the requirements or the needs which we are able to provide.

"But as a future project we are hoping to provide toilets and shower facilities for Ilkeston Maternity Home."

GALA ROYALTY ON PARADE (8 June) Ilkeston’s bath street was the setting for Self-Help Group’s gala queen contest that attracted support from several girls.

Twenty-one-year-old Debra Hutchinson, of Long Eaton, who is also this year’s Draycott Carnival Queen, was chosen as the winner.

Jackie Smith, 17, of Kirk Hallam, who is president of Ilkeston Leos Club, came second, and Amanda Anders of Carlton, took third place.

Queen Debra will now open the self-help group’s gala on June 21.

CLASSICS PIPE BAND RIVALS (30 June) Ilkeston Classics Fife and drum band triumphed again at the Heanor Hospital League of friends’ gala by winning first place with 95 points in the carnival band contest.

Also giving a display were the newly formed Hucknall Byron Revellers and Langley Mill Jubilee Carnival Band.

Ilkeston Classics ha a further boost this week when they learned that Mr. Kevin Hawley, the band’s musical director, had entered the semi-finals of the great Yarmouth Ladbroke talent contest using the band’s title and playing the piano accordion. He won himself a holiday at the same venue in September when he plays in the final.

BACK FROM BRITANNY (30 June) Forty children from the Bennerley County Secondary School at Cotmanhay have returned from a six-day educational visit to St. Cast, Brittany.

They were accompanied by teachers Mrs. Christine Knott and Miss Susan Lanning.

Mr. Sfar-Gandoura said, “Some of the pupils have pen friends we visited at a boarding school at Le Mont Saint Michelle. We had sunshine for five days of the visit but it rained when we travelled home.”

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ILKESTON LEOS CHARIOT PUSH (June) Ilkeston Leos Club, which is halfway towards its target of £1000 to buy an orthopaedic bed for Ilkeston General Hospital following a successful sponsored chariot push to Matlock Bath, is planning a charity night at the Peacock Inn, Church Street, Cotmanhay, on Friday. Derby County players will present prizes at the event.

PUSH HELPS CHARITIES (13 July) The Mayor of Erewash, Councillor Ron. Seeley, acted as official starter yesterday when four disabled teenagers in wheelchairs set off on a sponsored trip along a 23mile route from Ilkeston Market to Matlock Bath.

About 20 other young handicapped people also tackled the journey on foot to help raise money for a special orthopaedic hospital bed and the newly formed Ilkeston Acorns Club for handicapped people.

Eight men of the Ilkeston Fire Brigade green watch came straight off night shift to help as pushers as far as Ripley and assistance was also given by members of Ilkeston Leos Club, who organised the event with help from their parent club, the Ilkeston Lions. A support group was provided by the St. John Ambulance.

At the end of the day, the president of Ilkeston Lions, Mr. Karl Aldred, said that all the party had reached Matlock Bath safely apart from blistered feet and aching limbs.

Nineteen-year-old Paul Fisher from Cotmanhay, who suffers from Spina Bifida, refused assistance and propelled his wheelchair all the way by his own effort.

Paul, who is a member of the Acorns Club, will share his sponsorship money the Acorn Club and the hospital bed project.

Mr. Aldred said the event had raised about £100 towards the bed project and £50 for the Acorns Club.

NOMADS ARE READY FOR SHOW (3 August) Titchfield Nomads carnival band, who will begin the 1981 Stanton Show and Gala on September 5 with a street parade from the Pioneer Club to the Stanton sports ground on Hallam Fields Lane.

The show will have obstacle races, pony rides, a model aircraft display and a flower, fruit and vegetable show and, in the evening, a barn dance with Don Ault and the Plough Boys.

The Nomads are: Alisa Griffiths. Mandy Albon, Lisa and Tracy Applegate, Joanne Arnold, Lies and Adhle Bowd, Kara and Fay Caulton, Kelly, Scott and Michelle Dunncan, Karen and Tina Dawson, Susan Early, Donna Elliott, Doreen and Dawn Jaques, Jane Lesscynskl, Joanne Mills, Wayne More]], Angela and Lorna McDowell, Steve Richards, Julie Richardson, Mandy and Mark Trueman, Chris Turner, Ann, Marie, Terry, Angela and Diane Wiggington and Yvonne.

SHIPLEY’S SUNSHINE WORK CAMP (3 August) Forty teenagers are enjoying the sunshine which is gracing the 11th Shipley Park work camp, being led by Mr. John Duckham, of Breadsall boarding school.

The students include a number from Derbyshire and others parts of Britian while others have come from Italy, Holland and France.

They are working to clear the foundations of the old Shipley Hall. After they have gathered and sorted the bricks on the site, they will rebuild part of the walls to show the public what the house looked like before its demolision about 40 years ago.

Said Mr. Duckham: “There is no pressure on the teenagers. Past students come back quite often and, judging from the letters we have received in previous

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years, they all enjoyed themselves.”

They have the use of sports facilities ar Breadsall in the evenings and at weekends. Some are also helping at play schemes in the Ilkeston area, at Bennerley School playgroup at Cotmanhay, the cantelupe centre in Ilkeston Market Place and at Kirk Hallam Youth Club.

The work camp is well on schedulee. It is hoped to clear the bank surounding Mapperley Reservoir of weeds, broken trees and old bricks which are being transported to Shipley Hall for use in the rebuilding.

Some general tidying up will be carried out to an adventure playground in the park constructed by a previous working party. The camp will continue until August 22.

SPONDON TAKE CONTEST HONOURS (3 August) Ilkeston Classics Fife and Drum band staged a successful band competition at Kirk Hallam Community School yesterday in brilliant sunshine, an event supported by over 1000 people.

The Spondon Legionnaires, who have been going from strength to strength in recent weeks, won two trophies on the day.

Mace bearer Chris Thornewell collected the first prize shield from Mr. Roy Fearn, area manager of Hardys and Hansons Ltd., after the legionnaires won with an overall 83 points. Chris also picked up the prize for the best mace bearer.

Heanor Lions and Sandemans Band came joint second with 80 points each and host band, Ilkeston Classics came third with 79 points.

The judges were from the melton Mowbray Tally Ho’s Carnival Band and the secretary of the carnival band association, Mr. Stanley Cragg, gave a commentary assisted by Keven Hawley, of the Ilkeston Classics.

After the contest, all competing bands celebrated at the Cat and Fiddle, Kirk Hallam, where the Classics displayed their cups and shields including the large silver cup presented to them in Matloack last Wednesday in celebration of the royal wedding.

LEOS CASH BOOST (4 August) ILKESTON Leos raised a further £80 with an event at the Peacock Place, COTMANHAY, as part of their efforts to buy an orthopaedic bed for Ilkeston General Hospital. The Leos are already more than halfway towards the target of £1,000. Roy Russell and Lou Thornley, of LANGLEY MILL, who assisted with the barbecue, helped to raise over £500 for the 1st Erewash Scouts at Langley Mill on a previous occasion.

COTMANHAY’S NEW VICAR IS NAMED (10 August) The Rev. Leslie Walters, of Immanuel, Streatham, is to be the new Vicar of Cotmanhay. He will take the post in November in succession to the Rev. Michael Bishop, who has moved to St. Ambrose Church, Claremont, USA. The new vicar is a Londoner who was once a schoolmaster — teaching geography and cricket before training for the ministry at Ridley Hall, Cambridge.

He served at Morden and was vicar of Felbridge, West Sussex, before moving to Immanuel where he has lived with his wife Madeline and daughters Rachel, 23, Jennifer, 20, and Alison, 15, for the past 13 years.

After his induction at Cotmanhay on October 30 he will have to consider whether there is a chance of raising money to build a new church.

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He will also have to look into the possibility of approaching the church council on whether a duel-purpose building — including community centre facilities – may be the answer to a number of Cotmanhay’s problems.

SHOP HIT BY FIRE VANDLES (August) Shopkeeper Mrs. Kathleen Hendrick almost lost her entire stock of frozen food stored in two refrigerators yesterday after vandles set light to a pile of cardboard boxes and a dustbin at the back of the building — one of ten on the new estate complex at Cotmanhay.

The fire was spotted by Mrs. Barbra Eaton, of the Spar Store next door, who raised the alarm.

The intense heat melted electric wiring and left Mrs. Hendrick’s shop without electricity for two hours.

A police spokesman said they were investigating the incident.

MAJORETTES FOR MOORGREEN SHOW (15 August) Kimberley Karnivals, a group of girls aged between six and 14, will be appeariing at Moorgreen Show on August Bank Holiday Monday — one of their biggest bookings so far.

Sometimes known as the Kimberley Majorettes, they were formed over three years ago.

Their present trainer is Mrs. Molly Ingar, who took on the duties at the end of April. She has since taught many new routines at weekly practices to bring the girls up ro a high standard.

Practices are held on Wednesday evenings at the Scout headquarters in Newgate Street, Kimberley.

Ten-year-old Donna King, of Whatnall, is the leader and signaller and Lorraine Hardy, 13, who also lives at Watnall, is the deputy leader.

THOSE SHINING LIGHTS! (18 August) A splash of limelight for Ilkeston Classics Fife and Drum band as they lead a parade to herald the opening of the 1981 Matlock Bath illuminations.

The multi-coloured lights were switched on by Keth Chegwin, of “Swap Shop” fame.

He was met at the railway station by a vintage horse-drawn carriage which was led through the crowded streets by the Ilkeston Classics, who later gave a display in the Derwent Gardens.

Costing £50,000, the illuminations will continue until October 25.

PUB BOTTLE CASH WILL HELP THE HANDICAPPED (18 August) The landlord of the Rose and crown at Cotmanhay, Keith Bell, makes a further donation to a bottle of money to boost the pub’s collection for the mentally handicapped in Ilkeston and heanor as part of the Year of the Disabled People.

Also in the picture are Mr. Tommy Turton, of Ilkeston Lions, and the president of Ilkeston Leos, Jackie Smith, of Langley Mill, whoes joint efforts have already half-filled the bottle with the help of the landlady, Jackie Bell, and pub regulars.

When the bottle is topped up, the organisers plan to invite a celebrity to break it open and present its contents to the society which assists the mentally handicapped.

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DARTS LADS HIT THE TARGET 17 August) Players at Ilkeston’s Market Inn pub laid down their darts yesterday morning after throwing continuously during the previous 24 hours to raise money for the Sylvia Hadfield Kidney Fund.

They reached a score of 219,176 during the marathon throw and sponsorship money should bring in more than £300 for therenal unit at Nottingham City Hospital.

Team captain Alan Chapman said they had all finished in good shape. He praised scorers David Healey and Kevin Chapman, tea girl Angela Smith, landlord Jim Castle and landlady Karen Castle for their staunch support during the 24 hours.

The event was one of a serioes organised by Mr. Harry Paul, of Trowell Avenue, Ilkeston, on behalf of the committee and members of the Pioneer Club in the name of Mrs. Sylvia Hadfield. A former auxiliary nurse at Ilkeston Hospital, she is now a sufferer from Kidney disease.

The Market Inn line-up for the event was captain Alan Chapman, Mick Driver, Ray Mallard, Stan Taylor, Denis Charlesworth, Derrick Barnes and Paul Smith.

SUCCESS FOR TOY SOLDURES (24 August) Over 3,000 spectators attended the carnival Band Association’s championships, which attracted 11 bands to the municipal sports ground, Derby.

In Kettering on Saturday the Eastwood Arcadians gained first place in a ten band competition, and they put on an excellent performance again yesterday in defence of their 1980 title.

But it was not enough. The Gordon George Memorial Trophey was won by Melton Mowbray Toy Soldiers. The host band, the Spondon Legionnaires, came second with 94 points, with Derby Midshipman third.

Included in the championships were Heanor Lions, who gained fifth place.

The prizes were presented by the Chairman of the CBA, Mr. Arthur Legg.

CARNIVAL BAND IS TOPS (2 September) The Eastwood Arcadians Carnival Band regained the title of East of England Champions for the third year running with an overall 78 points before a capacity audiance at Expo 81 in Peterborough.

Along with nine othere bands, including Heanor Lions, Ilkeston Classics, Hucknall Titchfield Nomads, the Arcadian’s put on a striking performance.

Macebearers Tracey White and Helen Mutch received the plaque, decorated with a brass steam traction engine, from the chairman of the East of Eangland showgrownd, Mr. Phillip Hendrey.

Heanor Lions were fifth with 71 points, Hucknall Titchfield Nomads sith (67) and Ilkeston Classics seventh (63).

Mr. Carl Tustain, secretary of Eastwood Arcadians, said: “We are still looking for sponsors when we go to Gutersloh, West Germany, on September 25. We will be met by our hosts and the Eustift Band whoes members are good friends of ours. We return on October 2.

THIS WAY TO THE STARS (3 September) Cotmanhay Journalist and amateur astronomer Patrick Fleckney is planning to launch an astronomical society for amateur stargazers in the Heanor and Ilkeston areas.

He is the author of two astronomy books (“The Budding Astronomer” & “Deepsky Observer’s Handbook”) and has been looking into the night sky at the moon

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and planets for the past 14 years. He now uses a 4½ in. Reflecting telescope to study them in greater detail.

He explained: “Astronomy is a popular subject among students in the region.

Last autumn the Workers Education Association ran the first series of lectures on the subject at Heanor South-east Derbyshire Colliege.

“This was so successful that the new course is to begin on September 20 with lectures by Mr. Ken Stevens.”

Mr. Fleckney hopes that the sociaty will enable amateur stargazers to get together regurly with other amateurs to advance their observing programmes.

UFO MEN PUZZLE OVER DISC (3 September) It’s the high season for investigateors of UFOs — Unidentified Flying Objects – and Nottingham UFO Investigation Society is being kept busy with calls of sightings over the city.

While a large number of UFO spotters from the East Midlands joined others to scan the skies over Warminster for alian space craft, investigators from the local society have been puzzling over a sighting in the St. Ann’s area of Nottingham.

Several witnesses reported seing a small, silver disc-shaped object low down in the direction of the Union Road area.

Mr. Syd Henley, the group’s sightings co-ordinator, said: “This is an interesting object seen by independent witnesses. We have ruled out the possibility of it being ball lighting or an astronomical phenomenon.

“We would like to hear especially from a young couple with three children who also saw the object and reported it to the police.”

A large number of witnesses have also reported seing a large ovel-shaped object drifting slowly across the twilight sky over the Loughborough Road and Melton Road area of West Bridgford.

The NUFOIS headquarters is located at 443 Meadow Lane.

OPENING TIME AT NEW CLUBS (8 September) After extensive modernisation over the past few months, two Ilkeston nightclubs have openned their doors.

The Rutland Hotel in Bath Street has openned following renovation by the Nottingham based company Foster & Page.

The building has been divided into an old-stle inn on the one side with three large rooms featuring comfortable wall seating. A number of old wall photographs show Bath Street in the days of the trams.

The new bar is in the centre of the building.

On the other side, Crocker’s disco provides teenagers with a welcome amenity. The disco will open each evening until midnight and 2pm at weekends.

Meanwhile, the new Woodside Club at Church Street, Cotmanhay, opens its doors on Thursday.

ILKESTON ASTROS (September) IDAS — Ilkeston Astronomical Society – was formed at a meeting at the Rose and Crown, Cotmanhay, when local journalist & author Patrick Fleckney was appointed Chairman and the variety of instruments available was discussed.

Another meeting will be held in a fortnight at the home of one of the founder members Mr. Bernard Wheeldon, 89 Heanor Road, Ilkeston, who is at present building an observatory for which he already has a 8½ reflector.

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PUB CARPARK SCHEME — £117 HEAD SHAVE (September) Shipstones Brewery has carried out repairs to the carpark in front of Cotmanhay’s Peacock Inn. The carpark, which is part of a right of way for people walking between Coppice Avenue and Church Street, had been the subject of complaints because of its potholed surface.

Meanwhile, The three regulars of the Mundy Arms, Ilkeston, who had their heads shaved for charity at the weekend, have raised £117.45 for Ilkeston Hospital by their efforts.

CHERRY WINS (16 September) Nottinghamshire Athletic Club, were in top form at the Sixth Festival of Road Races at Kirk Hallam School and Community Centre.

Their leading lady, Cherry Hanson, won the Beauvale intermediates' and senior ladies' race over the new 23/,-mile course in 15min 55sec.

Eleanor Adams (Sutton Harriers) was second (17-08) and Wendy Benfield (Nott’s) third in 17-45.

The 6000m girls' relay was won by V. Gammage, L. York, and D. Lovett of Leicester Coritanians in the total record time of 23-46.

M. Williams, Rebecca Bell, and Fiona Truman of Nott’s were second with 2347 with Derby Ladies third in 24-17.

The colts' relay was won by D. Tait, S. Shiu, and J. Kimber of Charnwood AC in 21-52. Nott’s represented by Danny McQueen, J. Storey and. S. Holmes, were again second, in 22-54.

Sutton Harriers - James Wakeland, Philip Martin, and Steve Chamberlain were third in 23-10.

Sutton led the junior women’s race for the first two stages through Debbie Mason, who clocked the fastest lap of all competitors, and Rachel Butler, but finished fifth. Winners were Derby in a new record time of 22-41. Jane Smith, Dawn McKenzie, and Karen Booker (Nott’s) were second with 22-54 and Leicester Coritanian third with 23-13.The boys' relay was won by Charnwood AC in 20-00.

Steve Soissons, Anthony Kilford and David Blount (Sutton Harriers) were second in 20-23 and Derby third, 20-59. The youths' relay won by Derby County,19-07 with Charnwood AC second, 20-23 and Sutton - Steve Ross, Darren Yull, and Richard Walters - third in 20-24.The senior men's10,000m attracted 112 entrants and was won by Nicky Lees (Derby,) in 29-25. N. Gray (Solihull) was second in 30-12 and J. Barker (Grimsby) third in 30-38. Other local placings included: Leader (Birmingham Univ) 30-54; 8, P Coyne (Newark) 31-24; 13, P Taylor (Sutton); 31, K Lee (Nott’s AC 1st veteran); 32, N. Watkin (Newark); 41, A Fairbrother brother (Sutton); 52, G Baggily (Newark); 53, J Knight (Sutton); 69, I Perry (Sutton); 76, B Corcoran (Sutton); 82, D Watkin (Newark); 90, G Slack (Sutton); 96, C Watkin (Newark).

SHOPS IN ‘GOODS ON PAVEMENT ROW’ (21 September) A row has broken out in Ilkeston after police officers visited about a dozen shops, mainly greengroceries around Bath Street as well as South Street and reported the owners for obstruction by placing their goods on display on the pavement outside their premises.

Bath Street butcher Mr. Tommy Turton, who was visited by a police officer, said: "The officer wanted to know whether the height of my external blind was above eight feet off pavement."

He said that he politely asked the officer to measure it himself.

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Mrs. Cheryl Clark, whose shop is in South Street, is considering raising a petition. "I have never seen anyone having any trouble because of my outdoor display," she said. "It's just very petty."

On Saturday, the town's busiest shopping day, a number of the big retailers known for displaying a small amount of their goods in this way, including Halfords, Trent Discount Furniture Shop, and Wigfalls, had no outdoor display.

‘Supt. Peter Downing, in charge of Ilkeston police, said that there had been "complaints in this connection. No charges had been brought; they have just been reported."

Cotmanhay councillor June Marsh, one of those who complained to Ilkeston ton police, said: "Disabled people often find it extremely difficult to get around the stalls, especially blind people."

HOMES STAY CLOSED TO CLEAR BUG ILLNESS (5 October) Health officials have identified the minor bug that has closed two old people’s homes the week, Hillcrest in Kirk Hallam and Hazelwood at Cotmanhay.

The culprit is “Sarcoptes Scabei” which is responsible for the skin disease Scabies.

Staff and old people at the homes are being treated against the disease while curtains, sheets, and equipment have been taken away and sterilized.

A Derbyshire County Council spokesperson said the cause of the outbreak was probably due to one old person who unknowingly had the infection and been in both homes recently.

A Department of Health spokesperson said Scabies was quite a common skin disease in this country and nothing at all serious, although a person with the infection would have an unpleasant irritation of the skin.

He added, “The little mites are spread by personal contact, so it is important such contact is restricted as much as possible until the matter is cleared up.” ƔMrs Margaret Pollard of Hazelwood old people’s home has asked us to point out that Mrs. Elizabeth Swan, who is on holiday at the moment, is matron-in-charge at the home while she herself is the assistant matron.

CARNIVAL BAND ON THE MARCH (2 November) Ilkeston Midis, the town’s own carnival band that was active throughout the war and up to 1956, has been elected into the Carnival Band Association only two months after being re-formed.

The Midis have been going from strength to strength and have gained over 40 recruits, including 15 former members of the Ilkeston Classics.

The Midis meet and practice twice a week in Ilkeston’s Boar Club, Bath Street.

Meanwhile, the Ilkeston Classics held a sponsored cannon pull through the town from Cotmanhay enroot to Stanton Road in aid of Ilkeston Maternity Home.

Peter Wilson, for the Classics, said, “We raised about £50 during the street collection, but it will be a few weeks before we know the total of the sponsor money.”

ILKESTON GROUP’S PROGRESS (2 November) Ilkeston and District Astronomical Society have gained popular support since being launched by the present chairperson, journalist, and author, Mr. Patrick Fleckney, of Cotmanhay.

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The society has been approached by Ilkeston Permanent Building Society to set up a window display from material supplied by IDA’s members.

Mr. Fleckney said membership had risen to 20 from various parts of the region including Loscoe, Heanor, Eastwood, and Trowell. The youngest recruit was 14-year-old Nicholas Robins, of Langley.

At a meeting on Friday evening at the home of Mr. Bernard Wheeldon, 89 Heanor Road, Ilkeston, members will hear about the launch of the American Space shuttle.

COTMANHAY’S NEW VICAR (3 November) The new Vicar of Cotmanhay and Shipley, the Rev. Leslie Walters, was introduced to his new congregation at an induction service in the presence of the Mayor of Erewash Coun. Ron. Seeley.

UFO TEAM COMPUTER (5 November) Members of Nottingham UFO Investigation Society are to use a computer to file sightings and help speed up their work.

At their AGM, members heard from Secretary Mr. Les Hall that a major programme had begun to store the available data now on file onto computer.

NUFOIS now investigates sightings over a large area of the country.

Dr. Robert Morrell, Chairman, said the past year had seen an increase in cooperation from several organisations, especially the police and Nottingham Weather Centre.

Officers elected were: Chairman, Dr. Morrell; Secretary Mr. Les Hall; treasurer Mr. Nigel Doherty; investigations co-ordinator Mr. Sid Henley; Derby group leader, Mr. Peter Ann; technical co-ordinator, Mr. Steve Hunter; astronomical & science adviser Patrick Fleckney; membership secretary Mr. Michael Crew; librarian Mrs Marianne Pool.

PEACOCK’S PROUD EFFORT (9 November) Regulars of the Peacock Place at Cotmanhay have risen over £330 for Ilkeston Hospital League of Friends with the help of Mrs. Nora Aldershaw & Mrs. Bridie Fleckney who have been going round with collecting boxes.

The League of Friends has now bought a special type of bed on behalf of the Landlord Roy Salt, for the inclusive cost of £500. A spokesperson said: “There was a possibility of the bed increasing in price, so it was decided to pay for it out of available funds and the money raised by the Peacock is being paid to us.”

RACE RETURN (9 November) In view of its success earlier this year, the Milk Race will visit Erewash again next year, with a stage finish on the afternoon of May 30 at Sandiacre Leisure Centre.

OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST TO VISIT (10 November) Olympic gold medal winner David Willkie will be at Ilkeston swimming pool on December 12 to help members of the public in a sponsored swim raising money for the East Midland branch of the Sports Aid Foundation. The foundation helps men and women with training expenses to help them attain national standards. Erewash Borough Council is waiving hire charges for the event. IT WAS AT THIS TIME I ventured to Italy for a two-month tour from Naples down to Catania in Sicily, and used

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the time to write up Holiday Report Features for publication from December 1981, as a consequence of this there was a break in my Ilkeston News items.

WAS IT A METOR? (10 November) A mystery object spotted over Ripley by a number of observers could have been a meteor (shooting star), according to Mr. Les Hall, secretary of Nottingham UFO Investigation Society.

He said that following a preliminary investigation by the organization, information on the object suggested that what was observed was a bright Bolide.

The file is being kept open and further witnesses may contact the sightings co-coordinator Mr. Sid Henley, at Nottingham 9874615.

KEEP DISABLED IN MIND SAYS MAYOR (15 December) The Mayor of Erewash, Coun. Ron. Seeley and the Mayor of Ripley, Coun. Maurice Gent, were among the guests at Ilkeston and Heanor Mencap Society’s Christmas party at Langley Mill.

There was disco dancing with Father Christmas calling at the end to hand out presents.

The Mayor of Ripley said afterwards, I feel the Government should recognize Mencap and the disabled with some form of cash help, even if it means raising taxes a little.

“I am worried that once the Year of the Disabled People closes, members of the public will forget the problems of the disabled. Societies such as this provide a lot of help and happiness for the disabled.”

Derby County footballer Steve Powell will be at the Rose & Crown, Cotmanhay, tonight to break open a charity bottle filled with money by the regulars.

The contents (estimated at £500) will be presented to Ilkeston and Heanor Mencap.

CAMAPIGN TO PROVIDE MORE REFEREES (13 December) AS THE football season nears, its peak the Football Association has begun a national campaign in search of more dedicated referees and courses being arranged in Nott’s and Derbyshire are proving popular.

In Heanor this month 11 students who entered a course run by the Referees' Training Board passed their examination with flying colours; now a re-run of the course is to begin shortly at the Miners Welfare in the town centre.

The secretary of the Derbyshire FA Referees' Training Board, Mr. Terry Whittaker, explained; "This is a national campaign to recruit new member referees to the FA. "In Derbyshire we are quite fortunate in the number of referees available to attend football matches, but we do require further recruits to supplement our numbers.

"We give an eight week training course in which we instruct students, both male and female from the age of 14 upwards, in the rules and regulations of the game.

"At the end of the course there is an oral test given to novices by an outside examiner. Those who pass are free to referee football matches.

In Nott’s a number of courses are being arranged around the region, including one in the city centre, by the FA Referee Training Board under the leadership of Mr. Michael Henstock, who may be contacted through the Football Association's Nottingham headquarters at 6, Clarendon Street; telephone Langley Mill 68613.

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STANTON WORKERS IN NEW JOLT (15 December) Employees on the concrete plant of British Steel’s Stanton and Staveley works near Ilkeston are to be put on a two-day working week from 22 December.

They began a three-day working week today. The news of the two-day setback was announced at a union meeting.

All employees of Stanton and Staveley received a personal letter from steel boss Ian McGregor on Saturday [13 December] appealing for their support “through the present difficult period.”

He said the workforce of British Steel would need to be restricted below 108,000 by March 1982, which meant at least 20,000 jobs would have to go in the industry.

Mr. McGregor’s letter outlines the places where cuts and closures will take place.

The list has angered union representatives of British Steel’s workforce.

However, Mr. McGregor has warned that further cuts will result if industrial action is taken.

SIGHTINGS PLEA BY UFO TEAM (30 December) THE Nottingham UFO Investigation Society is appealing for witnesses, after two reported sightings in the county. The first was made by a Nottingham woman living near the Victoria Centre late on Sunday afternoon. Mr. Sid Henley, for the society, said today, "She was looking towards West Bridgford when she saw a small cluster of red and white lights which descended vertically towards the horizon."

The second object - described as "a bright orange-red sphere" - was seen by two witnesses living in Awsworth. "It was spotted over, or near, Eastwood, between midnight on Sunday until lam Monday morning," the representative added.

'UFO BUZZEDME' CLAIM (31 December) NOTTINGHAM UFO investigation Society has been contacted by a Ruddington man following an Evening Post report yesterday on claimed Christmas UFO sightings.

The man claims he was "buzzed" by a cross-shaped UFO on Christmas Eve while driving on Loughborough Road towards Nottingham.

Society secretary Mr. Us Hall said: "The object appeared to be made up of a group of lights in the shape of a cross.

"It was seen by the witness in his rear view mirror and followed the car for some distance before moving into view at the front of the vehicle."

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