Gleadless townend businesses of yesteryear.

[Jan39 10]

barbers shop on white lane was called stans, used to go on a saturday morning and it was always packed. Stans favourite saying after your haircut was anything for the weekend sir , football laces , airfix models or anything else (meaning condoms of course ). but do you remember the brilliant old guy ( stans dad ? ) who used to hum the same song over and over again all day long . The tune was i got joy and that was the only three words you ever heard !!!! . Also remember the young lad ( stans son ? ) with the da haircut but cant remember his name

 

My grandmother had the fruit shop at gleadless town end in the 30's and 40's, my father built a barbers shop at the top of the garage in the 40's.

Edited October 3, 2016 by Jan39

[derrek 10]

There were 2 'community' huts in Gleadless when the Town End and Charnock areas were still in Derbyshire in the 1950's. One was a black domed misson hut, which was an annex to St. Johns church at Ridgeway. C of E services and Sunday school classes were held there. It was situated on White Lane, roughly where the library was built later. It was also by an entrance to Fiddler's Field, which stretched up the slope to the old Charnock Hall farm. Farra's Fun fare came to this field once a year. You can still see part of the road side stone wall, now greatly reduced in height. The field and farm are now occupied by the medical centre, the pharmacy, the super market (ex Azena danse salon) and the houses behind. The misson hut disappeared when St. Peter's church was built further along White Lane.

 

The second hut was on Charnock Hall Road, on the left at the top of the rise, when approaching from White Lane. This was sited on a paddock of land belonging to Charnock Hall farm. Scout and cub meetings were held there until the group move to the 'new' H.Q. on Gleadless Road, just past the Carlton Club. This hut may also have been used by other community groups, as well as the Scouts. When the hut was demolished a row of garages were built on the site, in turn to be replaced by housing. A footpath just below the hut ran past a short row of cottages, just before passing in front of Charnock Hall farm itself. The footpath is still there, but the land and farm have been developed for housing

[WarPig 78]

You can still see part of the road side stone wall, now greatly reduced in height.

 

Where exactly is this wall please?

[derrek 10]

The remains of a stretch of 'Fiddler's field' wall (so nicknamed after the farmer - Arnold Fiddler - who owned Charnock Hall Farm), can still be seen running alongside White Lane between the supermarket and the library. It's now only a remnant, being only a couple of foot high, made of thin slabs of black coal measure sandstone.

I remember it being about six foot high when it was a field boundary and ran along White Lane to where the houses start, just before the tram stop. About half way along was a wide gate which opened on to a long strait drive which led directly up to Charnock Hall Farm. This divided Fidler's Field into two parts. The Azena ballroom (and also Arnold's retirement bungalow) now the supermarket, was built to the left of the drive, when the farm and land was sold off to build the Charnock housing estate in the 1950's & 60's.

Fidler's field often had a dairy herd grazing in it. As kids we often picked mushrooms there. Can anyone else remember the well in front of the old cottages at the top of the field, the archway through to the barns, the milking parlour, the model aeroplane in the hall window and the turkeys?!

 

---------- Post added 04-10-2016 at 10:38 ----------

 

War Pig mentions an upright stone which stands in front of St.Peter's church on White Lane, and suggests that it came from Charnock Hall farm. I believe that it was actually 'rescued' from BASEGREEN FARM, that was demolished before the church was built on roughly the same site.

At the laying of the foundation stone ceremony, local residents were invited the buy bricks in order to raise funds for the construction. We wrote our names on the bricks which the brick layers placed with the named faces on the cavity side when building the walls of the church. I wonder what St. Peter thinks of this hidden grafity!

[WarPig 78]

Thanks derrek, that very interesting. I now know exactly which bit of wall you are referring to. What a shame there doesn't appear to be any old photos about of that area. I recall being told that the triangle of land outside the Red lion pub (where the toilet block is) used to be a pinfold where found/stray livestock would be placed.

[derrek 10]

Yes I hope more images may yet come to light. There is however a water colour illustration of 'Fidler's Field' and Charnock Hall farm in a book titled 'The Changing Face of Gleadless' by Pauline Shearstone. ISBN 0 9510362 4 6.

This was originally painted by local artist, Cecil Higgins, from memory and not entirely accurate. Nevertheless its a most worthy attempt in the absence of any old photos. Pauline's books are a fabulous record of Gleadless if you can still obtain copies.

Edited October 4, 2016 by derrek
The artist was Cecil Higgins, not his brother Doug.

[WarPig 78]

I have her Gleadless books so I shall have a look at that image. Shame we can't post photos on here, or id ask yo to sketch your memory of the area.

[Mrich 10]

Has anyone read Pauline Shearstones (sorry surname may be incorrect) history of Gleadless? A superb history of Gleadless but very difficult to find these days. She used to live on Seagrave Crescent if I remember rightly.

[mike-s 13]

Has anyone read Pauline Shearstones (sorry surname may be incorrect) history of Gleadless? A superb history of Gleadless but very difficult to find these days. She used to live on Seagrave Crescent if I remember rightly.

I've got her books, bought them at the post office at townend but it was some time ago now. They are available on Amazon.

[biker 10]

I've got her books, bought them at the post office at townend but it was some time ago now. They are available on Amazon.

 

I took (somehow without transport) a punctured motorcycle wheel to Townend garage in 1966.The mechanic there took pity on me as I hadn't a clue what to do.It took ages and he cant have charged me much as I was a poor apprentice.His kindness has led to a garage full of motorcycles and bits and a lifetimes hobby.

[enjkay 0]

Have loved reading thro this topic which has brought fond memories of my early yrs living in townend between 61 and 70 when we moved to Devon.

We lived opposite the new row of shops on Gleadless Rd in a new build.

As kids we used to buy offcuts from the hardware shop and build works of wonder...………..trolleys, swords, spears -generally  anything dangerous.

I was a paperboy for Jon and Barberra at Elams newsagent and delivered along Gleadless Rd and back thro to Herdings View - mornings and evenings  @ 27/6d a week. Big money in those days - bought my first pair wranglers for 29/6d. Sundays the bag was so heavy I took dads golf trolley. 

I recall all the men at elams on a Saturday evening waiting for the Green UN to arrive and generally sorting the world out, deep untrod snow in the winter mornings, and knowing all the kids on the round waiting to help.

Stans barbers - sat waiting my turn and hoping i would get the young fella - but usually the old man who chewed all the time, - my last visit was when I told Stan we were off to Torbay - he  was telling me all about Torquay United and Plainmoor their ground, always wanted one of those coloured handled penknives mounted in the display cards.

That old butchers shop with sawdust an all - can still smell it now.

Thanks everyone, appreciated.

[WarPig 78]

On 22/01/2020 at 20:06, enjkay said:

 

As kids we used to buy offcuts from the hardware shop and build works of wonder...……….

Would that have been Huddarts next to the petrol station?