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Smith's Field or Smithies Field near Petre Street

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I'll ask my mum if she remembers a sweet shop when I see her.

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Hi there I lived on Petre st in the 70's and remember quite a few sweet shops. I lived @ no 32 and there was a shop on the junction of Maxwell street and Petre st so it could have been no 2 Petre st or no 1 maxwell street???????????Then mid way between the the corner shop and the Tailors there was another shop, don't remember the name but it always smelt fusty..............I also remember vaugely the shop on the corner of Petre street and Earldom Street I think it sold wool and kids clothes.

Does anyone rember Ellesmere school?? Loads must have gone but I never really see and mention of it I was aPupil in the early seventies and remember Miss Quebiack she was scotish. miss Gill, the Headteacher,, Miss Weaver, Miss lavender nee miss Jones.And does anyones remember Sutherland Rd baths and Mr Scott or the playground called Wembly????

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Hi there I lived on Petre st in the 70's and remember quite a few sweet shops. I lived @ no 32 and there was a shop on the junction of Maxwell street and Petre st so it could have been no 2 Petre st or no 1 maxwell street???????????Then mid way between the the corner shop and the Tailors there was another shop, don't remember the name but it always smelt fusty..............I also remember vaugely the shop on the corner of Petre street and Earldom Street I think it sold wool and kids clothes.

Does anyone rember Ellesmere school?? Loads must have gone but I never really see and mention of it I was aPupil in the early seventies and remember Miss Quebiack she was scotish. miss Gill, the Headteacher,, Miss Weaver, Miss lavender nee miss Jones.And does anyones remember Sutherland Rd baths and Mr Scott or the playground called Wembly????

 

I lived at 179 Grimesthorpe road across from Ashmores butchers shop, I was his Saturday lad, washing his van and Triumph herald soft top. Arther Robinson was the assistant butcher.

I remember Woodheads sweet shop at the junction of roads opposite the main entrance to All Saints church. Below that you had Kays ladies hairdressers where I would pester mom for money every Saturday while she had her head cooked. Then the chemists, then the Spar shop and most important of all Gaggs chippy, extra scraps please.

The shop on the corner of Petre st and Maxwell st belonged to Palfreymans, 18 months ago we bought our latest abode from Dave and Fay Cocker, Fay was the daughter of Mr Palfreyman and I went to school with Daves younger brother Michael. We had a great time remembering Pitsmoor and its characters.

Across the road on the corner junction of Ellesmere rd and Petre st you had the Junk shop. Going back up Petre st on the right there was the fusty sweet shop and then on the corner of Sutherland rd and Petre st Fairbrothers tailors, I went to school with Janet Fairbrother.Directly across the road there was the wool shop Stringers, mum obviously got her wool from there and I got my black pumps. Further on Petre st there was a cobblers, wrapped your shoes in brown paper for collection and the smell was wonderfull. I am sure the cobbler wore a large built up shoe and had a motor bike and sidecar, his daughter went to school with us as well. Across the road at the bus stop to town was the little sweet shop where you got a quarter of midget gems in a triangle paper bag and in later years he would sell you a single ciggy in the same triangle bag complete with a match, underage of course.

The Wembley, played down there a lot too. Good times you had to behave yourselves though or the parky would be out of his snug little office to rollock you.

Sutherland rd baths, thank god for those. We spent hours and hours down there. Tony Wagstaff, John Timmins, Stu Butler, Tony Saccomando, Phillip Gill all good swimmers because of that sadist Mr Scott. I remember seeing him with his long bamboo pole with the loop on the end pushing some poor infortunate kid back away from the safety of the edge untill, it was obvious the kid was drowning, only then did he let them grab the pole to safety.I was determined this bully would not give me the same treatment so I learnt to swim with whoever would teach me in my time. You could say he got results and that was life then but I am sure some kids would disagree.

( see other comments in forum ).

I could go on and on, which I probally have allready.

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Hi thanks for your great reply.We must have walked the same turf, you reminded me of a lot of other people&places.like the parky who worked the wembley playground (strange job full employment post war policy)he was Scottish i think and didn't take any shi.... rubbish.and the Junk shop on the junction of Ellesmere Rd and Petre St.Which never seemed to be open and had a large golden Labrador as a guard who would bark at anyone who came anywhere near the shop. I also rember playing football in the play ground of Ellesmere school for hours on end, if we could get a ball,and the peace gardens of the community club. And the Palfreymans who owned the corner shop.As I remember she was a small blond lady who wore glasses and he was quite tall (I was a 5 year old kid everyone's tall)and enjoyed a cigar.they also owned a Rover car I think.

I came in to contact with a family called Palfreyman a few years ago, from Eckington I wonder if their related.........

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Nah den Double,

I am 51, did we tread the same turf at the same time?. I Lived at 179 Grimesthorpe rd from 1954 to 1971, 120 Ellesmere rd 73 to 75ish and Abbeyfield rd which was my first house purchase, we were there for approx five years. Left Pitsmoor around 1980 to Woodhouse. Does Tutsy ring any bells.

 

Do you remember the mad pavement cyclist. He use to live with his parents on the right hand side of Sutherland rd just below the jnc of Petre st. Below the old Methodist church, Boys Brigade underneath it.

Anyway he used to fly out of the house on the bike which was one of your extra heavy duty wiggys gas pipe type, complete with umpteen mirrors,bells, lights and flags of all nations wafting in the wind. He did not care who was in the way, old biddies chatting or kids playing he would just steam through the lot. He wore in all weathers, a waterproof black flying helmet and long heavy gaberdine overcoat. Even with this handicap he would pump up and down the hills of Pitsmoor, England missed out on a potential Tour De France winner Im sure of it.

The last memory I have of him I must have been around 14 and he was no young man but he was still carving up the pedestrians of Pismoor legs going fifty to dozen with that mad determined look on his face.

Just one of Pismoors many colourfull old characters.

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Does anyone remember the cowley family from petre street probably around the 1930's 40's etc i would appreciate any help thanks:)

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Nice to hear from you I'am only 40 so it's same place's different times although the crazy bike rider ring a bell slightly

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Does anyone remember the cowley family from petre street probably around the 1930's 40's etc i would appreciate any help thanks:)

 

Remember a Cowlishaw family on Lyons rd.

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What were the names of the Cowley family.I lived at 84 Petre st till 1949.ours was the last yard before sutherland rd.There was a fish shop on the corner,opposite was pashleys bakery,corner of Earldom Street.Regards Glenda:confused:

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hi bushi I remember all of those places,I lived right next door to the tailors,Opposite was a bakery called Pashleys.Oh the tailors was a fish shop called cottons then.I also remember the fish and chip shop near all saints school ( i went there) I am looking for a photo of that junction showing the tailors shop on the corner as it was in the 40s,Anyone help me.I have been in ausie for 43years and i am having a ball finding all about the past.Thanks Glenda

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I went to ellesmere rd school and remember most of the names posted by "double", I lived on grimesthorpe road just above the normanton inn and in the yard next to sellans the paper/sweet shop.I remember playing on the "wreck" as a kid that was across the road from "the tea garden terrace" pub.We used to play in the old church just inside osgathorpe park and hang around on the "devils elbow", We used to "penny for the guy" outside the buckingham pub and wait for the drunks to drop you a halfpenny or so.The woman who lived on smiths fields was called mrs taffinder, she used to work at the swimming baths with "baldy fred" and mr scott.I liked baldy fred, if you cleaned the baths sides with that pink soap, you could stay in for an extra swim

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Who knows anything about the history of Smith's Field or Smithies Field between Petre Street and Grimesthorpe Road?

I played there and picked blackberries in the 70s and 80s, and always wondered why there was an open space of this size there, next to factories on the one side and the then new Carwood estate on the other. My family, who lived in the area before the slum clearance, remember from the 40s and 50s, and I think they mentioned sonething about a cricket pavilion.

 

Here's a picture

 

Why is the field there?

Why has it never been built on?

Does anyone else have memories of it?

I remember the pavilion used to have seats in front, watched many matches, there was a family of smiths lived in a big house at the top of the field, on grimesthorpe rd if its not been built on the decendants perhaps still own it. there was a balloon barrage at the bottom during the war Idid a bit of snogging in the sand bag shed with lovely waff called Bobby

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