The way things used to be .

[Albert smith 11]

The Gleadless Valley ,who can forget the wonder that was this Estate when it was built in the late 50's , The wonderful Vista that spread from the very tops of the hills that surround that part of our Town meandering down the slopes into the depths of Upper Heeley .

 

The Estate was one that could have been transplanted from far away Sanfrancisco or the slopes of Cape Town in Africa.

 

The Architecture planted into the hills brought sightseers from the far corners of the Earth who were keen to learn how to build successful social housing without spoiling the wonderful background that surrounded every nook and cranny .

 

The houses and flats (not apartments back then that was for New York and Chicago ) had all the mod cons previously associated with the more salubrious dwelling purched on the opposite hills bordering Totley and Dore ,The new tenants who had often been rehoused from the back to backs in Industrial Attercliffe or the Parkhill areas of our City thought that they had died and gone to heaven .

 

Sat in the middle of the undisturbed woodland the Estate was surrounded by wild life ,wild flowers in abundance ,blue bells ,holly hocks, garlic and rambling rose meandered across the ancient footpaths through Buck and Rolly woods.

 

Roe Deer and Badger could still be sighted on occasions as well as the foxes that still roam the Estate no longer wary of the human presence around them as they have now become to rely on the scraps discarded in hedge rows and back gardens in doing so losing their age old mystery in relation to man.

 

The Estate has now changed ,as to why I will not discuss on here as this thread is about the way things used to be .

The Gleadless Valley was the very best of that time .

[echo beach 580]

Didn,t liquorice root used to be a staple crop grown in the Wakefield area years ago?.As a kid I loved it it was cheap to buy and I would chew and suck it until was reduced to shreds,another favourite of mine when I was flush with dosh was Highland toffee with the picture of a long haired highland cow on it!.Also can anyone remember herbal cigarettes they weren,t too bad either all purchased from the beer off at the bottom of Farfield Road,he sold single cigs to us schoolkids he would be sent to hell nowadays for it now how times have changed!.

 

Hi old tup,

 

Wakefield's fame lies in the growing of rhubarb!

 

It's Pontefract that's the centre of the universe in terms of liquorice growing: hence the Pontefract Cakes we're all familiar with.

 

For the past 23 years they've been promoting their famous export with an annual festival. This time around it's on Sunday 8th July, 10.00 to 16.00.

So, if you like all things liquorice - food, drink, entertainment - it's well worth a visit.

 

echo.

 

Incidentally in the 1979 Bond film 'Moonraker' the thick electric cable that 'Jaws' bites through was made of liquorice in Pontefract and sent down to Pinewood Studios for filming.

[Albert smith 11]

Weddings !!!! every where you look some toff or toffest is getting married ,its Hollywood at its best ,Castles , Marching bands, bunting and banners .

All this malarkey has set me thinking about weddings around our way in the 50's and 60's.

For a start you would have been courting for five or six years and getting engaged was around two years into that or (As Bobby Knut would say "its like having a bike for your birthday and not being able to ride it till Christmas).

 

You would have asked her Dad if he minded taking his daughter's hand in marriage for starters ,then told your mam who would look at you gone out as though tha must be daft or sommut or other ,thi dad would chip in with "is she up the stick " before dragging thi off to pub to buy him a pint to celebrate .

 

The great save up would then start , things for the bottom drawer , tea towels ,dinner sets, knives forks and spoons (pinched by Aunty Mavis from Viners ).

 

Planning on where to live when the big day arrive ,would it be your mams or hers ,would you rent a one bedroom flat up Nether Edge or Heely Bottom , would you have saved up enough deposit for a terrace house at Walkley or maybe Hollinsend costing all of six or seven hundred pounds, no bathroom or indoor lav ,no heating or electric sockets and sash windows that had not been opened for years due being painted up or sashes broken.

 

You would pick your best man (usually a lairy packet who was your best mate from school) ,Your beloved would pick brides maids (usually ugly to make her look better on the day) , Suits would be measured at Weaver to Wearers or Burtons the Tailors, Wedding frocks for Bride and Brides Maids sown up after being copied from patterns int Womens own by Aunties from her side .

 

Friday neet before the big day and its the traditional bachelors neet do.

She being sensible had had her do the week before at the Coach House int Wicker where she had supped Blue Nun and Baby Cham before being sick in Taxi home still clutching a funny shaped balloon that looked like a snake wi two eyes or summat.

 

Any way your bachelor's do was a walk around the local pubs and working mans clubs with mates from work and others from school days.

They would pore black velvets down you and tip in double whiskey's just to make sure that you would be feeling full of life for the nuptials the following day .

They usually left you tied to a lamppost wi nowt on or chucked you into a pond or summat just for a laugh , when you finally got in your mam looked at you and started roorin.

 

The big day arrives the suit is on ,the tie is knotted Windsor style, the hair is brushed , the button hole is filled with white carnation and uncle Toms 420 G Jaguar arrives and picks you and the best man up for the ride to the Church .

 

When you arrive you are ready to puke up due to last nights booze and start dreading the coming ordeal wishing you could just curl up and go to sleep.

Edited May 17, 2018 by Albert smith

[Padders 2,849]

Weddings !!!! every where you look some toff or toffest is getting married ,its Hollywood at its best ,Castles , Marching bands, bunting and banners .

All this malarkey has set me thinking about weddings around our way in the 50's and 60's.

For a start you would have been courting for five or six years and getting engaged was around two years into that or (As Bobby Knut would say "its like having a bike for your birthday and not being able to ride it till Christmas).

 

You would have asked her Dad if he minded taking his daughter's hand in marriage for starters ,then told your mam who would look at you gone out as though tha must be daft or sommut or other ,thi dad would chip in with "is she up the stick " before dragging thi off to pub to buy him a pint to celebrate .

 

The great save up would then start , things for the bottom drawer , tea towels ,dinner sets, knives forks and spoons (pinched by Aunty Mavis from Viners ).

 

Planning on where to live when the big day arrive ,would it be your mams or hers ,would you rent a one bedroom flat up Nether Edge or Heely Bottom , would you have saved up enough deposit for a terrace house at Walkley or maybe Hollinsend costing all of six or seven hundred pounds, no bathroom or indoor lav ,no heating or electric sockets and sash windows that had not been opened for years due being painted up or sashes broken.

 

You would pick your best man (usually a lairy packet who was your best mate from school) ,Your beloved would pick brides maids (usually ugly to make her look better on the day) , Suits would be measured at Weaver to Wearers or Burtons the Tailors, Wedding frocks for Bride and Brides Maids sown up after being copied from patterns int Womens own by Aunties from her side .

 

Friday neet before the big day and its the traditional bachelors neet do.

She being sensible had had her do the week before at the Coach House int Wicker where she had supped Blue Nun and Baby Cham before being sick in Taxi home still clutching a funny shaped balloon that looked like a snake wi two eyes or summat.

 

Any way your bachelor's do was a walk around the local pubs and working mans clubs with mates from work and others from school days.

They would pore black velvets down you and tip in double whiskey's just to make sure that you would be feeling full of life for the nuptials the following day .

They usually left you tied to a lamppost wi nowt on or chucked you into a pond or summat just for a laugh , when you finally got in your mam looked at you and started roorin.

 

The big day arrives the suit is on ,the tie is knotted Windsor style, the hair is brushed , the button hole is filled with white carnation and uncle Toms 420 G Jaguar arrives and picks you and the best man up for the ride to the Church .

 

When you arrive you are ready to puke up due to last nights booze and start dreading the coming ordeal wishing you could just curl up and go to sleep.

 

Brilliant post Albert, so dam true an all.

[Albert smith 11]

Brilliant post Albert, so dam true an all.

Just wait for the RECEPTION

[choogling 14]

a pal of mine nearly died from hypothermia he was chained to a lamp post and left on Arundel gate trouble was no one noticed him till it was nearly to late fire brigade had to cut him free turned out ok in the end,good story for the reception speech.

[Ontarian1981 10]

Just wait for the RECEPTION

 

" I'm only here for the beer" Best man's opening line, from all them Double Diamond adverts on the telly in the 60s.

[DUFFEMS 55]

So true Albert Smith.

We saved our money which we'd had given for our 21st. birthdays to pay for the bride's dress (made from a pattern from Coles) and both bridesmaids' dresses too and all accessories which were all cobbled together.

Black & white photo album (couldn't afford colour), cake made by a family friend, upstairs room at Big Tree, no honeymoon (couldn't afford one).

We paid for everything beforehand so started out with no debt (no money either!).

As you say Albert, courtship (what's that nowadays) then engagement then marriage.

After all that, the marriage would last longer than any of todays' shambles/mockeries of marriages.

Regards,

Duffems

[Padders 2,849]

" I'm only here for the beer" Best man's opening line, from all them Double Diamond adverts on the telly in the 60s.

 

Yep, and it worked wonders........

 

Albert, duffems.. I"ll stick my two penn"th in..

 

17 yrs old when I met the wife in 1962, Courted 3yrs, Engaged 2yrs, Married in 67. The swinging 60s what a decade to be in love, could have a night out with a 10bob note. like you say duffems, started saving up for a house during our engagement, looked at different propertys but could"nt get a mortgage anywhere, ended up having to buy a new house on Leedham Close, £2500. £250 deposit 90% mortgage. after we got married we lived together at her parents house for 12months while they built the house.

honeymoon whats one of them, moved in 1968. I had 53yrs of pure happiness with her, till she passed away in 2015.. What memories, if only I could turn the clock back.. take care guys.

[JOHN HABS 10]

As a young lad during the mid 1950's, I would be playing out in the street with my mates and when getting close to dinner time my nan would call me in, she would have just taken the roast beef joint from out of the oven and wiped a thick slice of bread around the inside of the meat tin to give me, before sitting down to our Sunday dinner.

 

Whilst having our dinner, the radio would be on and we would listen to Billy Cotton's Band Show, then after dinner sit round the telly ( a very basic one with just two knobs on it - one to change the channel and the other to turn off / on and volume) to watch films like:

 

Old Mother Riley, The Dream Of Olwyn, Legend Of The Glass Mountain.

 

Times were a lot simpler then and a lot better than today !

[Albert smith 11]

Them old T.V s ,eh, you had to hit them on the top when the pictures started rolling or when they went all furry. Contrast and horizontal hold buttons were round the back and needed a wizard to operate.

[Janner 10]

My Dad used to walk in, after the Working Man's Club, just as Mam took the Yorkshire pud out of the oven.