Jump to content

ANYONE LIVED IN SWALLOWNEST FROM 1940

Recommended Posts

hi again victor,yes i remember ray lister very well, he lived in top block of houses before chapel between mrs powells and puggy smith, didnt know his christian name he was the pump man in the power house as we called it in the pit yard. regarding the princess royal the landlords name was clive wilson ,ray lister always sat in the lounge on the left hand side as you went in the front door think he was a bit posher than us, we used to drink in the the tap room and maybe it was too noisy for ray. bottom house on falconer lane at bottom of smallage lane was a family called bird didnt have much to do with the outside world, second up was a bungalow, forget the name could it be him what built caravans? third house was a bloke called johny wombwell married to lucy richmond from alf and fred richmonds farm up smallage lane.wombwells daughter jaqueline still lives in that house.at that time ray lister was a deputy at treeton and we used to catch the bus (no 221) to treeton. he maybe became an overman after i left pit life wasnt for me and i didnt stay long.

 

regards len lunn

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

VictorMH that was Barry's dad Barry is in his early sixties now My late father in law Jack Wright used to work for them.

 

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Sounds correct information LENNY

 

There is an article on  this web site re Treeton Pit - first name on it is Wizzard Of Odd - who was the origiinator about 32 pages maybe - there are lists of the pits emoloyees there and their job titles

 

Ray is shown as an Overman

 

Many others on the list I remember from Swallownest and Aughton and Swallownest School up to July 1951 when I left amnd went to Woodhouse Grammar

 

Few others in Park Hill area I remember, and who you may know = Danny Randell, Warwick Plummer, Alan Hall, Melvin ?,  Bob Cooper, Lighthowler family particularly son Graham, Goodyears, Joan Horner, Stella Chambers, Joanne Cownley,  Jaqueline Pearson, Elsie Craigan,  Margaret Foster, Margaret Reynolds, Ken Siddall,  Merediths son who bought an Austin soft top car from me about 1959,  John ??? and brothers lived in second house down Park Hill  from West Park Drive - his grandfather had the grocers shop at the end of Nursery Lane, at the end of the pathway through to Nursery Road

 

Can see a few other faces in my mind but no names come to mind yet

 

Will think about them whilst driving because I will be leaving shortly to meet a long time client in Singapore for lunch - now 8-35am so be there before 12-00noon unless there is a queue at the Malaysia/Singapore border crossing - easy 3.1/2 hour drive on motorway  - the North-South Highway runs from border with Thailand right onto Singapore Island. Can fly because flights are every 30 mins and take 25 mins flying time, but with check in before flight and usual long delays going through Singapore Changi Airport, its just as quick and more convenient to drive there and back. This is a Toll Road,  so its equivalent to about UK Pounds 8-00 each way - petrol UK Pounds 1-50 gallon so cost for my 4.0 litre motor is not really high compared to UK. Singapore is about 165 miles to the south and the Thai border about 280 miles to the north - here to the border and on to Bangkok is total of 480 miles if driving

 

Best Wishes - Victor - Malaysia 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I wonder if you know any of my family, my dad is 60 and lived in Swallownest all his life, John Hill, his brother is David.  My grandparents were Freda and Albert Hill who lived just off Chesterfield Road on Park Drive where there was a garden centre and I believe the Lighthowlers who you mentioned also lived on there.    Albert worked at Orgreave I know.

 

Other members of my family who were also Hill's are Henry,  Nel and Harry.  Henry emigrated to Australia many years ago, Harry lived up the road just off Lodge Lane but has sadly now passed away.  Nel moved to Leicester a long time ago.

 

:)

Edited by lh82

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

hi,i remember the lightowler family but dont remember a garden centre on park drive.perhaps a bit more info? regards

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

garden centre was at the bottom of Swallownest High Street on the left hand side where the road turns to the right and goes up a rise with left turn to Aston and straight ahead goes up Mansfield Road towards Wales Bar -  owned by Bradley family - they had 2 sons maybe 2/3 years younger than myself - oldest son was called Paul. Their house was at the back of the place

 

Then just after that place as the road rises was a wooden hut which was a shoe repairers, think they called him Bradley ??? It was bought around 1952/53 by a Polish Guy by the name of Gunther Freishan - very nice guy -  he married a local widow and they ,lived at the time on West Park Drive. Gunther had a prosthetic leg, walked with a limp and drove a Turquoise coloured Skoda Van

 

The lad whose name I couldn't recall yesterday morning was John Mallinder - whose grandfather had the grocert shop at the end off Nursey Lane - "Mallinders" sort of an "Open All Hours" shop with old Mr Mallinder resembling Ronnie Barker with his brown overall etc - don't think he had a "Granville" though - think John Mallinder married Stella Chambers - both same age and living only 2 or 3 houses from each other - Chambers were our neighbours on one side and Percivals on the other side. we lived at no 77 Park Hill

 

Keep remembering a few extra bits and pieces when driving or sitting outside with a glass of wine in the evenings

 

Back to my desk now  10-55am. Been at the office since 6-00am but went out at 9-00am to the car wash which takes about 25/30 mins for a full hand wash, hand dry and valet - cost here for a large size car (Daimler-Jaguar 4.0 litre) is UK  Pounds  1-90, medium size car (Mitsubishi Lancer 2.0 litre) is UK Pounds 1-15 and they do a first class job  - lot of client e mails etc to reply to after being in Singapore yesterday

 

My wife is currently at our house in Driffield and tells me how bad the UK weather is so she has decided to go for 6 weeks to Vancouver to stay with our daughter and her husband because the weather is good and she likes British Columbia kayaking and BBQ's in the mountains and lakes. She will be returning here to "supervise me" after Vancouver (17 hour flight - Vancouver Taipei, Taiwan then Taipei to Kuala Lumpur International) on Cathay Pacific Airline

 

Its now almost 52 years since I left Swallownest for Driffield - when you are young you think you will never get old, then you get old and wonder where the years went - seems like only 5 minutes - but the thing is never to feel old - even at 79 (next month). But I fear that if I ever retired my lifespan would be very very short - "death by 100% boredom"

 

Best Wishes - Victor - again its hot, sunny and over 100 degrees as usual

web site - www.cfhsaeqa.com.my (Malaysia) and www.dosteen.com (UAE and Oman)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

hi victor, remember bradleys very well but the post from ih82 makes it sound as if its off chesterfield road. for years it stood adjacent to charlie pritchard. no longer there now of course we have to build houses and spoil the area, the houses go right up behind siddalls and maggies to back of manvers road and up towards alexandra road.( siddalls and maggies happy days) regards len lunn 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

 that was Barry's dad Barry is in his early sixties now My late father in law Jack Wright used to work for them.

 

 

Edited by bullerboY

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Ray Lister who lived on School St at number 5 and he had two daughters Pat and Mary my wife Janice Wright lived at number 7 with her parents Jack and Phyllis Wright Jack was a bus driver but also did work for Pritchards for years my wife says Barry is younger than 75 now.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The garden centre on Park Drive was called Towells the daughter was margaret she also had a brother.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Correct it was Towells - in 1965 Towells lived at the house where the garden centre is/was and son David with his wife and I think 5 young children lived further up Park Drive in what was then the second pair of semi detached houses build 1964/5 by Memories

 

As you face the semi's they lived in the left hand side and we lived on the right hand side, opposite the gateway into Tarvers  bungalow and boarding kennels. Tarvers had 3 sons, oldest Roy, born around 1922, Carlos and Tony - Tony was a ballet dancer

 

Knew Tarvers for many years previously because Roy and my Uncle Jack Marshall were good friends

 

As for David Towell he, his wife and kids were the "neighbours from hell" - mega, mega, noisy and unruly children

 

We sold our house and moved to Driffield, near Bridlington in October 1967 , then to Malaysia 2006 - but we still have our house in Driffield - my wife spends about 3 months of the summer there (if there is one in the UK),  then the rest of the year numerous trips between Malaysia and Vancouver - she has to keep returning to Malaysia - she says it to make sure I am supervised !!!!

 

Life is always changing - when buying the house on Park Drive we had a daughter aged 1, never thought that 3 years later another daughter, then 13 years later when in Driffield divorced and remarried then in the Seychelles - we not have 2 daughters 31 in Vancouver and 29 in Driffield, plus the two from my first marriage in Driffield aged 54 and 50

 

Didn't forsee any of that back in 1965 - thought we were there for life

 

I think I heard that Park Drive is now totally built up but no idea if the steel sheets were ever removed to give a throughfare to West Park Drive - think Memories put it up when the council built West Park Drive development

 

Much more building of course in what was fields - Ken Siddall gave me an update a few months ago - most of the land belonged to Siddalls when they were a farming family for generations

 

Also the field on the left hand side of what we called Beighton Lane (Chesterfield Road) were built on many years ago. All the countryside has gone unfortunately

 

Best Wishes from Malaysia - Victor

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.