Admin please delete if I have posted this previously its an age thing you know :-) A walk through a young man’s memories of Heysham n,.P art one I’ve always thought of Heysham as starting at the Battery, this may not be to correct but as, young lads it was to us. Starting at the Battery Hotel , which my Grandad informed me was named after a gun battery that was there in the first world war , we set off passing the Palace Theatre where the show of the moment is “ Gaytime” always was”” Gaytime” ( not too sure if it would be named the same now , ) and off down the prom towards the Grosvenor Hotel, built by John Edmondson in the late 19th Century, where myself and a very good friend William “Fred “ Burgess would go on a Sunday lunch to the cocktail bar, not, I might add for cocktails, rather to serve Fred’s addiction to cheese .They always had a good selection on the bar I was told, as in those days I hated the stuff .(how things change ) The barman, when it was quiet would do card tricks On to the Sunny slopes well named as It was always sunny when we were young and alongside the house my mother called the snake house build on the seaward side of the slopes but was better known as The Pot house . On my left land that I believe is called Turners Field named after J.M.W. Turner .Now up the slope passing the little green hut that ladies served teas and into the village where there is Hadath’s Tea Gardens a place I was taken as a treat once or twice a summer but it was Sunday best clothes and best behaviour. Part two Our next port of call is the entrance to St Patricks church where I had my picture taken sat astride my friend Arthur Casson`s converted JAP speedway bike on our, way onto the sands, where we raced about like crazy.How the hell we didn’t kill ourselves Iwill never know. Close by is the Royal Hotel. In those days an odd pub, although it has been kept the same, the ambiance has changed somewhat. As you went in there was a small snug, but heaven forbid you tried to sit down in there, as you would have been told that’s “so and so`s” place, In the big back room as you went in, the eyes of the local ancient’s followed you. Not a suitable venue for young lads. There was a stall selling Granny Hutchinsons home brewed nettle beer.. but no tipple for us young lads. Nearby was Nellie Boltons old curiosity shop (memories of Heysham Amateurs but that’s for another day maybe) Into the square and make our way to the happy hunting ground (for fun ) Heysham Head The smelly Russian Brown Bear, getting your hand stamped with HH so that you could go down to the beach The penny machines.. “What the Butler Saw”.. not that we looked at ladies getting undressed( from what I was told ,)Distorting mirror, and the talent competition, great stuff Some of my friends used to sneak in but I never did of course Part Three Leaving the Head behind, where I am sure we got far more enjoyment on a sunny afternoon than any Game boy can generate, (it always seemed to be sunny in those days ) and heading towards Heysham Harbour. We pass the Go-cart Track famous as the place Nigel Mansell had his first motor racing accident, and where the World Championships were held . Heysham Harbour was where I spent 6 years as an apprentice engineer. The foreman was a Welsh gentleman called Mervin Birchenough MBE. One of the old style, with his black homburg and long black coat. The chargehand was a giant called Frank Siddle who`s bark was far worse than his bite. If a job required a brutal action “Buck” (his nickname) he was the man, but he could also perform the most intricate and delicate actions when needed If we were sitting around on board a ship at 4 in the afternoon, work done, Mervin was well pleased:but if we were still at it, his phrase was.. “If we don’t get it done, we are in Dickies Meadow” and that was about as bad as his language would get. Back in to Heysham. Along the Black Road up Smithy Lane, past, where, as a 10 year old, on our way to Half moon Bay for a picnic, I jumped into some long grass and landed on a broken bottle. I was taken to Doctor Milner`s for three stitches (shame he hadn’t any local anesthetic ) I digress. Down to the bottom of Smithy Lane, and on the right, the Smithy where we could watch him shoeing horses, if he was in a good mood that is! Smithy Lane onto Middleton Road that then was the main road through this part of Heysham, where we arrive at the Old Hall.Built in 1598 with additions of 1898. It was semi derelict when I was a kid living opposite. It had a walled kitchen garden with apple and cherry trees John Richard Hudson Royds, I believe was the local Vicar and owner ,when he went to meet his boss he left Mrs. Royds living there, in the upstairs part of the house. The downstairs of the place was overgrown and a very scary place to us kids.We used to sneak in but, at the first little sound, we were out of there rapidly. Later Michells bought the Hall and converted it into the Pub we know today.The first landlord was Dick Todd, and one of the best. It became a starting point before our forays into the hot spots of Morecambe. A walk through a young man’s memories of Heysham and into Morecambe Part 4 To those who are not bored with my silly missives, I have decided to wander into the delights of the, then exciting town, known as Morecambe I finished part 4 at the Old Hall close to where we lived and was the starting point to many a foray into town. In those days the thought of going to Lancaster was not even considered it was a place for Pidgeon racing, dominoes and flat caps. Off I go and swiftly pass to close to where I spent 4 years of hell School I hated every moment I spent indoors sat there waiting to go onto the football field or any other sport. I, unlike others, didn’t go behind the bike sheds for a quick drag I decided to start when I was 20 and successfully smoked myself to a triple heart bypass but once again I digress Into Morecambe, just, and Sefton Road and Ackroyds butchers where I worked as a delivery boy .Taking meat to the Boarding Houses on a Saturday .It was a good job that in those days I was as fit as I butchers dog, (pardon the pun) on the go for hours ,sometimes told not to deliver until I got the cash . One afternoon when it was quiet the owner said come down into the cellar with me this was where they made the sausages and boiled the dripping and stored the oats for the sausages go over there and grab that bag of oats and when I say go run over to me with it Confused I said ok but when he produced a 12 bore I did rather start to wonder. Go he shouted boy did I go he let off both barrels .my hearing recovered after a couple of hours. Got the little Ba####ds said The Butcher. Talking about food the next stop on my journey into town would be the Cleveland Grill where I believe that if you ate the Cleveland mixed grill you could have another free It is I said that Sir Ian Botham ate them both when there with Don Mosey the Journalist and cricket commentator who lived in Morecambe until he died in 1999 Part 5 Another eating establishment close by that was popular with the late owls was the Galleon Café who did a great line in Steak pie and chips’ .Alexander Road and Mr Armisteads where I did a short stint of delivering, fifteen bob a week which I paid to Wrights cycles and bought my first and only new bike boy did I think I was jack the lad . The Alhambra built in1901 but wasn’t a place i frequented except for the Restaurant the Tropicana and only then when I was feeling flush Eddie Morrell was known for the pantos the theatre hosted. The Super Swimming Stadium where we spent many a happy hour after school and at the weekends I always remember the board outside giving the pool temperature written in chalk it might as well have been painted as it was always the same .im convinced if there was ice on the pool the board would have been the same ,but when you’re young it didn’t seem to matter It was always an ambition to dive off the top board we had got used to jumping off so the goal was to dive off one afternoon I decided today was the day I thought when I hit the water it was perfect other than the face I thought I had hit concrete never ever again did I even think about it I was sore for days TBC Maybe if I don’t get Banned for incessant boredom
Posted on: Sun, 28 Dec 2014 15:34:08 +0000
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