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Boothorpe
Boothorpe maps
Historic maps of Boothorpe and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Boothorpe maps
Boothorpe photos
We have no photos of Boothorpe, although we do have photos of these nearby places:
Church Gresley| Swadlincote| Ashby-De-La-Zouch| Measham| Bretby| Stapenhill| Burton-On-Trent| Repton| Branston| Melbourne| Ibstock
Boothorpe area books
Displaying 1 of 11 books about Boothorpe and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Boothorpe
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Derbyshire memories
Airplane Crash in Church Gresley
I was only a toddler when a light plane landed in the cricket field beyond the allotments at the bottom of Regent Street. Everybody around dashed down to see the spectacle. Few had seen an aeroplane actually on the ground. It was common to run outside to see one actually in the air. (This was before W.W. II, when it was possible to count dozens or estimate up to a hundred or more.)
The pilot was a lady, and she had apparently lost her bearings. Eventually she decided to carry on her journey, but to take off in such a short space would have been a challenge to the best of pilots. She became airborne, but didn't get beyond the local tree tops. I was told at the time that someone was hanging on the tail-plane for a ride as the aircraft was taxi-ing for take off.
Perhaps someone else can recall the incident and give more precise details.
My First Hitch-Hike
If my memory serves me correctly, this park was named "Eureka Park" and was situated by "Eureka Road". We would pass here when walking from Church Gresley to "Midway Grandma's " in Sandcliff Road. or further afield to "The Old Mill" on the road to Repton.
During the war myself and four other kids, walking back after a visit to the "Old Mill" heard a car approaching (At that time cars were not very common along country roads. ) so we decided to use our thumbs as the car went by. (We knew that servicemen used this mode of travel, when going on leave. ) I think we were all amazed when the car actually stopped and the driver invited us all to climb in. The driver was a lady and possibly a doctor, or some other vital professional, to be allowed to drive a car in those days. I can't recall where she dropped us off, but it reduced the journey home considerably.
The Garden Spade From Salts of Swad
When six years old I remember very well going from Church Gresley to Swad (Swadlincote always shortened to Swad by locals) with my beloved grandfather to purchase a spade from the hardware department of Salts. I still have that spade, the blade is a lot smaller now due to years of use by my grandfather and myself and is no longer used, it is polished and on display along with the garden fork purchased from the same store sometime later. The name on the spade is WIGAN BROADACRE, the name on the fork, NASH. The Christmas toy show at Salts was held upstairs over the hardware department, hours being spent looking at toys with not a hope of having. Salts also had a store on the opposite side and higher up High Street nearer the Delph, this was Ladies and Gents Outfitters and Drapery. Between the hardware department and The Bulls Head was Wroughtons wallpaper and paint shop. At that time wallpaper had edges that had to be trimmed off, there... Read more
EVACUATION
I was evacuated to The Old Hall, Netherseal with my sister June. We were taken to the Village Hall to be 'picked' by a family and were lucky enough to be taken in by the Manners at The Old Hall. Since then I have been back and found it quite a blow to find the graves of our hosts in the churchyard. There was a wall surrounding the property by the roadside and we used to sit up there to the detriment of our dresses, or go up to the shop for a happorth of sweets. Rolling down the sloping grass to the lake/pond? was such fun (apart from the duck muck). We had our own nursery would you believe, and normally ate in the kitchen (I think the housekeeper was a Mrs Parkes) except on special occasions when we'd eat in the dining room with Mr and Mrs Manners. I can still see in my mind's eye the sight of the silver platter with a domed top containing the hot... Read more
Rose Cottage
Bretby was 'discovered' by my dad who liked to vary his route in Ashby to work at Burton Girls' Grammar School. Bretby is not exactly the-land-that-time-forgot, but it is a delightfully unspoilt oasis, despite its proximity to Burton-on-Trent. Rose Cottage was a dilapidated house in the middle of the village, near the Green. The house was originally the blacksmith's house, and it was next the old forge, which was a derelict shell of a building then.
My mum and dad took on the house and turned it into a home. Rose Cottage still has doors which my dad re-built, which have the original hinges made by the old blacksmith. There are exposed beams in the sitting room, and quirky features in the floors. But the most obvious change in the house is the garden. My dad, with my mum's help, planned and re-landscaped a sloping garden into a series of terraces, inspired by Capability Brown's principles. His now-failing health prevents him from working in the garden now - but be... Read more
Bretby Hall Hospital
My name is Brian Spray and I first saw Bretby Hall when I was 4 years old. I contracted Infantile Paralisis (Polio) in 1944 and was referred to see the lady doctor who practiced at Bretby, Dr Greason and Mr Lund. I spent 6 months on my first visit in 1948 and another 6 months in 1951. My next visit was in 1955, again 6 months. My last visit to stay was a year later in 1956, again another 6 months, in this stay I took my eleven plus. School was provided for a few hours a day and other activities to keep us busy ie pottery and basket making and painting. We had our own record player in the library. Every couple of weeks there was a concert or a picture show in the main hall. Every morning no matter what the weather we were pushed outside so the wards could be cleaned, we had a morning drink outside, coffee in summer and Bovril in winter. I have no... Read more
Nursing at Bretby Hall
I was nursing at Bretby from about 1951 for a couple of years. Does anyone have any news of Jim Ruddock and Marie? I lost touch a long time ago. I believe they went to Canada.
We used to have concerts in the Hall, we also had dances in one of the large rooms and there was a tennis court. So, a busy social life, but we had to work very hard too!
Joyce
