Childhood Memories

A Memory of Brotton.

My whole childhood, teenage years and early adulthood was spent in Brotton. I lived at the 'top end' between the Green Tree and Chemist Corner. I have many happy memories of life in Brotton - attending the infant/junior school and forging many friendships along the way. The boys used to do sword dancing and the girls used to dance around the may pole. St. Margaret's church was attended by most of my school friends on Sundays for communion and we later went onto the Sunday School and youth club. Many wonderful Sunday afternoons were spent on rambles with Mrs. Glover to parts of the countryside as far as Staithes. As kids we spent all our playtime outside until it was dark - we were never allowed to play on a Sunday and had to dress up in our Sunday best and not get dirty. We played hopscotch, marbles, whip and top - games that are no longer popular with kids. We went frog spawning, tramped through the woods (between Brotton and Skelton) collecting wild flowers and pressing them in books. My family used to go for long walks up Kilton Lane past the old and new cemetries before all the new houses were built, around Kiltonthorpe and back to the '3 lane ends'. Other times we walked up Ings Lane onto the cliff top - Warsett - past the Fan House, along the railway line and came out at New Brotton near the two large pits of water next to the railway line. I was told how dangerous these water pits were and many years later they were filled in and new houses were built on the site. My close family were very involved with Brotton Bowling Club and Tennis Club and I used to love going there for a hit of tennis or watching my family bowl and win competitions on the bowling green. My family used to have an allotment along the 'Black Ash' - a cut between Ings Lane and the old School/Church Hall which has since been demolished and many new houses erected on the open land here. The tennis court and allotments have also given way to houses but the Bowling Green still remains and is very popular with the locals. A pig farm was also next to the allotments for a while before giving way to new houses. There was no supermarket but a couple of corner shops - one run by 'Dollo' on the High Street next to the Post Office and Miss Wilkinson had the 'bottom shop' near the petrol garage on The Avenue. Mr. Dunn used to be the cobbler mending shoes and boots and his wife ran a shoe shop at the top of the High Street on the corner of Chapel Street. I used to love the jumble sales in the Methodist chapel hall and used to go to the Girls Life Brigade every week and sometimes went on parade with everyone at different venues. I used to love Harvest Festival time too, and potato picking when we were picked up by tractor at the Green Tree and taken to Askews farm - hard work and all for 10 shillings a day! Christmas time was good too - carol singing in groups from the Sunday School.

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