Cheslyn Hay 1960 1977

A Memory of Cheslyn Hay.

My parents moved from Essington to Cheslyn Hay in 1960. We briefly lived in one of the cottages in Hollybush before moving to Low Street.
I remember Harry Bates selling fruit & veg from his horse & cart and people shovelling up manure left by the horse for their veg plots or roses.
In those days Low Street was very different, we lived opposite Mr & Mrs Sleigh who I seem to remember had a large plot where they grew veg. A few names from 1960's Low Street.... Eric & Pauline Grey, they moved to Australia (Ten pound poms) An old lady called Nell Stokes who we used to call Aunty Nell. My brother and I would take it in turns at going to her cottage and filling her coal scuttle with coal and carrying it from the shed at the back to her fireplace. She would always offer us a threepenny bit but mum would never allow us to accept it. The Belchers lived next to aunty Nell. Also Johnny Newman, Tim & Simon Yorath and the Podmore's. Going the other way down Low Street was Mr & Mrs Holland, Mr & Mrs Hollimode, Mr & Mrs Birch who had two sons David & Graham (They moved to Telford) Mr & Mrs Whale, Mrs & Mrs Dawson who had two daughters, Mr & Mrs Kingston who also had two daughters and kept Corgi's, not sure why I remember that! And Mr & Mrs Bowen who bought the glass sliding doors from the Danilo in Cannock and fitted them as garage doors. Across the road lived the Browns I think their daughter was called Nina, the Jeavons's & Hortons.

When we first moved to Low Street the fields behind the houses were farmland, half way down the field was a cottage where Reg Kingston lived, we would often chat to him, he moved to a flat in Windsor road. Around 1963/64 the field became a quarry that came right up to the back of the houses, it was then a landfill, the flies and smell were awful in the summer. In an adjacent field in the summer we used to make dens with bales of hay. We often played in Chapel field (now Zion Close) with David and Russell Potts who lived in Queen Street, we would also go flying down Queen Street in soapbox carts, I seem to remember Stephen Green was particularly good at making soapbox carts. Further up Queen Street just behind the Colliers were a couple of small cottages one of which was occupied by a couple of old fellas who were known as mad Jack & mad Herbert, kids can be cruel. I have happy memories of Cheslyn Hay primary school (1964/70) I remember the headmaster Jack Martin and Taffy Blount very well. Apart from the caretakers house (Mr & Mrs Russell) on the corner of Hatherton and Hill street, no trace remains of the school.

Another popular area to play was up the cut & swing bridge by Kingston's farm. Many of the lads who we usually went up there with came from the Mitre estate, not forgetting Bugsy Bruton from Pinfold Lane. We spent hours playing up the cut, the orange hole, or "ole" and Campions wood. I haven't been there for...more than 40 years but I know it's all gone, as have the slag heaps down by the razza. Remember the park? The boat and Liver-stretcher! How dangerous were they, but great fun. I remember Roy Bates (Hatherton Street) brother falling off the Boat and injuring himself quite badly. I think kids were probably tougher in those days, good job really lol. The park was kept neat & tidy by a park keeper who would tell you off for misbehaving, cant imagine that today. I'm begining to ramble so I'll stop here. Happy days.

Andrew Williams. Low Street Cheslyn Hay 1960 - 1977.

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