Clayton West, Church Lane c1960

Childhood Memories

I was born in Huddersfield and lived in Clayton West until I got married in 1973. I lived in The Royds with my parent where my father was the local postman, in fact many of my relations lived in The Royds or near by.
My fondest memories of the village are fishing in the dams which were located just of Bilham Road, creating really long sledging runs from what we, as children, called the the dam down the hill, through several gardens, across The Royds and down Back Lane and cutting throwing sticks out an old ladies hedge and going into the cricket field to see who get them to go the farthest.
I too remember Herman Wood delivering the milk with his horse and cart and going potato picking on his farm.
The landlady of the Shoulder of Mutton pub had a pet sheep which bemused me as a child. The pub car park was also the stopping point for the mobile library which I regularly frequented.
Round the corner on on the hill was the Co-op and the Co-op butchers and a little further down the hill was the Church Hall/Sunday School where I remember at a very young age learning the Lord's Prayer and watching a movie in the evening.

Ackroyd coffee bar

Just down the road from the Shoulder of Mutton pub was Ackroyds coffee bar. In the 60s we young ones would meet, listen to the juke box, drinking frothy coffee.
The horse and cart outside the pub belonged to Herman Wood the local milkman. The cart was a daily sight outside the pub.

Scissett school

This was my school transported from Birdsedge to school each day, quite a trip. Lots of great memories, 1949-50-51- those were the years I attended. I remember the school flat we got to play house for a whole week and miss the regular classes.
Doreen Osborne

Childhood memories

I was born 1949 in Huddersfield and lived in Skelmanthorpe until 1970. I was delighted to see the photos of Skelmanthorpe taken in the fifties. It brought back wonderful childhood memories of things that I'd already forgotten. I remembered going to Bower's Newsagent to pay for our papers once every week, the chemist shop next door and then there was a greengrocer nearby called Wraggs if I remember rightly. Also a small pretty little shop called Lawton's who sold mirrors and plates etc. We also visited the Savoy picture house once a week although the films were over one year old before they got to Skelmanthorpe. It didn't matter because no one had colour TV in those days so the picture house was something special. I went to the county primary school in Skelmanthorpe and later to Honley Grammar School. I've been living in Germany since 1970 so I have no idea what happened to all the friends I had during my childhood. Maybe someone who reads this can remember Angela Hodgson as I was called then. I would be delighted to hear from someone who I knew in those days. No one ever forgets their roots, wherever they go. I will definately keep an eye on this page for further information or photos of Skelmanthorpe.

Lived there

Denby Dale is where I use to live untill 1994.