My Grandparents

A Memory of Cropwell Bishop.

My grandparents lived at Fern Cottage. They moved there before the war and had two children, Dick and Jean. Dick was based at Wick and died in the war. Jean, my mum, married and had me and my sister. I have wonderful memories of Cropwell Bishop as a child. Exploring the countryside towards the gypsum tip. The Barlows butchers shop on a Saturday mornings. Wilf, the postman, the bread man from the next village, the Barton bus into Nottingham coming down the hill. There was the man who repaired the shoes in the village in a wonderful hut, and I remember all the excitement of the Point to Point races at Easter. My grandfather worked in the Lace Trade in Nottingham and then at Cotgrave Collery. My grandmother looked after the garden and the hens and my mum had a job as a girl in a bank in Nottingham. She has now died, although my dad is still alive and lives in Tollerton. I now live with my family in Huddersfield. I always think back to those wonderful summer days of my childhood. Cropwell Bishop was such a lovely place and Barlow's cows coming down the hill to be milked in the afternoon summed up its glorious tranquilty. My mum spoke of planes from Langar flying so low over the village and all the American airmen and the village dances. I think my grandparents had lots of airmen stay with them and I also remember stories of the pig they kept and eventually had slaughtered to provide a feast of meat in war-rationed England. When my grandmother died, my grandfather, George, went to live in Keyworth near to my mum and dad. When in Nottingham I always have a drive past the old house, I would love to go in but perhaps the memories surfice. I remember the lady who lived in the cottage near to the house called Mrs Atter. Those cottages still survive, as does a bit of the orchard where so many apples and pears were collected. Fond, beautiful memories.
Richard Booth

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