Sunday at The Dell

Hexthorpe Flatts, The Dell Cafe c1955
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During the long summer Sundays of 1947, the pleasures that were afforded by many Doncastrians were few and far between.Sunday, being a non-work day for the man of the house (if not the woman, Sunday dinner to make, pots to wash, beds to make, etc.). He just might decide to take his family for a walk, this of course was after a pleasurable lunchtime drink, his Sunday dinner and an afternoon nap. The kids were sent to Sunday School at the local church in order to make this afternoon nap possible and if he woke up in a good mood and the sun was shining, the decision was taken, "Let's all go for a walk". Of course, it was themother's job to wash and dress the kids, change the babies nappy, make up a bottle of baby food in case she got hungry (sister in our case), prepare a few sandwiches, put an extra nappy and powder in the pram and all this had to be done before she could get ready. Eventually,after sitting quietly for what seemed like hours ("I don't want you getting dirty, now that I have cleaned you up"), we would be off. One of their favourite visiting spots was Hexthorpe Flats and the Dell. What a trek, all the way up Sandringham Road to Town Moor Avenue, then across the Town Fields, down Waterdale to Hexthorpe Bridge (a quick 5 minutes train spotting), then through Hexthorpe to the Flats. During those far away summer days, the Dell was used by the local Brass Bands, in order to display their talents. Every colliery had a band, Brodsworth, Edlington, Armthorpe, Cadeby, plus lots more factories in Doncaster and the surrounding area. It is 65 years ago that my ears were first introduced to Brass Bands and I only have to hear a snatch of it, and it can fetch back memories of the time I spent sitting on the grass listening to those majestic and stirring sounds.