Featherstone

I was born in Featherstone in 1956 and lived there until 1962 when we moved to Hampshire. My dad was also born there. We lived at 46 Market Street and my grandparents lived at 64 Featherstone Lane, on the corner of Gordon Street. I believe my great-grandparents lived in Featherstone Lane too. My grandfather (Arthur Haigh) was a miner all his life. He played rugby for Featherstone Rovers, 1921-1929, and was one of the original senior team.

I only have the vaguest of memories of most of my life there, and of later visits, but then others are very vivid. Most seem to focus around food! I have recollections of a shop at the end of Market St., run by 'Mr. Roly-Poly' (as I called him in my innocence!), but I've been told his name was Roly Weston. I remember the fish and chip shop in Featherstone Lane - you can't get Yorkshire fishcakes here for love nor money and I love them! - and I think that there was a shop next door to my gran's house at one time. I'm sure I remember getting sweets there.

I went to Gordon St. school for about a year, but I only remember my first day. I loved it because I could go to my gran's everyday straight from school. The school playground and her yard backed onto one another. Balls would regularly sail over the fence and end up in her yard, never to see the light of day again until my brother and I visited. She refused to give them back! Then she'd open the top drawer of the kitchen dresser to reveal her latest stash of confiscated goods!

I have a photo of my grandad sitting on 'that bench' with his mates and I think it was probably taken a little earlier than this one. No doubt he was also waiting for the doors to open!