Harworth 'Old' Village

The Cross Roads c1955
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The large Horse Chestnut tree to the right was very popular when conkers were in season with boys searching the ground and throwing whatever came to hand at the tree to try and dislodge the nuts that were temptingly out of reach. At school play times serious competitions took place to see who had the best conker. I remember the walled playground being littered with the broken remains. Harworth sits juxtaposed with Bircotes, a sprawling estate of 'pit' houses built after the Great War for the miners at the nearby colliery. Going up the road behind the photographer takes you past the shoe factory towards Bircotes and the main shopping area for both communities. Turning left at the cross roads, the road leads over the railbridge and past the turning to the Glass Bulbs factory, at the time, besides the shoe factory and pit, the only other big nearby employer. Turning right takes you to Tickhill Spital and the county boundary with South Yorks. Straight on leads you through the 'old village', which besides the school, also had a butchers, a general store, a post office and a pub - The Blacksmiths Arms. Facing the photographer on the opposite side of the cross roads can be seen the barn of Durdys farm. The village boasted three farms. Besides Durdys, on the opposite side of the road and just off the picture to the left was Ashworths farm, and a little further down the road was Kents, who was a dairy farmer. I have fond memories during the school holidays and weekends helping Mr Kent and his son David herding the cattle twice a day through the village from the fields to the milking sheds. The village school had only three classrooms, one of which was the church hall. Mr Perry was the headmaster and Miss Bray his deputy. At dinner time the hall became the school canteen and the meals brought down in large metal containers from the 'big' school at Bircotes. My mother used to be one of the dinner ladies. As it was a Church of England school, religious education was taught by the local vicar, the Rev Walter Beasley, who was very serious in his teaching. I remember his favourite saying being '"The only sound I want to hear is the scratching of your pencil on the paper". I've no idea what the monument in the middle of the road was for or represented, although I do remember that it had a small drinking type trough attached to the sides. On the other side of the tree is the road to Bawtry, so, all in all the cross road comprised of five road and it was a favourite location for accidents and a swine to cross with cars coming from all directions. Now, the monument has been moved over to the left and there is now two roadabouts. The conker tree no longer exists and the waste ground around where it stood has been built on. Durdys farm is still there, but the barn has now been converted into living accommodation, likewise the pigstys just across the road, where once stood Asworths farm.