Hednesford memories
Here are memories of Hednesford and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Hednesford or a Hednesford photo.
Tivoli Picture House
I remember my Uncle Keith taking me to Saturday morning pictures at the Tivoli. I used to have a 'birthday' every 3 weeks so we would get the free sweets they gave away on your birthday. Great times. I miss him so much.
Hazel Slade House Racing Stables
I was an apprentice jockey with master Robert Charles Ward from 1954 to 1960, then I went in the Forces, then I emigrated to Australia and now live in Victoria, in Langwarrin. With reference to Mrs Gillian Barsby, her brother, Mr Fred Griffiths, I knew him, he used to open the gates at the railway crossing just down from the stables at Hazel Slade, and he used to come down to the stables in the afternoons. I also used to go into the Hazel Slade Inn after the races. If any of those people want to get in touch with me they are very welcome. I could write a book on the stables. I will pass my phone number on, there's 11 hours in time difference, or they can email me at: chrisandclive@yahoo.co.uk The phone number is 0397895626. Yours truly, Mr C Brookes.
Tobacco Shop
I remember walking home from Hednesford Raceway, with my Mom, on Sundays and visting a little tobacco shop. My Mom would buy a bag of snuff for her Nan from there. I remember a little old lady working there and the fantastic smells in the shop.
Ice Cream Shop
The ice cream shop was near the big Catholic church at Hednesford, the church had hydraulics which were adjusted annually to keep in level from mining subsidence. The shop served the best ever ice cream soda in a tall glass with straws, my favourite was orange pop with vanilla ice cream. My Grandad Titley used to walk my cousin and I there for a Saturday treat. We walked over the fields at Chadsmoor and would watch the racing pigeons returning home.
The Tivoli in Wartime
I remember the Sunday concerts at the Tivoli during wartime. These were produced in a very professional manner and were a wonderful morale booster for the local people during some very dark days. One Sunday the same concert was being performed at the Tivoli and The Empire on the same night and the artists were running between the two cinemas all evening. A trip to the cinema followed by a cup of tea and a bun at Sally Lowe's Cafe under the clock was quite a night out, how times have changed!
Hednesford
The picture of the Van in the main street of Hednesford is I think the Co-op grocery delivery van. Just below the woman was then a Co-op grocery store. The van was driven by a man by the name of Tommy; I unfortunately can't remember his surname.
I worked at the Rawnsley Co-op branch in the 60s when I was 17, the Manager was Ron Berks. It was my job to walk to all the outlying areas to collect customer’s orders namely, Wimblebury, Hazel Slade, Cannock Wood, Rawnsley New Village and Gentalshaw... The orders would then be put up and packed in boxes and I would go out on delivery with Tommy on Fridays and Saturdays in this van.
Hednesford
I remember Kings fish and chip shop in Uxbridge Street, it's now a Chinese takeaway, also Trabulis Cafe, soup and exra bread for 8d (old money). In the 60s we used to go for our dinner when I was at Littleworth Boys School (now Kingsmead Tech College), also the Anbatina Cafe in Market Street next to the Lichfield Laundry, all knocked down now and replaced by a bookies, an off license and bank. Also the indoor market. Hednesford was sadly left behind by the renovation of Cannock but in those days Hednesford people were so friendly, lived their till I was 22, now in Norton Canes though my family are still there. Saturday night at the Civic saw some great bands, we would go for a drink in the Anglesey Hotel then across the road to the Civic, 4/6d in old money, great days.
Uncle Frank's Cinema - The Tivoli
I believe the Tivoli was owned by my Uncle Frank Williams, who lived in the 40s at Tree Tops, a modern (then) bungalow in the vicinity of Rugeley. He was my father's brother and I think he also owned the cinema at the other end of the main road (was it the Empire?) Previously he either owned or leased Cannock Picture House. He had a poster business (mainly cinema posters) where my father Erskine Williams latterly worked - first situated in Cannock and then around 1942 at the Red House (now replaced by a large industrial estate) on the East Cannock Rd, opposite the Globe Inn. I lived there in 1942 with my parents and younger brother.
I have only today (April 11 2007) discovered that the Red House was at one time an important horse racing establishment owned by a Mr Rooney. I remember during WW2 that there were a number of stables in the courtyard.
I recall around the time I lived there taking part in... Read more
Ice Cream Shop
All I remember when I was a child was going for Saturday ice cream at Mr Spinelli's shop. Oooh those were the days!
Memories of Staffordshire
Childhood in Chadsmoor
I lived at no 134 Cannock Road oposite the Baptist Chapel. The first memories was of playing in the school band, I was on the triangle and we were took to the hall in Cannock to play for some soldiers, I don't if they enjoyed it as we were no Joe Loss band. The most that comes to mind was the shops in Chadsmoor, there was a lot of them including Bertha Smith's and Bianci's for sweets and homemade pop. My mother made me an RAF uniform and we stood on the corner in Cannock centre and watched as hundreds of American sodiers marched past from the railway station, I still wonder today how many made it back home. I am trying to put together the story of Chadsmoor in the war years, if anyone can help I would be grateful for the input. I have the names of all the people that lived there in 1945. The one thing i would like to know is when the wooden boys'... Read more
The Blake
The following information relates to the opening of the Blake school in Hednesford.
The Blake school was built to replace the Central Secondary school for boys which was in Burns Street Chadsmoor (where Chadsmoor junior school is now sited)
The building of the school commenced in March 1961 and was taken over in December 1962. The cost was £157,000. The school then consisted of a large and small hall, a library, 7classrooms, a music room, 5 practical rooms and a kitchen which could serve up to 200 meals a day. A caretaker’s house was also provided.
The information given at the time of opening stated that the school was of traditional construction but very adverse site conditions necessitated the use of heavily reinforced foundations and restricted the height of the building. Praise was given to both the architect and the playing fields department on the transfiguration of a derelict site.
The school was built on land formerly owned by West Cannock Colliery Company. It is... Read more
Cannock Road Chadsmoor
The row of houses mentioned earlier were re numbered in the early 1950s. Our row started at 206- 214. The row of houses we lived in were actually owned by my grandmother Minnie Garbett. She bought them sometime in the late 1940s or early 1950s. I remember being told that she caused chaos by fencing off her property and making the people next door at 204 use the next entry by number 202 instead of taking a short cut across our garden. The well at the top of no 208 was also filled in. My parents Mr and Mrs Bill Bridges, lived in 206 (next to the entry). Mr and Mrs Alf Carter lived at 208. Next to them was Gwen Groves. The next was someone called Brown and Mr and Mrs Hollingshead lived in the last of the 5 houses. I can remember Harvey’s shoe shop on the corner of Burns Street. Other shops down from there were Goodwins butchers and a greengrocer owned by various families - Richards, Smart and... Read more
Journals in The College
My grandfather, W. W. Share, was a mining engineer who worked at Walsall Wood Colliery. After he died, his mining engineering journals were transferred to the college.
A Fifties Lad in Cannock
The Crown Hotel dating back to the reign of Queen Anne circa 1702. Demolished to make way for hideous 1960s architecture, Dickie Wright's butchers shop and cottage on the corner of Church Street, the bandstand where Bob Simmons stood selling the Express & Star evening newspaper, Watkiss's seed and corn shop, later to become Yates Radio & Television where we bought singles for six and eightpence, and Beasleys Grocery and provisions where as children we were fascinated by the overhead cash system where the takings and change were taken via a container running along cables. Rosa's Ice Cream which was truly delicious and they came around the streets in their Ford E83 delivery vans. Further along we came to Linfords hardware shop where the aroma of the pink parrafin stove greeted you in the winter months, you wouldn't find a wick for the stove in Wilko's today. The New Hall was a place of public entertainment where Amateur Dramatics, Pantomimes and Christmas Bazaars took place, the lucky dip off Father Christmas was... Read more
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