Horfield Old Boys

A Memory of Horfield.

Does any one remember me? My name is Robert Cox. I lived at 47 Sheridan Road right next to the lane that went down to the tip (now built on).
I went to Upper Horfield School and I still remember my first day at the school in Miss Heap's class, the music teacher was Mrs Greenslade. I can still recall the smell of freshly picked flowers in their vases at the school in the spring.
My next door neighbour on one side was Mrs Smith and on the other side of the lane was Mrs Brown. It was in Mrs Brown's garden that I used to go and pick mint for the Sunday dinner as the bottom of her garden adjoining the tip was full of the stuff. I believe her son visited some times and they had a poodle.
I spent most of my time then playing with the Hanhams who lived two doors up, Les and Mike, the parents were called John and Barbara who were good friends with my parents, Edna Violet and Mervynn Cox, we even went on holiday together down to Weymouth. If Les or Mike see this, please get in touch.
A quick jump on to the coal bunker and over the fence and I was in the lane leading to the tip, with the swings and seesaw on my right it was a short walk across the tip to the far corner down by the electric house as we called it, and down the grass bank. In 43 Cropthorne Road lived my cousins, Les, Dave, Gary, and my dad's brother, Uncle Brian and his wife, Auntie Qwen. I remember the times when we went over to stoney bridge which crosses the railway on the other side of Filton Avenue. My dad, Uncle Brian, Les, Dave and Gary and myself would go on a Sunday morning picking nuts on the farm land which is now replaced by the MOD buildings and not a blade of grass in sight.
My old mate Bill Rees lived with his parents opposite Sheridan Road School, we ended up working together at Brunell Tech but sadly lost contact when I moved to Sweden where I live to this day. I will never forget camping on the tip in the summer and roasting potatoes and apples on an open fire, climbing the tree that was at the far end of the tip near Eden Grove, falling in the stinging nettles, and watching someone race his greyhounds by way of a battery driven bike wheel with string attached and a piece of fur tied to it. And then came Saturday and when Horfield Old Boys played on the tip I used to go and help carry the posts and net from an old lady who lived across the road, and with luck I would get a piece of orange at half time. Maggie Beard was an old lady who pushed a pram before her, even though she was over 60 then. And I recall a David Clegg who lived across the road, I believe he went to Canada to live, or so he said. And I remember Carol Fisher who live up the road from me, we went to school together, we were going to get married when we were 12 years old.
I used to sit on the post box in Sheridan Road and I remember the phone box opposite Bill Rees, with whom I did my worst business deal and that was to swap an action man with equipment for a padlock.
Hedge hopping and building houses of grass after the tractor had cut the grass on the tip, the driver had only one leg. June bugging where we would swipe at some flying bug with a tennis racket or stick. Horfield was at that time a green place with privet hedges and lots of trees and gardens. Unlike the Horfield of today with iron railings and brick walls in place of the affore said. Walking up to Scammels in Toronto Road to buy 60 Woodbines for my dad and a lucky bag and 'Beano' for myself, then we had 2 other shops on either side of Mr and Mrs Scammel, I can't remember their names just now. One was a younger woman and further up was an older woman who kept the shop. Anyone who knows me please get in touch. Bye for now.

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