Our Street

A Memory of Collyhurst.

Our Street was named Aston Street at the back of the Kings Arms pub in Rochdale Road. It was an amazing little street with a tripe shop and pies at the top of the street, a garage next door which housed Johnny Raffo's Ice Cream Vans, also his Ice Cream making machines, also on this side were the Butterworths, the Bracegirdles, (could always borrow half a crown from Mrs Bracegirdle), the Burns, the Crawfords, the Newtons and at the bottom on that side was the corner shop that sold groceries. The middle of the street was Stapletons who had the greengrocers and at the back a coal yard where we weighed bags of coal and my brothers used to deliver bags of coal in little carts, one bag at a time. On the other side of our street there was the Guests (that's us), the Shaws, the Greenhalghes, and on the end old Lizzy, I never knew her surname, Lizzy used to knit all my dolls' clothes. Just round the corner there was a chemist works and Stiles Undertakers and that was Nobby Stiles's Dad (footballer) so you see we really did not have to go very far to get all what we needed. Tripe. Pies. Greengrocery. Coal. Groceries. Medicines and in the end Coffins. Our Mam worked very hard and all her day were counted for she was the cleaner at the Kings Arms 7 mornings a week. Wash House Monday and Tuesday afternoons she took in washing. Ironing all Wednesday afternoon. Cleaned all our house and change beds Thursday afternoons, also went to Town so we had a posh tea that day including biscuits. Friday afternoons she cleaned for a private house and collected wages just once a year and that paid for our Whit Week clothes. Saturday afternoons she spent listening to our "Mam can I 'ave?". We always needed something, so then it was off to the weekly payment clothes shop to buy what she could afford on tic on Sundays. Oh yes like every good Catholic family round there it was Mass at St. Patrick's and we had to go or else. Our Dad was always tired, he worked shifts at the Gas Works and now we know the dangers he worked in we know why he was always tired. Well that's all for now, just a few memories of our street.