Madeley - as it Was

I was born in 1949 in Victoria Road, Madeley and have many memories of life as it was in the 1950's onwards. I remember Jones' buses, Pooles the cobblers, Carters, Stodd's the Drapers, Shums the chemist, and most memorable of all, Nellie Oakes' shop in Park Avenue. It was always a delight to visit there to purchase four chews for a penny and sherbert and liquorice. The small shedlike store was packed with boxes of stock but Nellie knew every item she had. Vinegar was kept in a wooden barrell outside.

My Grandfather, the late William (Billy) Jones and his mates used to sit on the wall down the gully, (a narrow lane, which is now the road which runs along side Elcocks Coaches) just smoking Woodbines and sharing their stories of life down the pit. Although Grandad enjoyed a pint of beer he would never sit in a pub instead he would send us down to the Barley Mow in Court Street with empty bottles and we would fetch him two pints of Mild. Mr Thomas, the Landlord, would place a paper seal over the corks to ensure the bottles would arrive home with their contents intact. Times were hard and my Grandmother, Harriett, used to take in washing to make ends meet. My brother and I had to collect the washing wrapped in a sheet and deposit it in the wash house. Every Monday was wash day. Granny had to be up early to light the fire under the huge boiler in the wash house. Washing took all day and on those days our meal consisted of stew made up with the left overs of Sunday lunch. It didn't matter how busy she was there was always a cooked meal on the table and a pudding. It was nothing for her to whip up a steamed pudding pudding or an apple pie. Of course there were no convenience foods then, most of the ingredients came the garden and neighbours shared their crops with each other, swapping cabbages for carrots. Fowl were reared for Christmas fare which were plucked and drawn in the same tin bath as we used to bathe. That's just how it was.

Like my mother and aunt before me I played many a happy hour in Barnett's Coppice and my brother, Alistair Jones used to fish in the Court pool and the smaller 'green' pool.. They were happy times. Barnett's Coppice in the Spring was awash with the delicate blue flowers of the for-get-me-not and the surrounding fields yielded cow smock and lady smock. Picking Blue bells was always my favourite time as it meant we were allowed to wander up the fields to Park Hall (which was very near to park Lane, now Woodside) locally known as the Slang. In the winter we collected horse chestnuts and conkers. Bonfire night was an event all us kids would enjoy and weeks before November 5th we would gather up bags and bags of leaves and litter, infact anything which would burn and keep it until the big day. It was always a family affair making the guy. Every once in a while the 'ragman' used to come to Madeley and I vividly remember my brother taking my pyjamas to the ragman and swapping them for a gold fish, which of course lived for a very short time. The ragman, saw me crying and luckily gave me my pyjamas back.

I can remember the circus coming to town and the animals, which arrived at the old Madeley Station, were paraded up the street to the fairground. It was such fun.

I attended Madeley Church School and every Wednesday morning the local vicar, aptly named The Reverend Lord, came to the school to give scripture lessons. We were taken for 'nature walks' through Madeley Church yard, down Blists Hill (commonly known as Blesses Hill) and back up Coalport bank, collecting wild flowers and acorns and then quenching our thirst with water from the school's outside tap. We walked, hand in hand with a partner to our sports days were held on the local 'rec'.

I also attended Madeley Modern School, just as it changed the name to the Abraham Darby. The late Mary Whitehouse and Jack Hook were the head teachers.

Yes they were good times. Everyone knew each other. There was no violence, no drugs, doors were left open but there was no theft. Children spoke when they were spoken to and not before. Local police men patrolled the streets and were used to giving kids a scuff around the ears and taking them back to their parents. It was in the days when Police were respected and feared, alas how times have changed.