Market Bosworth, Ye Olde Red Lion c1955

Growing up in a small village

My parents moved to Twycross from London in the early 1960s. We lived on Sheepy Road next door to Mr Charlie Brooks and Louie Jones. On the opposite side were Stan and Ilma Jones and Len Gibbs and his daughter Joan. I remember there being a family whose surname was Talbot in the big house opposite us, but they moved away and a family called Turner moved in. We went to school in Congerstone, followed by Market Bosworth High then Desford. We stood next to the Green to catch the bus for all 3 schools. I babysat for a family called Dodds who lived at Seale Cottage and we played with the girls who lived at The Hollies, Mandy and Debbie Thorpe. Mr Brooks had a huge vegetable garden and we were lucky enough to be given fresh peas, beans and gooseberries from time to time. When he died, I remember a motorbike rider moved in, I think his name was Dennis Ireland. As far as I can tell, our old house is now the caretaker for the private school's home. The school was still a private home then belonging to Mr and Mrs Hamlet. There was a garage run by the Benn family where you could buy paraffin as well as petrol. My aunt ran the Post Office for a number of years up on the Hallfields estate (Flo Orton/Middleton). When she left I believe Sheila Booton took it over. My friend on Flax Lane was Sarah Nutt and I learned to ride a two-wheeler bike on her little red bike with chunky tyres bouncing all over the place on the bumpy unmade lane. One of my main pastimes was riding my red and yellow Mobo scooter down the hill towards Sheepy, you couldn't half get some speed up, but then of course you had to push it all the way back up the hill! We would make sandwiches and squash and ride our bikes to Watery Lane in the summer and paddle in the ford there. I don't remember the water being cold but I doubt you'd get me in it these days. I used to go to the other end of the village to play with my friend Jane Bailiss who lived with her mum and grandparents and uncle in the house at the top of the lane next to the entrance to what is now a garden centre. Her grandparents were Vic and Jessie Cope, her mum was Judy and her uncle was Bob Henton. I remember he had a large incubator in a shed behind Assheton House Country Club where he kept his chickens and sometimes he would let us in to peep as they hatched. My mum worked at the club for a while and I remember a lady called Pattie who I think was German and a Spanish lady called Millie who lived in a bungalow very close to the club. When the club closed down,we used to go inside it to play frisbeeing beer mats at the mirror ball above the dancefloor! At the back of the club was an old van/truck stuck across a stream which we could climb up inside and travel to all manner of imaginary places. There was also an old safe out there and we were convinced it was full of money so we spent a long time trying to get into that with no success. Where Startins Tractors now stands was a small wooden cafe which my nan would walk us to, I was too small to remember that as my nan died when I was two. The Curzon Arms was run by a Mr Welch who had a stable door inside the entrance of the porch and he would sell sweets from there during the day, I have fond memories of Tunnocks teacakes from there. Thursday night was Youth club night at the village hall.I can't recall what we did but I do remember they sold Bubbly bubble gum and you got a paper straw to drink your pop with. My older sister and I went to Brownies in Witherley with Caroline Braddock whose mum, Lynn, ran the shop near the green. I went swimming in Atherstone with Jane and she always had black pudding and chips when we came out of the baths. I remember a mobile shop coming round and the lorry was an ex Sunblest delivery wagon and you could still see the faint outline of its livery. Our milk was delivered by Keith Sedgeley from Congerstone and our meat was from Taylors Butchers from Snarestone. I actually still buy my meat from Taylors shop in Measham even now. As a family, we went to Nuneaton on a Saturday and shopped in a place called Treasure Island and on the indoor market. On the way home we would call at a little cafe called The Batch Bar for sausage and tomato cobs. A big treat was a big tub of Ski yoghurt shared between us, as yoghurt didn't seem as popular then as it is now. I think of the amount of freedom we had to go out and explore and wish my own kids had that opportunity now. We moved away to Moira when I was seventeen as my dad was working at Donisthorpe pit then and we got a coal board house. Our house at Twycross was rented from the Crown Estates and maintenance was an issue. In the winter, if it was very windy, my mum made us stay in as the slate roof tiles would get blown off, slide down and drop onto the front lawn stuck in like daggers. We had no central heating and would have ice on the inside of the windows in winter. We used the kitchen as our main room and the front room only had its fire lit at Christmas and special occasions. Our pantry had a salting block in it and meat hooks in the ceiling. The coalhouse had a big copper for doing the washing but my mum used the copper for plants and had a twin tubwasher indoors. Happy days.

Growing up in Earl Shilton

I have fond memories of Earl Shilton around the 1950s. My first school was in Wood Street where I lived in a little old cottage, now knocked down. I remember celebrating Queen Elizabeth II's coronation at the school, wearing a red, white and blue paper dress my mum made for me. We moved later to Weavers Road where I attended Weavers Road School. I have memories of 'Harry's' (or the flea pit) picture house which I frequented on Saturdays with my cousin, to see the old cowboy films, and cheering when the cavalry turned up. It cost 9 old pennies to get in. I also remember when the new roller skating rink opened. Fond memories too of the old station as others have remembered, taking picnics, and also watery gate, waiting for the cars to splash! Oh, and Mrs Lumley's fish and chip shop, Almeys Lane, 3 old pennies for a bag of chips!! Lots of memories.

Earl Shilton

My memories are of Earl Shilton and similar to those of Eric Johnson. I started at Earl Shilton Infant School in 1959 and the headmistress was called Mrs Cloe. When I was in her class she would read Brer Rabbit books to us at the end of each day and if the boys were naughty they had their legs slapped. It was a little school which my grandmother and mother also went to and as Eric stated is now a supermarket. I lived down Elmesthorpe Lane and my dad used to take me to see the steam trains at Elmesthorpe - although they were few and far between at that time, Dad knew when they were due. My next school was at the other end of the village which was Earl Shilton Junior School. There was a little sweet shop on the corner where we used to buy sherbet dips and jubilees. Mr Dowswell was one of my teachers and a memory of him was dandruff constantly over his jacket. I go back to Earl Shilton perhaps once every couple of years and although the shops are different now it hasn't changed an awful lot.

My early years

My memory of Shilton is when I started school at the infant school in The Hollow which is now a supermarket, and then to the school in Wood Street, after that to Heathfield at Bel Vue and we used to play in Dan Asley's sand pit on the home.
After I left school I worked for a Mr Surch at Kesters Nook which is no longer there, and then he went to Australia and I went with him, here I have been for the last 54 years. But I have been back to Shilton a few times as I still have three sisters living in England and I still call it my home. But it has changed so much that I have lost all contact with all the boys I used to go to school with and I hope someone still remembers me.
We also liked to go down to Elmsthorp and watch the old steam trains go through and put pennies on the line to let the train flatten them out. We also loved to go to Harry's picture house on Saturday afternoon.
These are just a few of the best years of my life and I hope that someone else can remember them too.

Netherley house, Hinckley road

Hi Can anyone help me? Was there a Netherley House in Hinckley Road in the late 1930s/early 1940s? I have a relative who was born there in November 1940 but I cant see any record of the place. Any help would be appreciated. Regards Tracey