Newmarket, Clock Tower 1922

Andrew Lindborg - My Grandfather

I have a copy of this postcard myself - the family kept it as the leading horse (on the left, closest to the camera is being ridden by my grandfather - Andrew Lindborg.

The copy that I have is coloured, somewhat artificially.

Newmarket Hospital

I worked in racing stables in Exeter Road. In the spring of 1960 I was injured when a  yearling I was exercising suddenly reared and I 'went out the back door', narrowly missing the edge of the pavement, but hitting my unprotected head (safety headgear was not worn in those days by stable lads or girls). The accident happened in St Mary's Square and luckily for me a local doctor was passing in his large car. Under his orders I was carried and laid on the back seat, no paramedics and neck braces in those days! The care I received was second to none, I was closely monitered day and night and the surgeon in charge was superb. I do not remember very much about the accident, except that my main concern was perhaps having my hair shaved off, which didn't happen. I luckily got away with severe concussion (brain shaking) and partial memory loss. I later found out that this wonderful surgeon had in fact earlier put my boyfriend's leg back together (he had broken it in three places) and patched up another friend who had seriously broken her pelvis. After spending the next three weeks in Newmarket General, I asked to be discharged and was allowed to go home to rest in the flat I shared with four other girls. I had not informed my parents, and decided to go straight home to London, but  I was feeling very wobbly. After another few weeks I was given the ok from the local GP, and returned to Newmarket. I was put back on a racehorse and the boss cracked a 'Long Tom'. It was sink or swim, no place for cissies. I was glad to get back on a horse, it was the only way not to lose your nerve. My stables were Cottrill's and I was lucky to look after a beautiful colt named Mighty Gurkha, I helped break him in and looked after him for two years. After leaving Newmarket at the advanced age of nearly 21, I followed 'my horse's' career. He had moved to another yard and later won a very important race. All my family and friends backed him, but I did not, thinking it would be bad luck. Never really understanding why horses were so important to me, I have since found looking back into my family history a strong connection with horses going back many generations, including a great-great-great-grandfather who was a colt breaker.  

Big toe stuck in the drain...lol

I remember this paddling pool so well, when I was about 8 years old I would be there with my nana {in fact in looks like me in the pic}. She would sit on the bench in the pic and eat her rich tea biscuits. I begged her to let me swim every time we were there, I would mostly paddle though. One day the pool was empty and I was playing around the drain and I got my big toe stuck in it, I was really scared and started to cry, then to my horror the pool started to fill up, I was sure that I was going to drown. I remember screaming so loud, the man that tended the park came over and shut the water off ...' Whew'. Such wonderful memories though. In 1970 I was married in St Mary's Church and now live in the USA.
What I would do to go back to those day, there were swings on the other side of the pool and a water fountain. The park also had crazy golf that was so much fun to play.
I remember I used to get the willys when I had to walk through the park on my way home from the 'Kingsway' pictures, my friends and I would run like the dickens to get through the park .. ha! ha!
I'm Vicki Bowman and if anyone remembers this park please let me know.
Thanks.
Vicki.

Carlton Hotel

Stationed at a nearby American Air Force base, I visited Newmarket frequently.  My favourite pub was in the Carlton Hotel.  I remember the murals between the front and back bars.  I preferred the back bar.  I and several other airmen took ballroom dance lessons upstairs in the Carlton.  Sadly, I never mastered those.  I had spent so many evenings in the Carlton, that when I left the UK the proprietors - Alf (Greene?) "the guvnor" and Taffy (yes, he was Welsh) gave me a box of gifts.  They included ashtrays, Watney's World Cup Ale bar towels, a dozen pint mugs and a dozen half-pint mugs, some Guinness signs, two large red Watney's barrel beer pumps, and two electrified antique carriage lamps from a number that graced the walls of the front bar, and two devices of brass that clamped to the back bar.  They were like a rocking chair rocker with a turn screw and brass turn wheel below.  The wooden barrels sat on a block of wood at the back and on this device at the front.  Turning the wheel lowered the front of the barrel so that the beer would flow out.  They gave me a brass faucet that fit the wooden barrel and the wood mallet that was used to drive the faucet through the wooden plug and into the barrel.  I still have most all of that.  Thought I would display them, but never have.  The Newmarket years were wonderful times with wonderful people.  I shall treasure them always.