Old Memories

I remember when I was about 13 years old. Where the roundabout is now there used to be a very high wall which surrounded a large house which was the local surgery and I believe the doctor's name was Dr. Oakell. On the corner of Woodford Lane used to be Chester's ironmongers and the Co-op store and the Co-op butchers. On the opposite side of Woodford Lane was Frank Eaton's newsagents and he also had a bicycle shop next door. Just down the High Street I remember a pub called the Bull's Head which was run by a lady named Phillips, this was on the corner of Geneva Road. I used to live in Swanlow Lane near St. Chad's Church. I remember when the council offices and council yard used to be at what was called "Over Hall", the gardens used to have a large round water feature that always had lots of newts in it during the summer months. The entrance drive was virtually opposite Crossfield Avenue and the drive was lined with what I think were Conker trees. I used to attend Darnhall Primary School and I can remember walking up Darnhall Lane past the vicarage and there used to be a "sandhole" on the left hand side where you would see dozens of rabbits running around every morning. I can also remember the school playing field which housed two air raid shelters covered in grass and they had what can only be described as a short steel chimney with a lid on them which was the entrance. That's all for now, I'm beginning to feel old.