Goonamarth/Blackberry Row

A Memory of Polgooth.

I use to live at Goonamarth until the 60"s my mother lived there until houses were pulled down,we went to Carthew school which involved a good 3 mile walk,we used to walk pass Greensplat steam engine house that was still working that pulled the skip up the sand burrow,one year the level at Carranrarrow disused clay pit broke and nearly washed away the end house,on the way to school we walked pass the clay dries at bottom of lane we called Hardlands that was still working loading the clay into carts pulled by horses to the railway sidings at Trethowal .Halvigan claydries finished drying while we were living there.we had no electric or indoor water relying on paraffin "tilley" lamps and buckets of water from the"shoot" that came out of a bank.Iwould"nt of missed it for the world living there we made our own amusement such as making our own "dilleys ie soapboxes" or playing "jack jack shine your light"which involved being chased over the downs at night with a torchlight .it was a very close knit community nobody dare wash clothes except on a Monday.after school and on Saturdays I used to work on Higher Biscovillack farm where I learnt to drive the little grey fergie tractor and help to hand milk 36 cows and other jobs,these are things the children of today I don't think would be interested in ? Icherish the memories