Roberttown, West Yorkshire

Heckmondwike in the early 1960s

I remember the market so well, it was the heart of Heckmondwike. You could buy anything from it, including clothes, meat and veg. The pork pies sold there were beautiful, and the beef dripping. I remember buying a dress from Rothery's stall, she let me take it home to try on. It was the height of fashion for me then, in black and white and very short too. I loved it.
So many memories oh Heckmondwike when I was growing up.

Cinemas in the 1950s

In the 1950s there were two cinemas, 'The Pavilion' and 'The Palace' and every Christmas there was the famous Heckmondwike Illuminations which ran for the full length of the town and attracted thousands of visitors from a wide area. For many years my grandfather George Arthur Fisher ran a greengrocer's stall on the market.

Whit Tuesday Walk and Yetton Rant

All of us who attended Kirkheaton Church and Sunday School looked forward to the Whit Tuesday Walk around the village behind the Grange Moor Band. We would all contribute cakes or sandwiches for tea, to be eaten in the school room. Then we would all arrive in our new clothes to march behind the Rector - Dr Dawson - clutching our hymn sheets. It was always a beautiful day and the streets were lined with proud parents or passers-by to wave at us. We would stop at strategic points to sing some well-known rousing hymns and the continue. We would all ram into the school room at the end to demolish our curly sandwiches, jelly and assorted cakes, some lovingly made by our mums. The off we would all go up to the cricket field to listen to the band and join in the sports. After that came the wonderful finale to the day - a visit to Yetton Rant.

Many young romances were formed that day, and each would make for the waltzers where we would scream as the tub spun around. This was an excuse so that the boy would put his arm around us. Then we would stay and listed to the hits of the day as they sounded forth from an old gramophone. This was sheet heaven, being with your boyfriend in such a romantic setting, like something straight out of the typical Hollywood 50s' style prep films. Everything was so innocent. Then, before we went home (and no-one wanted the day to end) we would go and buy brandy snap. Walking home we had some happy memories to share. It was a truly lovely day and it gave us so many happy memories. What lovely, innocent days they were, precious times that no-one can take away from us.