Cronkeyshaw Junior School

A Memory of Rochdale.

I'm writing about my memories of Cronkeyshaw School. It was situated to the north of Rochdale Town Centre in the corner of a large open common grassland area, Cronkeyshaw Common, opposite Falinge Park. After school each day I'd run across this common to my home in Derwent Street. The headmaster was a tall kindly-looking gent, and there was a homely looking lady as one of the teachers. Nativities were an important part of the school year, and one year I was a shepherd dressed up in my mum's best tea towel. I remember having a drink of free milk in the afternoons, and there was a sandpit in the school as well. The school yard was surrounded by a high stone wall with a large wooden gate in one corner.
There are a number of names I remember from my time there including Susan Ashton (had a sister called Stephanie and their parents owned a chippy near where I lived), Roger Ellison, Barry Eglin, Geoffrey Moss, Alan Buckley, and Neil Greenwood (had a brother called Laurie). WHERE ARE YOU ALL NOW, PEOPLE? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
When I was about 16 or 17 I remember the circus coming to town, with their big top tent on Cronkeyshaw Common. This was a major event for the area, what with all the noise, the animals, the music, the sights and sounds.
As kids we would play football on the Common many a time and use 2 of the trees that grew all around the perimeter as goal posts. Those poor trees! Diagonally opposite to the school across the Common was a small sweetie shop (really just a converted house). This was frequented many a time. Ah, happy times, and the sun always seemed to shine in those carefree junior school days.