Beck Road South Now Waterside Road

A Memory of Beverley.

I lived with my family, the Widdowsons, at 6 Beck Road South from 1938 to the late 50s. Dad, Douglas, was the Branch Manager at the Co-op at Register Square in town.
I remember playing cricket on Crane Hill with our friends. Because we were not 'professionals' the ball was given a swipe and inevitably ended up in the Beck - all the time. We had an old bucket on a piece of string to fish it out. It was the only ball we had - 'it was wartime' we were told over and over again. The ball was always wet and black and smelly. The Beck was heavily polluted in those days. But we never caught anything and, thankfully, never fell in. We played on the road as well because there were no cars, and I have plenty of scars on my legs and arms from falling between the wickets as we tried to score runs. I remember the Cherry twins, Bette and Mary and the Scaife boys and their sister Ina who all lived further down on Wharfe Terrace in the same street. My sister Margaret now lives in Canada, I live in Coningsby in Lincolnshire. Sadly our sister, Betty died in 2003. Dad lived to be 101, the Beverly air must have done him good. Margaret and I talk about Beverley all the time and a shot of the frozen Beck looking towards the Minster is on my computer desktop. So I see it many times a day. Margaret and I can remember the names of all the residents on Beck Road South during the war years. We are very proud to be called Becksiders. I come over to Beverley whenever I can. I was married at St Nicholas Church on 3 April 1961 - just 50 years ago. Sadly, my husband died in 2002.
My sisters and I attended St Nicholas and Minster Girls schools. I went to the High School and Margaret and Betty attended Longcroft School.
Margaret and I live away now but we will always be Becksiders. My dream is to come back and live there one day.

Joan Roseveare (nee Widdowson)