Hesleden 70s

A Memory of Hesleden.

I was born in Hesleden and lived there until I left for college in 1979.

I can remember there were as many pubs as shops ! Workmen's club, Conservative Club, The Golden Calf which featured big in my life.. I worked there with Janice and Ernest and ended up recruiting my friend Jillian and most of the female members of our family to work in the restaurant. I moved onto the bars and can remember working with Phyllis!!

Obviously went to Hesleden Primary School and can remember having to change into black plimsolls for gym. I think the whole school shared the same shoes !!
We had school dinners delivered and we all ate in the main assembly hall. To this day I can still remember the smell of the custard.

Mr Jackson was my favourite teacher and we used to stand at his Car window while he gave us sweets for answering capital cities questions correctly. He wore a long black leather coat (which looking back seems very sinister but was actually just accepted as normal. We used to joke he got it from a soldier he shot during the war!)

The dene was a favourite place for kids during the holidays and we used to slide down Charlies Bank on pieces of cardboard. My friend lived at Southfield Farm and we had many a fun day hiding in hay bales or bringing cows in for milking!

Plenty of memories .. good and bad .. can't add current details about Hesleden as I moved to the other side of the world in 1987.

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