Main Street Ibstock

A Memory of Ibstock.

It may look drab on this photo but:
I grew up here in the 1960's and this photo brings back many fond memories.
The bus stop is where I used to wait for the Brown's Blue to Ashby Grammar just outside of Reenes ? clothes shop.
The car opposite is a two-tone cream and blue Riley ? which was thought of at the time as rather posh.
It was owned by the father of Russ Hickling ? who I was told was a draughtsman ? and was parked outside of an old farm building which has now been demolished.
Three seperate families lived there as the building had been divided into seperate rambling dwellings and outbuildings. The old farm seemed at the time to me like something out of a Dicken's novel. It was great for young children however the adults probably thought otherwise !
There were as mentioned the Hicklings next to what was known as Narrow Lane, then the Partner family Aurther and Florry and their sons Eric and Ian, and finally at the end the Ottey family with Susan as their daughter.
Great days playing in the old barn at the rear of the farm with the gang and also lovely memories of Bonefire night there with Florry serving hot dogs and a large bonfire and fireworks. No health and safety rules then but no one was hurt and no one fell down the well that was planked over in the old barn.
The Partner family had an old piano in the front room and Eric played the violin.
Aurther was a tall man who was very funny and hit his head on the low old beams of the house. Florry was very kind as was Mrs Ottey.
Further up the road were the Gray family, whose dad was a co-op butcher ? and then further on the Allan family whose father 'Titch' wrote articles about and collected old motor bikes.
Since those days I have been fortunate enough to travel a lot and spend time in the Far East in such exotic places as Hong Kong, a world away from Ibstock on a drab rain soaked day.

On reflection however that part of Ibstock was a terrific place to spend my childhood. How lucky I was.