Growing Up In The 70s

A Memory of Irby.

I was born and brought up in Thingwall Drive, right on the boundary of Irby and opposite the entrance to the golf course. I went to Irby CP School, Coombe Road, and then onto Calday Grange Grammar School. My Granny lived just past the Anchor Inn, and stopping by to Miss Ellis shop for a treat after walking the dogs on the common was a regular indulgence.
The far shop on the left was the post office, then coming back towards us, there was Donna's, the hair dresser and the chemist. I used to love the smell of the Legion; stale ale and fags but with a mellowness of old leather, and who could forget the fish and chips on the corner to the right? We never went into the Oak Barrel, it was too expensive for my family!
Just to the left of the photographer there was Barclays Bank but it had the badging from Martin's Bank. I was always confused by this, no matter how many times my mum explained it to me!
I spent many hours in the woods around Irby, and cried the day the pond was filled in by Mr. Wimpy to build more horrible little boxes that he jokingly called houses. I used to go and watch Irby Athletic play footie, and get chased out of the tennis courts by the parky on Mill Hill Road.
My best friend, Szafran, and I walked miles over muddy hill and valley, to the quarry where I leaned to rappel, through arrowe park woods where we built dams, to the roman well and Thurstaton Common where we climbed the big rock.