Oughtibridge, The Bridge And Cock Inn c.1960

Photo ref: O50019

I was brought up on langsett Rd South by my grandparents

The road you can see goes to the top of Jaw Bone Hill, quite a long way up hill from the bottom by Coronation Park. When conditions were right, it was my sledging run. Twice a day ,once in the morning and then once in the afternoon, I would walk up to the top and sledge to the bottom. Where was the traffic? As other photographs show, in the 1940s and 50s it was virtually none existent.

On the horizon stood Jo Woods farm. This is the place where I learnt about farming life. He had two Shire horses which were used for work on the land and hauling goods, hens for eggs and the oven and turkeys for Christmas. I would lead the shires for ploughing, turning potatoes , hauling goods and produce. The hens, of course, were free range and I had the job of finding the nests to collect the eggs. Come Christmas and my job was cleaning and plucking turkeys.

This photo shows the top and bottom yard of Oughtibridge Silica Firebrick Company. Both works were joined by railway line across Station Road and a “gynny track” which went under the road below the old Raybok Works. Many an hour was spent building dens in the top yard haybarn, avoiding the workmen of course, and catching a ride in the empty “gynny trucks ”.