The Happy Days

A Memory of Hunslet.

I was born in Maceado Square, Hunslet, not a blade of grass to be seen, the small house was behind Winterburns store, everyone shopped there, along with Cardis's pork butchers. Pub opposite. Trams stopped at Balm Road, Miggy was not even thought of yet, used to have loads of fun on the pit heaps, still smouldering, with all the sulpher they used to spread on it. Half way up the hill was the CWS brush works, plenty of fun there, then under the bridge railway I think to the fish and chip shop up the steep steps, well worth the climb for a pen'oth with scraps. Me gran lived in a one-up one-down with attic and an outside toilet! Uncle used to sweep chimneys in his spare time and brought all the soot to Gran's bit of garden and spread it, nothing ever grew in it. Milk was delivered in a hand-held pail with lid and put into your own jug, they didn't do bottles in them days. Ice-cream man came round with horse and cart, with if I remember Granneli's ice-cream made at the premises in Mabgate in Leeds. We used to give him (after getting the ice-cream first) foreign coins with holes in held with our thumb over the hole, then make a speedy exit. I could go on forever but that's it for now on my memories of Hunslet. Got married in 1959 and bought a house in Montcalm Crescent just up from the Peggy Tub Club, what memories.

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