Growing Up In 1950s Wheatley

A Memory of Wheatley.

I can remember my early childhood days.  We lived in The Avenue.  All the fields at the back of us were open fields.  It is all houses of course these days.(Elton Crescent, Miller Road etc).
Early school days were having to walk to school at  the infants school to be taught by Miss Flood or Miss Wren.  Later on I attended primary school in Church Road.
I used to work as a kid for Ted Turner and John West the butcher.  I also did a paper round before school and remember vividly some really cold winter mornings waiting for Mr Bill Phipps to bring the papers in from Oxford.  The summer days were a lot better, deliver the papers and then grab some drink, food and fishing rod to go down to the river.  Here we could all fish and swim till dusk.  Then walk home on our own without fear of predators.  Those were the days eh!!
One memory that will always stay with me is Mr Harris delivering the milk in his horse and cart up the Avenue which in those days was cobblestoned.  His two horses knew where to stop and start of course.  That never occurred to me in those days.  My treat was to be able to stand in the cart and be in charge whilst the cart went up and down the Avenue.  When it got back to No.6, Mum would be waiting for me.
Of course to most people this would be no big deal but to a 4 year old kid it was magic.

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