Dug out an old Boots “Page a Day” diary from 1975: black hardback cover…
On July 29th, I saw the Queen from out of my Nanan’s window in Herringthorpe, Rotherham.
Did a lot of cycling at the time, and also played or watched a lot of bowls.
Also went to the local swimming baths on Sheffield Road in Rotherham, which had a statue in the entrance. You had to rub his nose for luck. What I didn’t know then, was that it was of Thomas Burgess who was the 2nd man to swim the English Channel – no-one remembers those who came second do they ? Sheffield Road baths was a classic old swimming baths. Also went to Herringthorpe Leisure Centre, which was a classic 1970s building with a wave machine and everything. It was also a concert venue for the Classic Rock Society.
Read that the Sheffield Road baths was closed in 2004 as it was unsafe…“Major structural defects, including extensive cracks, have been found during inspections at the Sheffield Road baths, which opened in 1936.
Faulty boilers, defective lighting, leaking drainage, poor standards of changing room accommodation were also identified during the inspection.
A council report has concluded that the baths is beyond economic repair, and its deterioration has been so marked that there are "significant health and safety problems."
It was closed on Monday.
Rotherham Council has also revealed that another of the town's pools could soon close. An inspection found that urgent work is required to electrical wiring at the pool at Herringthorpe Leisure Centre, after which a decision will be made about its future.
It is estimated that it will cost more than £1m to carry out all the repairs required at both of the swimming pools.”
Yorkshire Post
Also discovered I had 50p per week spending money…
Went to see the classic film “The Land that Time Forgot” with Doug McClure, and also bought “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”. Also did play scheme at local school, and went to the local park – actually, reading this now it was obvious that my parents were desperately trying to keep me and my brother and sister entertained. There was a fairly crappy amusement place and some sort of zoo (?) in Clifton Park, although at the time it was very exciting. There was the Moon Ride, the Skyline Slide, the Roundabout and the Bumper Cars.
Went to Castle Donington (now East Midlands) Airport with my uncle to watch the planes. We apparently saw a Vickers Viscount and 6 army helicopters. Played a lot of Scrabble, and also cricket. Used to get a weekly comic “Battle Picture Weekly” – lots of war stories. That’s a definite cultural shift…Read a lot of books and played with Lego.
We also tended to go out at the weekend for a ‘drive’, which usually ended up with a drink at a pub. We had a lime and lemonade and a packet of crisps. We also had ‘clubs’ which met up at the clubhouse: our shed… Some of them were for boys, some were for girls…
A popular trip was to Bakewell and Chatsworth House gardens. We always bought the Original Bakewell Puddings, and we knew our way around Chatsworth Gardens blindfolded. We took picnics with boiled eggs and sandwiches. Another destination was Castleton and Edale. I always liked the fact that we walked the first few miles of the Pennine Way, but never any more than that – for a while I got a bit obsessed with walking the Pennine Way, but then realised that it was a bit of a long slog..
We also used to go to the mobile library on Wednesdays in a local pub car park. The area has changed beyond recognition now, as has the pub.
Read a lot of Arthur Ransome books, and also ‘Lord of the Rings’. Also played a lot of ‘Monopoly’.
There was a big playing field near our house and used to play a lot of football and climb trees – I fell out of one of them and broke my arm earlier that year.
TV of the time...
Mister Men
Top Cat
Bugs Bunny
Sergeant Bilko
Laurel and Hardy
Match of the Day
Wacky Races
Robinson Crusoe
The Record Breakers
Josie and the Pussycats
Camp Runamuck
On the Ball
I was also getting ready to go up to Secondary school – had to spend 35p on a badge for my school blazer.
The past is indeed another country…
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