Sunday school and ordinary school trips were a definate treat for us. The Sunday school trip was once an excursion to Drayton Manor Park near Tamworth. It may be a thriving amusement park now but back then it was what it said on the label, a park.
Morecambe Beach in 1952
We had parks back at home, Bathpool, Tunstall, Burslem, Clough Hall & Hanley, why did we have to travel all that way to see a park with grass the same as our own.
School trips were a little more adventurous. At Church school, less than 11 years old and at six o’clock in the morning we trudged all the way down to Goldenhill station and boarded a train on the Loop Line, which then proceeded to travel towards Stoke. We sat in a siding for about 2 hours until there was a gap for us to enter the main line; fair enough we then hurtled towards the Lake District as fast as the steam train would go.
We boarded a bus, saw Lake Windermere and got back on the bus to the train station, next stop was either Morcambe or Southport, we tarried there for an or so, saw the sand and Promenade and then back to Stoke. I think we were back at Goldenhill station around 8 o’clock in the evening having spent our few shillings on I don’t know what.
While at Church school we were taken on a day trip to Stratford upon Avon, we saw the theatre and Anne Hathaway’s Cottage and the memorial to William Shakespeare in the church; the only problem was, we hadn’t got a clue who the man was, we were only about 10 years old, perhaps it was a little bit too soon to be thrusting culture upon us. That particular day was the first time I had worn long trousers, up to then I had always worn shorts; I had begged & pleaded with my mum to buy me the trousers and to let me wear them for the trip, I had never felt so uncomfortable in all my life as I felt that day. We went in a cafe in Union Street in Stratford for lunch and I sat with my trouser legs rolled up to the knees, the silly thing was I was the only boy there dressed like that, all the others still had their short trousers on. We enjoyed our day and the memories are still there.
David, what a nice story to read about past times for the children of Goldenhill and Sandyford, just in time to plan day trips for our children in 2014.
To read more about David Wood’s past times of our area then click on the “Local Memories” Tab at the top of the page.
Staffordshire Police are warning people to be on their guard against suspicious callers at the door following a distraction – type burglary in the Sandyford/Goldenhill Neighbourhood on the 11/04/2014.
Recent Comments