Distant memories tend to play many tricks but I seem to recall that winters, generally, had several days[if not weeks] of snow- sometimes to a depth of many inches or several feet in 1947. Sledges would be taken out of garages, the runners polished and those with painted names 'touched up'-mine was of fairly solid construction and called "Bacchus".
The very young were encouraged to start sledging on a modest slope between Sherborne Road [opposite the original no.9 Sherborne] and a gap leading into Musters Crescent. Later we progressed to a longer path between Malvern Road [opposite Haileybury Rd] and Sherborne Rd [ending with a hump adjacent to a vegetable patch cultivated by Mr Quine of No.9] Then to another path between Malvern Road [to the west side of the two or three free standing detached houses and almost opposite the ARP post at the junction of Malvern and Musters Roads] down to yet another hump at the junction of Sherborne and Musters Road and thence down the rough road surface of Musters Road [assuming no vehicles in sight!]
The ultimate slopes were on Musters Road, either from the hill just north of Spinney Wood, through the gap in the hedge, dropping onto Musters Road, crossing Boundary Road, down the rough road slopes with allotments on the west side,perhaps as far as Malvern Road with an extra shove- but a long drag back for subsequent runs.
Or on Selby Road [from the Malvern Road pillar box to anywhere between No.43 or 31-there was a greater possibility of traffic on this road than at the top of Musters Road.
One of the joys of sledging was to be provided, at someones home with a cup of Bovril!
Much of 1947 was not ideal for sledging because of the depth of snow.[see Winter pictures on earlier blog]
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| John Wrigley as a boy, living at No. 49 Selby |
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| Distant sledges on Selby Road , February 2012, note: the lime trees have been lopped By Tony Waltham |
We had a brilliant sledge and when it was snowing and impacted we sledged down past no. 48 -where it levels out. In that kind of weather the milkman's horse could not get up the hill, and stayed at the bottom while the milkman brought the milk up.
From past resident: Rosemary Child nee Gibbs [No.116]
In the winter during the week my sister Helena and I would sledge on an empty plot on Malvern Road. At weekends we would take Father up the Spinney and sledge all together there.Selby Road was an unmade road above Sherborne.
One day only: view at bottom of Selby Road towards junction with Devonshire Road.
View uphill from outside No 11.
Photos by Tony Waltham
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