life in 20th and 21st century in england

Rugby Town 

A Semi Detached house built in 1930`

below, bradgate park.leicester

I lived in Rugby from 1968 - 1990. We had got married at Blisworth church Northampton and chosen to live at Rugby. My ex husband worked for a local firm in Daventry. I didnt want to live there as it was a small country town at the time . Now it has grown much with housing estates on land that was previously farm land.

 We chose Rugby as i could get a job and it wasnt very far to travel to Daventry for work. We visited the local estate agent in Rugby and David Barby was the estate agent that took us to look at our first property in Naseby Road. The semi detached had one lounge and a kitchen. He was a very kind and helpful man.

 We later found a semi detached house in Hillmorton Paddox. Many of the houses were semi detached built between the wars in the 1930`s. At the end of the road was open countryside and very good schools in and around the area. public transport was near by, there was a row of good shops providing  everyday needs,including a local bank.We had all we needed for everyday life.When the houses were first built many of the homes were purchased by business people as they moved out of the terraced houses in the town centre. Among the families were the BATCHELOR the builders, WATTS,HARDING.All theses three families lived near to us , As families i got on with them very well. We all had front gardens and each autumn and spring we all planted flowers to see who could have the best display.It was usually our neighbour across the road.H e was retired and enjoyed his garden. i too enjoyed being in the garden but with a large family to look after my time was limited as was my money to spend on flowers.Ashlawn road had very large houses built on one side of the road. They looked out to green fields across to BARBY and beyond.while out walking the dog and children i got to know many people who lived in these houses. one lady on her retirement sold up and moved to Cromer  Nofolk . The family had spent many holidays there and wanted to see out the rest of their life.Further down the road lived our dentist. he went on to become head of an health business and was spotted on BBC quiz programme with colleges taking part.

 I was unable to find work  straight away, my father seen an advert in the Chronicle and Echo , Northampton newspaper wanting a cook at Rugby School.

 This was only a temporary job. I applied and got the job at Stanley House. At 7am i started out to work on my bicycle, sometimes having to walk most of the way because of the heavy snow falls that year. I started work at about 7.30 am  to get the breakfast ready for about 50 boys. Afterwards to  prepare the  dinner and make a cake for the boys  for tea.Each day i got to meet the boys as we gave them their breakfasts. After the boys had come and eaten their dinner . it was them time for the staff to sit down and enjoy ours. We  had the same dinner as the boys and teachers .The parents were ask to attend a meeting with the house mother and father . we was asked to work over time and prepare the buffet for the parents and take it round to them in the private quarters of Stanley House . Any food left over we was allowed to share between us. Now a days it wouldnt be allowed on health and safety rules i think.

 There was a vegetable cook who dealt with preparing the veg.I was involved in making the main dinner and pudding.Cake base was made from a large catering pack of sponge mix. The local butcher came in daily with the fresh meat for the day. Only the best of meat was purchased for the boys.I believe the butchers name was Wait. please correct me if i have the wrong name.  This job lasted  for three months.

So i joined the list of unemployed for the first time.

 I had been a Pharmacy Technican and wanted the same kind of work. After 6 weeks of signing on i was offered work at the local Co op store. This was full time work and good wages, just a few minutes on my bike to get there. I went for the interview and got the job. i was in charge of ordering the medical items  and working part time on the till. It was the old kind of till. every item had to be rung up separately. i enjoyed this as i was in touch with the public. I made many friends while working there. I wanted to stay working until the decimal coins were introduced . This i managed to do.I had a miscarriage  and was told by the doctor i was to only work part time. The lady working in Liptons shop next door but one wanted full time work and we exchanged jobs. This suited us both. at Lipton/ Worthingtons shop the manager Cliff taught me how to carve up and  bone a half a pig to be sold in the shop. In the centre of the shop we had a slicing machine  for cooked meats and a slicing machine for cutting bacon on the thickness the customer asked  for. In between jobs we had orders to do . Older people had their orders books left at the shop for us to deliver to their homes by  a bike with a large carrier on the front. the adding up of the items ordered was done in our head, no computers or calulators . We had a licence to sell wines and spirits. One lady used to come in each day and have her empty bottle filled up with cheap wine . She was a very nice lady but unhappy at home.There was three of us working part time .As i got large with carrying my baby the manager was frightened i would have the baby there if i stood up and found me a stall to sit on when working on the till.

 I stayed at work until September 1971. On doctors orders i was to stay most of the time in bed until i had my baby. I looked after the cats and dog and got breakfast, went to bed until about 1 pm. Having listened to radio two  with Terry Wogan  and later Jimmy Young. I would read or sew or knit baby clothes.

 We had managed to buy a 1930`s semi detached. In good order but needed unpdating. newly married and not much money we took out time to get things replaced, most of our furniture was second hand eihter bought at auctions or from family. we had a radio each . we was given a second hand television. that only worked if you banged the orange box it stood on. At least i could watch the News and Coronation street.

Quoted in the Rugby Review free newspaper. [ in 1645 Oliver Cromwell is reputed to have stayed at a building ,  which is now the site of the Marks and Spencer site

 A cold December came round and we was ready for our baby to be born. The nearest maternity hospital was 5 miles from Rugby at Harborough Magna.It had been a isolation hospital before being taken over in 1940`s for a maternity hospital. it closed in 1980`s.Three of our children were born there. 1971.1979,1982. Two other children were born at Fareham Avenue.It was surrounded by fields of sheep which could come up to the windows of labour ward.Making it a very peaceful place .

We was to live there for 22 years. one school trip out from Rugby to Bradgate park in Leicester was with a coach full of children and a few mothers including me. we each had a group of children to look after and took them  for a picnic in the park. looking up the hill we could see the ruins of the old house.it is said that lady jane grey was born there. She was Queen of England for 9 days.before being executed.She was related to Elizabeth Woodville by her first husband Sir John Grey

 The children all went to the local schools, we joined in the local events of the church and the school as well as taking local free newspapers out twice a week.

Each summer fete at the church and school i would make soft toys to sell ,only asking for the money back for the material used so i could make more for the next christmas fayre. 

Duringthe summer time the Paddox School was open in the evenings for swimming.The group of mothers took it in turn to be on duty to watch the children in the small swimming pool outdoors. The parents had raised the money to build the pool and for a few years it was well used.I offered my service for free to help the year 2 class with mrs Knight to learn art and craft in the winter time and during the spring time we did gardening outside in the small school garden. i had been lucky to learn how to garden by my father and also our teacher at Barry Road School Northampton.The children enjoyed planting vegtables and watching them grow.

On a Tuesday evening while delivering the Rugby Review in Hillmorton Road we passed by many shops . The one that was open was the fish and chip shop. If we was lucky we was given a bag of chips to share between us. this was a treat .

Each may day bank holiday a local lady, Mrs Chollerton of the bungalow on the corner of Balcombe road and Heath Way organised a may day parade around the area of Hillmorton Paddox. The girls all dressed up in white dresses and carried a bunch of fresh flowers from the garden. They wore a garland of flowers in their hair or a bridesmaid hair band. There was music and Irish dancers and stalls with cakes and goods for sale. The parade was held in Balcombe Road, Charter Road and other roads. Usually it was a nice bright day and all the neighbours came out and joined in.For my two eldest girls . i altered white dresses that i had brought from a jumble sale , decorating them with lace and flowers. They joined the parade and looked as good as any others there.It was a time when all the neighbours turned out to support the cancer trust and raise money for them.In Hillmorton during the summer time a church fete was held at st john the baptist church rooms, called Rogers hall. On two occasions there was famous people asked to open the fete. one year it was Noel Gordon from the tv programme Crossroads. she opened the fete and wrote autographs for a donation to charity. Henry Cooper , the boxer came and opened the fete . he was a very nice person to talk to,

In 1990 we moved to Northampton and i was to work  at Kingsthorpe Middle School. their was a connection with Rugby as i was asked to look after a boy at dinner time as he was being bullied. his name was James Catchpole. he came from Rugby, later to change his name to James Morrison , the famous singer.

St Marys Hospital Harbough Magna . 

photo. copyright Ian Rob. licensed for reuse under creative common use.

www.geograph.org.uk/photo/79793 

Fareham avenue. Rugby .photo unknown

                                                                                      Former HERBERT GRAY COLLEGE. RUGBY

Former RECTORY of ST ANDREWS CHURCH RUGBY. PREVIOUSLY HERBERT GRAY COLLEGE HEADQUARTERS. 

I was lucky to visit the head quarters on business from Relate Northampton and was shown around the building. The land which the old Relate training college stands is going to be developed into residential units and a cafe for extra care homes for the elderly.

information from facebook.RUGBY TOWN.

Arthur Herbert Gray. 1868-1956 co founder of Marriage Guidance, now called Relate

portrait . with permission from National Portrait Gallery.

 whole -plate glass negative by Elliott and Fry 

He had  been a Presbyterian minister and an Army chaplain in WW1. 

  COPYRIGHT.(C) Susan E Clarke 2014                                                                      RUGBY SCHOOL.                                   Photos, flickr.nextapt101

There was at least 686 men who had attended Rugby School who died in WW1.

[seldop and walsh]

Rupert Brookes was born in Hillmorton Road Rugby. He joined the Royal Navy volunteer reserve . He died 23 april 1915 on a french hospital ship near Skyros Island. He is buried on the island.

 Members of the Brooke family are buried in Clifton Road Cemetry