The History of Ruddington Depot
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The Pre-War Site
A place to play and explore (Part 1)
In the 1920’s and 1930’s children played in the streets and in the area nearby for hours at a time. As they grew older they ventured further afield, sometimes for a whole day. They explored the locality with curiosity and interest, and were quick to exploit the possibilities for imaginative and constructive play. In doing so they engaged in potentially dangerous activities such as climbing trees, making dens, lighting fires and damming streams. Many of these activities took place on the farmland south of the village of Ruddington.
Helena Giblenn [nee Savage] lived in Vicarage Lane. She played with her friends in Western Fields beside the railway line, and on Fifty Steps Bridge, now the most northerly point of the Country Park.
“When the weather was fine we went down to Fifty Steps Bridge and waited above the railway line for a train to come by and smother us in white smoke. If it happened to be a train with black smoke we’d swiftly move down to the bottom of the steps until it had gone by. We always counted the trucks, especially if it was a long train. At other times we’d get on the sloping edge of the bridge, and slide down the iron banisters beside the steps which made our pants mucky. Sometimes we would then go off towards Gibbies Brook. We’d stalk through the long grass, creeping along where animals had been and made a mess. So often our pants would be taken off and washed in the brook before we went home. We made dens and played at all sorts of thing. Invariably there was a mixed group. The plumber who lived in Vicarage Lane had a grandson, John Beecroft. John and I were inseparable, and played together as brother and sister. Other children who happened to be around joined in. If one of the boys had a penknife with him we might dig up some pig nuts, and eat them . In spring we would eat the young hawthorn leaves, and then blackberries in autumn. We always looked for wild flowers wherever we went, and we picked violets, bluebells, anything that was going. The violets which grew down there were mainly white ones, but we liked the purple ones best.
At the right time of the year we’d go down there with jam jars and get frogs spawn, and bring it back and put it in Dad’s water barrels. Then later in the year we had little frogs all over the garden.”
Wesley Scarrott enjoyed the same area:
“I went with my father to watch cricket on the cricket field, which was close to Fifty Steps Bridge. I went off to watch the trains. Occasionally I used to take a net and a jam jar. The brook was relatively clear and I can remember catching tiddlers, but within a few days they always died.”
Jack Bagguley, Ken Marriot and their friends roamed freely over the farmland to the south of the village:
“We got up to all sorts of things; rabbiting was one of the things we used to do, and mushrooming. In one of the fields we could actually stand and see mushrooms growing in the moonlight. We used to sit under the hedge and wait for them.
We used to play along Gibbies Brook regularly, and we’d go fishing for great robin redbreasts (minnows) and such like. It wasn’t ever such a big brook but it never dried up. It didn’t matter how dry the summer was, or hot, it always ran water.
We used to find birds nests with a few eggs in, but I never took any, my Dad wouldn’t let that happen. I wasn’t allowed none of that.
There were some ponds over the far side, where the Business Park is now. We spent hours over there. Little Fowemer had quite a few reeds growing in it, but I can’t remember any fish. I don’t think there were any, but there were lots of newts, and sometimes the odd waterhen would lay on it. Big Fowemer was quite clear, with no weeds and no bushes round it. Just at the side there were a few willow trees, the sort they call goat willow. It was spring fed. At the far end you could see the water lifting up. That was why it was so clear. When it was a nice still night and we had a frost it always seemed to freeze quicker than any other water. Then we used to skate on it. You could run off the field and slide right across it. We had one or two broken legs in our time doing this.”
The Story > Chapter 1 > Section 1.02.01