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PLAYING IN PARK WOOD & PROGGING

9/2/2015

5 Comments

 
Here are some memories shared by Keith, a local Keighley resident ...

"I was brought up on Parkwood Street in the 1950's and early 1960's. My parents ran a shop at the top of Thorn Street. My friends & I used to play in and around the woods. We used to sledge down from the top of the woods(where the houses are now but which were just farmer's fields then). We came down the cobbled path, across the muck road at the top (Kendal Street) and quite often down Dundas Street (or one of those streets), across Parkwood Street (in the days before traffic) and down the street opposite (no longer there), before coming to rest. It was a long walk back up.

In those days there were no trees below the quarry; the wood stopped at almost the top of the quarry. We were able to sledge down the hill at the side of the quarry and come to rest in the play area where the swings are.

We went 'progging' in the Wood. Something no doubt frowned upon now, but which gave us large bonfires.

As I got older I played cricket at Long Lee Cricket Club and we cricketers from Parkwood Street used to walk up through the woods on the cobbled path to play cricket and then walk back down again.
I remember the workers from Dean, Smith & Grace and other firms using the footpath to walk to and from work daily.

I always seem to remember the wood as being very open. There was always room to play our games in there.

My mother lived at Parkwood Top Farm when she was young. She used to walk down the side of the wood where the flats are now on her way to work. There were pens down there where the workers kept hens, pigs, ducks, etc.

I remember some of my friends in their early teens camping in the woods in summer (that was never my idea of a bit of fun!)."
5 Comments
Beverley Murray link
11/8/2015 11:09:51 pm

I love your memories of Parkwood and Long Lee cricket club and your mums connection to Parkwood Top Farm. I have just become a member of a facebook site : Born in longlee - -thwaites brow https://www.facebook.com/groups/166416533509165/ as well as a couple of Keighley history facebook sites which may be of interest to you if your not already a member. Would you happen to have any old photo's of Parkwood etc. I have seen the remnants of the field system and I briefly lived in the cottage next to the farm house where David Taylor lives at the farm inself. My dad played with Long Lee cricket club from the early 1960's, his name was Kevin Murray.

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France-Leigh
18/8/2015 12:52:13 am

Thanks for the useful links Beverley! And the extra info! We'll pass on your comment to Keith to see if he has any photos to share :)

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Keith Pickles
12/9/2015 01:56:31 am

Thanks for that Beverley. I played cricket with your dad, Kevin, for many years. He was the groundsman at Long Lee as well as being a big-hitting batsman. The farm where David Taylor (another ex-cricketer from my era at Long Lee) is where my mum lived. As far as photos of Parkwood are concerned, I do not personally have any. However, my mum has boxes of old photos in no order whatsoever. I will have a look and see if I can find anything at all showing Parkwood.

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Beverley Murray
12/9/2015 07:51:07 am

Hi Keith. Thank you for you reply. I have a number of photo's from Long Lee cricket and have just spoken with Edgar Bottomly and his wife and David Baldwin this week. I have just made a few copies for Edgar. I took my laptop with lots of Keighley and a number of Long Lee photos and gave them a slide show, they all loved it but far too many photo's to see in a few hours. I have just attended the 'Heritage' display today at the Keighley library which displayed only an number of samples of photo's and information because they don't have the room to display everything. I hope that you have a great time looking through your mums photo's, they are a goldmine. David Baldwin has leant me his box of photo's along with my neighbours mother and I have put some on the local facebook sites (with their permission) they have certainly generated some discussion which is great. I wish I had done this when my dad was still here, he would have loved it. Thank you again for responding to my enquiry Keith.

Keith Pickles
20/9/2015 11:58:02 am

Beverley
I have found a few photos from years ago on Parkwood. Unfortunately they are more of people than of the area. However, I have a photo of Long Lee Cricket Club from, I am guessing, the early 70's. Your dad isn't on, but there may be some you know, or at least have heard of. If you email me on [email protected] I will send you what I have and you can use them as you want.

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