It is now much smaller than it used to be. I wasnt from Semilong but had been introduced to the pub by my future brother-in-law who lived on Leslie Road. The pub had two bars the front which was very spit and sawdust and had a skittles table and darts. 2-inch map Its interesting, see the story below, that the public toilets on Wood Hill had thought sufficient for customers until 1938, when they finally installed customer toilets for the first time and replaced the existing spiral stair case. As a kid we would jump the turnstiles at the Wantage Road end, the Steward always let kids in for free or always let us kids in for free. It is odd to think back now but I had a gun pulled on me once in here, but thats another story. The Firefly was without doubt a local pub with a somewhat acquired taste. The FireFly in Dallington (also known as the Red Earl). one. Starting in the Fox & Hounds (before the refit, I loved this old pub as it was, with the skittle spit and sawdust bar at the front and the carpeted saloon in the back, we would then hit the Old Five Bells, The Snooker Club (this was the only place I could get served as a 17 year old, an old babysitter of mine worked behind the bar and thought I was a year older! I have happy but it seems slightly misguided memories of this pub. The rose of the Shires. The scene in 2021: As explained in the previous post, the Mount Tom Railroad was a nearly mile-long funicular railway that brought visitors up to the Summit House at the top of Mount Tom. It was already derelict in 1978, and was pulled down soon after. They had a small car park around the rear and I remember going up stairs into a room with a pool table and a long bar further into the building on the left hand side. National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. It had a circulation of 17,483 in the first half of 2010, a year on year decline of 7.8%,[6] and the decline continued into 2012. Okay the earliest image I have found of this building was dated 1904 and shows how Regent Square looked back then. Closed on holidays. The Semilong Working Mens club was over the road and I used to enjoy going in there too. It is situated in Bailiff Street, opposite the Vocal, behind the Mounts and used to be frequented by undercover policemen as it was behind Campbell Square. Northampton in the Middle Ages Northampton began as an Anglo-Saxon village. Northampton views through the ages! Smith College Northampton, MA . Ladies would cross the road from the Friendlies, another Working Mens Club which sat exactly opposite, where they would play bingo in both of the establishments on the same night criss crossing the road outside. Mr Dickie identified problems with signage around the new estates, parts of which are now ranked among the 20 per cent most deprived areas in the country, and he said the "old town folk" saw the expansion as a "sort of imposition". Every Sunday evening we were there at the disco in the concert room, we went there until it closed in the late 80s. I moved to Semilong in my late teens and lived on Stanley Street, then Semilong Road, and then St Pauls Road. The scale of the printed map is August 1970: N/A Midfielders Billy Best : U: Glasgow 7 September 1942 (aged 33) 176: 40: Southend United: Summer 1973: Derrick Christie: W: Bletchley 15 March 1957 (aged 19) 19: 1: Apprentice: Summer 1975: N/A John Farrington: W: Lynemouth 19 June 1947 (aged 28) 72: 7: Cardiff City: Summer 1974: Graham Felton: W: Cambridge 1 March 1949 (aged 27) It gained popularity as part of the Mounts triangle, which consisted of The Vic (as it was rebranded), The Garibaldi and The Lamplighter. river. "I just can't wait to be in Northampton!". Very fond memories of putting on the band Torn Sail, they brought a Hammond organ and their own PA and it sounded fantastic, which for The Lamplighter made a real change. It was published by the Northampton Chamber of Commerce, I took pictures of some of the old landmarks still surviving, like the one on this page. Gone were most of the factories making shoes, the terraced rows of cheap tenement housing, with a pub seemingly on every corner. Read about our approach to external linking. A total of 15,655 new homes were built between 1970 and 1985, including on the Thorplands estate On February 3 1965, Minister for Housing Richard Crossman announced that Northampton was to be. Also my uncle, Richard Dick Hall, was landlord / manager for a short time. It was published daily from Monday-Saturday until 26 May 2012 at a price of 0.48. He now operates Boomerang Books. Such a shame it just didnt stay open for longer. I have lovely memories of this place. It is situated in Bailiff Street, opposite the Vocal, behind the Mounts and used to be frequented by undercover policemen as it was behind Campbell Square. market square, whose demolition (to make way for the Grosvenor Centre mall) was so much lamented, was in fact a seedy Some of the buildings that were pulled down, needed pulling down. Resident Bob Ramshaw has kindly shared photos he has found of the town from 60 years ago.. . Sage Hall, Smith College Northampton, MA . He will take us into the 1970s with photographs to show the dramatic changes to our county town in that decade. My Nan, Violet Hall, worked behind the bar in The Welcome, and my Uncle Dick used to drink there. My Uncle Dick would have his head shaved once a year at the Friendlies to raise money for Cancer charities. Without further ado, and in alphabetical order, are 10 places missed by Northampton natives and visitors alike. The Fire Fly in Dallington (also known as the Red Earl and The Dallington Brook). Dave Knibbs book tells me it has been a pub since 1858, and I havent been in there for years although I have been in since it was modernised, I liked it how it was, but I prefer the old style public houses that most people wouldnt be seen dead in. ones built; grand malls and parking garages replaced familiar streets; huge road-building projects altered the town's There have always been talk that the property was haunted, some say by Harry Franklin who committed suicide there. Richard Deacon returns as a follow up to his fascinating talk in 2017. As we were sawing the wooden box to make the seating area of the cart a drunken chap appeared in the drive. They would get you to the door and then throw you down the steps onto the concrete below. Once Again We Are The Children Of The Sun | BBE, Folk Funk & Trippy Troubadours Volume One | RE:WARM, Troubadourial transmissions from after sundown. On internal evidence, I would date it as 1959-60. Referring again to Dave Knibbs wonderful book Last Orders I found out that The Victoria Inn, situated on the corner of Poole Street and Military Road, opened in 1875. According to my every trusty resource, Dave Knibbs Last Orders I have found out it was granted its first licence in 1877. The place has special connotations The paper's chief sub-editor Stanley Worker kept a copy in his desk and, during rare dull moments, would proudly peek at references to himself. I had been djing for a while with two friends as Blackcatfound and always wondered if this influenced the name he chose?. Youd go down the jitty that led round the back, knock the window, and be let in that way through the kitchen. The Rifle Drum, known simply to us as the Drum, has been around since the 17th Century, and according to Dave Knibbs book it had a name change to the Crown for a while. Among those encouraged to come to the new town were former servicemen and Mr Lang had been a Navy man. The Duke Of York went through a renovation at some point after I stopped going, and became an open plan bar, I preferred the old style pub with the separate rooms. I cant remember much about this place except my family used to drink in there and it often crops up in conversation. 2. I have the vaguest of memories of being in there one Saturday when a big barroom brawl happened. The smoking head above the fireplace used to scare me with its grimace and a fag sticking out its mouth. Youll often hear the statement Did you know Bob Marley played the Silver Cornet but I have never met anyone who was actually there. I cant remember much about this place except my family used to drink in there and it often crops up in conversation. Free shipping for many products! I have put on a few bands at The Garibaldi over the years and have played records there on occasion too. The concert room had a sunken dance floor and a stage where bands would perform and the Bingo numbers called. Long before the pubs opened all day, except for lock-ins, I remember we would end up at peoples houses and the drinking would continue. 3. Billing is a civil parish in eastern Northampton in England, covering the Great Billing, Little Billing, Ecton Brook and Bellinge areas. Photo: Bob Ramshaw. Northampton The town Sideways Life in the town The boys' school 2-inch map -inch map This is a street map that belonged to my father. A few hours of sleep would mean we had the energy to go to the Working Mens Club later that evening. The Shipman family continued to run the pub until the early part of 1900s. The Shipman family continued to run the pub until the early part of 1900s. Lumbertubs was started in 1970, with Moulton Park and Round Spinney following in the east of the town. Taking the saw, he tried to concentrate and squint, the poor chap was so pissed he was probably seeing at least two saws. I first remember this building from the bus stop outside, what I mean is the number 36 bus from Kingsthorpe, on a Saturday morning to go and meet my Nan in Lawrences on St. Giles Street for a Towcester Cheesecake, before going to the market and Fish Market before coming back home. Resident Bob Ramshaw has kindly shared photos he has found of the town from 60 years ago. Many people have forgotten the venues full correct title and it is often remembered simply as the Fanciers. There used to be a sweet shop on the Kings Heath arcade where you could buy the biggest brick of honeycomb you could ever imagine and all for about 5p. He was found in the cellar after cutting his own throat. The Semilong Working Mens club was over the road and I used to enjoy going in there too. But I remember the old style booths it once held and the soft furnishings, and the different levels to the flooring, plus the toilets used to be downstairs which I liked, especially if I was DJing in there as I could get to the loo and back whilst a 45 played out, I had to put on an extended mix to get up the stairs and back when the layout changed. In later years, Blockbuster Videos was next door to The Keep, before the whole place was torn down and the pub was buried under the new Waitrose carpark. But happy memories. The website also use content and scripts from third parties that may use tracking technologies. A place that could once boast as having the largest open market in Europe. Yale Photogrammar/Russell Lee. A claim to fame is that snooker player Alex Hurricane Higgins used the Friendlies for his base when he played in the World Snooker Finals, played at the Derngate during the 1980s. It had a disco at the weekends, Tim an older lad who lived near me was the DJ. This pub was notorious because one of its landlords murdered a prostitute and hid her in the pub toilets. Photo Sales. If you lived in Northampton during this period you know that they ripped the heart and soul out of this old market tayn. It sparked a growth that continues today, with the 2012 census recording around 212,000 Northamptonians. This list is not exhaustive, of course, and we welcome you to add your missed places below in the comments section. obscured the contributions of others. etc. The pub looked shut from the outside, it was always pretty early and the first stop on the Sunday Lunchtime sesh. Another of the company's characters was the photographer Roland Holloway, who worked on the Chronicle, Mercury and Independent for half a century. Far Cotton Copy Citation. I have put on a few bands at The Garibaldi over the years and have played records there on occasion too. the north bank of the Nene just west of South Bridge. On Saturdays I seem to have a recollection of a drummer and organist playing in the top room, the concert room was not open on Saturday lunch times. Helen Blaby writes a general interest column. If you are using our Services via a browser you can restrict, block or remove cookies through your web browser settings. I can remember this as being a very smokey pub as a kid. He said: "Within four hours of coming to Northampton we had a house and a job.". Not only did it have an unbelievable selection of great films, the staff, led by owner Dana Gentes, couldand wouldtalk films with customers for hours. By 1984 the population had mushroomed to 163,000. A collection of his work was published in book form in 1985. Old Green's book The Art of Coarse Acting was based on his experiences as an amateur actor at Northampton's amateur drama group the Masque Theatre. Anyway I was asked to play on Sunday afternoons, while people ate wonderful Sunday dinners. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. I was working as an Horology apprentice and Jim was a Silversmith apprentice and was a bloody lovely chap. The poem is supposed to be spoken by a sharp young executive The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. 4. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Originating about 1100 as a walled town with a castle on the River Nene, Northampton was granted its first charter in 1189. Most of these folks aren't getting misty about the town when Calvin Coolidge was mayor, however. It was situated on the corner of St Andrews Road and Salisbury Street, in Semilong. Another memory is being taken to the County Tavern by me Dad. Up Max and Di Lang moved to the newly-built Thorplands estate in 1972. for me, as I had my first paid employment there, in one of those rooms at river level, looking out at the Nene through one of the windows. 1. The maternal side of the family, or though smaller, was also an interesting bunch. Highlights of the 1970 FA Cup 5th Round tie between Manchester United and Northampton. During a career running from the 1920s to the 1970s, Roland took more than 80,000 photographs and attended 28,000 assignments. . Great nights. The impact on the town's population was considerable. It was also known as The Regent, I had my first taste of hearing acid house at this venue. Plus the neighbors on our terraced avenue would . Type the name of the parish in the search bar; Click on the location pin on the map What was not torn down fell foul to mysterious fires, which Northampton seemed to have more than its fair share of. So on a Sunday morning, wed get the bus into tayn and walk down Bridge Street to Far Cotton. Gold Street-Drapery junction, Northampton town centre, October 10, 1968. place, whose shops, as I Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates. Northampton. Copyright Paul Hillery 2021 All Rights Reserved, The Theme may use cookies to enhance your experience while using my website. For complete information about the cookies we use, data we collect and how we process them, please check our, Although I don't use cookies, WordPress and my Theme might use them to enhance your experience while using my website. It was a start of new subculture and the time for raves had begun. I seem to recall once chairs and tables were turned the right way up everything carried on as though nothing had happened. The only nights we went there was on a Thursday night, as the DJ would play this exciting new music, Acid. This successful marketing ploy was all part of NDC's plans to persuade people to move from overcrowded areas in London and Birmingham to the open spaces of Northampton. It looked like a blummin spaceship had landed in the centre of tayn. Amazing really, the old CB thing, 10-year-old kids talking to lorry drivers all night in their bedrooms?! I used to DJ here on a Saturday night with my mate Dixy, Uncle Seltzers Kosmik Surgery spun plastic discs of joy for many lock-ins. The back bar had soft furnishing and led out to the garden. I think it went all the way back to Kingsthorpe Rec. The FireFly was, without doubt, a local pub with a somewhat acquired taste. Although a very popular pub these days, managed by Paul & James Hanna, and called The Lamplighter, it used to be a very different layout. Where youll find an article in the Chron. I remember the lovely shiny green tiles of this pub that still sticks in my mind even through the smokey haze of all the pubs back then. Parish History [edit | edit source]. 1970. But it did have the most wonderful sprung wooden dance floor and had been a dance studio for a while, I always thought it would have been the perfect place to put on a Northern Soul night. Okay, so the Overstone Arms was located on the Overstone Road near the town centre and was surrounded by shoe factories in a previous life. At least one member of my extended family can be found in here most Saturday afternoons. The only nights we went there was on a Thursday night, as the DJ would play this exciting new music, Acid. The town of Northampton I grew up in 1945-1963 was completely transformed in the 1960s and 1970s. The stairs going up to that top bar were a bloody nightmare, and I saw people fall down them more than once. It was published by the Northampton Chamber of Commerce, probably for placement in local hotels. Names of individual businesses, property lines, and addresses were also often recorded. I can also remember Uncle Colin taking me and my cousins, Darren and Simon, to the cricket at the County Ground. Old buildings were demolished and new ones built; grand malls and parking garages replaced familiar streets; huge road-building projects altered the town's topology. A glossy monthly, the Northampton Town and County Independent, edited by Bernard Holloway and the local author-editor Lou Warwick, was also published by the same company, which was once part of the United Newspapers group headed by Lord Barnetson. Great titles such as Peter Weir's "Picnic at Hanging Rock" or Reinhard Hauff's "Knife in the Head"that would never play multiplexeswere the norm there. French Quarter hairdressing salon was at the opposite corner of the block of shops, I used to think that place was really exotic as a Bective boy, it looked like another world. As I grew older I realised not everyone spent Sunday afternoon in bed! My Home Page It then began to publish one edition per week each Thursday for 1.00 (2014: 1.20) (2015: 1.30) (2016: 1.40) (2017: 1.45) (2018: 1.50) (2019: 1.60). Some starting with Permaquip and then for British Rail, and later some for Lionverge. But for more than two decades, it was a haven for folks looking for high-quality, reasonably priced outdoor clothing and shoes. The Emporium Arcade I was born in Northampton, at the Barratt Maternity Home, which opened in 1936 when the footwear entrepreneur William Barratt gave the hospital a generous donation. External. Museum Hours. Rothmans Football Yearbook 1976/77, p.270. This is a discussion group for the Northampton music scene in the 70s and 80s - the local bands and gigs and the bigger bands who came to town. Gradually the name changed to Northampton. Bastard brag is a variation of 3 card brag, 3 cards are dealt into the middle, 2 up and 1 is face down, the name is from the frustration players would feel when another player picks the card you wanted, and you bastard might be muttered or shouted depending on your mood and how inebriated you are. I grew up there in a council house during the 1970s. I remember the old man and my uncles would take on the Morris Man in charity football and cricket matches on the grass land behind the pub. The Chron's main competitor is the weekly Northampton Herald & Post (circulation 45,582)[4] which is free and delivered throughout the town and surrounding areas but in comparison is lighter on news and heavy on advertising. Northampton. Me and some of my cousins would try and sneak a bottle of cider and can of lager from the kitchen and make snakebites in my cousins bedroom. We offer IT/Web sessions to members on Wednesday mornings at MK Museum. Yale Photogrammar/Russell Lee. Women of color and working class women were centrally involved in this struggle against sexual townspeople wanted better YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Unlike Cinderellas, which was a night club in St. James, you didnt have to wear a shirt and tie! The Old Country Store I would go most Friday and Saturday nights to dance to the Stone Roses, Housemartins, and do the dying fly, like Bluto Blutarskys famous gator scene from National Lampoons Animal House. The Heavy Crates vinyl junkies get togethers, especially the one where the building across the road caught fire and no one could leave the pub. With no indigenous coal supply, local industrialists relied principally upon natural resources for industrial processing, particularly wind and water. Listing of "Courses On or About Women Offered in the Five Colleges" by VWC. 2023 BBC. I wasnt a fan of Cinderellas but did enjoy the Under 18s night on a Tuesday around my 13th birthday. 1785 the pub was selling rums, brandies and wines. A chair was definitely smashed over someones head, and Im sure me and my cousin Scott, hid under the pool table, but that might be my imagination getting the better of me. It was a very local establishment, but as a kid drinking in Kingsthorpe it would be part of the pub run we would do. To learn more, I thought my childhood was pretty ordinary. Narrow your search with advanced settings, such as Years (from/to), Fulltext, Publisher, Loss. Five College meeting of women teachers at Mount Holyoke College. It was called Roland Holloway's Northamptonshire, Fifty Years of Photographs 19241974, published by Northamptonshire Libraries. I used to enjoy popping into this pub in my youth as it was a really old unique pub. Like many pubs, The Drum, unfortuately, looks like it may have closed its doors for the last time. It was in this new dystopian market tayn that myself and my many cousins would be dragged along, looking forward to afternoons of adventures, while the family moved from pub to pub and club to club, as venues shut down, lost favour, or someone was barred. You sometimes hear people longing for the Northampton of old. type a type Betjeman detested. And of course, hundreds of small shops catering for every need., Do you remember the town like this? As children, my old man, Henry Bill Hillery who passed away 28th of June 2020, and his 8 brothers and 5 sisters would live around the corner, in a terraced council house on Merthyr Road, just yards from where the pub would stand. Great nights. It is obviously targeted at visiting business and sales people. A huge club where my Uncle would do a meat raffle on a Sunday lunchtime. Fourth stanza: That's pretty much what happened to Northampton. On this page you will find places from my childhood and youth. The FireFly was, without doubt, a local pub with a somewhat acquired taste. Opposite is another old tayn pub called Shipmans (see post below). With his hand holding on to the wood to steady himself he continued to nearly saw his finger off. Its still opening now but a lot more trendy than back then. I had two older siblings, loads of cousins, and dozens of Aunties and Uncles. I would see loads of bands play at the Soundhaus and even did DJ support there, it felt odd that two venues Id played and danced in as a kid, the Fanciers and Friendlies, were also the places I played and danced at as a young adult, even if my chosen vice was no longer cherry pop and a packet of scratchings. My old man, Henry, or air Billy, had a big family and they all lived in Northampton. In any case, towns must change and grow; and there's not much doubt that the . He was found in the cellar after cutting his own throat. It was also when niche bookstores like Beyond Words could thrive. The Virtual Attic But Bill Davisons The Black Cat Jazz Bar was my favorite. So my happy memories of the Overstone Arms was much more short lived than I remembered and most of my dating must have been done in The Lamplighter, as Dave Knibb says it changed names in 1988. The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies - Rich Jones,phil collins,pink single-fud,nathan bundy and many many more as there was about 12 in the band. I grew up there in a council house during the 1970s. More Local Journalism to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 4/30/23, George Lenker | Special to The Republican. Not much different to how I imagined everyones childhood was. The Regent also had a karaoke in the upstairs bar which wasnt very big. my way around. The Sportsman Arms in Bath Street. I have tried to find images of The FireFly but I cant find any decent ones. We still talk about the supper spread Lionel would make us when we sat in the saloon bar, on the Salisbury Road side, a silver platter with roast potatoes, pork pie (I hadnt gone vegetarian yet), scratchings (I loved them!) Anti-Vietnam war demonstration on Boston Common. You could grab a decent, cheap, second-hand Telecaster thereor a vintage guitar costing thousands. I really don't know what the It is called Last Orders and the author is Dave Knibb. Most of these folks aren't getting misty about the town when Calvin Coolidge was mayor, however. During a career running from the 1920s to the 1970s, Roland took more than 80,000 photographs and attended 28,000 assignments. Use England Jurisdictions 1851 Map. It was closed in 2008 after being open for just 8 years. I have memories of a couple of tug of war battles that took place over the mill, this was before the new bridge was put in. Queen Eleanor's Cross As a Bective lad (both Lower and Middle) I lived right on the edge of the permitted border to be allowed to say I was from Kingsthorpe. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? That fine old Northampton, Sideways Some of the family still lived in Spencer and Kings Heath. Click here and draw a rectangle over the map to precisely define the search area. -inch map. He said: "The important lesson is planning should involve the people who live here.". I remember it as being like one of those bar fights you would see in an old western film. I remember the pool table was on the left as you look at the illustration, in the 1960s it was a gated area but by the 1980s it had been extended to hold the pool room and the toilets. Take a look back at amazing photos of a thriving Northampton town centre in the 1960s and 1970s. CASTOR (St. Keneburgha), a parish, in the union and soke of Peterborough, N. division of the county of Northampton, 4 miles (W.) from Peterborough.. Resources [edit | edit source] Find Neighboring Parishes [edit | edit source]. A chair was definitely smashed over someones head, and Im sure me and my cousin Scott, hid under the pool table, but that might be my imagination getting the better of me. The two teams stood on either side of the river and the losers were declared when one of the teams ended up being pulled into the Nene. As already mentioned opposite The Gari was the Vocal & Instrumental Club, simply known as the shortened Vocal by many people in Northampton. . The Shipmans sits opposite The Drum on Drum Lane and also had an entrance on the Drapery. "Executive," which appeared in his 1974 collection A Nip in the Air. A total of 15,655 new homes were built between 1970 and 1985, including on the Thorplands estate, The Barclaycard building on Marefair was vacated in the late 1990s and replaced by Sol Central in 2002, Bellinge Ponds, part of the 1974 Bellinge development, is part of five hectares of woodland, New estates like The Arbours were built using 205m on development corporation money, People moved from London and Birmingham to new homes on estates like Bellinge, Brackmills was built as a distribution centre, partly to counter the decline of the shoe trade in Northampton, These homes at Weston Favell were among 7,000 to be built by private developers, Weston Favell's Emmanuel inter-denominational church is built on three floors in the same design as the south Bank theatres in London, Briar Hill was one of the areas promoted by NDCs cult hit "60 miles by road or rail", The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. It was newly build when the old club which I think had been in Earl Street was demolished. Wednesday - Sunday. The Duke Of York went through a renovation at some point after I stopped going, and became an open plan bar, I preferred the old style pub with the separate rooms. about 6 inches to the mile. Mayes has also published compilations of his 'corrections and clarifications' columns in The Guardian. Together these maps provide a rich historical shapshot of the commercial activity and urban landscape of towns and cities at the time. Among the Chronicle & Echo's most notable journalists were author Michael Green, who wrote The Art of Coarse Rugby, scriptwriter Alistair Foot, the Guardian's readers' editor Ian Mayes, chairman of the Sportswriters Association Barry Newcombe, former Boxing Board of Control general secretary John Morris, theatre historian Lou Warwick, and author and editor John Marquis (formerly of Reuters and Thomson Newspapers), whose books about the Sir Harry Oakes murder case and the Haitian tyrant Papa Doc have found an international audience.