We're staying with my old school pal Roger and his wife Christine. I've known Rog since we were both 5 years old so it's great to see him and Chris again. Rog was born in the same house as my dad was in the small settlement of Woodseats, a couple of miles out side the village.
The first morning back "home" I awoke at 4am to the dawn chorus of bird song and felt quite emotional. Being here again brought memories flooding back and reminded me that part of the reason for coming back was to scatter my parents ashes. They followed us out to New Zealand in 1990 and both died less than 2 years ago. Their wish was to be scattered in Grenoside woods, where they used to take long walks - so who am I to argue with that. We decided to do the scattering at the end of the week when my cousin Alan and his wife Chris could be present. My mum and dad had looked after Alan when he was a nipper. (colloquial for toddler) and he'd always thought very highly of them.
Meantime we went for a walk through the village to reacquaint ourselves with our surroundings.
We did have plans to walk through the park and then onward to Frostings Close where I lived for 26 years and my parents lived for 30 years and then on through the woods. But Grenoside, or Greno as everyone here calls it, is a friendly place and the locals, when seeing us with cameras slung over our shoulders, couldn't resist stopping us for a chat and offering their assistance.
The first person was Ian O'Mara - local councillor and Labour representative who, after hearing that I used to live here 30 years ago, asked us if we'd like to see inside St Marks church (as he had the keys to the church) to see how things had changed. The main change was that the floor had been raised and the old pews had been replaced by soft seated chairs - more user friendly apparently.
I used to go to the Sunday School here as a child. My dad and his dad were regular church goers here and Grandad also used to help to maintain the church grounds.
The next person to offer assistance was coincidentally another councillor / local politician, Alan Hooper. He was about to have a meeting at the Grenoside Bowling Club, but offered to show us inside Grenoside Reading Room - one of only a handful grade 2 listed building in the area. We had a wander around the green while we waited for him and took a couple of snaps. It was at this point that Sandra Eason who looks after the ladies section of the bowls club came out of the club rooms with 3 sets of bowls for us to have a "roll up". I used to play bowls here with my dad years ago so it was quite a moving experience being back on the bowling green again. I'm not sure if it's the tiredness of the travelling or what but I am finding this homecoming to be a very emotional time.
(Photo - with Sandra outside the bowling club cabin)
http://www.grenosidebowling.moonfruit.com/
Actually it was nice to see that the bowling green was still there and so well looked after, as the tennis courts where me and my brother used to play as kids are now just a square of tarmac.
After his meeting Alan drove us around to the Reading Room.
This grade 2 listed building was built in 1789 as a school on land owned by Thomas Walker and in 1807 he passed the property over to what became the Grenoside School Charity - "for the purpose of educating such a number of poor children as the trustees should think proper". The number of pupils varied. In 1818, there were 20 'Free Scholars' and an unknown number of paying pupils. In the 1860s the number had grown to 60 and by 1883 the average attendance was between 90 and 100 - an extraordinary number considering the room was only 18 x 35 feet.
Alan showed us around and made us a nice 'cuppa tea'.
(Photo - Alan Hooper in the doorway of the Reading Room)
These days the Reading Room is used to display photos and books on the history of Grenoside and surroundings and can also be hired as a function room - with its own kitchen.
www.grenosidereadingroom.co.uk
By now more than a few hours had passed, we hadn't got far and we were due to meet up with Rog and Chris in the Old Red Lion pub for lunch.
Reasonably priced food can be had here. Nothing flashy but nice plates full of home cooked food. We had the pork roast with veg for GB Pounds 6.95 - which currently converts to about NZ$14 so pretty good.
The Old Red Lion or Top Red as it's called locally - due to there being a Red Lion pub in the lower part of the village (bottom Red) - is where most of my early days of beer drinking was done. I believe that years ago it used to be a staging point for changing horses for the horse drawn mail/passenger service which used to pass through the village.
Grenoside was not a huge place, but had six pubs (Old Red Lion, Red Lion, the Old Harrow, The Angel, the Cow and Calf, Norfolk Arms) and a working mans club. Unfortunately the Norfolk Arms has gone the way of many pubs around England and has closed, about to be redeveloped into housing.
(Photo - our hosts and good friends Chris and Roger Wood, with Liz outside the Old Red Lion pub, Main Street, Grenoside)
Part 2 to follow......
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