Re: Spire farm development
 

I agree give him time and a bit of leeway now

Re: Spire farm development
 

Having said that don't hold your breath.

Re: Spire farm development
 

Its you that made a pathetic attempt to do that.:rolleyes:

Re: Spire farm development
 

Frome 13 mths ago.....I AGREE......

Re: Spire farm development
 

from 13 mths ago...I AGREE

Re: Spire farm
 

I used to live there around 1954. I remember the tower well. It was in a hell of a state. I have seen recent pics and thought the left hand gabled building was a recent addition. This pic brings it all back. I can remember standing in the "window" helping to stack the hay in the barn as it was brought in from the meadows on the hay cart. I was about 6 or 7. What health and safety???? Thanks for pic, it brings back part of my childhood which was rather hazy.

Re: Spire farm development
 

Hi Rosegrove. I was only 6 or 7 at the time so I'm not certain about the accuracy here but I think the Jacksons farmed at Spire Farm ( High Riley) until around 1953/4. My uncle bought it then. ( The less said about that the better!)
I lived there for a short while and used to play with the Jackson lads, Harry and Thomas. When I knew them they lived at High Riley Cottages. We used to walk down to St Paul's school together. I was scarred for life by the memories of terrible school dinners!!!

There were 2 lots of woods as I recall. One behind the cottages and one alongside the track leading up from Plantation Street.I'm ashamed to say that my uncle was responsible for selling off the trees for felling. I was very young at the time but I seem to have some recollection that the barn "caught fire" as well. I had moved to Blackpool by that time so I could be wrong.

Re: Spire farm development
 

It was a wonderfully quiet place in the mid 1950's. What's gone wrong??

Re: Spire farm development
 

Yeah! As I said somewhere else in this argument, it used to be such a peaceful spot in the mid 1950's. Wonder if Thomas Jackson is reading any of this stuff??

Re: Spire farm development
 

Rupertbear, thank you for your clarification of the woods. When we were children we used to walk from Barnfield Street up Sandy Lane, and turn right alongside High Riley Cottages. That way led to a wood behind the cottages that in the spring was filled with bluebells. It was lovely, and yes, very quiet. This was in the mid to late nineteen forties and early fifties. There was no concern about children wandering around there without adults.
Our family used to walk round by Spire Farm on Sunday afternoons. There was a pigsty on the property and my brother and I used to hang over the stone wall to look at the pigs.
Retlaw, another walk was to turn left from Sandy Lane on to Leemings Pad. Part way along, on the right, I remember farm buildings. Would this be the New House Farm in your post 8? Do you know how old it was? We continued on to Plantation Road. These were lovely walks at any time of year.

Re: Spire farm
 

There was/is a path (don't know it it's still there) that ran up from the sports grounds behind the college, up a clough which led up to Blue Bell woods.

Re: Spire farm
 

The official Blue Bell Woods was :D:D Go up to New House Farm take the lane that forks off to the right, which goes down a slight decline, when it reaches a bridge over a stream the area of woods running up from there is the official one as it was coated in those flowers in the spring - though I suppose any kid, finding blue bells in a wood, would call it that name, so most woods would be called that.;)

We used to help Strak when he farmed Spires back in the 70's!

Re: Spire farm
 

Still there

Re: Spire farm
 

Are there still as many blue bells though? As it was on Countryfile some time ago that they were on the decline! :confused::)

Re: Spire farm
 

No Dick Guy's cattle trample them down