My dad had many work colleagues scattered about the Manchester area and he would solialise with some of them as well as work with them. One such person was my dad's friend, Arthur who had a business in our home town of Heywood and my dad would take me his offices some evenings to discuss business because mum worked in the evenings and so I went to a lot of builders places and pubs over my childhood, as my dad was a workaholic and used to go and check out building and refurb jobs at Bass Charrington pubs in the evenings. Anyway, Arthur was a kind man, I thought, and he invited my dad to come and visit them at his caravan one weekend. I was over the moon with this because I love caravans, I always have and I'm beginning to suspect I was a gypsy in a previous life. I've only recently found out that his caravan was in a field somewhere in Windermere.
There were other caravans here, but it was nothing like the Greenacres site we used to stay on during our summer holiday. From what I remember, the caravan looked from the outside like the one we stayed in at Greenacres, but it was much smaller and more like a touring van inside. You walked into the kitchen, to the right was a small toilet/shower room and to the left was the living/dining and bedroom all rolled into one, which I thought was odd. His son and daughter had their own really old green touring caravan which we went to play in after we had had this gorgeous picnic. Just wish I knew where the field was. I can't ask anyone anymore.
School trips always seemed to have an animal theme to them (in Heywood anyway) We went to Chester Zoo, Knowsley Safari Park, which my mum came to and I became very popular in class, because friends would ask me to ask favours. Why I do not know, if mum said no to me, she was hardly going to say yes to the other kids on the coach, but no matter, I was popular for a day! I remember a bunch of girls screaming every time a baboon landed on the coach. I loved Zoos and I still love going to them today. As and adult I've also been to Colchester Zoo, Paignton and back to revisit Chester with my Neices. I remember going on a trip with Brownies to Blackpool Zoo and got all upset because I only got 50p spending money and everyone else got about £2!!
Brown owl very kindly gave me a pound so I could waste her money on the new Cornetto ice creams and a tatty old straw fan. Yes, I cried because all my Brownie friends bought a straw fan because it was hot, and I couldn't afford one. I also remember then sitting on a noddy train as it took us around the zoo. The one other school trip from my early Primary School days was Martin Mere Wildfowl Sanctuary. I just remember lots of birds, but it was the whole excitement of getting out of the classroom for a whole day and eating a packed lunch like a picnic at dinner time. (Our school dinner allow packed lunches back then!)
Oddly though these are the only school trips at St Margaret's I remember. I know the first year in infants my mum refused to let me go. I never found out why, but I'm guessing it had something to do with she didn't trust anyone to look after a clumsy five year old all day and for me not to get into some kind of mischief. I just remember the next day in school, everyone was talking about the trip to wherever it was and having to paint pictures of what they saw and I had to just paint something else (I can't remember what), but I did feel angry that I'd missed out on something special! And it's also probably the reason why my mum insisted on coming to Knowsley Safari Park as a "Helper" because she could keep an eye on me.
The Victorian Museum in York is a glorious Museum and have been back there as an adult, it hasn't changed a bit, with it's mock Victorian streets, which you can go inside and see what they looked like and how they once lived. I guess it was the precursor too the Beamish Museum and other 'Living' museums as they call them today. I've always been fascinated with "The olden days" having loved reading Beatrix Potter and watching The Nanny with Wendy Craig as a child and Upstairs Downstairs and I still adore period dramas today. And I still enjoy going to Bygone Museums to this day, I thoroughly recommend The Bygone Museum in Torquay, which is an amazing collection and The Beamish Open Air Museum near Durham. Excellent days out.
Jorvik Viking Center was amazing day out for us as a family and I still remember the smells as we went back through the viking village in these little cars. I also remember seeing a hologram for the first time, which was of a helmet. Again I have revisited since as an adult and it is just how I remember it the first time, however, I didn't have to queue outside for hours on end like the first time, as it had only just opened back then and was big news for being so new and innovative as an interactive museum.
Tatton Park is a beautiful example of aristocracy in it's prime and I think was the first stately home I ever visited. We had a ride in a horse and carriage and I tried so hard to remember all the rooms and the layout of the building. I think I may have even fantasied or played rich Lady of the stately home of few times too.
I still have my souvenir drawing book, which I drew lots of pictures of the house, carriage and horse and rooms in the home. I'm afraid I didn't have a camera of my own back then, but I have been back since and taken lots of lovely photos inside and out.
Heaton Park, Queens Park, and Springfield Park, day trips out these parks usually in school holidays were always exciting and long awaited for me. I have fond memories of feedings the ducks on the lakes, playing on the swings and slides and my favourite, Springfield Park had a miniature train, which I loved to ride on and a paddling pool/lido, which again was great enjoyment for me.
As always I have revisited all these places as an adult and still enjoy the open air and walks, although I haven't been on any miniature steam trains recently.
Chatsworth, Oh my word, I loved this place when I first went and returning, I still find it awesome. The wealth the Duke of Devonshire must possess is astounding. There's marble and glittering chandeliers everywhere, gold ornaments and fine china at every glance. There is so much opulence here, you could go back again and again and still find something new to be bedazzled by.
I still have the original guide my dad bought when I was a child and I used to stare at the photos over over again, wondering why I hadn't had the good fortune to have been born into such a family. Obviously, I don't share that view anymore, the responsibility of the nobility is too much for me to be bothered with and I also realise that women of a yesteryear were nothing more than second class citizens, no matter how much you dressed them up in silks and fur! But great example of an English Stately home and an amazing history to boot.
Sandringham, another great stately home, still used by the Queen every Christmas. Because it was a residence of The Queen's, there weren't many rooms open to the public, which was a bit dissapointing, but I still loved the opulence and decidence of a royal residence.
Southport was one of those places by the North West coast of England that I will never tire of. As a kid we went there countless times, just for a cheap day out. Dad would just suddenly announce, "fancy as day at the seaside?" And we'd scream "Yeah, Southport!" get our buckets and spades, throw our Labrador Bonnie into the back of the car with us and off we'd go. We'd park the car right by the beach because the tide never came in at Southport, we'd give Bonnie a good run, make some sandcastles then sit in the car with ham sandwiches and a flask of sweet milky coffee before heading off to the towns shopping area. I loved all the tacky gift shops, (as I still do today in whatever UK seaside resort I end up in) and I always bought a little matchbox doll or a novelty rubber for my erasure collection.
The town still very much looks like the old Victorian seaside town it has always been with the wrought iron fencing and gates around the enormous park, with its little steam train, and paddling pool and fishing pond/boating lake. I loved walking through the park to have a go on the trampolines (wish someone had thought of trampolines in the back garden when I was a kid, I'd never have got off the thing. I could have jumped and bounced around all day long.) Finally they had Southport Pleasure Land a very poor and dilapidated version of Blackpools Pleasure Beach, but I didn't care. A fair ground is a fairground when all said and done and loved going on the rides. And that was Southport. Great fun.
Besides going to see Blackpool illuminations every year and having a day out on the Pleasure Beach, one year we were treated to a special day out to Blackpool Circus. This was back in the day when you saw animals in the Circus, such as elephants, horses, lions, bears, the trapeze artists and of course the clowns. I remember this day so clearly, because at the finale, the whole circus ring became a huge fountain and the whole circle filled with water to lights and music. It was spectacular and I think Blackpool Circus still have the fountain as their end of show finale to this day. Must go back there sometime and see!
One other day out I remember is Uncle Dave taking us and his mates kids to a very posh hotel in Manchester called Herriots. I can't find any record of it now, but it had an amazing gym and spa underneath with a beautifully ornate Roman Bath style swimming pool. It was the first time I had ever been to a spa or health club and was probably about 10 or 11 at the time, but we all went up stairs in the bar to watch this precocious girl showcase her talents singing and dancing to Brother Louis Louis that was in the charts at the time. I was guessing she was he hotel owners daughter or something! These days kids aren't allowed in saunas, steam rooms or jacuzzi's for health and safety reasons, we went in all of them and I loved it so much, it it still one of my favourite past times today.
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