St Bernard's Grange public house, formerly the home of the Wimbush family, holds dear memories for me. I was born in the 1950's & recall going to the pub in the 1950/60's with my parents and used to have great fun playing within the wonderful grounds with my friends.
Today's land border to the left of the property (which is now much changed) is a wooden fence dividing the pub land & the land of an area of housing but during my childhood that land belonged to the pub. Where the fence now stands was a stone wall with a set of steps in the middle which led down to the old bowling green. To the left side of the green was an old pavilion which also doubled up as the meeting place for the pigeon club too. It was a common sight to see the pigeon fanciers with their wicker baskets of birds in the bar before their meetings started.
Children were not allowed down the steps in fear that they would spoil the well attended bowling green but I can recall spending many an hour sitting on the steps with my glass of pop & packet of crisps (Smith's crisps with the little blue twist of salt inside of the packet) watching the bowling matches.
I was occasionally allowed down those steps with my Dad's friend Ernie Croft when he went to the pavilion with his pigeons and recall the time machines & the letting off of the birds for their races.
Children are always inquisitive aren't they and when no-one was looking we would sneak down the steps to the far side of the green where there was yet another set of steps which led down to another level where there was a large pond and we used to love to go there to look out for the many newts that lived in the waters. There used to be a small pond within the grounds near to the doorway of the old glasshouse which opened out into the grounds. That too was the home of newts but it wasn't nearly as exciting as watching those in the old big pond.
The area surrounding the big pond was wildly overgrown then & never used & was a great place to play hide & seek in but you could still see that it had once been an old & beautiful place which had been landscaped & planted out very well. The old house must have once looked very grand surrounded by it's beautiful & extensive gardens.
I just wondered if anyone else can remember the old bowling green & pigeon club from those wonderful old days & wondered when they were closed down possibly at a time when it had been decided to sell off the land perhaps?
Happy days!
Today's land border to the left of the property (which is now much changed) is a wooden fence dividing the pub land & the land of an area of housing but during my childhood that land belonged to the pub. Where the fence now stands was a stone wall with a set of steps in the middle which led down to the old bowling green. To the left side of the green was an old pavilion which also doubled up as the meeting place for the pigeon club too. It was a common sight to see the pigeon fanciers with their wicker baskets of birds in the bar before their meetings started.
Children were not allowed down the steps in fear that they would spoil the well attended bowling green but I can recall spending many an hour sitting on the steps with my glass of pop & packet of crisps (Smith's crisps with the little blue twist of salt inside of the packet) watching the bowling matches.
I was occasionally allowed down those steps with my Dad's friend Ernie Croft when he went to the pavilion with his pigeons and recall the time machines & the letting off of the birds for their races.
Children are always inquisitive aren't they and when no-one was looking we would sneak down the steps to the far side of the green where there was yet another set of steps which led down to another level where there was a large pond and we used to love to go there to look out for the many newts that lived in the waters. There used to be a small pond within the grounds near to the doorway of the old glasshouse which opened out into the grounds. That too was the home of newts but it wasn't nearly as exciting as watching those in the old big pond.
The area surrounding the big pond was wildly overgrown then & never used & was a great place to play hide & seek in but you could still see that it had once been an old & beautiful place which had been landscaped & planted out very well. The old house must have once looked very grand surrounded by it's beautiful & extensive gardens.
I just wondered if anyone else can remember the old bowling green & pigeon club from those wonderful old days & wondered when they were closed down possibly at a time when it had been decided to sell off the land perhaps?
Happy days!
