Many of us either helped to build dens and camps or used them. We had several around the alleyways in Kingstanding. When I say alleyways they were like small country lanes at the back of the 1930s houses. I believe most are still there, but gated off for safety reasons I suppose.
But back in the 1950s/60s they gave us kids a place to roam. I never actually built a den, but saw them built - well THAT was boys work of course - and using anything you could get your hands on. The starting point was find a cluster of dense shrubs. There were plenty of these along the alleyways. I like to think they went back many, many years or were at least the descendants of the old hedgerows lining the fields predominant in the area before the massive1930s housing development.
Many sheds and (if you were lucky enough, a garage) would be raided for boxes, cardboard, well anything really to set up camp. Wooden boxes were perfect, but cardboard ones were a good second best. These items added that little bit of luxury instead of sitting on bare earth and twigs, Problem was all all this wood and cardboard usually ended up on the bonfire in November. But that meant an opportunity for new camps.
When I think back it all seems a bit “Famous Five” but these are the things we really did do to occupy our time. Don’t think it nurtured any future architects but it certainly gave us lots of fun, at no cost, with plenty of fresh air and a place to call ‘ours’.
How and where did you build your dens and camps ? Viv.
But back in the 1950s/60s they gave us kids a place to roam. I never actually built a den, but saw them built - well THAT was boys work of course - and using anything you could get your hands on. The starting point was find a cluster of dense shrubs. There were plenty of these along the alleyways. I like to think they went back many, many years or were at least the descendants of the old hedgerows lining the fields predominant in the area before the massive1930s housing development.
Many sheds and (if you were lucky enough, a garage) would be raided for boxes, cardboard, well anything really to set up camp. Wooden boxes were perfect, but cardboard ones were a good second best. These items added that little bit of luxury instead of sitting on bare earth and twigs, Problem was all all this wood and cardboard usually ended up on the bonfire in November. But that meant an opportunity for new camps.
When I think back it all seems a bit “Famous Five” but these are the things we really did do to occupy our time. Don’t think it nurtured any future architects but it certainly gave us lots of fun, at no cost, with plenty of fresh air and a place to call ‘ours’.
How and where did you build your dens and camps ? Viv.
