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Going Round the Square

  • Thread starter Thread starter O.C.
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O.C.

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As Kids if we wanted to go to the next street we always said We are "Going Round the Square" as we would come back the other way (making an oblong rarely a square) I still use the term today
 
We used to go round the block,seems like we had an American influence ,watching too many films

Colin
 
And it was always Up Town and Down the Park and Round the corner, and ya went as far as you could to see how far it was
 
Goow on then the i'll race yer round the block! and i'll meet yer up the gully.:D
 
Round the block

I am sure we also said going round the block.

Now , how about going down 'the double knack' an alleyway or 'entry' leading from one road to another. I wonder whether this was aparticular phrase for this entry or did it apply to all.

let's see who recognises it?
 
Never hear of Double Knack before it was up the gully up the entry or round the back and over the peck,bombing or tip to were ya wanted to go
 
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Alf ......all you had to do was say the meaning of Double Knack
 
I have see mention of the "Double Knack" in a number of Carl Chinn's articles, as Linda described. Carl was recalling how the bookies' runners used to go down these to avoid being caught.
 
We always said "Going round the square". In our case it was mostly down our road, Hidson Road, passed Anslow Road(only six or seven houses) up to Hesketh Crescent and turn left to Griffin Road, along Griffin and then into Woolmore and back into Hidson Road. It was an oblong if truth be told.
It was the first place I was allowed to go on my three wheel bicycle.
We avoided going down Woolmore Road from Hidson Road because it was so steep. We had a gulley beside our house and opposite was a "laneway" which eventually brought you to a hole in the hedge behind the back gardens of Knightwick Crescent that led into Witton Lakes Park.
 
Jennyann, just tracked you on my old Street Guide, If I'd had a good pair of Binoculars I could have spotted you from my back bedroom were I lived in The Ridgeway unless you went out of view in the Sandpits
 
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Wow Alf...I remember that you lived on The Ridgeway at one time so you would know the area off Marsh Hill where I lived. I used to go to the sandpits a lot. I would go and pick blackberries by myself. I never saw anyone there but could often hear people at the bottom of the sandpits banging about doing some kind of work. One of our neighbours had a quite a large hen house at the top of the sandpits off Lindridge Road in the years after WW2. I would also go and have a look at the hens on my way through.
It was a great area to grow up in since we had the two parks Witton Lakes
and Brookvale Park,and the sandpits to play in. Not forgetting playing with my friend Margaret, who lived in Yerbury Grove, in Witton Cemetery.
 
The only thing I ever heard about Knack is when we used to go round to the Railway Stables in Rupert St and one of the old hands use to say about the old horses "He is ready for the Knackers Yard" meaning he was only fit for glue (when I asked him what he meant)
 
Yerbury Grove off Farley Road leading to Witton Lakes Happy Days, yes Witton Cemetery was our Play Ground from time to time:)
 
around the sqaure

around the sqaure was the term we used to used in and on around
the lichfield rd aston
we would play games and even race around the square to see whom was the fastest , and guess whom was the fastest kid on the block ,
the one and only me, -- unbeatable every time
we would race down the lichfield rd , to victoria rd up the hill and around vicarage rd and down upper thomas street back down the hill
turn left pass old mr matty,s radio and televisin shop
and back to cromwell terrace
the kids could not beat me ,even my old man [ father ]
i disobeyed him one day on a sunday ,told tostay in .but
i did not , i climbed the garden fence and scarpered ,
he clocked me climbing over the fence
he bolted out of the house door
but i was at the bottom of the terrace before he goy out of the garden
i raced down the lichfield past thompson ,
and frenchies and robinsons the fruit and veg ,
diggers the news agents wettons the sweet shop
by the time i got to the vine pub and turning up
vicarage rd and reaching deers radio and television ware house oppersite
pugh rd he had only just reached mr taylor the toy shop
and on i went to the top of victoria rd to buckinghams the chemist
and turned on the park rd towards upper thomas st
and heading for home back to get protection from my mother
from this big brute of a father
as i got down to matty,s tele shop he was making ground
so i dodge him and went up the entry of the irish mans grocery shop
and hid behind the old misbin , it stunk , i was panting for breath
as i peered around the bin ,i seen him looking very angry
and desperate to get his big hands on me
then eventualy he clocked me , and he dragged me out from the bins
and gave me a thick ear and shouting about me making a fool of him
i broke free and went like the clappers for my mom
she could not protect me from him
i got a saw back side and sent to bed with no tea
but getting back to the square , thats what we called it
and when we moved to lady wood it was full of nick knacks
all around springfield street and cope st and stour street
in one entry in cope street there was about six exits in one to get
from copr st to springfield st and stour st all in one
oh boy they was the days ,its a pitty we cannot put the clock back, ah
have a nice day everybody astonian ,;;;;
 
Double Knack

Well of course the 'double knack' which led from Yew Tree Road to Village Road Witton?Aston was really useful as we went 'down 'it to buy our frozen 'Jubblies' from the shop at the other end......4d if I remember correctly.

However it must have been useful for the people at the other end as it led them through to the off licence.
Amazing isn't it that one memory leads swiftly to another.
 
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