These are the personal recollections of Joy Tacey, one of our members, of Turvey and the Yards in Long Whatton, during the period 1933-1935, All the illustrations are by Joy.
Joy was born on the 3rd October 1926 and died on the 25th August 2016. She lived most of her life in the village
Industrial Row is in Turvey.
Wisher's Yard is down Mill Lane.
Barker's yard no longer exists, but was before the Methodist Church
Chapel Yard is after the Methodist Church
Groves Yard is near the Telephone Box, before The Falcon Inn
Hobbs Yard is now Barnfield Close.
Anyone, who has studied the path of the census enumerator, will realise that over time. the various Yards are called by different names. This is presumably because different families occupied the houses at different times.
Turvey 1935
There was a thatched cottage on the bend in the lane on the right, before the new Oakley Drive. The cottage was pebble-dashed, grey looking, it had two windows at the front, one upper, one lower. Just one door at the side, with a copper washer inside.
A Mr. And Mrs. Gamble lived there, Mr. Gamble, who had the nickname of 'Scagg' was a rag and bone merchant, and collected rabbit skins, he would come round the village calling “ Rag – a - bone, rabbit skins.” He was dressed in an old raincoat, tied up with string, wearing old boots, with long black straggly hair and beard, pulling a hand cart. When the cottage was demolished after the deaths of Mr. and Mrs. Gamble, real willow pattern plates, cups and saucers were found there. Bess Foulds ( called “Whatton Bess”) who later married Mr. Moody, lived at the cottage before the Gambles.
Wisher's Yard
This is a small yard on the left in Mill Lane. In the cottage facing Main Street, lived Miss M. Fox. It is a thatched cottage with beams. Next door was the Purdy family, in Mill Lane. (their relatives lived at the Wheel House, opposite Smithy Lane) At the next cottage lived the Wisher family, with their daughter Betty. Next door lived Mr. and Mrs. Botterill. Mr. Botterill worked on the Crawshaw Estate, their children were Sally and Billy, their lodger was Mr. Bert Waters, who was also an Estate worker. Sally and Billy later went to live at The Square
All the cottages had wells for drinking water. The Wishers had the largest well, with a 3 foot wall around it, it had a bucket and chain and roller. The Botterills had a small pump in their back kitchen, it was lovely, cool, clear water on a hot summer's day. The Purdys had a larger pump in their yard. Miss Fox's well was at the side of her cottage, in a small orchard. It was a small well with a bucket and chain and a brick wall around it.
Chapel Yard 1933-1939
The old Chapel is at the top of the yard. It still had stain glass windows. Mrs. Shepherd lived there, although it was not a chapel in 1933. It was later called Orchard House.
On the left, towards the top of the yard was a stockinger's shop, a two story building, with outside steps which went to the top floor. On the left at the bottom of the yard was a cottage where Mr. And Mrs. L Highton and their four children lived. Later this was occupied by Mr. And Mrs. Eli Lester, Eli played the organ at the Methodist Chapel on Main Street next door. They also had a shop and Post Office at the cottage, selling mops, buckets, sweets and cotton.
At the house opposite, at the bottom on the right in Chapel Yard, lived Mr. and Mrs. Miller and family. Later in about 1934–35 a Mr. and Mrs. Nobes and family, who came to the village from Portsmouth, lived there, Their eldest son Ronald was reported missing in the second world war, in 1940. Mr. And Mrs. Nobes had a dance band from 1940– 944. They played locally and the band was called the “Sebonaire” after the Latin American song, but the locals called them the”Seven Aires". I played the accordion in it in 1944. Mr. and Mrs Hayes lived next door to the Nobes, they later moved to Loughborough.
Further up the yard, on the right in 1934– 5, lived Billy String , a bachelor, then Mrs. Bristo and then Mr. and Mrs. Ernie Whiting and family. They later moved to Castle Donington.
There were high paling double gates at the bottom of chapel yard, painted a dark red. I don't remember them ever being closed.
Groves Yard 1935
At the bottom on the left lived Mr. And Mrs. Horace Groves. Mr. Groves was a carpenter, who kept a few chickens in the orchard and also a few heifers in a field at Turvey. Next door was Mr. and Mrs. Mee and their children. Further up lived Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Sherwood and their children
At the bottom on the right, lived Mrs. Groves and her daughter or niece, Hilda. At the rear was an old stockingers shop. The top floor was not being used at this time, in 1935. Years earlier., a few people around the village made socks on knitting frames and Griswold machines. The ground floor was used as a workshop by Horace Groves in 1935. In 1938, my brother John, was an apprentice joiner for six months with Horace Groves.
Hobbs Yard 1935
At the bottom of the yard on the right is a large house where Mr. and Mrs. R. Hobbs and sons lived . He was a builder and carpenter, they officiated and made many local coffins. They use to place the coffin on a small black four wheeled hearse, pushed along by the pall bearers. The mourners walked in procession to the church or chapel in the village.
Adjoining the house were stables and a hovel. Opposite is a very old beamed barn with a wooden door, now a listed building. Further up, in the Hobbs' garden was his workshop.
At the top of the yard, on a bank were two cottages. Mr. and Mrs. C Booth, who was a joiner lived in one cottage and Mr. H Hayes in the other. I remember, that he had a long white beard covering his waistcoat.
At the bottom, opposite Mr. And Mrs. Hobbs , and on the left, lived Mrs. Fisher and next door Mrs. H. Hobbs and family. In the cottages around the corner, lived Mr. and Mrs. H Shelton, next Mr. and Mrs. S Barker and family, then Mr. and Mrs. H Oakes and family and then Mr. E Cartlidge. Adjoining this cottage across the end was the house of Mr. and Mrs. O. Hunt and family.
In the middle of the yard was a spring, there was always a puddle there. There was also a row of pan–toilets and coal houses.
Today Barnfield Close is on the site of Hobbs Yard and consists of four council houses, ten bungalows, built in 1967 by Rice and Beck of Long Eaton.