Growing veggies in WWII

At the top of Wakefield Road that joined Richmond Road to the right were steps that went down to, I think, Rosehill Terrace.  Down the steps were doors which led into allotments. My grandmother had one of these as we did not have a garden at Richmond Road where we lived.

She grew all our veggies and we certainly did not starve during the war. I especially remember too, the horse and cart that delivered bread.  It took off at the top of Wakefield Street and went down that steep hill to the bottom. I don’t know what happened to the horse but the bread that fell off was quickly picked up by the residents.

That was in the early 1940s. Haven’t people changed? I don’t think too many people would risk growing veggies and expect them not to be taken nowadays. Nothing was ever locked up or stolen during the time our family had the allotment.  Of course sadly that is very different today.

Comments about this page

  • I had one of the allotments (first door on the right as you went down the steps) when I lived at 6 Richmond Road between 1979 and 1986 and we certainly grew veg there. Apart from a grim period when a local family had hooligan kids who liked to sit on the wall and hurl abuse (and sometimes stones) as we dug, it was fine. Mercifully the family moved away after a year or so and we grew onions, spuds, beans etc in peace. We eventually sold it to one of the houses in Wakefield Road which backed directly onto it and I think they just used it as an extra big garden.

    By Shan Lancaster (17/02/2007)
  • Growing veggies in WW II. Well my grandad (Alfred Nettley) had an allotment ( first door on the right as you went down the steps to Roundhill Cres). He grew all his veg; my dad must of helped at some time. My Aunty ran it until the mid 60s.  My grandad lived at 7 Mayo Road next to the pub. My dad had a friend that lived in Richmond Road by the name of Arthur Akehurst

    By Chris Nettley (18/11/2009)
  • As a baby and toddler I lived at 5 Richmond Road then the family shifted into number 11, a triple storey house and we had the bottom flat. we had a  bit of a garden in the front but just a strip of concrete at the back, an outside toilet and no bathroom, zinc bath hanging on a nail on the outside wall for the weekly inside frontroom bath. we had three small bedrooms and ours had a Morrison Shelter with mesh walls with a mattress on the floor which was our bed during the war when we lived there. A kitchen, an old wash copper in the scullery and I remember very dark. My great Uncle Fred Winter had the Mayo Laundry on the corner of Richmond and Mayo Road. I remember going along there and being fascinated with all the noise and steam.

    By Jennifer Goddard nee Norrell (19/06/2010)

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