Tower Hill Primary
Tower Hill Primary (opposite 11 Fowler) was where I started school in the 1930s, but there were no gates or building on the left-hand side.
Tower Hill Junior School, 1971
Tower Hill pupils, 1937 - James Dodds is in the back row, second from the right. The teacher is Miss Durston.
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Walking sortie no. 2. Time to leave Tower Hill Primary
Yes, it was time to leave the primary school to attend Cove Elementary. With my lunch sandwich in my bag and neighbour Donny Fox to show me the ropes we set off. Past Tower Hill we walked across the fields to Hazel Avenue. At Cove Road we turned left, a sweet shop on the right then Catmur’s stores on the corner of Bridge Road. Left turn again and we reached the Cove brook which I remember as a ford (no bridge) although there could have been a footbridge (I don’t remember paddling through it). By this time I’d been regaled with cheery news from Donny that there would be an initiation which involved being dumped in the dustbin at lunch-time. I’m glad to say it didn’t happen.
On the right as we approached West Heath bridge was the Watts’ dairy. On the left just before Cove Road turned under the bridge lived Harry Horn and family. They lived so close to the bridge (OK in those peaceful, slow-moving days), but, inevitably, they had to be moved back for the road re-arrangement as traffic speed and volume increased.
Under the bridge and on the left were a few shops, principally a sweet shop which was quite a popular one. We headed for Hawley Road (now Fernhill Road), the right fork, with farmer Blunden’s meadows on the right. We continued on and just before Hawley Road met the junction with St John’s Road, we arrived at Cove Elementary School on the right. Headmaster, Mr Gilderdale (nickname ‘Fishy’).
A popular lunch time activity was ‘flicking’ ‘fag’ cards, in the interests of accumulating a set of one or another series.
I well remember Empire Day (24 May) when the school assembled and we lustily sang “Land of Hope and Glory’. When school ended for the day we set off home, which meant retracing our steps. A return journey of 2 miles, but in those days for children to walk unescorted was no big deal. How times have changed!
Cove Junior School, 1971
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More walking sorties:
Yes, we could head south of Rafborough across Cove Common without any restriction. It's understandably difficult for modern parents to accept, nevertheless as youngsters, not yet 10 years old, we would leave home in the morning with a lunchtime sandwich and a bottle of ‘Tizer’ (the appetiser) and walk off! We didn’t necessarily know where we were going, so our parents certainly didn’t know our whereabouts all day. It could be Laffan’s Plain, Basingstoke canal, across the pontoon bridge (officially Eelmoor bridge) to Rushmoor arena (where the Aldershot tattoo took place), Long Valley or even Caesar’s Camp (and that was three and a half miles away!).
Even now I find it hard to realise just what freedom of movement we enjoyed. Ambling along the Basingstoke canal tow path we didn’t have a care in the world. I don’t even remember meeting people walking along the path, it was all so very still and peaceful. Our interest was in observing the birdlife (usually Moorhens).
Information and image courtesy of James Dodds.
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