Growing Up In Corby

A Memory of Corby.

I was born in Kettering hospital and lived in Corby until my marriage aged 20 in 1974. I married in St. Andrew's Church of Scotland, Occupation Road. I can remember West Glebe swing park as we cut through there to go to the Grammar School Annexe. I also remember playing in Thoroughsale Woods and picking bunches and bunches of blue bells and taking them home. The Doctors surgery was on Kipling Road, my ballet classes were held on Lloyds Road (I think) in the St John's Ambulance building. The Saturday morning club at the Odeon Cinema on Rockingham Road where for a shilling we could buy a jublee and a lucky bag and entrance to the cinema. I remember going to the youth club at St Columbus Church (Studfall Avenue) and Fred Jelly was in charge and the dances at the "bin" the Catholic school run by Nelly? on Occupation Road, the barn and square dances at the Grammar School, the "Tin Hut" at Kettering football club. I can remember The Strathclyde Hotel being built and the swimming pool where I spent a lot of time, the bowling alley, the market place. I remember the Pole Fair coming every 20 years and the men trying to climb the greased pole. The fun fair that turned up every year on the Welfare Field. Playing tennis on the Welfare Club courts. The steel works being open and the closing of them, the devastation they thought would happen to Corby that never did. Corby somehow survived, I go back to Corby every time I go to England. I have a life-long friend who lives there (as did my Mummy until 2010 when she passed away). I went to Studfall Infants School, Studfall Junior School, both on Rowlett Road, and then 2 years at Samuel Lloyds Girl School and then to Corby Grammar School. I met so many people as I was growing up I can't recall all of them, life was fun and good times were had. The Danesholme estate sprung up from fields, Coldermeadow was being built while I was still at school. I worked at Golden Wonder during the school summer holidays (since burned down) my Mummy worked there also. Corby has grown and has kept up with the changes in life style but needs a good shopping mall to draw the crowds in. Remember the "WonderWorld" that was going to be built near to Weldon and how much money it would bring in and some one wrote underneath the "WonderWorld" sign "WonderWhen". When the Gretton Brook Industrial Area was clay pits where we played unknown to our parents. We as school girls had to walk in our green gym knickers down to the playing field near to the Raven Hotel. The man named Geoff on the market who sold fabric whose tape measure was from his nose to the end of his fingers being one yard so you knew you always had enough for a dress and some left over. Very good memories of Corby back then but what is it like now? I would like to hear from any one who remembers me. I was very thin back then with long dark hair, oh how age changes us.

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