Club Trips and Outings

Days out to the seaside have always been a great joy to us in Maltby - being situated almost directly in the centre of the country west /east then it is an obvious choice. Years ago it was the only time many in Maltby saw the sea.

There are many happy - and sometimes not so - memories of Club Trips, from the Stute, Caledonian, Catholics, Slip, Brooklands and British Legion.
Everyone loved them, some so much that now they drive coaches themselves, taking people on trips !

Club trips were the highlight of the summer. Sometimes they lasted over 2 days and children and adults had separate buses. Dinner and tea were booked in restaurants - fish and chips of course. In Cleethorpes this was at the restaurant near the train station.

Children were given reels of free tickets to use on the rides on the fairground.

Destinations were Cleethorpes, Skegness and Bridlington and it didn't really matter about the weather. Memories of sunshine and torrential rain are all good ones.

The children whose parents didn't go to clubs, tagged along with friends and everyone was happy.

Andrew Kitching was always on the last coach - which carried the tools. Don't know if he was ever asked to help use them. Being from Tickhill, he went on trips with Grandad Jeffcoates and cousins, Tim and Simon. George Beech was always on the coach with Tommy Mcgoldrick.
Jeffcoates did "door to door" with Algie Meese.

Scratchy new clothes, a tag tied to a button and a packed lunch getting warm and soggy in the overhead luggage rack are memories for Chris White.

Grandma, Aunt Minnie and Aunty Olive



Robert Swan has a photo of himself with his ticket in his lapel getting off the Legion trip bus from Mablethorpe. The buses were single deckers from Doncaster at that time and the seats were as hard as nails. You got a 10 bob note, a sarnie, crisps and pop. What more could you need  - great days !

Stute trips for Hilda and her family and friends. Five shillings, pop and crisps and a dinner thrown in. Apparently Mablethorpe stopped taking Maltbyites and said that they were all little hooligans !  Sure that must just be rumour.

Brian remembers once going on the bus with the Catholic Club... the kids nicked his pop and crisps. Don't think he'll be on it this year !

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Beginning with Fish and Chips

What better way to begin posts on here than with Fish and Chips !

This is Cragg Fisheries, on Rotherham Road, Maltby. Where the bungalow is now, and near to the spray tan shop and the dentist, near the top of Milton Street is how we describe it's position.

 Over the years it's changed hands many times before being pulled down for Jebson's to build their bungalow. It seems to have had it's hey days in the 1970's and 80's - at least according to those who remember. Seeing this photo reminded some of us that it was ever there.

Mrs Taylor ran the shop about 70 years ago, and the Pugh's when you could get chips and mushy peas for 6 pence.

Mrs Law and her daughter Diane ran the shop  in the  70's.

It was also owned by the Berry family around this time, Tom their son being a class mate of many.

Many remember working there and especially with a little lady with white hair (who may or may not have been Mrs Laws.)

The Fuller's were another family who ran this chippy.

Anyone living on Rolleston Avenue and Milton St were very handy for the Craggs Fisheries, and chippy teas on a Friday night were "quality". 

Young ones from the area used to hang about around the shop, getting moved on regularly, especially when "Skull"  was there with his unhygenic habits !

It used to be the only chippy that had free tomato sauce on the counter for your chips ensuring happy and healthy dinner breaks from the Comp School. It was a great chippy and you could go down for school dinner and be back in time for a game of footy on the tennis courts.

If you had to go from Cliff Hills to get fish and chips for mam and dad, you had to run back fast, before they got cold, but it was well worth it.

Many free bubblegums could be had from the machine on the wall outside, using the round end of a chip fork. Apparently, cardboard coins pinched from school worked a treat too for this. 

The culprits apologise to the owners of the shop at the time - even if's about 30 years too late.

 Several pints of Stones's at the Swan, then to the Crags chip-shop for supper before going home also made for happy days. As did fish and chips on the way home to Gaitskell Close from the Brooklands Club. All remembered as great times and lovely memories.

Pugh's also had a chip shop just off Addison Rd (Laburnum Parade) which was sold in the early 90's and has since been Zac's Fish Bar.

 (I seem to be the only one who has noticed - or is interested - that the name on the picture has double G in it, something that I get pulled up about when writing about The Crags ! )

"Rivals" of Craggs Fisheries at this time were Winstanley's, Barber's and Manor Fisheries.

... and if anyone wonders what happened to those gates, they are still in Jebson's shed.