Category: Grumpy Old Men

Our Grumpy Old Men were given cause to be even grumpier recently, when their planned trip to the National Mining Museum was cancelled at very short notice by a strike of the staff who work there. However, being a resourceful group, we reconvened for a visit to the National Civil War Museum at Newark.

After a delay caused by being in the same queue as people buying theatre tickets (the Museum shares the entrance with the Palace Theatre), and their payment card terminal and ticket printer being awkward, we actually started our visit. There is a lot to see and read about, and another visit would be worthwhile in the future.

Having decided, during our coffee stop, that Wetherspoons would be too busy for lunch, we followed up advice from a Wetherspoons customer, who suggested the Old Post Office, just round the corner. This was much better, although one of our members was very grumpy, when his scampi & chips arrived with only 4 chips! This was soon remedied – all in all a good day out.

For early 2023, we are planning to have another go at the Mining Museum, the Amazon warehouse at Doncaster (cancelled when Covid arrived) and also Wirksworth, to have a look at the railway and Heritage Centre. If these sound interesting, we always welcome more members, just use the email address grumpy@hucknallu3a.org.uk

John Tedstone

Excursion to Ambergate

Members of our Grumpy Old Men group were out and about again at Ambergate recently. They visited the ‘Great British Car Journey’ exhibition, which displays around 150 cars, all made in the UK, mainly up to the 1990s.

There were also a number of large banners which portray some of the advertising of the period, often quite stylish. The commentary which visitors can listen to narrated a lot of the history of the industry, and its ups and downs, of which there were quite a few over the decades.

Earlier cars, such as the Austin 7, looked very small, but some of the bigger cars of the 1960s and 70s were sometimes surprisingly large.

It is also possible to go for a drive in an old car around the site, but by this time it was approaching lunchtime in the conveniently sited café!

We always have room for more Grumpies, just use the email which is listed in the Newsletter or use the form below:-

The Grumpy Old Men were out and about investigating the Nottingham Tram system recently, when they visited the HQ for the Tram at Wilkinson Street.

Head of Operations, Trevor Stocker, and his colleague Connor Hardy outlined the history of trams in Nottingham, explaining that the first new tram when the current network opened in 2004 was numbered 201, as it follows on from the last original Nottingham tram, numbered 200. It is believed that some track still exists on the original routes, although buried under a lot of later road surfacing.

On the day of our visit, the tram named Lord Byron was in the depot for overhaul, and there were a number of very heavy duty wheelsets awaiting attention. The system has some very tight corners and the wheels need regular re-profiling.

We then visited the Control room, where the entire system is operated from. Trams do not operate overnight, but the room is always staffed as the overhead power remains permanently live.

Finally, we found a handy tram stabled outside to pose for our group photo. We were told that this was the first group visit post-lockdown.

After their recent hibernation, our Grumpy Old Men resumed their excursions in March, with a visit to the Museum of Making in Derby, as well as the conveniently sited Wetherspoons in the City Centre.

The museum is located in the Silk Mill, next to the River Derwent, and the building dates from the early 1700s. Since its recent re-opening, it now displays a fascinating number of items which were all made in Derby, ranging from a Rolls Royce jet engine to a section of cast iron aqueduct and evening dresses made from man-made fibres in the 1960s. The museum is free to visit, and many of the exhibits are likely to bring back memories of our working lives.
The photo shows the ‘exploded’ Toyota car, made near Derby, which is suspended over the entrance to the museum.

Our next planned visits are to the Nottingham Tram HQ in April, and the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire in May. If you are interested in either of these visits and would like to join our Grumpy Old Men group, just use the contact form below or have a chat with John Tedstone at the April Meeting/AGM.

After the recent enforced period of grumpiness, our Grumpy Old Men group is looking for more members to join them. We take it in turns to organise a day out to a place or activity of interest within reasonable distance of Hucknall, usually once a month. Before lockdown, some of our recent visits had been to the Museum of Timekeeping at Upton (everyone arrived early), Nottingham Council House for a guided tour, and Nottingham Justice Centre (no-one was locked up). Our excursions usually include a meal afterwards as well.

We are about to resume our activities for 2022. At the moment, we have our first 3 visits organised as follows, and space is available for each visit if you would like to join us – just get in touch:

Derby Museum of Making – Tuesday 29th March
Nottingham Tram HQ & Depot – Friday 29th April
National Memorial Arboretum, Staffordshire – Wednesday 18th May

If you are a sufficiently grumpy old man, or you know somebody who is, you can get in touch by via the form below or have a chat with John Tedstone at the next monthly meeting on Wednesday 13th April.