The History Group always welcomes all U3A members. Our indoor meetings are held at Central Methodist Church on the 3rd Wednesday of the month commencing at 2.00 pm. Money paid for the trip to Richard lll will be safe in the U3A bank until we can re-arrange later on. At present I am not sure when meetings will restart – but – watch this space! I look forward to seeing everyone but in the meantime please take care and stay safe.

No-one came back to me with information about the football teams or all the goal scorers from last time. I thought that maybe a couple of readers would recognise sport playing family members.

I have acquired some of the books written by Eric Horriben “Hucknall: Of Lowly Birth and Iron Fortune”. If you would like one you can email me through the Hucknall U3A website form below and we will arrange a socially distanced handover for £3. The cost if you would like one by post will be £5.

Eric was born in Hucknall in 1917 on Lambert Hill beside Spring Street School and was the son and grandson of coal miners. He was educated at Spring Street and Beardall Street Schools before going on to higher education with a scholarship to Henry Mellish School in Bulwell. In 1940 he married Kathleen Parr and the couple made their home on Winchester Street, Sherwood. Most local people knew him as Rates Officer in the local council offices for Hucknall UDC on Watnall Road. More than six years war service in the Devonshire Regiment fostered his interest in local history and maybe the idea of a book was probably born in a Toc H Canteen in India when the author was told of ‘a little place near Nottingham’. Later he decided to do a Local History course at Nottingham University and his lovely book came eventually from the thesis for the course. Other interests included walking, youth work, being a local preacher and part-time lecturing for the WEA. Eric became chairman of Hucknall Heritage Society when it began in 1984 and continued for many years. He died some years ago now but we should be grateful that much of his work remains for us to enjoy today. I remember him especially for his kindness and encouragement to beginners like myself as I began looking seriously at Hucknall’s history.

A TALE OF TWO BOTTLES

(A query during lockdown)

This tale is about two bottles one found on a walk and another in a garden. The question was could I help with any information?

The first one looked like a pint sized bottle for milk with a white circle on the outside – inside which was printed G. Walters, Dairyman, Hucknall. I had never heard of a Walters in this trade but looked through directory copies dating back 150 years and eventually found a listing. The directories of 1925, 1928 and 1941 note G. Walters, Dairyman, at No.2, Carlingford Road. This residential street seemed an unusual place for a dairy. Surprisingly I found nothing else so if you know any more about this business or are related to the family I would like to know.

The second bottle, also pint sized, had Wyatt & Co., Brewers, Hucknall, Notts. embossed on the glass. Directories first mentioned this business in 1910 giving W. Whyatt & Co., Botanic Beer Manufacturers, 51, Co-operative Avenue. The census for 1911 tells us that William Whyatt with wife Millicent, sons Sydney and Percy and daughter Kate were all born Hucknall Torkard and lived at 51, Co-op. Avenue. By 1925 Percy and Sydney were running the business as herbal brewers and this carries on up to a directory mention in 1941. I was interested enough to search for this family in earlier years discovering that William Whyatt was a butcher in 1891 living with his family on Watnall Road. By 1901 William was a brewer living on Woollaton Street.

Do any readers remember drinking these botanical beers? I did enjoy the Dandelion & Burdock but didn’t like the Horehound which was known in Hucknall lingo as ‘orahnd’. It did seem quite a change for the family from butchering to brewing. Can you tell readers more about the family? Do you have any of these, or any other, Hucknall bottles?

SOURCES:- Kelly’s and White’s Directories and census returns from ‘findmypast’ online.

Shall I say ‘Ask Me Another?’ If you have any questions I am happy to try helping by searching my own archive of memorabilia, photographs or records of Hucknall.

T.T.F.N. Maureen

To contact Maureen, please use the form below:-

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