October 2024
October 2024 was to some extent a quiet month, apart from the Northern Lights coming to Mapperley and Halloween, which seems to get more popular each year.
Memories of The Punch Bowl
On 9th October we published an article about the history of The Punch Bowl pub on Porchester Road. The post had over 46k views and more memories were shared in the 210 comments that flowed.
Sharon Smith – I remember when Stan was the landlord for several years – had a French (I think) poodle called Teddy.
Chris Bates – Bread and dripping on Wednesday for car dealers. We had to wear evening-dress on Christmas and New Year’s eve.
David Westbury – Many a good night in there it was always very good on Wednesday night after the car auction in the old brickyard. If you didn’t sell a motor you could very often have a deal with all the other traders in there ( lots of traders met in there after the sale finished) so lots of memories all good
Neil Hardy – I had my first pint there in 1965, Watneys Red Barrel. We lived on Kent Rd Westdale Lane end and they did have a lovely black standard poodle called Teddy. Dorothy was a barmaid then and I can remember going in on my eighteenth birthday in 1967 and saying to Dorothy this is my first legal pint and she said what do you mean Neil you’ve been coming in here for 18 months. Those were the days, no ID then
Johnson’s Pond
We posted: There was a discussion on a ‘school memories’ group about the Mapperley Plains Primary School, which moved to its new site about 30 years ago. Someone commented that the new building was on a site known as ‘Johnson’s Pond’. Does anyone recall this and even have a photograph of it?
Jools Lane – The pond nearly stopped the school being built due to the newts. The wildlife had to be rehomed before building could begin. Does anyone remember the old hollow tree? I seem to recall that someone lit a fire in it to try and burn it down.
Rob Loasby – There definitely was a pond there, at the back of the last house on Central Avenue before the entrance to the golf club, as shown on this Ordnance Survey map.
The map from 1966 also shows the site of what is now Mapperley Plains School as Allotment Gardens
Joanne Caine – There was a pond there, l didn’t know it had a name. It had newts in it. Also there was the concrete ‘air raid shelter’. During the late 60’s early 70’s aged 8-12, friends and l would go up there playing. The golf course seemed so big and a great play area too. Looking back, climbing on an old broken shelter and trees probably wasn’t safe but we had lots of laughs.
On 10th November we posted:
Thanks to Emma for these shots of a beautiful and healthy fox on Sandford Road at 11am this morning.
Aurora Borealis
On the following day, 11th November we were treated to another beautiful sight, when the Northern Lights came to us. We published an article on it with some of the many photos sent in.
Here’s one taken from Breck Hill Park at 9.50pm.
