I was born on October 29th 1942 in Stoke-on-Trent;  a city of terraced-houses, factories & coal mines, strange shaped chimneys and, in those days lots of smoke.
Not so different from Huddersgate really.		  
And this is Huddersgate, where Stanley Bagshaw lives

This is Stoke,
where I was brought up

This photo was taken in 1920 but it was just as smokey when I was a lad. Quite often in Winter the school bus didn’t turn up because it had got lost in ‘The Smog’.

 
But I was luckier than most. Our house was on the outskirts of the city. There were woods & fields nearby, and that was where I spent most of my time.I was happy at home with my Mum & Dad and two sisters - but my Gran’s house was much more interesting.Gran lived not far away in an old  wooden bungalow on the edge of Wetley Moor.
Gran's bunaglow

Gran kept chickens & pigs, and boiled her potatoes in a big black pot on the open fire.I never saw much of my Grandad. At the time I thought he must be a hard working gardener. But like Stanley, I was a bit naive. Finney Gardens’ was the name of the local pub.
Me and my Gran
Stan and his Gran
   

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