Spardo:
It’s ‘The Trip’ alright. As Gary says, Nottingham Castle on the rock above.
I wonder if the “Black Boy” in Nottingham is still going.Wife and misen stayed there one night in early 60s when Goose Fair was on,what a great night that was.
There would still have been that old steam-operated carousel at the Gregory Boullivard entrance to Goose Fair when you went I remember the candyfloss and the sickening lurch you experienced on those huge (for those days) swing-boats!
No swing boats and candyfloss for me, I was always only interested in the dodgems, a good place to meet lasses, and the ghost train, a good place to take ‘em.
And once out and standing in front watching others’ girl friend’s skirts blowing up as they walked over the craftily placed fan.
All innocent pleasures, and they knew it and were happy to do it, but all totally non-PC these days.
Spardo:
It’s ‘The Trip’ alright. As Gary says, Nottingham Castle on the rock above.
I wonder if the “Black Boy” in Nottingham is still going.Wife and misen stayed there one night in early 60s when Goose Fair was on,what a great night that was.
Hey up Chris the Black Boy Hotel is long gone it was demolished in 1970
Cheers Gary
Mention of the Goose Fair reminded me of the late Billy Williams who I got to know through my involvement in Harness Racing at Tir Prince Raceway in Towyn N. Wales . Billy was a member of a long established Fairground family from Nottingham and Billy had moved to N. Wales and opened amusement arcades and eventually he developed a piece of council land into a Harness raceway and outdoor Sunday market etc. But even though he lived and operated in Towyn he maintained his involvement with the annual Nottingham Goose Fair which he continued to attend with his Waltzer ride (iirc) and the last motor I recall he ran was an old Seddon DD8 which I believe has appeared on the TN thread somewhere previously. I understood from Billy that the earnings from the Goose Fair week were very lucrative plus he kept his hand in as a long standing amusement caterer !
I believe he did give up attending the fair eventually and he passed away in about 2002. There was another fairground family called Scotts who moved to Rhyl from Barrow and were involved in the Arcades but they still kept their travelling fairground operation going for many years in the North west but this was managed by a chap called James Jefferies and we used to give the two 8 wheelers an annual service when they were pitched up in the square at Milnthorpe ! Interesting days. Bewick.
Thanks to pyewacket947v, ParkRoyal2100, Buzzer, Ray Smyth, gazsa401, Bewick and lurpak for the pics the craic’s good and The Trip isn’t moving
Oily
A few Highlanders.
Hey up Chris the Black Boy Hotel is long gone it was demolished in 1970
Cheers Gary
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Remind me where it was Gary, Chris sent my brain hurting, and I could do with a bit less of that at my age. I have an idea it was just off Slab Square up alongside the Council House. Am I right?
Buzzer:
Any one used any of the digs on this page ? Buzzer
I’ve used Checkley,Briggs,Lawsons,Moss,Mac’s and Central Cafe in Thirsk,only as cafes though,not as digs.I used to call in Moss after a Lockerbie changeover and Central when you could park in Thirsk market place.
I am sure I have from time to time, some of them, but the digs I used tended more often to be private houses rather than transport cafes. There were good in both, bad in both, and some downright bloody awful.
The Moss was notorious for drivers selling knocked off gear,the Irish were selling meat,the Brummies were selling car parts,to order too,never overnighted there though.
I remember staying overnight at Lincoln Farm Transport Cafe and B & B in the late 1960s.
It was unlike many transport digs, all of the small bedrooms had only 1 bed, a bit of privacy.
I recall when in 1970, I was driving for Robert Baillie of Portsmouth, and based at the Wigan
depot, I was sent to their Doncaster depot to stand in for Jim,the Doncaster manager, who
decided to leave the company following the loss of his wife, and returned home to Sussex,
For several weeks, I managed the Doncaster depot, and used the transport digs at Christchurch
Road, not far from the then Wholesale fruit & veg market, 4 nights a week, Monday to Friday.
I wasnt too pleased with the arrangement, having to share a room with 3 different drivers each night.
Here on very busy nights, some drivers slept on campbeds on the upstairs landing.
In 1971, Robert Baillie & Co Ltd opened another depot at Sheerness in Kent, and in those days
Baillies lorries were all Mk1 & Mk2 Atkinsons, we stayed at private digs with a lady called Mrs Saint.
A local driver, Mick Mackender run the operation, which at the start was Jamaica Producers Bananas.
5thwheel:
The Moss was notorious for drivers selling knocked off gear,the Irish were selling meat,the Brummies were selling car parts,to order too,never overnighted there though.
The worst 2, neither mentioned there, stick in my memory. The one at Gloucester, can’t remember the name, but though it had individual rooms, they were all off a long corridor which terminated in an outside door. Each room had no door so every time the exit was opened a cold blast raced up the corridor. It reminded me of a stables. I had an LAD Dodge and a mate with its sister had loaded from the same place in London for the same place in S. Wales, but he was an hour ahead of me. When we met at the tip we compared our nights. He was warm and comfy in his cab, while I…
2nd one was Riggend cafe near Glasgow, this time another mate from the same company, Shaw’s of Stapleford, was stopping too. I remember a large room, maybe 20 beds in it, but only 1 foot between each one. Again, the cab would have been better, and maybe why I soon began to organise myself with cab comforts instead.
The best? A large house in Bristol which was homely with good food and warm comfy beds. But it didn’t last as they got greedy and soon packed extra beds in with building site navvys who came in late and ■■■■■■ in a bucket. Shame.
A lady in Port Talbot with a nice detached house. I think she could take 3 or 4 drivers each with their own rooms, good dinner and breakfast in the morning. This time it was me who let the side down, though to some extent not my fault. I was loading in Velindre and waiting with me was a driver from McVeigh’s. I said I was going to ring the digs and he said count me in if there’s room, so I booked us both in. But neither of us got loaded till midnight and we didn’t think it was fair to turn up after that time so we set off up the road and cabbed it. I should have rung her, but I suppose it was always ‘we must be away soon, leave it a bit’, and then it go too late. I felt guilty at letting her down and never went there again.
alright. As Gary says, Nottingham Castle on the rock above.
I remember the candyfloss and the sickening lurch you experienced on those huge (for those days) swing-boats!
.
I have an idea it was just off Slab Square up alongside the Council House. Am I right? 
