curnock:
where was the tree ?,my dad told me there was one where the british legion place is just before alerewas,is that it ?
Yes in Alrewas,left hand side heading towards Derby.Herds of Sheffield drivers in there.
I think I’m right in saying that the only cafe open all night in the Derby area was The Octopus which was on the old A61 from Little Eaton into Derby town centre on the left just before you turned right at the lights to go over the Derwent and out towards Burton.Another cafe full of “dee-dahs” (Sheffielders) and Rotherhamites and always oodles of BRS trunkers.
Should be on the Old Cafe thread this.
And The Tree was the best of the lot. Always got a ‘proper’ dinner in there, roast followed by apple (or other) pie and custard. Only trouble was there was hardly any parking but I always seemed to manage to get in.
I remember the all night one in Derby but the name doesn’t ring a bell. Are you sure about that, or was it called something else at one time?
Talking about all-nighters, wasn’t the Oakamoor open all night Chris?
And while we are on the subject of trees in Derbyshire, I wonder how many of you remember The Three Trees just over Whatstandwell bridge going towards Matlock. Just a wooden shack with again little parking but always crowded. Going back to the 60s for this one I think.
Same era as me KW cannons marsh best bib & tucker Mecca here we come.
Passed it about 18mths ago but I was on a narrow boat.
Trying to remember the name of the pub on the corner where everybody started from was it the Hatchet
curnock:
where was the tree ?,my dad told me there was one where the british legion place is just before alerewas,is that it ?
Yes in Alrewas,left hand side heading towards Derby.Herds of Sheffield drivers in there.
I think I’m right in saying that the only cafe open all night in the Derby area was The Octopus which was on the old A61 from Little Eaton into Derby town centre on the left just before you turned right at the lights to go over the Derwent and out towards Burton.Another cafe full of “dee-dahs” (Sheffielders) and Rotherhamites and always oodles of BRS trunkers.
Should be on the Old Cafe thread this.
And The Tree was the best of the lot. Always got a ‘proper’ dinner in there, roast followed by apple (or other) pie and custard. Only trouble was there was hardly any parking but I always seemed to manage to get in.
I remember the all night one in Derby but the name doesn’t ring a bell. Are you sure about that, or was it called something else at one time?
Talking about all-nighters, wasn’t the Oakamoor open all night Chris?
And while we are on the subject of trees in Derbyshire, I wonder how many of you remember The Three Trees just over Whatstandwell bridge going towards Matlock. Just a wooden shack with again little parking but always crowded. Going back to the 60s for this one I think.
I don’t think the Oakamoor has ever been open all night David,certainly not post 1968. The one in Derby was definitely called the Octopus and I first saw it when still in the RAF in 1960.I was hitching to Sheffield from Norfolk and sometimes it was just as quick to accept a lift from Kings Lynn via Grantham and Notts to Derby rather than via Sleaford and Newark to Sheffield - not many wagons about on a Friday night so you couldn’t be choosy .
I used to walk up to the Octopus from Derby centre and hang about , then ask for a lift when a driver came out of the cafe.I can’t remember ever being refused a lift.Firms like Leonard Green,Parkgate Iron and Steel,Steel Peech and Tozer,Sheffield BRS and a host of others were in abundance.It was a really busy cafe at night.
And I remember the shack at Whatstandwell too but never went in it.Used to pass it regular as a kid on the Trent or North Western Road Car service from Bakewell to Derby when I was going to my Aunties in Diseworth near Castle Donnington - route number 4 - what a sad owd sod I’m getting mate!
I never fiddled home from the Octopus in later years driving as I used to run further up to Kilburn on the A61 and have a dodgy on the cafe just through the lights - can’t remember it’s name.
greek:
Same era as me KW cannons marsh best bib & tucker Mecca here we come.
Passed it about 18mths ago but I was on a narrow boat.
Trying to remember the name of the pub on the corner where everybody started from was it the Hatchet
Yes, the pub across the road from the Mecca was the Hatchet. when I first went in there in the middle 60’s, when the “Mecca Centre” first opened it, was a right knocking shop. Me and a load of mates used to travel up from Weston-super-Mare to go to the dance at the Mecca on a Saturday night (after trying out the Hatchet first, as the drinks were cheaper in there). Haven’t been in for years now, well not since I got married anyway I seem to remember the Mecca was good on "grab a granny " night in the week too.
The Village Inn,yup used to park there a lot when I was on Goodways.
For the life of me I can’t remember the landladys name,good looking girl,but I do remember Wendy,one of the barmaids.
Hi here are a few places I stopped at in the 70s and 80s
The dreaded Lincoln Farm Cafe!
Carlisle Truckstop.
I used to stay in Heywood parked on a piece of ground near the Talbot Pub handy for the chippy aswell.
Birch Services Westbound (before they charged you) you could walk out the back to a little pub (Can’t remember the name!)
A place in Manchester Chrisannes?
Just a few for now!
The Village Inn,yup used to park there a lot when I was on Goodways.
For the life of me I can’t remember the landladys name,good looking girl,but I do remember Wendy,one of the barmaids.
i was on for s.jones and used to pull out of the europort.used to have our snap in the village or the trafford park hotel followed by a couple of games of snooker
The Village Inn,yup used to park there a lot when I was on Goodways.
For the life of me I can’t remember the landladys name,good looking girl,but I do remember Wendy,one of the barmaids.
The landlady’s name was Alison,she then became heavily pregnant.
Can’t remember the names of all the places I overnighted in the 60s/70s but there was:-
Chapelhall near Airdrie.
Four Oaks at Rainham on the A13.
Some nice wee digs in Turriff.
Some not so nice digs in Whitehaven.
A rathole of a place in Kings Lynn-you were picked up in a van and shunted into town.
The Albion pub in Cromer.
Mrs.Bales,Cardiff Road Newport and Mrs Potts Gnoll Park Road Neath.
An excellent place on Oystermouth Road Swansea - handy for the jail and football.
The Shuthonger near Tewkesbury.
Seamans Mission Grangemouth and some in Falkirk past John Russell’s yard.
The Pinewood near Hythe,Southampton and a kind of truckstop near the Calor and Freightliner depots in Southampton.
West End cafe in Gloucester - what a bloody dump,should have been bulldozed into t’river.
Transport House in Ipswich near the football ground.Very posh - overalls off at the door and slippers provided.Breakfast was served by a French woman I think.
Silvertown Motel.
Slept in Albions,Bedfords,all models of AEC,Marathon,ERF EC11 and God knows what else 'cos they were preferable to some of the places that passed for digs.
Various other places which escape me memory.
Best overnighters were in Sheffield 12 with night out money in skyrocket.
Forgot to mention Mrs Knowles in Slough near the GPO.One of Hepworth the Tailors drivers had to tek her dog for a walk - for services rendered I suppose.
She barred all Hartmann Fibre (egg carton fame) drivers when she caught some of 'em lucky enough to have a sleeper cab using 'em on the lorry park one night.
She also barred all BRS and all Scotch drivers- what a miserable owd sod she was.
Mind you my mate liked her but I never found out if he was…
Chris.Wasn’t Transport House in Ipswich run by two poofs.Absolutely Immaculate as I remember.Also the West End in Gloucester was pretty rough.Used to cost 5 shillings( 25p for you nippers) for the bed No doors on the cubicles and concrete floors. Freezing!! And what about the Pavilion at Perth.Must have been 50 beds in the one room.Boots under the bedends and clothes under the pillow.If you took them off that is.
Wasn,t that the one in ipswich with venetian blinds at the windows.If so yer right it was run by 2 poofas,it also served immaculate food and was spotless,a rarety in them days.
Anyone remember johnnys in northampton,also immaculate,also run by a ■■■■. Iremember the morning call,he used to stand at bottom of stairs,ring a handbell and shout,now comeon boys hands off-ocks and on with socks its 6 00.
Thats the one Dave.Lovely place.Overalls off at the door and boots inspected. Pity there wern’t more like it.Would have made the job a bit more enjoyable.Remember being woken up one morning in the Oxford House Hotel Hotel!!! in Newport by a driver saying " hurry up mate,I’m waiting to go to bed" Before I had chance to get my shirt on,he was in bed and asleep.There were some great places around eh.
Transport House Ipswich was in the little red book - anybody remember them? And yes it was run by left hand threads but immaculate all the same.Another place run by poofs was in Newport,called him Chris ,near George Street Bridge - caught him dressed as a woman early one morning.Nice clean place though and good snap.
Stayed in t’Pavilion once - what a dump,never again and what about the Silver Link Kincardine Bridge with the dormitory upstairs and all the beds with ex navy bedspreads complete with anchor.
That West End in Gloucester really was a s***ole and the one I mentioned in Kings Lynn,it was a Friday night and me and my mate shared a big room upstairs with three Worksop BRS lads.It was so cold we all slept in our overalls and at 0200 I got up and walked to me wagon and away to Scunthorpe.AEC MK5s weren’t the warmest wagon in the world but it was better than that bloody hole.
I remember Jimmy’s on Hyde Road not far from Ardwick Green and it always looked popular but too near home for me.
I onced went to big printing company at Paulton near Bath called Pullers I think when on tankers and was stuck for somewhere to stay so this old feller says come and stay at my place.It was falling down,sacking up to the windows,dogs running all ovver the place and stunk like a Japanese wrestlers jock strap.Told him straight what to do with his bloody house and slept in t’cab on the factory park.
Yes,there were some really nice places in t’olden days.
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