I remember the fish and chip shops, Oates and Garibaldi and the one in Leam Terrace. We passed Sabin’s bakery every day on our way to school. One day Amber, the big golden retriever was lying in the road like a lion. Me, being a great animal lover and very young rushed up and cuddled him. He promptly bit me. Mum had to take me to the hospital for a check-up but I was fine. The dog was usually locked behind the back yard gate; children would poke him with sticks and tease him so no wonder he was grumpy.
Horseplay
For the first time in my life I have no animals and it does seem strange. Horses featured in my life a lot from about 11 years or earlier. My sister Rita was horse mad and any chance to get involved with horses she took. She made friends with Miss Newcombe who had some riding stables somewhere way past the top of the parade. We used to walk for miles it seemed to collect the ponies and take them down to the Pump Room Gardens on weekends. There we would give sixpenny rides to children all afternoon. We’d then walk the ponies back to the stables.
Working full time at the stables
Rita left Leamington College early so she could work full time at the stables. Then we really had a ball exercising the horses. It was a start for Rita and she finally had her own riding stables. She still rides but has none of her own now.
This article is part of a collection of reminiscences held at Warwickshire County Record Office. The article is under reference CR4914/10, although it’s worth noting that some of the collection is unavailable for general access.
Comments
I loved reading this. I left Leamington Spa in 1969 to come to South Africa. My memories of a childhood spent in and around Leamington are always with me.
I walked many many miles with Miss Newcombe’s ponies.. At the pump rooms and taking younger kids on out-rides, plus of course taking the ponies from the Campion Hills stables to the Blackdown stables… A LOT of walking! Thank you for the memories, I could eat some Garibaldi’s chips right now!
I also used to ride Miss Newcombe’s ponies. I remember really fondly Lady May and Minstrel. I also used to help out with pony rides, and I had to walk there from Warwick in the 70’s! I was only telling my husband about those days today, while we were walking our dog at Newbold Comyn.
My father, Peter Stocker, says that he can remember the fish and chip shop on Leam Terrace. It was run by a Mrs Bench. Her husband worked at Ford’s and liked going into the Red House pub. The fish and chips were very good, according to him. This was in the late 1940s/1950s. It was on the opposite side of the road to the New Inn, a bit further down the road, towards the town centre.
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