Does anyone know the history of the Bole Hills?

[loxleyviewer]

No, there was definitely a quarry on the Bole Hills, and also a rubbish tip.

 

the quarry as i remember was at the bottom of the big hill next to bolehill school.

[loxleyviewer]

Wells was renowned for the rip-off. Ernie Oldham was the bike shop.

I can't be as precise as I would like with the cinema. Newent Lane split what was to become two supermarkets, one of those was the cinema but even though I attended matinees I can't say which of the shops it was!

 

The Co-Op moved from one to the other to take up an alcohol licence. The relinquished store became "Sound As A Pound", a cheap jack's. That has become a property management concern.

 

the cinema eas to the right of a small alley whitch ran into newant lane,the cinema first became fine fare,dont know what it is now though.

[loxleyviewer]

Being brought up on Stannington View Road, I remember the Bole Hills very well. However, we did not go there that often as there were lots more interesting things to do, the "old gardens" near the top, the cemetry wood, the first farm, the second farm ( now Den Bank Cres etc. ), Acres of allotments with narrow paths winding through, donkey wood, Jackie bank and the whole of the Rivelin valley. We did sometimes go there to play ball games, as there were a few fairly level areas.

 

Here goes with the memories. No one has mentioned the "Old Mans hut", which was just above the "ship" rock. It was used for playing cards, dominoes etc., and was fiercely guarded you dare not go near it. I remember many loud arguements taking place there.

 

I remember the quarry, very large and deep. It was used as a land fill site to level it off and the area landscaped around 1950 ( I think ). I well remember the playground being opened, 50/51, spent all day there going round on the roundabouts and when I went to bed that night my head was still spinning round.

 

I was told, in the 60's, by an old chap called Mr. Saynor, that the Bole Hills had for many years been used to dump "night soil" from the middens. I think this may well be true. If you look from the Tinker Lane end, this is not a natural landscape, it looks as though it has been used as A tip. It would account for the fact that it was never built on and the presence of large areas of black ashy soil that used to be there - at the side of Cocked Hat Cottages for instance - it's a fair bit greener than it used to be.

 

in the winter we used to dare eatch other to climb onto the old mans hut and put a grass sod on the chimney.then watch the old farts come out shouting .

[Tooeg]

The path down the Bole hills from the top of moorside avenue, had a rockface on the right as you walked down. I think as well as the quarry which was behind that rock face, there must have been an even larger quarry to the left of the path, land which was tipped on years ago with steelworks slag, which made up the top two levels of the park.

I wonder if the school was built in an old quarry, as there was a quarry either side of it.

As a kid I lived in a terrace of houses opposite the end of the quarry path. The houses were built around the turn of the century, as was the school.

My great grandad had lived in the house in about 1905, he was a quarryman. So putting 2 and 2 together, I assume the houses were built to house the quarry workers.

The quarry was one of Andrews quarries, I think the last of which was the quarry opposite the Bell Hagg pub on Manchester Rd. now the garden centre.

[loxleyviewer]

one of my old pals from loxley view,paul scott,his father worked at the bell hagg quarry,i think they also had a quarry at stannington,overlooking rivelin.

[OLD No.12]

do you know what the years he worked at hagg hill and what happend to it when it close

[mumsy]

Had many a happy time on the Bole Hills as a kid-was always mesmerized by the glorious sunsets when sat on the rocks-awesome-like being sat at the gates of heaven, never take away that memory from me

mumsy

[USUK]

The path down the Bole hills from the top of moorside avenue, had a rockface on the right as you walked down. I think as well as the quarry which was behind that rock face, there must have been an even larger quarry to the left of the path, land which was tipped on years ago with steelworks slag, which made up the top two levels of the park.

I wonder if the school was built in an old quarry, as there was a quarry either side of it.

As a kid I lived in a terrace of houses opposite the end of the quarry path. The houses were built around the turn of the century, as was the school.

My great grandad had lived in the house in about 1905, he was a quarryman. So putting 2 and 2 together, I assume the houses were built to house the quarry workers.

The quarry was one of Andrews quarries, I think the last of which was the quarry opposite the Bell Hagg pub on Manchester Rd. now the garden centre.

 

 

I think the general shape of the Bolehills was created by the tipping of Ash (and stuff) from the city's middins of old.

 

I lived right by the Bolehills and spent many hours climbing in the Quarry,

 

Oh and yes, there was the nooky behing the Old Mans Hut

[oap1942]

This as really brought back the good times,the rock,chess,tennis,the red clay hand warmers with tinder wood,does anyone remember the travelling fair and then they built swings,roundabout,big rocking horse and flying plank was that really 60 odd yrs ago.

[USUK]

This as really brought back the good times,the rock,chess,tennis,the red clay hand warmers with tinder wood,does anyone remember the travelling fair and then they built swings,roundabout,big rocking horse and flying plank was that really 60 odd yrs ago.

 

I'd forgotten the handwarmers. I think we called them toucwood burners or something like that. We used to go down Rivellin to get the clay then find an old rotted out tree for fuel. Used to have them hanging on a piece of string smoking like hell :-)