The Rushden Echo, 27th October 1961, transcribed by Jim Hollis
No Garages Near Us Say Rushden’s Old People
During a meeting of Rushden Urban Council’s Housing Committee the Surveyor was requested to submit tentative plans for the erection of garages on uncultivated gardens belonging to old age pensioners who live at Spinney Close, Rushden.
This week an “Echo” reporter, who talked to a number of elderly people living there, discovered that, although they would welcome the council taking over their almost unmanageable gardens, they are decidedly against having garages built near the bungalows.
The residents who would be affected by possible plans for garages – according to the chairman of the housing committee, their gardens present a “perennial problem” and are “a menace to those with cultivated gardens” – agree that they cannot cope with their gardens or keep them tidy.
Privacy
However, they would not like to see garages erected on them. This, they claim, would mean an end to privacy and it would make it difficult for them to get to sleep at night.
The housing committee also asked the surveyor to investigate the possibility of using one of the sites for the building of further dwelling accommodation, and several pensioners suggested that there was room for more bungalows behind the existing ones.
But the possibility of having garages did not appeal to them.
Said a 77-year-old woman who lives at Number 3: “I have always been used to privacy. If garages were put up the place could not be called your own.”
Mrs. Amy Gunn, a widow who has not been able to keep her garden cultivated, felt the same way: “It would be hard to get to sleep at night if strange people were coming round with cars. But I don’t mind at all if they take my garden and use it for something else, as long as I have enough room to hang out my washing,” she said.
A neighbour of Mrs Gunn declared that it was a “wicked shame” that the pensioners in the Close should have such large gardens to look after when they could hardly look after themselves inside the house. She suggested that the council should employ someone to do gardening for them. She did not think it would be a good idea for garages to be built, but said there was room for several more bungalows.
Allotments
There was a similar feeling that if the gardens were let as allotments, the same difficulties would be experienced.
Two people who have managed to keep their front and back gardens reasonably well cultivated and grow cabbages, marrows, peas and beans, said that they would not mind the council relieving them of some of their land.
They were Mr. J. W. Gordon and Mr. and Mrs. R. W. Horn who agreed on one point about the size of their gardens: “It is a waste of ground,” they both said.
Mr. Gordon who is a widower said for the men it was not too bad, but he explained that there were several widows living on their own who could not possibly devote any energy to keeping their gardens.
A Waste
“When these bungalows were built it was different, central houses were so close together, large gardens were always planned. But now with the land shortage it is just a waste of ground.” He pointed towards the bottom of his garden and suggested that there was even room to build more bungalows – but not garages, which he claimed would upset everyone’s solitude.
Mr. Gordon was not in favour of the council employing someone to do gardening in the Close as this would mean the rates would go up – for people in other parts of the town.
Looking over rows of cabbages and other vegetables he added: “I wouldn’t care if they took the lot, but I will cultivate it while I can.”
“They can have all that down there,” said Mr. Horn making a sweeping gesture which encompassed all the land he had not been able to dig yet – he and his wife have only lived in this part of Rushden since last year. Since then he has only dug up a section of his large triangular shaped back garden – and unearthed a pile of stones for his troubles.
High Grass
“We couldn’t see out of the front window the grass was so high and overgrown when we arrived,” complained Mrs. Horn who agreed with her husband that the amount of land the old people there had was just too much of a handful.
Added Mr. Horn: “If the land had been ploughed over and the soil loosened up before we came it would have made it much easier. Now we just want room for a clothes line – the rest of the ground is wasted.”
Two widows who live in houses in the alcove and who cannot do any gardening were pleased to learn that the council might be taking their gardens over, but were completely indifferent about the erection of garages or the setting out of allotments on them.
The first one commented: “They can do what they like.” Said the other: “I’ll be glad to see the back of my garden.”
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