The intention behind the production of this commemorative booklet is to celebrate the 100 years of service which the Moor Road Centre, Rushden, has given to the children, young people and general public of the community in which it is located.

This service has been delivered in at least three distinct and separate phases as well as meeting many other needs and filling several other roles along the way.

Firstly as an infant school Moor Road played its part in introducing young children to the wider world. In its 48 years as a school, many children set out on the Great Adventure from there; it is not surprising that many of them remember it with affection!

Little is known, or rather little detail was to hand within the all too short a time available for research, about the role of the centre during the second world war when it functioned as an ambulance station.

For the past thirty two years Moor Road has made every possible effort, to offer to local young people a place of their own where they can 'do their own thing, in their own way, with the help and support of interested older people.

We must not lose sight of the fact that the service rendered to the local community over those hundred years has been delivered by the STAFF of the various organisations. It is the tireless efforts of those committed individuals that we are REALLY celebrating during the Centenary Weekend.

In the Beginning

There was Moor Road School, well actually there was the formation of the new Rushden School Board, who at their meeting of March 15th 1889 paid £150 (on account) to Messrs Bayes and Son towards the erection of the new school. The total paid for the school to be built appears to have been £350.

At the May meeting the School Board appointed a local woman Miss Prudence Darnell as Headmistress of the school at a salary of £50 per annum as from June 3rd.

Miss Darnell was the daughter of a Rushden shopkeeper whose premises were on the corner of Alfred Street and Church Street and who, among other things, sold prams (sorry perambulators as they were then known!)

Miss Emma Elstow was then transferred to Moor Road from Alfred Street at a salary of £35 per annum as the first Assistant to Miss Darnell.

Arrangements were made for the whole School Board to view the new building before it opened and the reported description was as follows: "around the school was a gravelled and drained playground which contained a pump with a supply of pure water, there was a lobby and W.C. with a room for 40 older scholars with space for 20 younger ones in a room off to one side with the whole having a floor of well seasoned deal blocks. A tortoise stove was supplied for the safe heating of the school".

The school opened on June 3rd with a total of 48 pupils being 29 boys and 19 girls. Why a school should open on June 3rd I could not discover nor a detailed breakdown of the dates of a typical school year of the time. I did discover that the harvesting period was generally the duration of the summer holiday

The school was enlarged to accommodate a total of 196 pupils in 1897 although the cost of this appears not to have been recorded.

From The Memories of Mrs Vera Thornton.

Vera was born in 1904 in the family home at Wellingborough Rd, Rushden and went to the school in 1907 at the tender age of three (this seems to have been the age at which children went to school in those days). She remembers the bell ringing out loudly as she walked to school - much of the way in tears! (Perhaps little has changed in that way today!)

She remembers the classroom being lit by gas and that the gas lights had T-shaped brackets from which seasonal decorations were suspended when the pupils decorated the classroom at Christmas and Easter. Like many of the older generation of pupils Vera vivid¬ly recalls the “tortoise stove” squatting in the middle of the room. The tortoise stove was a very large, solid fuel burning stove which provided the only source of heat inside the school during the Autumn and Spring terms and was thus important to the children in more ways than one! Although surrounded by a wire fireguard it was still very hot to the touch of inquisitive young fingers!

Vera remembers her everyday wear as being buttoned boots that had to be done up with a button hook and wearing the 'uniform' of a top and a pinafore. In particular she remembers wearing a crocheted top made by her mother which the teacher particularly admired and asked if Vera's mother would make one for her!

She remembers her early lessons as being written on slates (with a wooden surround) with a slate pencil and sitting at desks which were in pairs, with an iron frame and which had a bench for both pupils to share.

One event that sticks in the mind for Vera is Empire Day (24th May). Then the whole school would form up in columns and march around the school.

We cannot track down the origin of the large wooden rocking horse but Vera remembers it as being there when she started school. I wonder where that rocking horse went to? Did poor Dobbin just wear out or was he thought to be inappropriate?

She also remembers a large globe in the classroom and of learning the Chapters of the Bible parrot fashion - with the whole class reciting them aloud until they stuck in the memory. Curiously enough this method, which is thought now to be very antiquated, clearly worked well as Vera is still able to recite them all correctly!

Vera recalls childhood games, played both in and out of school which include the curiously named Hi-Achie (a kind of hide and seek) plus old standards such as hopscotch and skipping but also of having a whip and top. The use of the whip and top was something at which some children became particularly skilled! Sounds remarkably like getting hooked on video games to me!

A popular playground ditty which Vera remembers they then used when skipping was:-

Sally sits a-weeping,
down by the shore,
Wallflowers, wallflowers
growing up so high
All pretty maidens
will surely have to die
She's the best of all!

I wonder where this originated from?

Pocket money then would be either a farthing or a halfpenny a week! (anyone complaining about pocket money today please note that a farthing -¼d - is about a tenth of one pence today!!)

From The School Memories of Doris Surridge

Doris was a friend of Vera's but a little younger, she lived close by in Washbrook Road, and was in fact the youngest in a family of eight (a very large family by the standards of today).

Doris vividly recalls eventually arriving at school on a raw winter’s day either very, very cold or perhaps wet through and being placed against the tortoise stove to dry or thaw out! Doris remembers her first day at school and of being painfully shy and certainly her memory of her first few days is clouded by a veil of tears!

She remembers going to Higham on the train for 1d! (Remember 1p = 2.4d!) At this time it was common for most people to walk everywhere (it being the cheapest form of transport!) People thought nothing of walking three or four miles to get somewhere! Bicycles, too, were then a popular form of transport with everything else being horse-drawn (carts, carriages, brakes etc).

A Sunday school treat was then usually held on a Thursday in July - everyone from all the different Sunday schools met at Spencer Park, they would form up and then march in their groups through the town carrying flowers and banners. All as proud as punch! How different things would be today if you were laying on a treat!

When Doris left Moor Road she went on to greater things at North End School.

Youth Leaders at Moor Road Centre

In the early days of Moor Road Youth Club there were no full time staff but there were part time adult 'supervisors'. The first of these was Graham Norris, who was followed in this vital support role by Roy Tomlin. Regrettably there was insufficient time for researching these notes to contact them to record what I am sure would have been interesting memories!

The demand for the Youth Centre facilities and its popularity with young people locally led to the appointment of the first full time leader. This was in 1967 when David Baker took up the post and he stayed at the club until 1969 when Bill Fry took over.

By all accounts Bill was something of a character, he even stayed at the centre when he first arrived and enjoyed a good cooked breakfast in the kitchen most mornings! He was very popular with both the members and the staff.

Around 1972 Bill moved on to fame and fortune in Shropshire and his place was taken by Richard Bradbeer who took the club capably through the rest of the 70's.

In 1980 Arthur De'Ath took over at the centre although he was involved locally in an area worker capacity as well as overseeing the running of the youth centre. When Arthur became Area Team leader in 1987 the reign of the full time youth leader at Moor Road was over.

The future was then essentially in the hands of the part time staff team, very ably led by Kathy Iliffe (who was now, and still is, Leader in Charge). Kathy is another of the part-time staff who have given their all over the years and should be congratulated (together with her team of voluntary and part-time staff) in keeping the club going through good and bad times!

Vera was very involved with youth groups and activities at St. Peter's Church and remembers going regularly to dances held there. She also remembers that a popular place to stand and talk (with the boys) was on the railway bridge!

Doris was very involved with the Mission Church and recalls that they often had social occasions which included games for young people organised as a part of Christian Endeavour. She also enjoyed amateur dramatics and met her future husband there when they were both in a play together.

She also remembers going to the Band of Hope Temperance meetings on Tuesday evenings and recalls Ben Vorley showing magic lantern slides at the church.

Both Vera and Doris recall walking to the Higham Feast which was held at the back of the Green Dragon. There was a very popular annual fair held there with swing-boats, carousels, coconut shies and roll-a-penny stalls etc. All the rides or stalls that needed any power were of course driven by traction (steam) engines, which also pulled the trailers and equipment from place to place.

You could buy rock that was made before your very eyes by stretching it out on a rusty nail (to give it the coloured streaks!) just before you ate it! Other popular sweet treats included brandysnaps and coconut ice, both of which are still very popular today!

They remembered the boys would have a ball on a long piece of elastic and IF they liked you they would throw the ball at you and catch it when it returned to them. (Gosh, how courting rituals have changed!)

Doris like so many other young people at the time, enjoyed going to the cinema, and has happy memories of doing some of her courting at the Palace Cinema. Her earliest memories at the Palace were when she was 10 or 11 and went there on Saturday afternoons (1d downstairs or 2d upstairs!). The children were incredibly noisy and a Mr Branson (fondly known as 'old snap') would vainly attempt to keep order!

Holidays in those days were rare and much longed for and Doris remembers saving 2/6d (12.5p) a week for a whole year in order to go on her first week’s holiday. She went to Great Yarmouth and recalls her first excited view of the sea (she was 14 or 15) where she promptly went on a boat trip and was seasick! In those days you just rented a room and went out shopping first thing each day for your food which the landlady would cook for you!

Trains were THE method of travel in those days, certainly for anything other than a local jaunt. Apparently annual excursions were organised by many groups to Great Yarmouth and you could depart from Ditchford or Irthlingborough, via Peterborough to the golden sands of the East Coast. There must be more than a few happy memories of such day trips on the old steamers!

Mrs Edith Norman Reception Class Teacher at Moor Road School 1906 -1937 Pictured with her son Reg - R W Norman of 'Air Ada' fame. The picture is thought to have been taken in the mid 1930's.

From the Memories of Eric Fowell

Eric started at Moor Road School in 1933, at that time the Headmistress was Miss F. Partridge. There were three other teachers; a Miss Scholes, Mrs Levy and of course Mrs Norman. I say of course, due to the fact that Mrs Norman taught at Moor Road school for 31 of the 48 years that the school was open.

One slight problem, or perhaps a convenient excuse for some, was that by now the school bell had vanished and latecomers had no idea how fine they cut it each day!

Eric also recalls the popular practice of pupils taking a nap after lunch and he used to take forty winks on a pallet on the floor every day. This may well have been just for the younger ones in the reception class.

Eric was the only ex-pupil to mention the bottles of milk given out at break times, I wonder when this practice started and indeed when it finished?

As he lived close to the school Eric went home for lunch and he recalls that the school day was from 9am -12 noon and then 1:30pm to 4:15pm.

From the Memories of Denis Paragreen A pupil at the school 1924 - 25

Denis lived in Montague Street, very close to Moor Road school and therefore didn't have too far to toddle off to school. But he was lucky in having a friendly 'older woman' to take him to school in the shape of Molly Chambers (a fellow pupil) who also lived in Montague Street and took it upon herself to look after him. His earliest memory is of hating to leave home each morning and he didn't look upon school as being an attractive alternative!

However the blow of leaving mum was softened by the friendly care of Mrs Norman, the Reception teacher (or the baby teacher as so many remembered her!) Almost all of the ex-pupils interviewed had the fondest of memories of Mrs Norman and the attention she gave to her young charges.

At this time (the mid twenties) Mrs Pack was the Headmistress with Miss Hodgkins taking on the newly promoted 'babies' when they left Mrs Norman. A Miss Peacock took the oldest class to prepare them for life after Moor Road, as they became old enough.

Denis remembers getting into hot water one day by calling out "Absent" himself - when the teacher called out his name. He claims it was all an innocent mistake! He doesn't tell us whether corporal punishment was involved or not for such a transgression!

He also remembers, with not so fond a memory, the very large, perhaps life-size, wooden rocking horse that the school had and which pupils played on. His painful memory is due to the fact that on more than occasion he trapped his fingers under the rockers whilst someone else was riding. I wonder how many other young fingers went the same way.

In common with many others he remembers the old tortoise stove which offered warm comfort on cold winter days! The stove also doubled up as useful 'drier' for those wet gloves, socks and other odd items that got soaked in the rain or snow on the way to school. There were twin girls in the same class and Denis remembers how very frightened they were when the R101 (or one of its experimental predecessors) airship flew over Rushden, presumably from nearby Cardington. Where are you now girls?

Even then the 'playground' consisted of a dirt surface, which knowing the English climate, must have been pretty muddy for much of the Autumn and Spring terms! This area was of course lost when the tennis courts were erected and tarmaced.

It appears that Mrs Pack was something of a disciplinarian and that most pupils rather dreaded her taking their class and she is also remembered for invariably being dressed in black. Perhaps this added to her rather intimidating appearance and reputation! I am sure that beneath that gruff exterior she loved her young charges!

Many pupils remembered chanting, parrot fashion, their times tables, alphabets, nursery rhymes or songs. Denis remembers there being only about 25 or so in a class (so not everything changes for the better with so called progress - does it?)

Denis particularly remembers large alphabet cards which hung on hooks all round the classroom and which were during lessons hung round the neck of each pupil to make up words and they would run about to spell the word selected by the teacher. These teaching aids (which sound like a lot of fun) also included number cards so that they could practice simple sums!

Again many people had memories around this time of Mr Green, the lamplighter (who, in between lighting and extinguishing the gas street lamps, was a window cleaner). The gas street lamps seem to have been the forerunner of modern youth clubs as many young people spent much of their leisure time playing (everything from tag, to hopscotch and marbles, to spinning tops) under the streetlamps during the winter months. It was the place to be if you wanted to escape from being in at home all the time from October to March. In fact it was the only place to play that was close to home and free!

I suppose that there must have been something romantic about playing, chatting or flirting in the glow of the gas lamp, or perhaps that's my nostalgic view of the past seeping out!

Unlike the problems we all have with traffic, whether we are in it or suffering from the effects of it, you must remember that even by this time, when Moor Road School was only a just a quarter of a century old, the biggest problem was in dodging the horse and carts, carriages, pony and traps etc especially the LMS drays delivering the beer! Believe me if you read contemporary reports there were traffic problems then, it’s just that vehicles were only one, two or four horsepower then not one, two or three HUNDRED like today. And of course vehicles were much cheaper to run than they are now!

From the Post School memories of Denis Paragreen

On leaving school Denis became apprenticed to Jacques & Timpson as an apprentice plumber and decorator. His father was in the boot and shoe trade but Denis was not interested in following in his foot¬steps, he wanted to take up something different. His wages at the start (in the mid 1930s) were 10/- a week (50p) with a 5/- a year rise from then; being half a crown (2/6d or 25p) every six months. He also started night-classes for both plumbing and construction so that he would learn to get on quicker in his day job!

At that time of course for young people there was no television to watch (believe it or not!) but the cinema was VERY big business then and most people went regularly. At that time there were three cinemas in Rushden, The Palace, The Ritz and The Royal Theatre. As far as he could recall the pictures cost 9d (nearly 4p!) admission and he remembers queuing to catch the latest Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers offering or Douglas Fairbanks or Nelson Eddy and Janette McDonald. He remembers that both Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin were still very big stars.

Dances were also a very popular leisure time activity and Denis remembers that he went regularly to those run by St Peter’s Church on a Saturday night where it cost 6d (two and a half pence) to get in.

In May 1937 Moor Road School finally closed its doors to children, at least in terms of them as pupils at school, when they were all transferred to Tennyson Road school and after almost fifty years all was quiet in the playground. Were there I wonder any tears among the cheers when they left for the last time?

Moor Road Centre as it was later to become then enjoyed a well earned rest, until that is it was called up and went to war!

From the memories of Ted Chamberlain

Well Ted really can say "I was there" as he was a pupil at Moor Road when it closed in May 1937 and the entire school moved on to Tennyson Road. He remembers too, taking an after lunch nap and recalls Mrs Norman as being a very warm and friendly face with time for everyone. He cannot remember if the rocking horse was still there when the school closed.

Ted’s memories of leisure time activities are interesting in that they reflect the changing face of life in Rushden particularly during and after the Second World War.

When he started work at the age of 14 he received 14/6d (almost 75p) for a 48 hour week and vividly recalls getting his first wage packet with £1 in - in 1950! He was an apprentice electrician at Oberman's in Higham..

He remembers going to the pictures during the war, 6d at the Ritz and 5d at the Palace (thought of by then as a bit of a fleapit!) to see Roy Rogers and Hop-a-long Cassidy, Laurel and Hardy and Abbott and Costello.

A little later he remembers dances, with the 'star' bands of the time such as The Ted Heath Band at the Windmill, Rushden and of square dances at the Queen Victoria (no, not the Albert Square one!)

He joined the Irchester Wheelers cycle club and can recall regular 100 mile Sunday runs and even of cycling to Great Yarmouth on holiday after the war (nearly 300 miles return!)

He also remembers that during the war people went on 'seaside' holidays to Ditchford where there were water-sports and crowds of people on the 'beach'. The railway station even sold popcorn and there were permanent diving rafts moored on the lake. Blackpool - eat your heart out!

SECOND WORLD WAR

After the outbreak of the Second World War Moor Road continued to do service to the local community when it served as an Ambulance Station.

Denis remembers acting as a cycle 'courier' within the Scouts Messenger Service (which was a nationwide project) operating from their local base at Moor Road. He recalls that there were always two scouts and two nurses on duty at the centre with a telephone in the lobby from where the messengers were sent with urgent local communications.

They also, from time to time, played cards (in an attempt to stay awake and alert) but this rather frowned upon activity was stopped by Miss Clipston!

Unless you were there it is impossible to imagine just HOW dark the streets were with the blackout in force. All vehicles including bicycles had painted out lights with only a tiny slit left, that was rather more for making sure others saw you rather than to find your way. Local knowledge was therefore of prime importance to the lads in the Scouts Messenger Service!

It was also, so I am told, great fun and quite exciting, being one of the few people out and about in the darkened Rushden Streets with only the Home Guard or ARP warden to watch out for! Being in the Messenger Service gave you great freedom to come and go as you please, whether on official business or not! With petrol on ration, and far from easy to obtain, Denis remembers many trades resorting to the handcart to push their equipment or goods about on. He recalls pushing the hand cart in his job as a plumber.

He also recalls gas driven taxis as a feature of wartime life as well as the huge water-tank (to help extinguish incendiary devices) placed in the playground area at Moor Road!

Moor Road as a Youth Centre
From the Rushden Echo & Argus - Friday 16th November 1956

"After nearly two years discussion, protest, examination and wrangling about the problem of what to do with the young people of Rushden in their leisure time, something concrete is beginning to function".

Miss P. M. Tupholme, Wellingborough and District Youth Organiser said "that about six youth groups - Guides, Scouts, Model Railways Club and others are using one room of the club regularly and something is going on most nights of the week. However furnishing and heating is yet to be completed so all three rooms are not in use. It is hoped that in the future a full time leader may be appointed to organise activities".

From the memories of Don Ward
County Youth Officer from 1st February 1957

Don's first contact with the role of Moor Road as a Youth Centre took place very early on in his appointment, having started on 1st February he attended one of the first fund raising social events to which young people were invited to at the Centre took place on the 9th February '57.

This was the inaugural event for Moor Road Youth Centre. The evening's entertainment included dancing to both live music and the record player interspersed with games (with prizes!).

This may seem very dated now but you have to, as always, see things as they were in those days and this would have been very up to date as Don recalls that some of the records played included Rock 'n Roll titles. Don’t forget that in 1957 Rock 'n Roll music was thought of as a VERY bad influence on young people of the day! Was it ? Or do you out there who were the teenagers of the late 1950's just have pleasant nostalgic memories of it?

Over seventy young people attended that opening night social event on Saturday 9th February 1957 and under the direction of MC Charlie Jones (yes they would have had an MC - Master of Ceremonies - at such an event back then!) The Select Trio played a varied programme of music including all types of Rock 'n Roll.

The programme for young people using the youth centre seems to have been very varied even from the very beginning and included: Boxing, Tennis Coaching, Drama (with an annual Drama Festival), a Bike Club (full of Marlon Brando Wild One's lookalikes) as well as the more standard fare of table tennis, darts, billiards etc. Many activities were carried out under the umbrella of the Rushden Youth Council which was made up of representatives from most local youth organisations and was very active. The first part time adult super¬visor, as leaders were then called (now of course 'youth workers'), after putting in a lot of hard work handed the job over to Graham Morris, the work of the part time 'supervisors' was vital to the success of the club in those early days and a lot of excellent foundations were laid down at that time.

In 1960 the club was involved in one of the earliest Youth Service exchanges when a party went to Germany and acted as hosts to their German counterparts.

The club built up a loyal following quite quickly and by the early 60's was bursting at the seams.

Alan Iliffe - Moor Road Man of Many Parts!

Alan first became involved in the early 1960's, around 1962, and his links with the Youth Club stretch from then until 1985 when he moved on to work on to other youth work projects in the area.

By any yardstick his record of helping in various capacities is almost unmatched and he has served in all of the following roles: activities club member (judo ), Youth Club member, Members’ Committee member (and Chairman), voluntary assistant leader, paid part time leader, leader in charge.

In fact Alan undertook just about every possible role over those 23 years and was responsible for much of the positive work that went on in the Youth Club. Thank you Alan for all that effort, as well as all the other unsung heroes that greatly contributed to the successful running of the Youth Club over the years!

In fact the golden years of Moor Road Youth Club seems to have been during the sixties when the members’ committee was in its heyday. At the time the members undertook most of the planning, organising and carrying out of the activities programme with a minimum of adult supervision.

Although as we have seen, the 'roots' of the Youth Club lie back in the mid 50's, the youth centre as we see it now really dates from May 1964 which was when the club re-opened after an extensive 're-fit'. A 're-fit' which involved the County Council spending around SIXTEEN THOUSAND POUNDS a VERY considerable sum in those days!

Alan remembers the official opening of the revamped centre which took place on Thursday 10th December 1984, (quite a decent Christ¬mas present for the teenagers of Rushden!), when the members met County Council officials including the Chairman Alderman Ewart Marlow.

The event merited two columns in the Evening Telegraph (plus a picture!) and Miss Tupholme, the District Youth Organiser, announced that the actor Rupert Davies of Maigret fame (for the younger generation - he was a TV detective - the Bergerac of his day!) would visit the centre early in the new year - I wonder if he DID come and is there anyone out there who remembers it?

The accompanying photo 'stars' Members’ Committee Chairman Paul Smith, Vice Chairman Jim Case, Secretary Jackie Case and Committee Member Janet Frasi. In particular the two girls Jackie and Janet are perfect examples of 60's STYLE!

Praise was showered on the work of the first youth club chairman, Anthony Higgins (now of course a star of stage and screen in real life!) by Graham Norris who was the adult supervisor for the club at the time.

The busy evening ended with displays of boxing training, judo, canoe building and demonstrations of table tennis, darts and billiards.

From the Memories of Alan Iliffe

Alan first visited Moor Road in 1962 firstly as participant in the Judo Club sessions and then as a casual youth club session visitor.

In those days the centre was physically much smaller as the stage area, TV/meeting room and workshop were yet to be built. In fact the case was at that very moment being argued for the pressing need of an extension to the already popular and overused (and overflowing!) building.

The big change for the Youth Club came in with the decision to extend the building and to achieve this all the activities were suspended and the Youth Club itself moved, on a temporary basis (for about three months) to the scout rooms in Skinners Hill. The Members’ Commit¬tee minutes book records the meeting of 9th April 1964 and the setting up of the 'new' committee, which was to consist of Anthony Higgins (Chairman), Jackie Case (Secretary), Janet Frasi, Paul Smith, Trevor Paget, John Boyte and James Case - where are you now?

Interestingly enough it appears that after much discussion (usually committee speak for an argument!) the new club was to be called "The Whitehouse Club"- where did this idea come from?

It was also decided at that meeting that a place was to be kept open on the committee for a representative of the younger age group.

Teens in their Teens!

As we are interested in the lives of children and young people who passed through the doors of Moor Road it may be of interest to look at the post-school lives of both Vera and Doris.

Both they and the new century grew up almost side by side and were thus teenagers together (just). Their memories of how things were when they left school and of how they spent their leisure time makes interesting reading (an an interesting comparison with today!)

There were no such things as 'open' youth clubs then (such as Moor Road became after the Second World War) and what youth groups did exist were set up and run mainly by the various churches.

Vera left school and became apprenticed locally in a drapery shop but at the age of 19 she left Rushden and went to work for 11 years in London. She worked in Oxford Street at the then well known department store Bourne and Hollingsworth, which was very up-market!

Doris sat for the 11 plus examination before she left North End School and was able to gain a scholarship to Wellingborough High School, where sadly to relate she spent three unhappy years!

When she did leave school (at 14) Doris went to work at Chapman’s Box Factory for the princely salary of 10/6d (52p)

Vera remembers quite clearly 'Old Buck'- the Town Crier, whose motto was "Don't say Old Buck ain't told you" and he would then proceed to shout out the latest news all around the town in a very loud voice!

NB: If anyone can remember Old Buck or has any information about him I would like to hear from them.

There are a few titbits that may be of interest, and as I shall not be around to record the next 100 years, I had better include them here!

How many members recall that Moor Road once featured fleetingly in a popular television series?

It was called Hunter's Walk and much of it was shot in and around Moor Road in the mid 1970's. It certainly emptied the club on the nights it was on as members rushed home to see if they were featured in it.

Sometimes fate has an odd way of working and when Mrs Norman, who had taught at the school for over 30 years retired, she ended up living at 17 Moor Road in her later years!

At school Vera has very pleasant, warm memories of Mrs Norman who was the reception (or baby class) teacher and who clearly made it much easier for many, many children to get used to school and enjoy it. At this time Miss Strickland was the Headmistress at Moor Road School. The school day appears to have been 9.00am to 3.30pm. Vera left Moor Road to go on to Alfred Street.

Vera also recalls the Great War (First World War) when the Welsh Fusiliers were billeted in Rushden. In fact, a Colonel and his wife stayed at her house for much of the war. Vera recalls them forming up and parading along Wellingborough Road (complete with Regimental Goat Mascot!)

The men would gather outside the Oakley pub and sing (as only the Welsh can!) in fact they would gather on just about any street corner to sing!