ITV Sunday Night Theatre 5th May 1974 'There Is a Happy Land'

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volvojack
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Re: ITV Sunday Night Theatre 5th May 1974 'There Is a Happy Land'

Post by volvojack »

Have just been watching this most enjoyable short series and i would think that even today there are still many streets still standing that would fit the bill. areas of Beeston,Woodhouse and Armley could be the settings. wherever it was it filmed i am just glad it was.

Thanks Miggy Bill for bringing this back as i had not heard or seen any of this before.

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tyke bhoy
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Re: ITV Sunday Night Theatre 5th May 1974 'There Is a Happy Land'

Post by tyke bhoy »

It reminds me of the Garnetts. The bits that were cleared mid/late 70s not those still standing
living a stones throw from the Leeds MDC border at Lofthousehttp://tykebhoy.wordpress.com/

volvojack
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Re: ITV Sunday Night Theatre 5th May 1974 'There Is a Happy Land'

Post by volvojack »

In Keith Waterhouses day there were literally 100s of terrace streets around districts of leeds and as he was an Hunslet lad maybe he just added Middleton Woods and the rhubarb fields (tusky) without ever having been up there. I know that as a school lad growing up in Beeston going up to Miggy clearings / woods was like a day trip out. One thing for sure he waas a gifted and humorous writer.

volvojack
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Re: ITV Sunday Night Theatre 5th May 1974 'There Is a Happy Land'

Post by volvojack »

"tyke bhoy"]It reminds me of the Garnetts. The bits that were cleared mid/late 70s not those still standing'

I agree Tyke bhoy and also all those similar on the other side of Dewsbury road, around the Rowland Road area seemes to have nothing else but back to back or through terrece houses.

MiggyBill
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Re: ITV Sunday Night Theatre 5th May 1974 'There Is a Happy Land'

Post by MiggyBill »

Hi Tyke bhoy, I don't think it's the Garnets, I lived in Garnet Grove,( I have on my wall the original cast iron street name for Garnet Grove) and Garnet Place from 68 to 77 and remember the bottom half of the streets being knocked down, the slope of the street in the film doesn't look right, but thanks for your reply and please keep looking as I'm stumped!

Hello Volvojack, I agree, Keith Waterhouse was a great writer, especially for us South Leeds folk.

I have lived all over Leeds but mostly in the southern sector, Middleton 4 different addresses, Hunslet 1, Beeston 5 diff addrs, Belle Isle and Cottingley, not in any particular order! added to this I have lived in Woodhouse 2 diff addrs, Harehills 1 and Little Woodhouse 1. Phew I've moved a lot I know, seemed that when I was little, everytime the rentman came we moved!
Most of the houses I have lived in have been demolished, they were nearly all back to back with outside toilets etc, and were cleared for slum clearance.

Keith Waterhouse moved from Hunslet to Middleton when he was quite young so he probably based the "tusky" on the rhubarb fields at the bottom of Acre Road, they have built a new housing estate there now.
And just like you, when I was a youngen, my favourite was Miggy Park, remember walking from Burton Road, past Wilkies Knackers Yard, exploring the old air raid shelters, then across Claytons football pitch, a quick play on the trams stored at the side of John Kings, then up the side of Miggy Railway on the old tramline trackbed, a quick look in the Black Pud, then up to the park through those beautiful woods. The café would be open for a lolly or whatever if we had any dosh, happy memories, no ipad, no phone, no money. Sorry started on one then,

Anyway thanks for replying, if you come up with owt re locations please post, I read sl every day.

MiggyBill
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Re: ITV Sunday Night Theatre 5th May 1974 'There Is a Happy Land'

Post by MiggyBill »

OOPs we posted at exact same time!!!!!

volvojack
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Re: ITV Sunday Night Theatre 5th May 1974 'There Is a Happy Land'

Post by volvojack »

MiggyBill wrote:OOPs we posted at exact same time!!!!!
Bill, your mention of "Outside toilets reminds me that the first time i had the ocassion to use one was when i began courting my future wife who lived in Bismark Street off Rowland rd. This ws in the late 1950s. I was born on the Gipton estate which had been built brand new and so had an inside karzi. when my Fathe died suddenly we moved up to Beeston which also had an inside loo. One evening after taking her home i asked to go to the toilet and her mother handed me a bicycle lamp and showed me out the back door telling me to be careful in th dark as the toilet was down at the bottom of the garden.
Later years i realised just how many people lived in houses where the toilets where yards away from where they lived

MiggyBill
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Re: ITV Sunday Night Theatre 5th May 1974 'There Is a Happy Land'

Post by MiggyBill »

Hee hee, put a smile on my face that Jack, memories of outside loos and the inconvenience of the convenience so to speak. I lived in a few where we had our own outside lavvy, that is to say usually in the cellar bottom or free standing brick ****house as they called them. Only shared one at one address in Woodhouse, we lived in the end back to back so the yard was right next door, complete with gas lamp that lit most of the yard up. we shared the second toilet with number five, often newspaper but sometimes had proper loo roll too, but me mam tore off a few sheets and gave them to us, she wouldn't let us take the roll in case we forget to bring it back in which case "Them" at no.5 would use it. My first memory of an inside loo was when we moved into a freshly converted back to back in the Garnets when I was 12, bath n all, eee luxury it was. Now, central heating, walk in shower, towel warming on the rail, as happy as I was back then, I prefer now. The only thing I miss is the community spirit, I had loads of "auntie Bettys and uncle Dicks" that looked after us.

MigMan
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Re: ITV Sunday Night Theatre 5th May 1974 'There Is a Happy Land'

Post by MigMan »

Hi all, first post.

I've just finished the book, hadn't read it for 25 years. As marvellous as always! Some convoluted googling led me here, and the youtube links to the TV film. Hadn't seen that since 1974 when I was 10. Time travel at its finest!

I lived in Miggy and Belle Isle until I was 14, and we kids were all very excited to see Miggy on TV. Everyone seemed to know someone who was an extra. I didn't live on the estate (I lived on the Manor Farm) but knew it well.

One thing I'm trying to locate is Waterhouse's Clerk of Works Depot and quarry as depicted in the book. As far as I know there was no quarry in the park, is it possible he was referring to the old quarry in Sissons' Wood (as was)? Location wise it would make sense, being just off the Middleton estate when he lived there. The only time "Uncle Mad" was named in the book was also as Mr. Sissons, surely more than coincidence?

I could rattle on about this all day, better do some work!

warringtonrhino
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Re: ITV Sunday Night Theatre 5th May 1974 'There Is a Happy Land'

Post by warringtonrhino »

The back to back street scenes were filmed in the Lincoln Field Grove/Mount/Terrace/View area of Burmantofts.
The area is now mainly multi-story flats.

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