Nicknamed Chinatown. When we lived there it was derelict. There was a shop with Mitchards on the glass (broken) from when there was a bookies there. Paniccias had an ice cream factory there and shop. The Globe Inn was opposite to where we lived. We didn't drink there as it was frequented by people we wanted to avoid but we used the off-licence for crisps, chocolate etc. Many of the houses were squatted by hippies. Local youths disapproved and used to attack them after the pubs shut and we watched fights going on below.
A lot of the area had already been demolished. Our next door neighbours were witches and we would hear chanting going on. Outside toilet which didn't flush you had to swoosh a bucket of water down yourself. Cold in the winter. Our friend Nigel stayed the night with us once as he needed to catch an early train and reckoned it was the coldest he had been in his entire life. They were all weavers' cottages and before the great renovation they were all connected by the top floor to enable the cottage industry to function. We had plenty of space we had an entire room (large) put aside for water pistol battles - we would have buckets filled with water for ammo. We had two electrical appliances, a small stove with a hotplate and a record player of course. We used to bathe at Susan's parents. No bills. We had two cats. We eventually moved out to rent somewhere but this was a a fun time of our lives. I was just 18.
