Robert Marshall's Story
I was born in Seacroft and lived in Ash Tree House at the other side of the Garden of Rest which was demolished in the 1960s. It was a big house and they changed it over at the turn of the century into a Butcher’s and then from a Butcher’s they turned it over to a General store. My grandparents ran the store and then they stayed there until they died in the 1960s.
I had a sister called Anita; I lived in Ash Tree House until they started building the Seacroft Estate in the 1950s. My sister went to the Grange school, the one near the church. My mum took me up there when they turned it over and they closed the church school down, then they opened the Grange and she took me up there and she didn’t like it and she said you’re not going there and many years later I asked her why and she said it wasn’t good enough for me.
I had a sister called Anita; I lived in Ash Tree House until they started building the Seacroft Estate in the 1950s. My sister went to the Grange school, the one near the church. My mum took me up there when they turned it over and they closed the church school down, then they opened the Grange and she took me up there and she didn’t like it and she said you’re not going there and many years later I asked her why and she said it wasn’t good enough for me.
She was very keen on my education and then I went to Cold Cotes School, in Gipton. It was a big school and there was a girls’ section up at the top and the boys’ section at the bottom. I enjoyed school; I enjoyed all the lessons.
I was 14/15 when I left school and I went to work on my Uncle Alan’s farm, farming in Bardsey. My uncle Alan, like all the older people, didn’t class you as a boy or a young man they classed you as a workman and they treated you like one. When I told my mother that I wasn’t going back again she asked me why and I told her that they were treating me badly which they were not feeding me properly so my mother went up and gave them some stick. I was there when she give them it as well.
I was paid £3.10 shillings and 9 pence a week. We had to pay for board and lodgings out of that.
My aunty Cath she was beautiful and she had an estate outside Wetwang she had a big house and land. I was 16 when I stopped being a farmer because I’d put up with it enough and then nothing really I didn’t have to go out to work and I didn’t join the army until 1964, The York and Lancaster regiment. I was 18 years old.
We were stationed at Cyprus, we moved on to Gibraltar, just the usual places, and then the regiment disbanded in 1968 at Pontefract Barrack. It was the home of the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry and some of the Barracks are still there.
We were stationed at Cyprus, we moved on to Gibraltar, just the usual places, and then the regiment disbanded in 1968 at Pontefract Barrack. It was the home of the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry and some of the Barracks are still there.
When I came out of the army I came to live in Seacroft, Redmire Drive, 20. My mother lived there until she died a couple of years ago. She was 88 when she died. I have 9 children. They are all well cared for. They have all moved out to different places in the country. My eldest girl married a farmer.
My favourite part of Seacroft is the village. The Village Green is the centre of the village. I remember the cricket matches they used to have there. I’ve just lent my friend the church records of cricket matches that they played there from 1901 – 1904. We won every time. We played them all as far as Tadcaster. It was a lot of travelling and good matches. In fact I was on the village green when Jack Clark balled his last ball in 1968 – 9.
From the Cricketers Arms was some cottages and one of the cottages which was lived in was also where they used to put the scores up in the bedroom. There used to be fairs where people would come with their horses, we’ve had them through the 60s and 7’s. I think the Leeds City Council are trying to stop it now, they have banned people from drinking outside the Cricketer Arms. The councillors have told the police that they want it stopping; once again the councillors are interfering. We have had the Gala every year and now they are trying to stop it. There were farm fields before the old Seacroft centre, I’ve walked many of the fields. My mum took us round when they put the roads in. I’ve had many pints in the Sovereign but other than that it was quiet. I live in Queensview Towers now. I can see the Humber Bridge and right over York Minster.