Playing in the river Ver – Denis Mardel

Denis was born in 1932. He lived in the town and didn’t move to Sopwell until 1960 but he knew the area well and he and his mates used to play here often. Denis describes how they used to go to the river by New Barnes Mill via Longmire Road past the watercress beds and along the golf course. Although Denis didn’t swim, only paddled, many of the bigger boys did as the river by the mill was very deep. The boys had to cross a marshy reed bed to get to the deep part. Denis says that this was later filled in with rubble. He remembers the flour lorries at the mill. Interview date: 6 May 2015. Interviewer: Sandy Norman.

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