My time as the Butcher in Blackwell : by Ian Newham
I came to Blackwell in 1960 when my father purchased the butchers and slaughterhouse on Alfreton Road from John Allen. I was 13 at the time. The shop was originally in the main house facing up Mount Pleasant then my father converted the lairage pens into the shop which was next to the road up the “backs” facing onto Alfreton Road.
When I left school, I started work at John Darbyshire’s mining engineers on Nix’s Hill Alfreton at the princely sum of £5 per week. I paid my mum £3 a week board and was still able to enjoy myself on the remaining amount. After about a year my father offered me £10 a week to go and work for him. A no brainer. I started at one of his shops in Sutton in Ashfield and at the completion of the shop at Blackwell I was moved there. It was hard graft particularly at Christmas.
I can remember during the run up to the holidays working up to 16hrs a day, in fact on one occasion we were still working at 4 o’clock in the morning. In those days New Years Day was not a bank holiday so I used to go out New Years Eve , returning home having a shower then going to work. Annual paid holidays were 7 days which included weekends.
It was during my time at the Blackwell shop that I met the love of my life, Janet. She used to catch the bus, at the bus stop over the road, on a Monday going to college in Chesterfield. I really fancied her and made sure I was doing something outside the shop when she was waiting for the bus. At this time I was riding motorcycles and a sister of one of my mates got me a date with Janet. Marriage followed in 1970 at which point my father ,who had been badly injured whilst racing a sidecar outfit at a grass track meeting, decided to retire and sell his business’s in Sutton. He offered me the shop at Blackwell which I duly took over. I was living at Stonebroom at the time so had to “commute” to Blackwell every day using the short cut along Love Lane and Gloves Lane. I become so used to this that I could have driven it blind folded .
People’s taste were very different in those days even if it was only forty years ago, possibly because many of my customers were from mining families. Tripe, cow heels, pigs chap, brawn, haslet, black pudding, beef and pork dripping, boiled udder, potted meat and savoury ducks which were a favourite on a Monday afternoon with people queuing ,waiting for them to come out of the oven.
All these “delicacies “ were made at the shop. “Making up” days, when all those were produced were Mondays and Thursdays. We made sausage, pork pies, steak and kidney pies, Cornish pasties, sausage rolls etc.
We used to deliver to local shops. Janet used to do this even after Kate and Sally were born . Kate used to sit in the van passenger seat held in place with a scarf (health and safety!!!!!!). Sally was in the top of her pram at the back of the van. Jan had to carry spare sausage rolls and little pork pies because Sally could reach the pastries from were she sat. She took and bite and then replaced the half eaten article.
Saturday afternoons would see a sudden rush when the Blackwell Hotel closed it’s doors at 3pm. Most of the customers being slightly worse for wear. Money flowed very freely.
Weather sometimes had a positive effect on trade. During the late seventies there were two consecutive weekends when heavy snow prevented anyone from leaving the village. We sold literally everything in the shop. By the middle of the week access to the outside was reestablished and we were able to restock only to sell out once more at the weekend. Good for the bank balance!
I hope this gives you a flavour of what it was like serving the people of Blackwell and I would like to thank any of my customers who are still around for their custom and their loyalty.
Ian Newham