• Article |
• Discussion |
• Edit |
• History

Farmer Foot's cows amble down Blagreaves Lane, in Littleover, Derby. The lady at the gate is likely to be Mrs. Foot, and the 'herdsman' on this occasion probably the Foot's daughter Peggy. The photograph is thought to date from the 1960s

In 2009 Gayton Avenue school, which opened in 1939, will celebrate its seventieth anniversary. The school is situated off Blagreaves Lane in Littleover.

To mark the occasion, a book will be published, telling the story not only of the school, but of the Blagreaves area in general, a popular locality with an interesting history, but one not well documented thus far.

An appeal has been put out for photographs and memories, and one landmark building which has been the subject of some fond reminiscences has been 'Glebe Farm', now long-since demolished in favour of residential development.

Here are some of the facts and memories which have come to light so far.

'Glebe Farm' was built sometime before 1881, since it shows on the 1881 census. The occupier from 1881 to 1895 was John Pegge.

He was followed by Anne Yeomans (1901) and William Shaw (1912). Thereafter, from 1925 to 1936, the tenants were George and Mabel Blackwell, followed by Albert Edward Pearson from 1936 to 1939.

The farm was owned by the Grimwood-Taylor family who lived in the large old house opposite, named 'Fressingfield'. Adjacent 'Fressingfield' was a large field - amazingly not yet built on even today - which served as the main grazing pasture for the farm's cows.

In 1939 a new tenant moved in to Glebe Farm. He was Thomas Foot, whose family remained there for close to forty years. As a result, the farm became known to Blagreaves residents simply as 'Foot's Farm'.

The farm was an everyday part of the Blagreaves Lane scene, and a reminder, even when the lane became busy with traffic, that it had once been a rural locality.

Even the most impatient motorists could not escape this, as each day 'Farmer Foot' drove his Friesian herd from their pasture to the milking sheds, and back again. The cows moved at a very stately pace, and Farmer Foot seldom seemed to make efforts to speed up their progress.

As a result, traffic had to wait for their passing, and for the wave of acknowledgment with his stick that was Farmer Foot's way of signifying the all clear, and perhaps saying 'thank you'.

The cows were not the only 'celebrity creatures' on Blagreaves Lane at this time. Farmer Foot also kept pigs, which were housed on a concreted yard fronting Blagreaves Lane. These were popular with children, and 'going to see the pigs' was actually regarded as an outing, one which filled a pleasant half hour or so on a summer day.

Glebe Farm was sold by auction in 1981 to the developers Hassall Homes. It was demolished soon afterwards and a new development of houses, Greenburn Close, was built on the site.

Since the heyday of 'Foot's Farm' in the 1960s, traffic has increased many fold along Blagreaves Lane. Life is lived at a more hectic pace too. Yet those who recollect the farm with affection would be unlikely to complain if the clock could be turned back just once in a while as a reminder of the days when everything stood still for the Blagreaves Lane cows.

For those who do remember, the picture with this article will evoke a scene from almost half a century ago. If you have any memories relating to this story, please consider sharing them. Just click on 'edit' or 'discussion' at the top of this page.

• Gayton Junior School
• Littleover - When cows made jam on Blagreaves Lane
• Youthful memories of Stenson Road

FEEDBACK

Did you enjoy this article? If so, why not comment on it? Perhaps you disagree with something in it, or you know something the writer doesn't and can add some extra facts. You may want to ask a question about this article. Making a contribution is easy - either click 'edit' to insert more information or 'discussion' and then 'add comment.' This is your site. Please feel free to use it to the full and share your memories, thoughts and knowledge about Derbyshire with others.

If there is no 'edit' link showing it means the article has either previously been published in the Derby Evening Telegraph, or it has been protected by the site administrator and cannot be edited.'

County:  Derbyshire