Sad! My grandad did a bit of singing in pubs including the Parkside, and met my Gran there. They then lived at 109 Lloyd Street just down the road and my Mum was born there in 1938. They then moved to 173 Horton Rd, and although they divorced when my Mum was 12 my Gran and my Grandad(new hubby when my Mum was 15) lived there, with my Gr gr Auntie who passed away in 1973, until the early 1980’s when they were no longer able to look after themselves. They rented from a private landlord all those years, and still had the original fixtures and fittings and the air aid shelter in the back yard! My Great Gran and Great Aunt lived next door at 175 and another Gr Aunt lived at 181 with her husband. Life revolved around City and in the early 70’s I’d stay during the school holidays so I could go watch City train at Maine Rd and collect autographs. Sometimes they trained on the car park, and if they trained on the pitch I’d sneak in the door they left open in the main stand and hope Stan Gibson wouldn’t throw me out. Such a happy childhood and happy memories made in and around Maine Rd that even now I sometimes go out of my way to drive around there, but it is tinged with a speck of sadness that it’s all so different now.
