Rubble of postwar Leeds made the perfect playground | Letters

We were like mountain goats running over tipper-truck mounds of cobblestones, dumped as streets were cleared, writes Janet Lail

Your article (Who needs swings and roundabouts?, G2, 31 October) took me back to my 1950s childhood in inner-city Leeds. We hardly saw a blade of grass, but had a wonderful time scrambling among the general dereliction of postwar slum-clearance and building sites. We were like mountain goats running over tipper-truck mounds of cobblestones, dumped as streets were cleared, en route to school. The cobbles were edged with gas-tar so we had modelling material (it came off hands with a rub of margarine paper).

Access to the waterworks depot was by shinning up a drainpipe and over the wall; huge concrete pipes were great to run through. A very smooth bit of road surface alongside our Sweet Street flats was ideal for roller-skating – and there was so little traffic so no danger.

Continue reading...

from Children | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2C5HDTG