A VISIT TO THE RANCH
AN ACCOUNT OF MY VISIT TO THE PREFABRICATED HOUSES AT EARBY by Tom Howard, aged 13.
On February the Twelfth 1946, Form 3A paid a visit to Earby to look at the prefabricated houses at Northolme Estate. The teachers in charge were Miss Pickles and Mrs Osbourne. We travelled by bus. When we arrived at the bus stop we went across the railway crossings and up a slope. The roads were branched off from the Salterforth road. I was extremely disappointed when I saw the houses. They were a dirty grey colour and were panelled which had weathered very badly. The roofs were corrugated and didn’t look very safe. The houses were well planned and had plenty of Green space. Some of the houses were fairly clean but others were black and grimy. We went inside one house and we were all interested in the inside. Maxwell Hodgson (one of our classmates) took us to his house and Mrs Hodgson gave us a warm welcome. The rooms were very cosy and panelled. The bathroom was exceptionally small and only four of us could go in at once. The sitting room was a very warm but much too small for a family. The bedrooms were quite nice, but they also were small. The kitchen was well equipped with an electric stove, kettle, iron and an oven. The whole house was very compact but personally I would not like to live in one. After the visit inside the house we went to the club room where a Mother’s Meeting was being held. I saw a small stage and some billiard tables. We didn’t have enough time to see everything, but we did see the most important things. We said goodbye to Mrs Hodgson and Shirley Wagstaff (another pupil) and had our last look at the estate. The Gargrave children waited at Earby where the bus picked them up. We arrived home at 3.45 and told of our visit to our friends.
TEACHERS MARKING etc. B+ GOOD …….But your writing does need care.