Childhood smells

yorkiesknob · Post by **yorkiesknob** » Sat 24 Dec, 2011 9:57 am

I managed the treble up of smells in the late 60s. During my school holidays I worked on the upgrade of the A653 Dewsbury Rd . I was the assistant to the engineering surveyor(chainman). At the bottom of the section was the sewerage treatment plant near the woodman Pub. Half up towards Dewsbury was Wide Lane where the site office were located. Opposite was a dripping processing plant . the third one was at the top where the M62 is at Tingley, back then there was a coal gas plant situated nearby.So in the smell Rankings.Clear winner by a mile was the dripping factory, always reminds me of a school visit to a tannery on Meanwood rd. Half the class started vomitting at the stench in the hide washing area.Next the Gas works.Sewer plant was a doddle compared to the other two. Windows closed in the Woodman no problem, lemonade for me of course.Dowsett was the civil contractors I worked for, went on to serve my time with them, surveying on the construction on the M62 Gildersome to Chainbar section. In them days it was a million quid a mile , hate to think of the cost these days.Cheers and a merry Crishtmas to one and all at SL. Yorkie

Post by **chameleon** » Sat 24 Dec, 2011 11:43 am

yorkiesknob wrote: I managed the treble up of smells in the late 60s. During my school holidays I worked on the upgrade of the A653 Dewsbury Rd . I was the assistant to the engineering surveyor(chainman). At the bottom of the section was the sewerage treatment plant near the woodman Pub. Half up towards Dewsbury was Wide Lane where the site office were located. Opposite was a dripping processing plant . the third one was at the top where the M62 is at Tingley, back then there was a coal gas plant situated nearby.So in the smell Rankings.Clear winner by a mile was the dripping factory, always reminds me of a school visit to a tannery on Meanwood rd. Half the class started vomitting at the stench in the hide washing area.Next the Gas works.Sewer plant was a doddle compared to the other two. Windows closed in the Woodman no problem, lemonade for me of course.Dowsett was the civil contractors I worked for, went on to serve my time with them, surveying on the construction on the M62 Gildersome to Chainbar section. In them days it was a million quid a mile , hate to think of the cost these days.Cheers and a merry Crishtmas to one and all at SL. Yorkie And to you Yorkie - care not to burn yourself on the Christmas Barbie

yorkiesknob · Post by **yorkiesknob** » Sat 24 Dec, 2011 12:17 pm

chameleon, thanks mate.Always tradtional with full mashings on xmas day here.BBQ gets a flogging from boxing day onwards.Nothing beats watching the boxing test match from Melbourne on tv , full house 95000 crowd. Esky full of grog and the bbq going flat out, smells and all.Never smelt a bbq when I was growing up in Burley, nearest to it was roasting the spuds on the remains on the bonfire the day after bonfire night. Thinking about that , there were some smells around on Nov 5th. Parkin, toffee apples ,toxic fumes off what ever was burning on the fire, gunpower from the fireworks, etc etc Cheers Y

tilly · Post by **tilly** » Mon 26 Dec, 2011 7:12 am

I have just rememberd a smell from my childhood Ammonea have i spelt that right.It was used for washing and sold loose at our local shop in Hunslet when the bottle was opened every one around it started to cry.

sirjohn · Post by **sirjohn** » Mon 26 Dec, 2011 10:52 am

Alas, not from Leeds, but when I was little there used to be a launderette next door to my doctors surgery with 6 large vents blowing hot air from the dryers on to the street. I used to stand under them for ages..I also love that tarry/diesel smell you get at traffic lights on hot days

Johnny39 · Post by **Johnny39** » Mon 26 Dec, 2011 1:53 pm

The smell of frosty, snowy wintry days - Wintergreen Ointment. Boy did it sting on the inside of chapped legs.

Jogon · Post by **Jogon** » Mon 26 Dec, 2011 9:33 pm

Sorry, veering off to Bradford here.Horsforth>ring road>Bradford>left down Dick Lane>just over the railway on your right there was a big Mill/Factory (recently demolished) and the area had a sickening smell of Pear Drops.Probably some carcinogenic deadly (or maybe a huge Pear Drops factory).Heading south in the late 1960's and crossing 'tha county line' you knew you were near Sheffield cos of the sulphurous, bad-egg smell and orange air from the steel works.There's a hint of that around the house today. Must buy a 'blame-dog'.

Brunel · Post by **Brunel** » Tue 27 Dec, 2011 10:00 pm

BLAKEY wrote: When I was a kid in Ilkley in the 1940s there was a small "jobbing" printing firm in an old stone building attached to the rear of the Winter Gardens - I believe it was callled Emsleys. On the outside wall was some kind of valve which would spasmodically let out a bit of what seemed like steam at the same time as making a mildly indignant spitting sound. The smell of the escaping stuff was magic to me, a kind of mixture of tar and sulphur etc. I used to climb onto the top of the wall often and enjoy the spectacle which may account for all sorts thats happened subsequently !! Well I just can't believe this. I mentioned this building only days ago in the "Childhood smells" topic - I was only one letter out with the name of the printing Firm, as I thought it was Emsley and Sons. The fascinating valve that I mentioned was at the back of the wall (not visible here) of the building which goes back from the right as seen from this aspect. The valve was visible from Whitton Croft Road, which is the street behind the Municipal Buildings. This building is built on to the western wall of the Winter Gardens , just visible on the left of the picture.

Leodian · Post by **Leodian** » Mon 02 Jan, 2012 9:53 pm

I've had a quick skeg through all of the messages in this thread and did not see one about the strong smell that came off whenever I used a medicine to unblock a blocked sinus when I was a kid in the early to mid 1950s, when a few drops of something were added to very hot water in a bowl and I then put my face over that with a towel over my head to hold the resulting vapours in. The pungency of the vapours was very strong as they cleared my sinus. No doubt a similar product is still available but I've not used one since I was a kid.

Post by **tyke bhoy** » Mon 02 Jan, 2012 10:05 pm

Leodian wrote: I've had a quick skeg through all of the messages in this thread and did not see one about the strong smell that came off whenever I used a medicine to unblock a blocked sinus when I was a kid in the early to mid 1950s, when a few drops of something were added to very hot water in a bowl and I then put my face over that with a towel over my head to hold the resulting vapours in. The pungency of the vapours was very strong as they cleared my sinus. No doubt a similar product is still available but I've not used one since I was a kid. camphor?