A Mansfield Poem

Mansfield Town Centre

Mansfield Chad

A bit of fun!

By Alan Curtis

A Bit of Fun

When I visit my old home town,

It's a trip down memory lane.

My mind goes back to my childhood days.

And I am a young boy again.

There were many quarries around the town,             

And many Coal mines too,                                

There were cotton mills, and hosiery mills,          

 And a place that could make you a shoe;

There were Brickworks and Train sheds,

And Quarries for stone and for sand.              

And Railways to haul their heavy loads,

To places throughout the land.                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Everything  seems smaller now.

And much of it has changed.

All the old shops have disappeared, 

And  everything seems rearranged.

A thriving market once we had,

Packed with market stalls.

You could stand and eat your mushy peas,

And listen to the market's calls.

 A man and his son had a roundabout

From Shirebrook they hauled their pride..

They set up the rides for the weekend,

For the children to enjoy their ride.

Mr Froggat  would turn the mangle .

And  round the kids would go.

The music would sound as the wheel went round,

And the smiles on their faces' would show.

The children would wave to their mothers,

As round and round they went.

And when it stopped, the children knew,

That all their money was spent.

Now Mansfield is a different place,

And the big shops have all but gone.

Charity, Café's and  Barbers shops

Replaced  them,   and not just one!.

There are empty shops around the town,

It would be better to see them taken.

Nothing would please the town folk more.

Than to see the old place awaken.

The Supermarkets have made the change,

To our shopping habits you see.

Now all the things are under one roof,

They say it's better for you and for me.

The children now have their computers,

They show pictures and colours with pride.

With fields of green and skies so blue,

We called it " Playing Outside ".