The Watts of Oldfields 

 

Oldfields is the name of a narrow road, more like a lane, that runs off the main Corngreaves

Road in Cradley Heath

It ran for about 150 yards and at the far end was separated from a council estate by a railway

line and stepping bridge

For about 12 years I lived on the other side of the stepping bridge in Sutherland Road and the

bridge, the area around it and the adjoining very large pit mound, known as Bearmore Bank,

 was an adventure playground for me as a youngster

On the right hand side of the lane, close to the main road, was a small block of 19th century

 terraced houses, the area around and opposite the houses was open ground but, while they

were somewhat isolated, I was always glad to see them as a sort of “signpost” as I walked

past them on my way home from school

 

                               Father and Daughters run the business

The Watts family lived in one of the houses and for as many years as I can remember they ran a

Street Bookmaking business from there

 

The patriarch was Garnet Watts and he had five children;

Sons-----------Bert and Harry

Daughters-----Maud, Lilly and Joan

 

Garnet Watts was the acknowledged Bookmaker, his two sons both had proper day jobs but all

of his three daughters were based at home and were involved in running the business

 

 

              Garnet Watts  (pictured in 1908, aged about twelve)                               His wife--Rebecca

 

 

 


                                                                                           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           and his three spinster daughters

                                                                Maud, Lily and Joan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


                 Pictured at the back door of their house at 53, Oldfields in the 1950’s

 

                             Lily and Maud in an earlier and more flattering pose

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Garnet’s eldest son Bert married Doris the eldest daughter of Sandy Sidaway, the head of

Cradley Heath’s the other bookmaking family, and so helped to consolidate the family

groups grip on the local Bookmaking scene

 

                                           Wedding day for Bert and Doris

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


                            Bridesmaids Joan Watts  and Hilda Sidaway, in matching outfits

                 Sandy Sidaway, head of the Sidaway Bookmaking family can just be seen

                                      on the right, behind his daughter Hilda

 

                           Youngest son, Harry, runs a one man printing business

                                                 A schoolday picture of Harry         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


In addition to a full time job Harry ran the printing operation from an outhouse behind the

premises at 53 Oldfields and as a child his niece, Lynda Dimmock (nee Watts), well recalls

helping him out by assembling bundles of printed tickets and “crimping” them together

using a hand operated machine

 

                                                         Dig for Victory!

During the War years, to help overcome the food shortage and to help supplement their ration

allowance, families were encouraged to grow their own vegetables on areas “allotted” to them

by their local council

These areas became known as allotments and families were encouraged by the National slogan to

                                                        “Dig for Victory”

Opposite the row of terraced houses in Oldfields was such a site and the Watts had one of these

allotments

Who tended it I don’t know but I do know that, one day on the allotment, young teenager

Harry Watts managed to drive a garden fork through his foot—I was in the area at the time and it

was quite a talking point!

 

Thanks to Lynda Dimmock (nee Watts) for her help and permission to use the photographs