I was driving over to visit Temple Newsam in Leeds to take some photos for the Leeds photo daily. I passed this chap, a rag and bone man, incredible! I did a smart u-turn, very pleased to have my camera on the passenger seat.
As a boy I used to go and spend holidays with my mothers parents in Plaistow in East London, in those days rag & bone men were a common sight. I recall once hearing the sound "raa boh" and going out to swap one of my mothers coats for a goldfish. It took me a long afternoon tracking down the cart to recover mums coat, else it would have been "wait till your father hears about this". Ooops.!
This chap did not mind me with camera, he just leapt out of the picture. We had a little chat about me not seeing another in the last 30 odd years. When I told him about the goldfish, he said that must have been a long time ago, very true.
His horse is called "Tommy".
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I so remember the rag and bone man. Our rag and bone man would give us donkey stones (which were scouring blocks to clean stone steps - check out wikipedia.org "donkey stones"). What would he give today I wonder?
ReplyDeleteTommy is such a beauty, I just hope and pray he is safe on the busy roads.
Lovely sunny day - thanks again for a terrific photo.
Fantastic story. I've never heard of a rag and bone man before.
ReplyDeleteWonderful photo and great story. I've never heard of rag and bone men...what means "bone"?
ReplyDeleteThat is a blast from the past! I'll have to ask my Gran if she saw it. We used to visit Temple Newsam at Easter when we'd stop with my Gran. I hope you'll share some photos. Do they still have the farm there?
ReplyDeleteReminds me of old "Steptoe and Son"....Ciao. A.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice picture! It always pays to keep your camera handy because you never know what you will see!
ReplyDeleteThat is a bit surprising, and a fantastic find for 2009!
ReplyDeleteNot in my lifetime im Brum, but the other half remembers them from Fleetwood. Sign of the times no doubt. Always have camera with you.
ReplyDeleteI remember rag and bone men in London in the Sixties, although none of their horses looked as spiffy as Tommy!
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