Figure 1.-.

I noted the HBC page on sandboxes and I can tell you a little about the subject as far as England is concerned. I already told you about the paddling pool in the park near us that my Mum used to take us to after school sometimes in the Summer. Well next to the paddling pool was what we called the "sandpit". It was quite a large area of sand sunken a couple of feet below the path around it and it had a concrete rectangular block in the middle that kids used to climb up on and jump into the sand.

Paddling Pool

When we were very little we used to sometimes use the paddling pool in the local park. That was before my little brother started school and my mum hadn't started back at work. She used to pick us up from school then and when it was hot we sometimes went to the paddling pool along with a lot of the other kids and their mums from all of the local primary schools. I often didn't want to go as I wanted to go straight home for some reason. The pool was just for the under-eights and most kids just went in in their underwear or even nothing – it was no big deal then. The ppol was only about a foot deep with a wall all round it where the mums sat chatting and occaisionally telling their kids to behave or they'd have to go home. I didn't like it as the kids were running around screaming and kicking water at each other. Mum would get us out of our uniforms but I wouldn't go in the pool. My elder brother used to spend his time either joining in with his friends splashing water about or protecting my younger brother who went in too. I used to sit on the wall watching in between my mum and someone else's mum who she'd get talking too. I wanted to go home – but I sort of knew my mum was making friends of her own as she didn't have relatives in the area. When it was time to go home she'd call my brothers – who never wanted to come out and asked for 5 more minutes or something. I remember once my elder brother wouldn't come out and my mum slipped her sandals off and paddled in to get him. I thought that was funny.

Sandboxes

A popular spot for the younger children in many parks was the sandbox. Early parks did not have such amenities for children, but by the early 20th century parks were increasingly catering for children. Many parks began installing sandboxes and playground equipment. We do not yet have details on chronlgical and country trends. e believe, however, that sanboxes were one of the first pieces of playground equipment installed. This may have been due to the relatively low cost of a sandbox and the fact that little children loved them and could amuse themselves for some time. We do not know who first came up with the idea and where the first one was installed. The sandbox here looks rather crowed. I'm not sure what is going on. I don't think that most were this crowded. Note that some of the children are a little older than you might find in a sandbox today. This semms to bethe case in many old photographs archived in HBC. The children seem less sophisticated if not jaded than modern children.

Our Park Sandbox

I always got the idea that both that and the paddling pool were an attempt to create in a way the atmosphere of the seaside where most families took their holidays then. After school as I say most kids just played about in their underpants as it was just an idea to go on the way home but in the Summer holidays some kids would come along especially with their swimming costumes and buckets and spades for the sandpit just like we did on the beach on holiday.We never did that as we normally had a proper holiday at the seaside in the Summer and also went up to my grandparents in Leeds for a week or so. I can imagine though that some of the kids didn't get a chance to get out of London in the Summer so the paddling pool and the sandpit were a chance for them to at least have some fun in the sunshine.

Mum

Even when we went to the paddling pool after school my Mum wouldn't let us in the sandpit. Mum objected of course because the sandpit was so dirty. The sand was indeed pretty dirty and I don't know how often they changed it.

The Sand

The sand in the pit wasn't yellow like the sand at the seaside would be after the tide had gone out but a sort of dirty brown. I do remember that sometimes when I was walking past the play area where the pool and the sandpit were there would be "closed" notices on the railings and there would be a man with a rake turning over the sand. I used to stop and watch him as he'd make elaborate patterns around the concrete block in the middle.I never saw them changing the sand though - it would have been quite a few lorryloads.

Age

There would be quite old kids in both the sandpit and the paddling pool - the restriction on them was under-13s - but as I say the pit was quite extensive so all the kids could find their own space like you could on the beach - the older ones normally jumping on and off the concrete block and the little ones! in a corner making sandcastles or something.

Cleaning off in the Paddling Pool

As I say - we weren't allowed in the sandpit and I never liked to go in the paddling pool but I do remember that some kids used to be brought out of the sandpit to wash the sand off of their feet in the paddling pool like we used to do in the sea on holiday before we got dressed. Then the water in the pool would get all cloudy and there was always a layer of sand on the bottom of the pool.

Sandpit Incident

I do remember once when I was older - about ten - I did go into the sandpit because some of my mates were in there all standing on the concrete block and trying to see who could be pushed off first into the sand.I forgot we were banned and just joined in as it looked fun. This was in the Winter and the paddling pool was empty of water and there were hardly any other kids around playing on the swings or things. When I got home my Mum wanted to know how it was that I had sand in my sandals (and jumper and hair and just about everywhere as once you'd been pushed off of the block you'd be dived on and a general wrestling match would begin - rolling about in the sand and then trying to get back up on the block which had become a sort of fort which those on it were defending against the others!). Anyway it was pretty hard to think of an explaination as there was no other sand around where we lived (not even down by the river - that was mud) and I got into big trouble for going in there but it had been worth it as it was fun - but I didn't do it again!

German Trip

The other point on this was my German trip with my swim team. I stayed with a family who lived on a newish housing estate that they were still finishing building. They had a play area in the middle of the estate - but they were still building it and they had a pool built but that was empty too. One day the workmen did drag over a big hose and started to fill it and the German kids (and me) all gathered round it but they were just testing it out and they chased away anyone who went in. The next day it was drained.They too had what was probably going to be a sandbox (nothing like as big as the sandpit at home which, as I said, was sunken below ground level the same as the pool) but it was empty and we used to sit on the wood surrounds trying to stick a knife into the ground in the middle when we were tired of playing football (one of the German boys had a huge sheath knife which was really heavy compared to the one my brother had for scouts. I only had a penknife. Now I see in this country it is illegal to carry a knife, but when I was a boy nearly everyone had one of some sort and no harm was done. All that were illegal were "flick-knives" - but even then some of the gangs on the estate we moved to carried them. I suppose that is clothing in a way as scouts would wear their sheath knives openly on their belts and this German boy had a sort of shoulder strap for his. He was only about 10 years old. Anyway - that's another story).

Bill