SUNDAY-best suits and frocks were carefully ironed, boots and shoes polished until the wearers could see their reflections in them. For it wasn't every day that a working-class pocket of St Helens was about to welcome a blue-blooded visitor.

The Duke of Gloucester was on his way to Thatto Heath to put the royal stamp of approval on the Neighbours Hut, serving a multitude of sporting and social purposes during it pre-war heyday.

Owd codgers Norman Owen and Harry Worthington clearly remember it all - the 'red-carpet' path, dug specially for the occasion; a Union Jack fluttering proudly from its newly-erected flagpole.

The duo take us on a toddle down Memory Lane, re-living all the excitement of that special day when folk in their droves turned up for a glimpse of the Duke and to enjoy the special jamboree in his honour. Morris dancing, tug o' war challenges and a brass band performance were among the attractions.

With all the excitement over, the Neighbours Hut - erected in the early 1930s and reckoned by Norman and Harry to have finally disappeared from the scene around the 1950s - settled down to normal business.

It was recognised as the district's main magnet by the young and the young-at-heart of those bygone years. Many teenaged couples discovered romance leading to marriage as they waltzed around at the weekly hops to music from gramophone records - Blue Moon and Slow Boat to China among hit parade toppers of the time. Or they might pause a while from all that ankle-flicking activity to share a pot of tea with buttered toast, served up for the princely sum of one old penny.

Main topic of conversation in the girls' cloakroom was: "Which boy do you fancy to walk you home?" Young ladies then waited to be asked. "It was all so innocent," Norman recalls, and among the belles of the ball was Winnie Sparks, later to become Mayoress of St Helens. "She did a great job for the town."

All-conquering

Dancing was by no means the sole attraction. Snooker, darts, soccer, rugby, cricket and (especially) table tennis were well catered for. Remembered among the era's ping-pong kingpins were county player Ken Tirebuck, Ken (Spinner) Jackson and the one-and-only Bumper Leyland. The all-conquering Neighbours Hut team swept all before them, our long-memoried codgers claim. Among the line-up, Alf Ellison, Billy (Smiler) Murphy brother of rugby legend Alex, and the Gannon brothers.

Harry Worthington believes the famous hut was built by the Pilkington glass company, employing jobless workmen from Sunderland to take on the task. Closely connected with the venture was a Major Oppenheim (there's a local street named after him). This quarry owner was something of a philanthropist.

The hut was heated by a coke-fuelled stove. Miss Webb ran ballroom and tap-dancing sessions at weekends, and George Varley formed the Thatto Heath carnival jazz band that practised kazoo-playing numbers in the hut and perfected their marching routines on the Neighbours Field outside. "They won lots of competitions", recall our sprightly pair, "and among those involved were Reg Gibson, Peggy Gannon and Ronnie Culley, a right character."

They spin a tale concerning Ronnie's frequent evening visits to Nellie Lowe's local chippie just before it was about to close. He'd ask if there was any fish and chips left, and on being assured that there was plenty, Ronnie would jest: "Well it serves thi reet for cooking too many!" It was a stock joke but one that scored every time - except, perhaps, with the chippie owner.

The Neighbours Hut and field provided a grounding, at various points in time, for countless rugby league personalities such as Ted Cahill, Walter Tabern, the Finn brothers (Terry, Jim and Tom) Alex Murphy and fellow Saints player Peter Metcalfe. Other groups sharing the Neighbours Hut facilities included a local morris dancing team and the Nutgrove Scouts. "The scouts pitched a huge bell-tent in the summer," our pensioner duo recall, "and they all slept inside with their feet pointed towards the centre pole."

This represented camping luxury compared with what Norman, Harry and the rest of their non-scouting gang had to put up with. "We huddled together in tents made from potato sacks. When it rained, the water poured through and we all had to trudge home soaking to the skin."

Close by stood another timber structure - the pavilion of the BICC cricket team. Their pitch was on the Neighbours Field, perilously close to a row of houses. A six-hit might land in the gardens, or occasionally through a back window. Harry, a spectator at the time, recalls one such crash of glass and an elderly woman racing out from her back door yelling: "You'll pay for this - and you're not getting your ball back, either!"

Among quaint landmarks was Hawkie's Cottage. The occupants drew water from a well, regularly tested for purity by a blue-clad council employee who quickly earned the nickname of 'Bluebottle' from the cheeky local kids.

"Everybody seemed to make use of the hut and field", our codgers reflect. The elderly went blackberry picking round the field margins, using the gathered fruit for jam making. Throughout summer days the kids chased butterflies and grasshoppers, catching them under their jackets. Home-made kites, crafted from garden canes and sheets of brown paper stuck down by flour-and-water paste, hung high in the summer skies, occasionally nose-diving and getting tangled in telegraph wires. Little balsa-wood model aeroplanes, propelled by elastic bands, skimmed through the air.

Between duties between the shafts, there was plenty of time to pat the faithful pony of Mr Forber, the fruit and veg man, who sold produce from a cart. Keen gardeners used to stand by, bucket and spade handy, hoping to gather horse manure from the carriageway when the cart rolled into view. "One old chap said it was grand for putting on his rhubarb," quips Norman, "but I prefer custard on mine!"

Familiar sight

War broke out, and the old peacetime scene changed dramatically. The hut was used for making camouflage nets. Barrage balloons, anchored by steel cables, floated above the Neighbours Field. Searchlights, used for picking out enemy bombers, moved in. And an air raid siren was put into place.

With peace came a resumption of social activity at the hut. Snooker, darts and table tennis made something of a comeback and cinema shows were screened on Fridays. St Helens Cycling Club, then a hot attraction for both boys and girls, had their base there. Back in the late 1940s it cost half-a-crown a week (about 12p in new money) to buy a Hercules bike on hire purchase ... complete with toe-clips and panniers and supplied by Kembles of Prescot. Tandems were then also a familiar sight.

Norman joined in when an amateur rugby league team was set up, making his final appearance against Wigan St Patrick's in 1953. Jackie Leyland, a name familiar to older Thatto Heathers to this day, was team trainer. His brother Fred was a star amateur boxer who turned pro, attracting a huge following of his hometown supporters whenever he fought at Liverpool Stadium.

"We've been told that the Neighbours Hut was still open in 1955 but we don't know when it was demolished," say the veteran duo. "We'd welcome any confirmation of the closure date."

ANYONE with an answer could kindly drop a note to Whalley's World at the Star